International Yoga Day 2024: Begin your fitness journey by doing these yoga asanas daily

,International yoga day 2024: Yoga enhances physical flexibility, strength, and posture, while reducing injuries and chronic pain. It promotes mental relaxation, reduces stress, and improves focus and concentration (Image: Canva)

Over the decades, yoga has evolved from a spiritual practice to a widely adopted method for enhancing physical and mental well-being. It emphasises physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dyana), while classical yoga includes broader elements.

The diversity of yoga styles complicates research on its health benefits, contrasting with tai chi and qigong, also known as "meditative movement" practices, which share both meditative and physical components with yoga.

Studies have suggested potential benefits of yoga for stress management, mental and emotional health, promoting healthy habits, sleep, and balance.
Additionally, yoga enhances physical flexibility, strength, and posture, while reducing injuries and chronic pain. It promotes mental relaxation, reduces stress, and improves focus and concentration, says Divya Rolla, Yoga Expert, Cult. She adds, “Emotionally, yoga fosters inner peace and stability, combating anxiety and depression. It also improves sleep, aids digestion, and boosts vitality, helping individuals achieve a balanced and healthier life.”

To create a daily yoga routine, start with gentle stretches like Cat-cow and Child's pose in the morning, followed by energising Sun Salutations and breathing exercises. Divya Rolla shares a few other daily practices that will show results physically, mentally, and physiologically once you become comfortable with them:

Best yoga asanas: Supta Padangusthasana (Image: Canva)

Supta Padangusthasana 1:

This pose stretches your hamstrings, ankles, and calf muscles while keeping your spine supported on the floor. typically, a yoga belt is used, but a scarf can also work. if you have tight hamstrings, you might not be able to raise your leg vertically without bending your knee. in that case, keep your knee straight and angle your leg further away from your body, avoiding a 90-degree angle.

• Lie on your back with both legs parallel and stretched out.
• Bend your right knee to your chest and position a belt around the ball of your right foot.
• Straighten your right leg upwards towards the ceiling and hold the belt in both hands.
• As you hold the belt keep your elbows slightly bent, and press the back of your shoulders down to the floor.
• Close the gap between the back of your left thigh and the floor, and keep the left leg strong and parallel.
• Flex both ankles and pull your toes towards you to deepen the stretch.
• Hold for 1 min on each side and repeat twice.

Best yoga asanas: Supta Padangusthasana (Image: Canva)

Supta Padangusthasana 2:

This pose follows immediately from the previous one, with the same alignment rules applying. it stretches your hamstrings, groin, ankles, and calf muscles.

• Bend your right knee to your chest and position a belt around the ball of your right foot.
• Straighten your right leg upwards towards the ceiling and hold the belt in both hands.
• Now start to lower your right leg to the right side, and open as much as possible while keeping both hips in line and on the mat.
• Close the gap between the back of your left thigh and the floor, and keep the left leg strong and parallel.
• Flex both ankles and pull your toes towards you to deepen the stretch.
• Hold for 1 min on each side and repeat twice.

Best yoga asanas: Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) (Image: Canva)

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose):

This restorative, passive posture allows the body to rest and soothes the nervous system, providing numerous physiological benefits like lowering the heart rate and aiding digestion and sleep. it also opens the hips, shoulders, and chest, enabling deeper diaphragmatic breathing. for some, it can relieve tension and alleviate lower back pain.

• Lie down on the back in Savasana.
• Place the palms on the mat.
• Inhale, bend the knees, and join the feet together, closer to the inner thighs, knees pointing to the side wall, palms resting on the mat.
• Hold for 1-2 mins, exhale, and release lie down back in Savasana.
• You can place a cushion under each knee for extra support.

Best yoga asanas: Parivrtta Sukhasana (Seated Twist) (Image: Canva)

Parivrtta Sukhasana (Seated Twist):

This posture lubricates and nourishes the spinal column, increases the elasticity of the spine's muscles and ligaments, soothes the nervous system, prevents backache, massages internal organs, and tones the liver, kidneys, and spleen. it aids in digestion and elimination, and helps reduce abdominal fat. hold for 30 seconds on each side and repeat twice.

• Sit up tall in a cross-legged position.
• Place the right palm directly behind you and the left palm on your right knee, inhale lengthen the spine, and exhale twisting towards your right.
• Hold for 15 secs, then repeat on the other side.