Yoga warm up is very important before doing actual yoga exercise, yoga warm up makes your body more relax, flexible & comfortable to do all techniques of yoga. In early morning our body is stiff that make little harder to our body to do yoga positions easily that’s why before doing any yoga or asanas, make sure to follow worm-up pose to make body flexible for yoga asanas or exercise.

Yoga poses (also called Asanas) are physical postures that exercise your entire body, stretch and tone the muscles and joints, the spine and entire skeletal system. They have a beneficial effect not only on the body frame, but also on the internal organs, glands and nerves, keeping all systems healthy. Asanas reduce stress, enhance relaxation and revitalize body, mind and spirit.

To doing at least two of following warm-up exercises you will definitely make your body comfortable for yoga:

Warm up Pose: 1 (Upper Body Twist)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart.
• Inhale raise the hands up from the sides on the shoulder level.
• exhale and turn to the left in the waist keeping both the arms and shoulders straight.
• turn as far as possible.
• Inhale and twist back to the front.
• Exhale and twist to the right side.
• This is one round.
• repeat one more time.

Warm-up Pose: 2 (Forward/Backward Bend)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• Inhale bring your hands on the waist
• exhale and bend forward from the waist keeping the knees straight
• bend down as much as possible
• inhale and come back to initial position
• exhale and bend backward
• Inhale come back to initial position
• This is one round
• repeat one more time

Warm-up Pose: 3 (Side Bends)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• Inhale bring your hands on the waist
• exhale and bend the body in the waist to the left side
• keep the knees straight
• inhale and come back to initial position
• exhale and bend the body in the waist to the right side
• inhale and come back to initial pose
• This is one round
• repeat one more time

Warm-up Pose: 4 (Upper Body Rotation)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• Inhale bring your hands together above the head
• exhale and bend forward from the waist keeping the knees straight
• Inhale rotate your upper body to the left
• continue inhaling and bend to the back
• exhale and bend to the right
• continue exhaling and bend forward
• inhale and go back, rotate to the right
• keep inhaling and rotate to the back
• exhale and rotate to the left
• keep exhaling and rotate to the front
• get back to initial standing pose
• This is one round
• repeat one more time

Warm-up Pose: 5 (Shoulder Rotation)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• Your hands on the shoulders
• breathe normally
• start rotating your arms in big circles to the back – 5 circles
• repeat rotation to the front - 5 circles
• release the hands and get back to initial standing pose

Warm-up Pose: 6 (Wrists Rotation)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• bring your hands in front on the shoulder level
• start rotating your both wrists
• rotate 5 circles to the outer side, then 5 circles in the opposite direction
• release the hands and get back to initial standing pose

Warm-up Pose: 7 (Head Rotation)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• bring your hands on the waist
• bend the neck forward and start rotating to the left, to the back, to the right and front
• rotate back to the right, back, left and front
• repeat one more time
• straighten the neck and release the hands, come back to the initial standing pose

Warm-up Pose: 8 (Swinging While Standing Pose)

Instructions:

• stand straight with your legs apart
• raise the arms over the head, keeping the elbows straight
• bend forward and swing the trunk down from the hips
• allow the arms and head to swing through the legs
• be tension free like a rag doll
• Return smoothly to the upright position with the arms raised
• inhale forcefully through the nose while raising the arms up and exhale forcefully while swinging downwards
• repeat 10 times

Note: Please follow all the poses represents in images from left to right order.

Credit: Nika Karan