How can I warm-up before yoga practice? What postures can I do for relaxation?
Warm up before yoga practice is easy and simple and is very essential as it helps to loosen up the ligaments and joints with a few mild exercises. A warm up session is also very important as the yoga asanas or poses work not only on the muscles but also the delicate nerves and tissues present in your body. And a warm up session before your regular yoga practice will help to prevent any injury to them. The warm up exercises make it easier for the body to practice the various yoga asanas as they get it ready to be stretched and worked upon. They help to ease your body into the more advanced asanas or postures without causing much strain. It also reduces the risk of muscle pull and other injuries. Practicing the Surya Namaskar or the sun salutation is an excellent way to warm up before you start with the yoga practice. It is a powerful series of twelve different asanas or poses that give a good warm up and have a beneficial effect on the entire body from head to toe. You can practice the following for warm up exercises:
- Training the Eyes – it is important for you to exercise your eyes just as much your body as the muscles of your eyes need exercise and movement to be strong and healthy. Eye exercises involve moving your eyes only in different directions without moving your head.
- Warm up exercises for the neck – these are needed as every person has different levels of flexibility. It helps to relieve the stiffness in the neck and shoulders that is caused due to poor posture.
- Warm up exercises for the shoulders – you can practice the shoulder lifts or the stretches for the shoulders to relax them and to relieve the stress and stiffness from them. Shoulder stretches relax your neck and shoulders and also help to improve the condition of your upper back.
- Bidal asana or the cat pose – this asana or pose helps you to move from the center of your body and synchronize your breath with the movement of your body. This is very important in yoga practice. Those who have a problem with their spine or a recent back injury should avoid doing the Bidal asana or the cat pose.
You can also practice the shoulder rolls to improve your posture and to reduce the strain in your neck and shoulders and elbow touch to reduce the strain in your upper and lower back.
