New to Yoga Series: Hip Openers

So hip opener poses are my favorite part of yoga. They tend to hurt because most of them focus on the inner thighs, but that feeling of looseness in my legs afterwards is amazing. I will show you a few simple hip openers to help you as you try to get a little stronger and more flexible.

New to Yoga Series: Warrior Poses

The warrior poses are a sequence of poses that really focus on the front of the body, the shoulders, and the sides. I like them because just like the name suggests, they are poses that put you in positions of strength. Most people like to do the warrior sequence a few times during their sessions to focus on balance as well. Here are some tips on how to do these poses:

New to Yoga Series: Sun Salutations Part 4 - Upward and Downward Dog

Next and last in the sun salutation sequence are the upward and downward dog poses. These are really great for the shoulders and the back, but it is important to get them right.

Upward dog

From chataranga (or low push-up), keeping the palms under the shoulders, push your upper back upward. Stretch upward but put push into your palms and bend from your lower back. Always remember to keep your shoulders down.

New to Yoga Series: Sun Salutations Part 3 - Lunge and Chataranga

From the flat back, people take one of two paths usually: either extend one leg back to the lunge and then go into a yoga pushup, or jump back with both feet straight into the upper pushup position. The style you choose usually has to do with level of strength.

New to Yoga Series: Sun Salutations Part 2 - Flat Back and a Video of the First Half

What's the next step in the sun salutation? Although people do their versions differently, the next step is usually the flat back. You come into this pose from the forward fold. With your palms on the floor or on your legs, lift your upper body until you feel a stretch in your back and shoulders. Look forward and try to pull your head forward so your spine is stretch out parallel to the floor. Here are a few points to note:

New to Yoga Series: Sun Salutations Part 1 - The Extended Mountain Pose and the Forward Fold

The sun salutation is a series of poses combined with breaths that yogis usually do to warm up during a yoga session. The theory behind the name is that 'light' is seen as good in every culture, and the sun is the first and ultimate source of light. I interpret this to mean this salutation celebrates light and all things good.

It really is a perfect series for warming up the body because it involves the use of the whole body. For the next few days, I want to walk you through the different poses in the series, and then I'll show you how they flow into each other. Just remember, the high poses involve a deep breath in, and the low poses involve a deep breath out. Breathing deeply helps guide you from one pose to another.

New to Yoga Series: Core Strength

People tend not to realize how much core strength goes into yoga. There are a lot of planks and push-ups involved, and so a great way to build your core and upper body strength is to do these planks over and over again with the right posture.