3 Yoga exercises beginners can do at home

Yoga Exercises for Beginners: When you are just starting out with yoga, it can be quite exciting. You feel new, you have no experience with yoga, the yoga practices and the yoga styles and everyone seems to know exactly what they are doing.

But remember: everyone has started yoga at one point or another. Even the one in class who is super flexible and knows exactly what to do at what time. So don't let yourself be fooled and allow yourself the space to learn, to become stronger, to create stamina and to become more flexible.

Exercises for beginners

Do you want to prepare yourself in advance or do you just want to start with yoga at home? Then there are some yoga exercises that are good for beginners.

This does not mean that the advanced yogi no longer does these exercises, because they always remain part of yoga. It does mean that these yoga poses are a bit easier to perform.

1. Mountain pose

The Mountain pose, also called Tadasana, is a firm pose that provides stability, firmness and balance. It seems like a very simple pose, but it is very good for both body and mind.

How do you perform the mountain pose?

1. Stand up straight and distribute your weight over both feet
2. Make yourself as tall as possible by tightening your thighs
3. Your crown points to the ceiling, this straightens your back and your neck (your entire spine)
4. Put your feet together or with just a little space in between
5. Push your shoulders back so that your shoulder blades almost touch
6. Your arms are tense at your sides, with about 15 cm space between them
7. Your palms face forward
8. Relax your face and focus on your breathing
9. Provide strength, balance, stability and firmness throughout your body, do not slacken

You will often hear the word asana. This means 'pose'.

2. Child Pose

The child pose, also called Balasana, is a common pose in yoga. This pose mainly provides relaxation and stretch.

To perform the Child Pose, get on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Your neck is straight and an extension of your spine. Now push your buttocks back so that you rest the back of your thighs on your lower legs. Your chest is over your thighs and your head is resting on the floor. Stretch your arms past your ears with your palms on the floor.

During this pose, you pay close attention to your breathing and accept all emotions, feelings and thoughts that pass by.

3. Downward Dog

The Downward Facing Dog is one of the most important poses in yoga. This pose reappears in almost every style, as it is seen as a pause or rest between the other yoga poses. But make no mistake, it's a tough pose. Almost every novice yogi will curse this pose because it requires a lot of strength in your shoulders and arms. But believe us, you get used to it and in the long run you will indeed experience peace with this pose.

1. Get on your hands and knees and spread your fingers wide
2. Now straighten your arms and legs. Only your hands and your feet are now on the ground
3. You're in an inverted V and your buttocks are sticking up in the air
4. Your back, arms and neck are in a straight line (bend your knees if necessary, but keep this straight line)
5. You look at your navel or through your legs, this helps with a straight neck and back
6. Keep breathing

Yoga for beginners

These three yoga exercises are perfect for beginners to practice at home. Especially with the downward facing dog it is important that you perform this properly, so watch a yoga video from, for example, Yoga with Adriene about performing the poses.

Want to read more? We have a lovely (and free!) ebook with 10 yogaposes for beginners, explained step by step.

Also This year I wrote a blog about prenatal yoga. In it you can read which yoga exercises I liked during my pregnancy. When you are pregnant, you have to be careful with your body, while you want to become stronger and more flexible. Therefore, I am sure it will help you at this stage as well.

Do you want to start tomorrow? Order a nice yoga mat here! If you order before 10 p.m., it will be shipped the same day! Then you can start tomorrow with these beginner exercises.