These top yoga practices are extremely helpful, become favorites, and head yoga charts. As popular as they are, preparation for these essentials ease the beginner into yoga in a kinder gentler way. Each of the poses or practices can be quite challenging at first. Tight muscles bring discomfort, a busy mind can create silent frustration, and uneasiness rather than relaxation can make one feel like a failure. So what are the famous five, their benefits, and how to prepare so that they can be enjoyed for a long time to come?

1. Downward Facing Dog

This pose builds stamina and is a great release for muscles in the back of the legs. Those deeper calf muscles that other stretches usually don’t get to, as well as the hamstrings rejoice. There is an overall body sigh. If the upper extremities are weak, they scream in agony. Take the clue, exit the pose, and assume Child’s pose.

Preparation: Stand facing the wall, bend at the hips and press the hands into the wall.

2. Alternate Nostril Breathing

Used on planes, at bed time, to calm the mind, and to rejuvenate. Can be practiced for 1-3 minutes. The challenge is becoming familiar with this subtle practice. There are many variations as well.

Preparation: A simpler method is to breath naturally in and out of the left nostril five times, then in and out of the right nostril 5 times. Then breath through both nostrils 5 times.

3. Warrior Pose

These standing poses build strength and endurance. Psychologically one feels courageous. Warrior 1 can be extremely difficult if shoulders are weak, there are knee problems, and if there is generally overall weakness.

Preparation: Use props like a chair, stool or fitness ball. Place hands on hips. Take a shorter stance.

4. Child’s Pose

Excellent resting pose practiced after back bends, inversions, and Downward Dog. It gives a feeling of safety, stretches the spinal muscles, while rejuvenating the whole body. Tight hips and knees make this pose far from restful.

Preparation: Lie on back with knees to chest to release hips over time. Use blankets, bolsters, or a rolled up towel under the ankles, behind knees, under hips, under chest and head for comfort.

5. Relaxation

“Great” “Aah” “This is what I’ve been waiting for” – some of the comments often heard before lying in stillness on the mat. It removes fatigue. Simple. And when the mind is busy the pose becomes quite challenging.

Preparation: Keep the mind occupied counting with the breath. Count to 10 then back again.

Learn how to adapt yoga poses and practices to your body and mind, and you’ll enjoy yoga and its benefits for a long time.

And now, I’d like to invite you to claim your free Stress Warning Signals test when you visit http://www.yogatogo.com

Heather Greaves helps practitioners in healing and helping professions learn about therapeutic yoga even though their only teacher is a book. “To learn more about something, teach it.” Since 2005 this Yoga Therapist and owner of Body Therapies Yoga Training has been training teachers in a certified yoga teacher training program.

Breathing becomes very shallow for the person with asthma. Sometimes a wheezing or whistling sound can be heard. There might be insomnia.  Medicine is prescribed for this chronic respiratory disease. In addition to medicine complementary therapies can be helpful.

There are 2 common myths surrounding asthma.

Myth 1 – Asthmatics should not exercise.

Asthmatics too will benefit from exercise. With proper medication asthmatics can exercise normally.

Myth 2 – You’ll grow out of it.

This is apparently both true and false. Some children do “out-grow” the disease. Some adults who have asthma did not have it as a child.

As a complementary therapy, Yoga can assist breathing in several ways.

1.Yoga Postures

Positions that expand the chest creating more space for lung expansion include the Camel. If you have never done yoga, you can still practice an easy version of any pose. If you cannot sit on the floor, sit on the edge of a chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground or prop. Extend your arms behind you and hold the back of the chair. Inhale and lift your chest fully, expanding it. Then lean your head backward to a place that’s comfortable for your neck.

Stay for 6 easier breaths.

2. Mudra (Hand Position)

Interlace, no actually curl or curve all the fingers as though to make a fist with thumbs on the outside and turn the back of the left hand toward the chest. Clasp fingers together. This is called Bear Grip in Kundalini Yoga.  Pull the fingers apart with moderate pressure while exhaling and release the pressure slightly when inhaling. Take about 7 breaths. Then repeat this time with the back of the right hand toward the chest. (This is not to be used in asthma crisis.) Please not if you have High Blood Pressure begin this practice slowly.

3. Yoga Restorative techniques

To gently energize, practice restorative postures. These postures lengthen the muscles without much effort on your part. Your body is supported by bolsters and blankets. The mind becomes calmer as you notice the gentle movement of the breath. If you like, create a visualize that supports easy breathing.

4. Yoga Stress Reduction techniques

For emotional health, yoga offers regular relaxation, and a very deep relaxation technique called yoga nidra. Anger and fear and all the shades of these 2 emotions, make breathing shallow. Regular practice of relaxation techniques do even more than calm emotions. It can give us a new perspective so that issues that created stress are seen as challenges.

5. The Experience of Stillness

After a practice of yoga postures, relaxation, breathing techniques and meditation, there is a stillness within; a feeling like you have come home. You have become a friend to your body, emotions and soul.

Heather Greaves helps yoga beginners and enthusiasts learn more yoga even though their only teacher is a book. They say, To learn more about something, teach it. Since 2005 Heather has been training yoga teachers in a certified program. For more yoga tips and information visit Body Therapies Yoga Training http://www.yogatogo.com  <a href=http://www.yogatogo.com>

A yoga beginner can make these 3 mistakes, and loose an opportunity to increase the storehouse of inner peace and vitality.

Mistake #1. Not recognizing the value of paying attention to the breath – Inevitably at the very least you are probably becoming more aware of the inhale and exhale as you practice yoga. Sometimes you are instructed to hold the pose for 5 breaths, and you follow the instructions perhaps without understanding the impact of this simple action.

Fact - Paying attention to your inhalation and exhalation trains the mind and increases drops of peace. It also increases your awareness of the subtle aspects of your being.

Mistake #2 – Undervaluing breathing exercises – Without an appreciation for the positive and far reaching effects of breathing exercises (pranayama), it is easy to undervalue this subtle practice.

Fact – Pranayama increases our chances of breathing with the diaphragm instead of with the chest, and even belly. Diaphragmatic breathing massages the organs in the abdomen, and increases chi, prana or life force within your body.

Mistake #3 – To exclude pranayama from your daily yoga practice - It is easy to exclude the breathing exercises from your yoga routine when you are ignorant of the profound benefits of this practice.

Fact – You can surround your movement practice with the breath. Start and end your practice with breath awareness and/or a breathing exercise. Deepen you practice even more by beginning each phase of the breath (both inhalation and exhalation) first, and then moving after the breath has begun.

Increase finding inner peace and vitality through breath awareness and a breathing practice. Your treasure store will grow.

This basic pranayama, breath awareness, helped reduce the angst and anxiety that had been my shadow companion.

Meditation had been part of my daily routine for many years. Yet angst and anxiety was my shadow companion. Sure, I was definitely peaceful. Yoga philosophy had answered many of life’s big questions for me. I could accept life’s dramas, and understand that we were all actors. The law of karma and reincarnation I got. This knowledge had brought a great deal of calm.

So how come I was still anxious? The fact that my breath was shallow would have contributed significantly to the angst. I remember once a massage therapist said to me something like, “Your breath is high up. Try to get it down here.” Her hand was resting on my belly and I couldn’t get my breath down there.

In my heart of hearts, I prayed for an answer to this anxiety, which would step out from the shadows every now and then. One day I suddenly realized my prayers had been answered. I couldn’t remember the last time I was anxious. What was it that had changed things for me?

I had begun to practice the basic pranayama breathing exercise – simple breath awareness; being aware of the breath. Breath awareness is vital in yoga therapy. My meditation practice changed and became this basic breath awareness; sitting and following the breath in and out. I don’t remember exactly how long each practice was. I know it was at least 10 minutes. And it was definitely in the morning. Meditation is also important in yoga therapy.

If you have used any no cost pranayama, breathing exercise, to cope with anxiety, or to reduce the number of times you take medication, I’d like to hear your story.  Comment below.

This is a video made in 1938 showing the Great yoga teacher demonstrating asana and pranyama. He was the teacher of BKS Iyengar and Sri K. Pattahbi Jois, founder the Astanga style of yoga. The film is so old that any claim to copyright has expired.