No one is alien to the health benefits of indulging in yoga daily. For years, yoga has been considered a spiritual practice that can bring alignment of the body, mind and spirit. However, what we forget is that prepping up with some low-key warm-up exercises holds equal importance. They might feel boring, but doing some mild stretching before the main asanas can improve your fitness performance enormously.
Proper warm-up preps up your nervous system and muscles to give optimum performance in the main workout. It can also boost your brain’s capacity to decipher what movement patterns the body is about to perform.
5 best warm-up exercises that should be performed before yoga daily.
Health Shots reached out to Shynee Narang, a certified yoga instructor, and here’s a set of best warm-up exercises, as suggested.
1. Warm-up with Vakshsthala Shakti vikasak or torso strength increase
This exercise increases the strength of the torso and chest while increasing the lung capacity.
How to perform it
* Keep your feet together, arms on the side of your body and head straight and eyes open.
* As you inhale, raise your arms up above the head and stretch your heads, arms, and upper body.
* Exhale and return to your normal position.
* Make sure that you do not use your waist and only use your upper body to bend backward.
* Breathing should only be done via nostrils.
* Repeat this exercise 10-15 times for best results.
2. Prepare for yoga with Purnabhuja Shakti vikasak or full arm strength increase
This exercise helps to strengthen full arms and open shoulder joints.
How to perform it
* Keeping the feet together, head straight, eyes wide open, clench your fists by bringing the thumb in and folding it with forefingers.
* Inhale deeply via the chest and hold your breath and start doing full arms rotation keeping your elbows straight.
* When it gets difficult to hold your breath, exhale while hitting outwards.
* Perform this exercise 10 times each in clockwise and ant-clockwise motion for best results.
3. Jangha Shakti vikasak or thighs strength increase (Kriya I)
This exercise is performed to strengthen the legs and thighs and warms up the whole body.
How to perform this exercise
* Keep your feet together, head straight, eyes open, inhale and raise your arms up and jump open your legs as wide as possible.
* Exhale, and bring your arms down and feet together.
* Repeat this exercise 15-20 times or more.
4 Jangha Shakti vikasak or thighs strength increase (Kriya I)
This exercise is very similar to half squats. It strengthens the entire legs and core area.
How to perform it
* Stand with your feet together, head straight, and keep your eyes open.
* Inhale and extend your arms in front.
* Exhale and squat like you are sitting on a chair.
* Inhale and come back to normal position.
* Repeat this exercise 10-15 times.
5. Sarvang Pushti
Here, sarv means whole, and ang means body parts. This warm-up exercise helps to strengthen and open up the whole body. It lengthens the muscles and makes us flexible.
How to perform it
* Stand straight and raise your arms above with fingers interlocked.
* Inhale in the center.
* Exhale while bending to one side bringing the torso close to the leg.
* Inhale and bend backward, pushing hips forward in a semi-circle, and exhale while finishing the semi-circle by touching the torso to the other leg.
* Repeat this exercise in the reverse direction to complete one round.
* Do this workout for 10-12 rounds for the best results.