4. Build your founda\on. Asana is a Sanskrit term meaning ‘to sit’ or ‘siqng down.’ It’s commonly translated and understood as ‘seat’ or ‘connec\on to the earth.’ Likewise, every posture begins from the ground up. Pay aIen\on to the parts of your body connected to the floor: Your hands, feet, sit bones—maybe even, eventually, the top of your head. 5. Breath comes first. Your breath will lead your movement. Start your inhale, then move; start your exhale, then move. Whether the movement is big—pulling your hips up into down dog; or small— lengthening through the crown of your head, your breath will guide it. Here’s some examples: inhale and lengthen the crown of your head; exhale and draw your belly buIon in and up, engaging your core; inhale step forward; exhale sink your hips.
6. Asana and flexibility. Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won't be able to touch your toes, never mind do a backbend. But if you s\ck with it, you'll no\ce a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. 7. Fact. When you breathe deeply for a con\nuous, and not necessarily extended, period of \me, you’re ac\va\ng your parasympathe\c nervous system. The areas of the body associated with this system are in the cranial and sacral regions of the spinal cord, and ac\va\ng this system jump-‐starts a variety of calming systems in your body. 8. Breath awareness. At any \me, at any moment during your day, become aware of your breath. Where are you breathing from? Most of us breathe from our upper chest, using less than a third of our en\re capacity for drawing in energy and releasing stress. Remember your three-‐part yogic breath. Source: MyYogaOnline.com