There are many people who might be considering taking up yoga but who may not wish to invest in a class. Not everyone who has never done any yoga in their lifetime is convinced of its effectiveness and it can be difficult to shell out the money just for a trial. Some may feel that they are after a more vigorous workout while others may be a little embarrassed by the idea of trying out a new form of exercise amongst a group of strangers. As such, you may wish to try out a few of the positions on your own before committing yourself fully. There's nothing wrong with that and free yoga poses can be just the answer that you're looking for.
There are many reasons why free yoga poses would be made available to the public. There are those who have gotten great joy from practicing yoga and wish to share their experiences with others. In some cases, yoga studios may wish to showcase their expertise and teaching methods by going through certain postures step by step online. Whatever the reason free yoga poses are great resources that should not be allowed to go to waste.
If you do have a curiosity about yoga as a way of regaining, increasing or maintaining your fitness levels, free yoga poses are the best way to acclimatize yourself to the process. These postures can be made available to the general audience DVDs, books or even small clips on the internet. The free yoga poses provided are usually the most basic and easiest of the postures, and would be amongst the first that an instructor would teach if you were in a face to face yoga class.
The fact that these typically belong in the beginner category allows the prospective student to start practicing on his own and to test the waters before joining a yoga class full-time. These postures may include the meditation postures like Padmasana (Lotus Posture), Ardha-Padmasana (Half-Lotus Posture), Vajrasana (Thunderbolt posture). Also popular are:
o Shashankasana (Rabbit Posture),
o Singhasana (Lion Posture),
o Ardha-Matsyendrasana (the half spinal twist),
o Chakrasana (the Wheel Posture)
o Gomukhasana (Cow Face Posture)
o Dhanurasana (the Bow Posture).
Once the asanas are practiced regularly, it is possible to start benefiting from the effects they have on the body and mind. These include a clearer mind, greater alertness, heightened agility, improved digestion, and better emotional health. Some people feel that the benefits accrued from simply practicing any poses at home are enough to help them reach their fitness goals, while others feel that expert instruction is needed to advance to the next level. Some rare individuals may even choose to give up yoga altogether in favor of some other exercise method.
While exercising, always remember to stay within your limits. A good session of yoga should leave you feeling calm with loose and relaxed muscles, ready to proceed to the next stage of your day. If you are in pain, overly tired or feeling stiff after a workout, then you may need to choose postures with a lower difficulty level or cut down the length of time you stay in one position.
Practicing yoga should ideally be done under the guidance of an instructor, to prevent injuries through wrong muscle movements, and to maximize the benefit you can get from a particular posture. This is why although certain more complex positions such as Mayurasana (Peacock posture) and Sheershasana (Head Posture) may be made available as free yoga poses it is not wise to attempt them without considerable experience and expert guidance.