I have been practicing yoga for 11 years, and so, feel the need to tout the physical and mental benefits of it. I want to spread the benefits that I have reaped out of this practice so that more people can enhance their physical and mental health. Not many know this, but simply adding a handful of yoga poses in to the mix can improve your well-being in unbelievable ways.
If you're someone who is passionate about yoga, like moi, you have to already know how yoga benefits us; from sleeping better to seldom falling sick; practicing yoga can help you in numerous ways. It increases your energy levels, and literally fills you with increased life by improving the flow of breath or prana.
Today, I wish to share with you the yoga warm-ups that I personally practice to ease into my daily workout regime. I really hope this helps. 
Suggested read: #InternationalYogaDay 15 Ways Yoga Improves Your Productivity
Yoga Warm-Ups To help ease Your Way Into Any Exercise Routine
Breathing
- Breathing (1/3)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Focus your eyes at a point in front of you
- Relax your shoulders and your neck
- Breathe deeply five to six times
Note: While breathing make sure you breathe from your chest. Don't move your shoulders.
- Breathing (2/3)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist together with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Bring your chin down
- Focus your eyes at a point on the ground
- Relax your shoulders and your neck
- Breathe deeply five to six times
Note: In this exercise, you need to bring your chin down and not your neck.
- Breathing (3/3)
- Stand straight
- Form fists together with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Tilt your face to face the ceiling
- Focus your eyes at a point on the ceiling
- Relax your shoulders as well as your neck
- Breathe deeply five to six times
Neck Rotations
- Neck rotation (1/4)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Breathe in and touch your left shoulder with your left ear
- Breathe out and come back
- Breathe in and touch your right shoulder together with your right ear
- Breathe out and come back
- That is a rep
- Perform 7 such reps
- Neck rotation (2/4)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist together with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Breathe in and twist your neck to manage the left wall
- Breathe out and untwist it
- Breathe in and twist your neck to face the right wall
- Breathe out and untwist it
- This is one rep
- Perform 7 such reps
- Neck rotation (3/4)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Breathe in and face the ceiling
- Breathe out and face the floor
- This is one rep
- Perform seven such reps
- Neck rotation (4/4)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist together with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Bring your chin right down to touch your chest
- Take a deep breath and rotate your neck in the left
- After one rotation breathe out
- Breathe in again and rotate your neck from the right
- This is one rep
- Perform 7 such reps
Shoulder Movements
- Shoulder movement (1/3)
- Stand straight
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Breathe in and raise your hands on either side to form a T
- Breathe out and raise your hands toward the ceiling (clench your stomach)
- Breathe in and again form a T
- Breathe out and produce your hands down
- This is one rep
- Perform 7 such reps
Note: This should be done very slowly.
- Shoulder movement (2/3)
- Stand straight
- Form a fist together with your thumbs clasped in
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Breathe in, contain the breath and rotate your hands clockwise twice for 15 times each
- Take a 10-second break
- Breathe in, hold the breath and rotate your hands anticlockwise twice for 15 times each
- Shoulder movement (3/3)
- Stand straight
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Place your hands on your shoulders
- Now breathe in and rotate them clockwise
- Half way through the rotation, breathe out
- This is one rep
- Perform 7 such reps
- Repeat the rotations anticlockwise
Suggested read: #InternationalYogaDay The advantages of Pranayama OR The Art Of Breathing Correctly
Stretches
- Stretches (1/4)
- Stretch your legs to create an inverted Y
- Your feet ought to be parallel and your toes inward
- Extend both both hands in front of you parallel to each other
- Breathe all the while twisting your body to the left
- Breathe out and are available back
- Breathe in and twist your body to the right
- This is one rep
- Perform 10 such reps
Note: Only your upper body should twist. Make sure your hips don't move.
- Stretches (2/4)
- Stretch your legs to create an inverted Y
- Your feet ought to be parallel and your toes inward
- Extend your hands sideways parallel to the ground
- Breathe out and stretch your left-hand toward your left toe
- Fold your right hand over your head
- Breathe in and are available back right up
- Breathe out and stretch your right hand toward your right toe
- Fold your left-hand over your head
- This one rep
- Perform 10 such reps
(These need to be performed continuously. Do not stop in between. Also, keep your eyes open and don't bend your knees)
- Stretches (3/4)
- Stretch your legs to form an inverted Y
- Your feet ought to be parallel and your toes inward
- Breathe out and stretch your left hand toward your right toe
- Your right hand will extend toward the ceiling
- Breathe in and come back
- Breathe out and stretch your right-hand toward your left toe
- Your left hand will extend toward the ceiling
- This is one rep
- You should perform 10 continuous reps
- Stretches (4/4)
- Stand straight
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Breathe out and touch the ground (do not bend your knees)
- Breathe in and extend your arms toward the ceiling and bend backwards
- This is a rep
- Perform 10 such reps
Note: The aim of this being active is to loosen your body and not stretch stiffly!
Kapaalbhaati with Movements
- Kapaalbhaati with movements (1/3)
- Keep your hands on your hips
- Stand straight
- Breathe out with your nose and touch your buttock together with your left heel
- Repeat it with your right heel
- Keep breathing by helping cover their a sound and kicking your back
- Kapaalbhaati with movements (2/3)
- Repeat the prior exercise but faster
- Jog while kicking your buttocks together with your heels
- Keep breathing out loudly together with your nose
- Do it for more than 30 seconds
- Perform two sets of this
- Kapaalbhaati with movements (3/3)
- Stand straight
- Keep your toes together
- Tighten your thighs
- Extend both your hands toward the ceiling
- Open your palms to manage the front wall
- With every exhale open your fingers wide apart after which close them
- Keep doing this 20 times
- Extend your arms sideways to form a Y
- Repeat the exercise 20 times
- Bring our arms down and extend them parallel to the floor to form a T
- Repeat the exercise 20 times
Churning the Belly
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Place your hands on your thighs
- Bend slightly forward
- Keep your back straight
- Loosen your neck
- Focus your vision on the floor
- Breathe out completely
- Hold the breath out and churn your stomach
- Perform 3 to 5 sets of 10 churns
- Slowly increase the churns to 50
Suggested read: #InternationalYogaDay History Of Yoga, Its Origins, And Development Explained
That is we have on today’s post on yoga warm-ups. Let us know if you found this helpful. You can also leave your queries, if any, in the comment section below.