Yoga Warm-Ups That Help You Ease To your Daily Exercise Routine

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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

1. 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.

2. 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)

3. 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

4. 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

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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.