Yoga for Beginners: Three Basic Standing Yoga Poses to Improve Focus and Balance
Standing yoga poses are ideal poses to help you develop your concentration, balance, and flexibility skills. Through them you learn to connect with all parts of your body. They also develop strength, confidence and focus.
When you are new to yoga, it can be quite difficult to sit still, focus, and maintain your balance in a standing pose.
The following standing sequence is designed to help you develop the inner strength and focus needed to do standing balance poses.
As with all forms of exercise, take care and respect for your body.
1. The Mountain Pose/Tadasana
The mountain pose forms the basis of all standing poses. It teaches you how to stand correctly and is the starting point for the Sun Salutation and all standing poses. If you think about how strong and solid a mountain is, this image will be of great help to you while practicing this pose.
Getting into the pose:
a) Stand with your feet together. If it’s comfortable, have your big toes, inner ankles, and inner heels touch. Distribute your weight evenly on your feet.
b) Squeeze your kneecaps and lift your thigh muscles and lower abdomen.
c) Breathe in and feel your spine lengthen, let your tailbone sink and rise in front of your body. Feel how your chest opens. Allow your arms to hang by your sides with your palms facing your legs, fingers gently extending toward the floor.
d) Relax your shoulders, let your shoulder blades slide down. Relax your face, lengthen the neck and look straight ahead
e) Hold steady in this pose for 3 to 10 rounds of deep abdominal breathing.
2. Tree Pose/Vrksasana
This pose tones and stretches the leg muscles and teaches balance. It also promotes calm and inner balance.
a) Stand in tadasana/mountain pose and ‘root’ your left leg on the mat.
b) Gently raise your right leg and place the sole of your right foot high on your left inner thigh (or anywhere between your ankle and thigh, if that’s more comfortable).
c) Inhale and stretch your arms above your head with palms facing each other. If you feel uncomfortable or unsteady, bend your elbows and gently bring your palms together in a prayer position.
d) Stay in this pose for 3 to 10 rounds of deep abdominal breathing.
e) Keep your tailbone tucked down and feel the sole of your supporting foot connect with the ground.
f) Come out of the pose and repeat on the opposite side.
3. Standing Forward Bend Pose/Uttanasana
This pose gives your spine an intense stretch. Develops flexibility in the legs, hips and spine. Because the head is down, the increased blood flow to the head relieves the brain. This is a lovely pose to release pressure and tension in your back, shoulder, and neck muscles.
a) Stand in mountain pose with your feet slightly apart, directly in line with your hips. Your arches are next to each other and your toes are level. Keep your knees and legs straight.
b) Raise your arms above your head, cross your arms and place each hand on the opposite elbow. Inhale and lift your knees, thighs, lower abdomen, and spine.
c) Exhale and extend your truck forward from your hips. Bend forward and extend your trunk to the ground, keep your legs straight and extend your trunk and arms closer to the ground.
d) Take 5 to 15 breaths, relaxing and releasing tension in your back, shoulders, and neck each time you exhale (if this posture tenses your back, spread your feet further apart and turn your toes slightly inward and rest the front of the ribs
Practice these three standing yoga poses regularly, and over time, you will notice how calm, relaxed, and balanced you feel. When you feel like this, it is much easier for you to concentrate and focus and life flows with ease.
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