Most of us have heard of yoga, the practice of bringing wellness to mind, body, and spirit. The exercise accomplishes this through mental focus, breathing exercises, held postures, and movement.
However, not all women have yet to experience yoga’s positive effects on issues like menstrual cramps, aging, and overall wellbeing.
If you’ve never tried yoga, now has never been a better time. Here, we’ll give you a complete guide on getting started, including the best yoga poses to try as a beginner to boost your health.
Why Yoga for Women?
Yoga is for everyone – men, women, and children will benefit from the practice. However, yoga has specific benefits for women’s bodies.
Yoga has been proven to ease the following conditions:
- Menstrual cramps
- Digestive and bowel disorders
- Varicose veins
- Anxiety
- Stress
By practicing yoga a few times a week, women may experience improvements in:
- Circulation
- Cardiovascular health
- Mental wellness
- Fertility
However, yoga isn’t just about changes to our bodies. It can make women feel relaxed and seek a comfortable, peaceful life with a spiritual outlook. Women all over the world turn to yoga as an opportunity for mindfulness. Yoga clears unwanted thoughts and grants us time to reflect on our choices and set new goals for the week.
What Do You Need to Do Yoga?
All you need is a great instructor, bottled water, and a willingness to work hard through your session.
However, we also recommend a non-slip mat. Eco yoga mats are even better. They have a thickness that meets your needs, comforts, and portability. The material and texture of your mat are vital because you will not want it to slide, and the surface determines how much traction it provides.
You will need to decide whether a group class is what you are looking for or a private session. The choice is yours; there is no right or wrong answer.
Some women prefer following a solo practice because they can go at their own pace. Once they find the moves they like and know how long they want to hold each pose, following an instructor is less appealing. However, group classes allow us to improve our practice by learning from others while making new friends.
How to Begin?
Always start with your warm-up before doing a yoga set. You can keep your eyes open or close them but turn your attention inward. You will want to drift into your poses to increase your awareness. Discomfort is OK, but pain is not. Breathe.
Unless instructed otherwise, breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Hold your poses for the minimum time. You will work up to the maximum.
What Poses Support Women’s Health?
Once you have warmed up, there are many poses that support health to try. These six poses are simple and support different areas of the body:
- Breath of Fire. This is a sitting pose that will help regulate your periods. It cleanses the blood, the mucus lining of your lungs, and the cells of your body.
- Root Lock. This pose is great for the postnatal period when the internal muscles need firming and strengthening. Do not practice this pose during menstruation. This is a sitting pose.
- Bow. You will practice this pose lying on your stomach. It massages and invigorates the internal organs while strengthening your abdomen. It helps prevent digestive and bowel disorders and reduces fat around the waist.
- Shoulderstand. This pose benefits the entire body, the thyroid, throat, and circulation. Shoulderstand increases flexibility in the spine’s cervical region and helps prevent varicose veins.
- Movement Relaxation. Free, rhythmic movement relaxes the entire body and mind, releasing everyday emotional traumas that leave tension on the body. Stress can lead to physical and mental imbalances.
- Forward and Backward Hang Poses. These poses bring the head lower than the heart relieve stress and support cardiovascular health. If the circulatory system is weak, tissues in the extremities and joints will build up deposits that lead to illness.
Once you are in a pose, hold it for as long as you’d like. This could be anywhere from a few seconds to 5 minutes. To conclude an exercise or posture, inhale and pause your breath briefly, then exhale and relax the posture.
Conclusion
Getting into the rhythm of yoga takes time. Once you become more comfortable with the format and some of the poses we mentioned, the mental and physical benefits soon follow. Ten minutes a day is all it takes to improve your mind, body, and spirit.
