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Well-being: 5 postures to learn very slowly in yoga

When you start yoga, it is not always easy to find your way among all the postures with sometimes completely unknown names! There are indeed dozens of types of yoga developed according to unique approaches around postures, breathing or other, and about as many ways to approach them as there are teachers. And when we start consulting programs online, we are even more lost! So rest assured, it is quite common to be confused during the first class and to conclude, often too quickly and with the ego in the socks, "yoga is not for me".

Leader in live and video yoga and Pilates classes, Oly Be (which also offers face-to-face, live and video personal development sessions in France) has chosen to make yoga as accessible as possible. His creed? Mobile studios in exceptional locations, a great online course platform - Yoga Connect - and the desire to offer thousands of courses throughout France, in the studio, but also live and on VOD to practice with sound or sound. favorite teacher among a community of 800 certified teachers, wherever you are. So if the adventure tempts you, here are 5 postures to get you started gently.

1. The posture of the child or Balâsana

How to do? Get on your knees with your buttocks resting on your heels and your knees slightly hip-width apart. Move the bust forward to place the forehead and chest on the knees. Do not hesitate to round your back, then bring your arms along your legs, almost at your feet and turn your palms upwards. Inhale and exhale deeply to feel the air circulating. Try to visualize the opening of the lower back for more relaxation.
Why it is good: The posture of the child, Balâsana, allows you to refocus on yourself and immediately let go of all the tensions of the body, and more particularly those accumulated in the lower back, shoulders and neck.

Well-being: 5 postures for s 'introduce slowly to yoga

To go further: Spread your knees further apart to go further in the stretch. In this case, stick the two inches of the feet together and spread the knees about the width of a carpet. Move the bust forward between the legs.

2. The posture of the cat and cow

How to do? Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your hips above your knees. On the inhale, hollow the back from the top of the head to the tip of the coccyx while looking upwards. On the exhale, round the back by pushing in its points of support and particularly in the arms to open the shoulder blades. Repeat the movement several times while tuning it to your breaths.
Why it's good: This posture not only allows work on the mobility of the spine but also a massage with compression and in-depth stretching of the organs internal, especially of the intestine, to free up space and boost circulation.
The alternatives: To create more movement in your body, roll up the transitions by stretching on the sides and making the adaptations that make the well between the two positions.

3. Downward facing dog posture

How to do it? Get on all fours on the mat. Check that the knees are positioned under the hips and the hands under the shoulders. Spread the fingers apart, keeping the indexes parallel or slightly turned outwards and rest the toes on the mat. On an exhale, lift the knees up while pressing into the hands. First, keep your knees slightly bent, your heels lifted. Then pull the seat bones (the small bones of the buttocks) towards the ceiling. On an exhale, push the upper thighs back and the heels against the mat or towards the floor. Straighten your knees but be careful not to lock them. Press the base of the index fingers against the mat. Based on these two points, move the shoulders away from the ears. Keep your head parallel to your arms, don't let go. - Stay in the pose for 1 to 3 minutes. Lower the knees to the floor on an exhale and rest in Child's Pose.
Why it's good: This is the Yogis' Resting Pose which stretches the entire back of the body and emphasizes on the back.

4. Upward facing dog


How do I do it? Start standing and lean forward until both hands are on the ground (if the ground seems too far away, place blocks under your hands). Shift your body weight onto one foot and raise the other leg in the air behind you, pointing your toes toward the ceiling. Bring the hands towards the toes (or for more challenge grab the ground ankle with one hand then the other) and release the head forward. Take at least three deep breaths. Repeat on the other side. Avoid locking the knee of the ground leg in hyper extension. Instead, focus on stretching the thigh of the leg that is in the air, while keeping its pelvis facing the front leg (rather than opening the back hip to raise the leg higher).
Why it's good: Balance work calms the mind by encouraging us to let go and find harmony between body and mind.

5. The standing pincer posture


How to do it? Step the feet forward and the hands back until you come to the middle of the mat and have the ankles forming a vertical line with the knees and hips. Catch the elbows with the hands. Swing your upper body right and left. Release the head with the chin towards the chest to relax the neck.
Why it's good: this posture notably allows you to stretch the hamstrings (the muscles located behind the thighs) and the hips, to improve digestion , to stretch the spine gently, to calm the mind and thus reduce stress.

And to finish

Go back to the child's position to end the session. It is advisable to repeat this sequence 3 to 5 times to warm up the body at the start of practice or as a complete practice to start the day on the move.

To find out more and go further in the postures, go to olybe.com

Photo credits: sdp oly be