Should you warm up before practicing yoga?

Warming up before practicing yoga is an indispensable part of the lessons because this process will help the muscles relax and gradually adapt to the increased intensity of exercise, thereby minimizing the risk of injury. when practicing.

Many people think that a warm-up before yoga is unnecessary because yoga is a gentle subject that does not require too much physicality. However, this is a completely wrong thought and if you are having this thought in your head, forget it immediately. Because warming up before practicing yoga is extremely important and necessary. To understand why, let’s take a look at the shares below with LEEP.

Why is it important to warm up before practicing yoga?

Any active sport requires a warm-up time and yoga is no exception. This is also one of the golden rules when practicing yoga that you need to remember.

Warming up before yoga will help lubricate joints, relax muscles, reduce injuries and muscle tension when practicing. Not only that, but warm-ups increase blood flow to the joints and help you become more aware of your body.

How long should the warm-up before yoga be done?

Before practicing yoga, you should warm up for 5 to 15 minutes or until your skin is warm to the touch and your heart rate begins to increase rapidly. The goal of this is to slowly increase your heart rate and help your body adapt.

In addition, the warm-up time depends on the intensity of the exercise and the state of the body at each time. Please answer the following 3 questions for yourself before deciding on a warm-up time:

1. Did you exercise a lot today?

If before yoga, you had a long day of sitting at work or studying, you will need to warm up more because your muscles have been stiff due to lack of movement. You can increase your warm-up time by walking to a yoga class to warm up and tone your muscles.

You can warm up by walking to a yoga class to warm up your body

2. What exercises will you do today?

If you do difficult poses today, you will need a longer warm-up time. It is best to spend time practicing gentle postures so that your body gets used to it before moving to difficult positions. If you don’t warm up and jump right into difficult poses like the banana planter, you’ll be more likely to get injured.

3. Do you feel that the warm-up time in yoga class is enough?

If you join an online yoga class or a yoga class at the center, the teacher will give students a warm-up at the beginning of the session. However, you should still listen to your own body to determine if that time is enough. If you find your body needs more time to warm up, you can do that by walking to class or doing the downward facing dog before class starts.

Warm-up exercises before yoga that you can try

There are many ways to warm up before doing yoga. Here are some popular warm-up exercises you can try:

1. Semi-old man sitting posture

This is one of the first yoga exercises you will learn. Sitting in this pose for a few minutes can help prepare your mind for the practice.

Doing

• Sit comfortably on the exercise mat
• Place the left foot above the right thigh and the right foot below the left thigh, knees touching the mat
• Back and spine straight, shoulders relaxed
• Place your hands on your thighs or knees, close your eyes or look at a fixed point
• Inhale and exhale steadily. Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths.

2. Simple twisting sitting posture

The twisted sitting position is great for warming up the spine and increasing blood circulation throughout the body.

Doing

• From a semi-old man sitting position, place your left hand behind your left hip and place your right hand on your left knee.
• Gently twist your body to the left, look over your left shoulder, keep your back straight
• Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths and switch sides.

3. Cat – cow pose

The cat-cow pose is a great pose to warm up the spine, which is prone to stiffening due to sitting all day.

Doing

• Start in a crawling position, knees under hips and hands under shoulders, back straight
• Gently arch your back toward the ceiling, chin towards your chest to enter the cat pose
• Then, lower your back and raise your head to get into the cow pose
• Do this pose for a few minutes.

4. Cat-cow cruch pose

This is a variation of the cat-cow pose that awakens the body and relaxes the muscles.

Doing

• From the cat-cow pose, return your back to the starting position
• Inhale and get into cow pose
• Then, exhale and get into cat pose, while lifting your left leg and bringing it towards your chest.
• Slowly lower your legs to the ground and return to cow pose.

5. Leg extension to cat crunch pose

Leg extension to cat crunch is another variation of the cat-cow pose. This pose has the effect of increasing blood circulation, helping to stretch the gluteal muscles and increase the strength of the body.

Doing

• From Cat Crunch, instead of returning to the cow pose, lift your left leg and straighten it back.
• Keep your back straight, hold for a few seconds
• Exhale and return to Cat Crunch. Repeat 3 to 5 times then switch legs.

6. Child Pose

Child’s pose is a great way to connect with your body before you start practicing.

Doing

• Sit on the floor, bend your legs and sit on your heels. When comfortable, extend knees and hips, breathe evenly
• Bend forward, exhale
• Reach your arms straight over your head, in line with your knees. Relax your shoulders on the floor.
• Maintain the pose for about 30 seconds to several minutes.

In addition to the above warm-up yoga exercises, you can warm up in the following ways:

• Walk slowly to yoga class to increase your heart rate slowly
• Climb the stairs if your yoga studio is located on the second or third floor to increase blood circulation and oxygen to the muscles
• The jumping jack exercise will help you warm up your upper and lower body, get your heart rate up, and stay connected to the movement.

7. Gate pose

Doing

• To do the first gate pose, straighten your right leg as you lean to the right, keeping your knee and ankle in line with your right hip.
• Turn right toes forward so that right foot is parallel to the side of the mat
• Inhale and reach your left arm near your left ear
• Exhale and tilt your torso to the right, extending your left arm over your head. Let the right arm lower and rest on the right leg.
• Looking towards the left arm that is outstretched
• Hold the pose for a few breaths, stretching the spine on the inhale and stretching the hips on the exhale.

Through the above sharing, you must be more aware of the importance of warm-up before practicing yoga. Have an energetic yoga session.

Reference source

Should You Warm Up Before Yoga? https://yogarove.com/should-you-warm-up-before-yoga/ Ivory access: April 14, 2020