Easy Yoga Exercises For You To Do At Home

Yoga is way more than a trend; it’s a highly popular way to keep fit, release stress and tension, and calm your mind. You can literally do yoga anywhere, anytime, including at home. And you know what? You should.

by Linda S.

Yoga can be as strenuous or gentle as you want it to be. You can choose challenging positions and routines that tone your core muscles and strengthen every part of your body, forcing you to focus on the way that you move in order to improve your overall health.

Introductory yoga moves are ideal for women who recently gave birth and want to get back into shape, but need to move slowly and avoid vigorous exercise for a while. Yoga uses your body’s own strength and flexibility without pushing you too far.

It can ease chronic pain, such as back pain, because it improves your core body strength and helps undo knots in tight muscles that cause discomfort. You can use yoga as a way to meditate and relax, either with or without music. Many people find that yoga helps them to sleep better.

You don’t need any equipment to practice yoga. All you need to enjoy yoga is a mat or smooth, clear space on the floor, and some comfortable pants, which makes it a great option for busy women of all ages.

Have we got you sold on yoga? Here are 8 simple yoga exercises that you can do at home, with or without a child in the way, whenever you have a few minutes to spare.

Downward Dog

Downward dog is one of the best-known yoga moves and it features in almost every yoga routine.

Begin on all fours with your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips.
Then lift your hips higher and higher while you straighten your legs.
Push your heels and the palms of your hands down towards the floor, keeping your arms and legs as straight as possible.
The idea is to form a pyramid shape with your body, with your bottom and hips at the peak of the pyramid.
Hold the pose for 5-8 deep breaths before you relax back onto your hands and knees to rest.

If you’re not used to it, or your hamstring muscles are tight, you’ll find it difficult to hold, but if you do a “dog” every day, you’ll soon find it grows easier. Your muscles will stretch and your body will become more flexible.

Triangle

The triangle is another standing pose and it’s ideal for women who need to stretch out the core center of their body (which probably means all of us). It encourages you to open your lungs and breathe deep.

Begin by standing with your feet about one meter apart. Turn your right foot so that it’s pointing away from your body at a 90° angle.
Raise your arms and hold them out straight from your body at shoulder height.
Bend over sideways to your right, placing your right hand on your knee, shin, or ankle, depending on how far down you can stretch. Meanwhile, your left hand should point up towards the ceiling.
Turn to stare at your upper hand and hold the pose for 5-8 deep breaths.
Switch to do the same for the other side of your body.

The triangle is a great pose for when you’re feeling cramped and need to stretch.

Tree

Another popular yoga pose, the tree is an excellent way to improve your balance and focus on your essence for a few minutes.

Begin by standing straight with your feet together.
Raise your right foot and press the sole of your foot against the inside of your left thigh.
Now place your hands lightly together and hold the pose for 8-10 breaths.
Make sure you don’t lean over to one side or the other.

Don’t get frustrated if you can’t hold the tree for longer than a couple of seconds at first. It requires core body strength, and if you’ve given birth recently then all those muscles will be quite weak.

Cobra

Cobra is a floor pose that stretches out your stomach muscles and helps undo the kinks in your back.

Begin by lying facedown on the floor with your legs straight.
Place your hands next to your shoulders and bend your arms at the elbow.
Remember those pelvic floor muscles? Now is the time to tighten them.
As you breathe out, push your hands into the floor, straighten your arms, and raise your head and chest so that you’re looking straight ahead of you.
Feel those knots in your back go click click click as you release them.

It’s a good one for the end of a long, long day when you’ve been hunched over in a chair or driving kids around in the car for hours.

Happy Baby

Happy baby is a fun and relaxing floor pose that helps you to relax and release tension. If you’re looking after a baby, happy or otherwise, you’ve probably seen them do it. Now’s the time to try it for yourself.

Lie on your back and draw your knees up to your chest.
Spread your knees apart and pull each ankle closer to your body, so that your shins are perpendicular to the floor.
Grab your feet with your hands and flex them backwards while you pull your knees towards your armpits.
In this position, you can roll from side to side a little to give your back a mini massage.
Hold it for 5 deep breaths, then stretch your legs out straight ahead of you on the floor to rest.

If you’ve got a toddler, you’ll probably find that they join you on the floor for this one.

Plank

Plank is not an easy yoga pose, but it is excellent for strengthening your back and stomach muscles, arm muscles, and many other crucial muscle groups.

Begin on all fours with your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips.
Tuck your toes under your feet and lift your legs off the floor. Slide your heels back until you feel that your body is in a straight line parallel with the floor.
It’s important not to let your hips sag towards the floor, or to rise above the level of your shoulders.
You can do this with your arms straight, or bend your arms and support yourself on your forearms instead.
Hold it for 8-10 breaths, or longer if you like. Then lower your knees to the floor again to rest.

If you find it too difficult, you can lower your knees to the floor to make it less challenging.

Child’s Pose

The child’s pose is a simple, relaxing yoga pose that anyone can do, and it’s an awesome way to release tension and ease knots in your muscles.

Begin on all fours with your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips.
Push your bottom back towards your feet and stretch your arms forward.
Lower your forehead to the floor between your outstretched arms.
Close your eyes, release your body, and breathe deep. Try not to fall asleep!

The child’s pose is a good one to do when you get home from a long day in the office, or just before bed when you need to relax and wind down.

Yoga is such a good way of strengthening your body and releasing tension at the same time. Once you master these 8 simple yoga moves, you’ll want to keep going and do more and more!