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Home > Yoga Poses > Basic to Advance Asana > Basic Movements


Yoga for Beginners - Basic Movements (Yoga Positions or Postures or Asanas)
Basic Movements (click below mentioned links for more details)

Pre Position
Neck
Movement
Shoulder Movement
Hand
Movement
Leg Movement
Knee
Movement

Preparatory Movements (click here for more details)
Yoga Basic Movements

These movements are very useful to beginners, who want to start doing yoga but don't have any experience of yoga or any
other exercise.
There are several joints in our body, which needs lubrication and movements. The food we consume supplies the
lubrication and Yoga and other activities provide the movements. In our regular life some of these joints are overused and
some are rarely used which may create problems at later stage in your life. To help these joints maintain their healthy
condition Basic Movements are necessary also they are useful to prepare your body to take up Yoga.
Benifits

As your body relaxes all your muscles also relax except those muscles, which are used in the movements, so one
can easily concentrate on the movement / particular muscle (effort).
Aged and persons having diseases also can do these movements without much strain.
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Prerequisites for Yoga

Below 12 years of age Yoga postures should not be practiced for long duration and asanas are to be maintained for
very short duration.
Every day you should practice Yoga for at least 30 to 45 minutes to get maximum results.
The best suited time to practice is early morning hours, but it can be practiced in the afternoon after following food
restrictions.
Food restrictions - stomach should be empty while practicing, that is you should consume solid food 3.5 hours before
practicing and liquid 1 hour before.
Place should be spacious, clean, airy, bright and away from disturbances.
Yoga should not be practiced on bare floor but keep mat or carpet below.
Clothes should be comfortable, loose, clean. Undergarments are necessary.
Yoga prefers vegetarian diet. But avoid spicy and hot diet as much as possible.
Women should not practice Yoga during Pregnancy and menstruation.
One should have faith in Yoga and what he is doing.
Yoga Positions or Asanas

Asana system is the 3rd in ashtanga Yoga, yogasana help achieve physical health, control over mind and power of
concentration.
Patanjali has described Yogasana as "Sthir Sukham Asanam", which means a posture that is stable and pleasant. A
more broad definition of Yogasana according to Patanjali is "Tatodwanabhighatah" which means practice of
Yogasana leads to disappearance of duality of cold-hot, sadness-joy, happiness-sorrow and so on.
Yoga is different from exercise as it doesn't involve speedy movements, but instead very slow and steady
movements.
Yoga helps achieve relaxation which reduces stress & strain.
Very few calories are consumed during Yogasana practice and metabolism rate of the body also drops which
means reduced Aging Process.
Less food is required as digestive power is increased.

PRE POSITION
Standing
Position
Sitting Position Supine Position Prone Position


Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of
neck muscles.
Precaution - People with neck problems like
spondylitis should avoid forward bending.
Procedure - Sit in the Vajrasana Position, keep
your neck straight, then slowly but without jerk
bend your neck forward as much as possible,
back to normal position then bend it backward
and then back to normal, then to the right and to
the left.

NECK MOVEMENT - 1



NECK MOVEMENT - 2
Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of neck muscles.
Precaution - People with neck problems like spondilytis should
avoid forward bending.
Procedure - Sit in the Vajrasana Position, keep your neck
straight, then slowly but without jerk start rotating neck clockwise
from left shoulder to backwards then to the right shoulder and to
front. Repeat this in anticlockwise direction starting from right
shoulder.


Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of neck muscles.
Precaution - No specific precautions.
Procedure - Sit in the Vajrasana Position, keep your body
straight, with arms by side. Then slowly but without jerk lift your
both shoulders upwards as much as possible near to ears, back
to normal position.
Benefits - This posture is useful for people with back problems.
Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of
hand & shoulder muscles.
Precaution - If you feel strain while lifting your
hands above ground then do this with your hands
resting on ground.
Procedure - Relax in Shavasana position, keep
your hands 6 inches away from your body, legs
separated with 12 inch distance between them, lift
your hands 1 to 1.5 inch above ground and slowly
rotate them towards head without bending
SHOULDER MOVEMENT - 1


SHOULDER MOVEMENT - 2
Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of shoulder and back
muscles.
Precaution - No specific precautions.
Procedure - Sit in the Vajrasana position, keep your body straight, fold
you hands and place left fist on left shoulder and right fist on right
shoulder, bring both your elbows together near chest, then slowly but
without jerk rotate both these arms in opposite direction, (left arm
anticlockwise and right arm clockwise) Repeat this in opposite direction
(right arm anticlockwise and left arm clockwise).
Benefits - This posture is useful for people with back problems.



HAND MOVEMENT - 1
elbows, keep the hands parallel to the ground till
both the palms meet, place left palm on right palm
and stretch hands upwards and legs downwards
for 5 to 10 seconds, then slowly but without jerk
rotate both the hands back to the normal position
via the same path.
Benefits - This posture is useful in increasing the
strength of neck, shoulders and the stretching
helps retain normal posture.
Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of
hand & shoulder muscles.
Precaution - do not bend elbows while doing this.
Procedure - Relax in Shavasana position, keep
your hands 6 inches away from your body, legs
separated with 12 inch distance between them,
raise your hands above ground and slowly take
them towards head without bending elbows, place
both hands on the ground, stretch hands upwards
and legs downwards for 5 to 10 seconds. Then
slowly but without jerk bring both the hands back to
the normal position via the same path.
Benefits - This posture is useful in increasing the
strength of neck, shoulders and hands, the
stretching helps retain normal posture.


HAND MOVEMENT - 2


HAND MOVEMENT - 3

Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of
hand & shoulder muscles.
Precaution - If you feel strain while lifting your
hands above ground then do this with your hands
resting on ground. The movements should be
slow and continuous.
Procedure - Relax in Shavasana position, keep
your hands 6 inches away from your body, legs
separated with 12 inch distance between them, lift
your hands 1 to 1.5 inch above ground and slowly
rotate them towards head without bending
elbows, keep the hands parallel to the ground till
both forearms cross, in this same cross position
raise the arms above and on to the stomach, then
slowly bring both the hands back to the normal
position.
Benefits - This posture is useful in increasing the
strength of neck, shoulders and the stretching
helps retain normal posture.


LEG MOVEMENT - 1
Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of
legs & hip muscles.
Precaution - The movements should be slow &
continuous.
Procedure - Relax in Supine position, keep your
hands around head rotating them side ways, then
lift your left leg and bring it near to the hip, repeat
this procedure for the right leg. Then slowly bring
both the hands back to the normal position.
Benefits - This helps development of the leg
muscles and hip joints.

Aim - To increase the flexibility and strength of legs
& hip muscles.
Precaution - The movements should be slow &
continuous. Do not bend the knees.
Procedure - Relax in Supine position, keep your
hands close to your body, then lift your left leg 30 to
40 degrees above ground level and rotate it in the
clockwise direction without bending knees, repeat
this procedure for the right leg.
Benefits - This helps leg muscles and hip joints.

LEG MOVEMENT - 2


LEG MOVEMENT - 3
Aim - To increase the flexibility and stamina of
legs & hip muscles.
Precaution - The movements should be slow &
continuous. Do not bend the knees.
Procedure - Relax in Supine position, Move your
hands around and place them at shoulder height,
parallel to the ground, then lift your left leg and
turn it to the right side as far as possible touching
the ground. Repeat this procedure for the right leg.
Then slowly bring both the hands back to the
normal position.
Benefits - This helps leg muscles and hip joints.
Aim - To increase the flexibility and strength of
knee & waist muscles.
Precaution - The movements should be slow &
continuous.
Procedure - Relax in Supine position, Move your
hands around your head, then bend your left leg
in knee and rest foot near to hips , then turn the
knee to the right side as far as possible. Repeat
this procedure for the right leg. Then slowly bring
both the hands back to the normal position.
Benefits - This helps knee joints and hip joints.


KNEE MOVEMENT - 1


KNEE MOVEMENT - 2
Aim - To increase the flexibility and strength of
knee & waist muscles.

Aim - To increase the flexibility and strength of
knee & waist muscles .
Precaution - The movements should be slow &
continuous, don't take unnecessary strains while
performing this exercise.
Procedure - Relax in Supine position. Move your
hands around your head, then bend your legs in
knee and rest feet near to hips , keep 12 inches
distance between them, then turn the left leg to
the right side to touch the right toe, press the right
leg to the left thigh, relax all the muscles, continue
normal breathing. Repeat this for right leg, then
slowly bring both the hands back to the normal
position.
Benefits - This helps knee joints, hip joints and
also the spinal column.
Precaution - The movements should be slow &
continuous, don't take unnecessary strains while
performing this exercise.
Procedure - Relax in Supine position, Move your
hands around your head, then bend your legs in
knee and rest feet near to hips , then turn the legs
to the left side as far as possible, touch the left
knee to the ground and turn the neck to the right
side and relax all the muscles, continue normal
breathing, then slowly bring both the hands back
to the normal position.
Benefits - This helps knee joints, hip joints and
also the spinal column.


KNEE MOVEMENT - 3


Preparatory Movements (click below mentioned links for more details)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Preparatory Movements
Yogic practices create lot of strain on different organs or parts of the body, our body should have enough strength to bear this,
one should build this stamina with practice. The preparatory movements provide just the same and help you build the
necessary strength and prepare the whole body for Yogasana.

Following precautions should be taken while performing these movements -
1 Movements should be without jerk or swings.
2 Movements should be slow and smooth.
3 Movements to be tuned with breathing.
Normal Breathing Principles
1 When the physical movements is in the direction of gravitational pull, i.e. downwards, exhaling should take place.
2 During upward movement, inhaling should take place.
3 When there is no movement, normal breathing should be resumed.


PREPARATORY MOVEMENT PREPOSITIONS

Stand with 1 to 1.5 feet distance between legs,
hands straight and resting the palms on the sides
of the thighs, look straight.
This posture makes balancing of the body easy.

PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 1
In preposition, inhaling raise both the
hands above the head slowly keeping
the distance same between them.
Then exhaling slowly start bending down
in the waist till the palms touch the
ground, keep the head pressed towards
the knees.
Then exhaling slowly start bending down
in the waist till the palms touch the
ground, keep the head pressed towards
the knees.
Exhailing bring the arms back to the
normal preposition.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 2

In preposition, inhaling raise both the hands from sides, slowly bringing them at shoulder height and parallel to the
ground.
Then exhaling slowly start bending forward in the waist, touch the thumb of right foot by your left hand, keeping the right
arm straight above.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Then exhaling slowly start bending forward in the waist, touch the thumb of left foot by your right hand keeping the left arm
straight above.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Exhaling bring the arms down to the normal preposition.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 3

In preposition, inhaling raise both the hands from sides, slowly bringing them at shoulder height and parallel to the
ground.
Then exhaling slowly start bending forward in the waist, touch the thumb of right foot by your left hand, keeping the right
arm straight above.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Then exhaling slowly start bending forward in the waist, touch the thumb of left foot by your right hand keeping the left arm
straight above.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Exhaling bring the arms down to the normal preposition.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 4

In preposition, inhaling bring both the hands on
waist in such a way that fingers come to the front
side and thumb to the back.
Then exhaling slowly start bending forwards in the
waist keeping knees straight. Try to bring the head
between the legs.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Then exhaling slowly start bending backwards in
the waist keeping knees straight. Try to bend as
much as possible and maintain your balance.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Exhaling bring the arms down to the initial position.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 5
In preposition, inhaling bring both the hands on
waist in such a way that fingers come to the front
side and thumb to the back.
Then exhaling slowly start bending forwards in the
waist keeping knees straight. Try to bring the head
between the legs.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Then exhaling slowly start bending backwards in
the waist keeping knees straight. Try to bend as
much as possible and maintain your balance.
Inhaling take position as in 1.
Exhaling bring the arms down to the initial
position.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 6

In preposition, inhaling bring both the hands on waist in such a way that fingers come to the front side and thumb to the
back.
Then exhaling slowly bend forward in the waist.
Inhaling rotate to the left in the waist and try to attain position no. 2 as in Preparatory Movement 5.
Continue inhaling and rotate backwards as in the position 4 in Preparatory Movement 4.
Exhaling further rotate to the right and attain the position no. 4.
Continue exhaling rotate to the front and take position no.2, as above.
Inhaling, rotate to the right and take position no.5 above.
Continue inhaling, rotate backwards, and take the position no.4 above.
Exhaling further rotate to the left and attain the position no. 3 above.
Continue exhaling and rotate to the front and attain the position no. 2 above.
Inhaling raise the waist and attain the position no. 1 above.
Exhaling bring the hands down to the normal position.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 7

Bring both the hands on the waist.
Bend the neck forward as much as possible. The chin should get fixed into the pit below the
Adam's Apple.
Straighten the neck.
Bend the neck backward so much that its front side feels the strain.
Straighten the neck.
Bend the neck on the left shoulder creating pressure on the right side.
Straighten the neck.
Bend the neck on the right shoulder creating pressure on the left side.
Straighten the neck.
Bring both the hands down and come to the initial position.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 8
Keep both the hands on the waist.
Bend the neck forward at ease.
Rotate the neck round to the left and have the position No.6
of Preparatory Movement type 7.
Rotate the neck further to the back and have the position
No.4 of Preparatory Movement type 7.
Then rotate the neck to the right and bring it on the right
shoulder (Position No. 8 of Preparatory Movement
type 7).
Rotate the neck down to the front (Position No.2 above).
Now start rotating the neck to the right as in Position No.5
above.
Rotate the neck further to the back as in Position No.4
above.
Then rotate the neck to the left and keep it on the left
shoulder as in Position No.3 above.
Rotate the neck down to the front as in Position No.2 above.
Straighten the neck.
Bring both the hands down and come to the initial position.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 9

In preposition, inhaling raise both the hands up above the head as in the position no. 1 in Preparatory Movement 1.
Then exhaling slowly bend forward in the waist and try to touch the fingers to the ground as in the position no. 2 in
Preparatory Movement 1, then bring palms together and keep knees straight.
Inhaling rotate to the left in the waist and try to attain position no. 2 Preparatory Movement 5.

In preposition, inhaling raise both the heels, then hands from front to
the shoulder level, keep them parallel to the ground.
Then exhaling slowly start bending down in the knees, sit on the toes,
try to maintain the balance with the stretched arms.
Inhaling raise your body and take position as in 1.
Exhaling bring the arms back to the normal preposition.
Continue inhaling and rotate backwards as in the position 4 in Preparatory Movement 4.
Exhaling further rotate to the right in the same bent position.
Continue exhaling rotate to the front and take position no.2 as above.
Inhaling, rotate to the right and take position no.5 above.
Continue inhaling, rotate backwards, and take the position no.4 above.
Exhaling further rotate to the left and attain the position no. 3 above.
Continue exhaling and rotate to the front and attain the position no. 2 above.
Inhaling raise the waist and arms stretched above your head.
Exhaling bring the hands down to the normal position.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 10



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 11

Bend the left hand in the elbow and raise it to the level of 90 degree
angle. The arms and the elbows be kept close to the body.
Catch the wrist of the left hand by the right hand lightly.
Close the fingers of the left hand and rotate the wrist slowly from left to
right anticlockwise and complete the cycle.
Then rotate the wrist of the left hand from right to left clockwise and
complete the cycle.

Bend the left leg in the knee and raise it to the level of 90 degree
angle.
Hold the thigh of the left leg with both the hands and be stable.
Now rotate the foot of the left leg in the ankle from left to right
anticlockwise and complete the cycle.
Then rotate the same foot from the right to left clockwise and complete
the cycle.
Bring both the hands to their places.
Bring the left leg to its place. Now take up the right leg and repeat
through the above mentioned process.
Bring the right hand down.
Bring the left hand down and take the initial position. Now take up the right
hand and repeat the above mentioned process.



PREPARATORY MOVEMENT - 12



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