If you are cold before working out, spend a couple of minutes shaking out your arms and legs but if you are already warm, you should be fine to start working out straight away. I make a point of never over-stretching sore areas but holding a stretch and breathing deeply until the pain eases.
Here is an overview of the basic moves so you can familiarise yourself with them before you start working out properly. They will bring your mind and body together and improve both muscular and postural strength.
One of yoga’s most recognised poses, this is where the body assumes an inverted ‘V’ shape. Start on your hands and knees. Spread your fingers wide to distribute your weight evenly across your hands and then lift your pelvis up towards the ceiling. Keep your back straight and straighten your legs if you can, but do not lock your knees. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings but these exercises and poses should never be painful. Relax your head and neck and try and open up your thoracic spine (the upper middle area of your back) by feeling like you are rotating your hands on the ground out from each other; you should feel some space open up.
In an inverted position, lift one leg as high as you can behind you and then tuck it as far under the chest as you can. Return the leg back and repeat with the other leg.
This is the opposite of the Downward-facing Dog. Start in a press-up position and slowly drop your hips to the floor. Straighten your arms and lift your torso and upper legs a few inches off the floor. Open your chest and squeeze your legs and glutes to try and get your head as close to the sky as you can.
1 Begin on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2 As you inhale, move into the ‘Cow’ pose by letting your stomach drop towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest and gaze towards the ceiling.
3 Then on your exhalation, move into the ‘Cat’ pose by drawing your stomach to your spine and rounding your back towards the ceiling. Release the crown of your head towards the floor but don’t force your chin to your chest. This is a great way to mobilise your spine.
1 Stand with your feet hip distance apart and your arms at your sides. Step your feet wide apart (about 1–1.5 metres) and turn your right foot out 90 degrees. Pivot your left foot 45 degrees to the right so that your right heel is aligned with the arch of your left foot. Keep your pelvis towards the front of the mat. Press your weight through your left heel and bend your right knee over your right ankle.
2 Reach your arms up parallel or press your palms together. Look straight ahead or, if it’s comfortable, gently tilt your head back and gaze up at your thumbs. To come out of the pose, press your left heel firmly into the mat and straighten your right knee. Turn your feet forward and release your arms. Repeat on the other side.
Follow the instructions for Warrior 1 but then open your arms out wide. Gently widen the stance and then turn both hip bones to face the side. Keep reaching out with your fingertips.
From Warrior 2, bring the left hand down to rest on the left leg. Stretch the right arm towards the ceiling. Place your left arm either behind your back or in front of your stomach, depending on your flexibility levels. Look straight ahead or at the ceiling. Keep the right knee bent and relax.
This is also known as a sun salutation. The aim is to flow between the movements, inhaling and exhaling between positions. Inhale: start in a plank position (1). Exhale: drop down into a press-up and hold just off the floor (2). Inhale: engage your glutes and push your hips to the floor, extending your arms and torso upwards so you finish in an Upward-facing Dog position (3). Exhale: push from there into a Downward-facing Dog (4). Inhale: return to a plank position (5) . Repeat.
1 This is a great way to strengthen hamstrings, back and glutes. Stand straight with a slight bend in your knees. Keep your chest up and shoulders engaged (like grabbing a pencil between your shoulder blades).
2 Push your weight back into your heels and hinge forward at the hips until you can feel the stretch. Keep your shoulder blades back and your knees soft. Twist your whole torso, lifting your left shoulder up, and reach across with your right arm. Repeat on the other side with your right arm reaching across. Squeeze to come up.
1 Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent and raise one leg off the floor. Flex the knee on the supporting leg to about 15–20 degrees to activate the glutes.
2 Without changing the bend in your knee, hinge at your hips and lower your torso so it’s almost parallel with the floor. Keep your torso in line with the back leg. Squeeze and raise your torso back to standing position.