Have you mastered the beginner yoga exercises and are looking to move on to something a little more challenging? If so, the intermediate yoga exercises in this article are sure to relax your mind, challenge you, as well as provide you with inner peace amongst other things that I’m sure you’d find to be extremely beneficial.
Intermediate yoga is not for one specific audience; it can benefit people from all walks of life because yoga not only changes your physical being but your mental capacity as well.
Listed below are some of the most effective intermediate yoga exercises (try holding all poses for at least one minute):
***Each of the following poses serves its very own purpose. In this article my hopes are that you will learn to do these intermediate yoga poses to relax your mind and body while becoming more in tune with your inner peace.
Plow Pose (Halasana)
Benefits:
• Effective in Weight Loss
• Stretches nervous system
• Increases flexibility
• Improves digestion
• Reduces stress by calming the brain and nervous system
How To:
1. Lie flat on your back with your head and neck on the floor while tucking your shoulders.
2. Lift and hold your legs at a 90-degree angle. Using your core strength lift your butt and bring your feet up and over your head until your toes touch the floor behind your head. Be sure to keep your legs straight and don’t bend your knees.
3. Your hips should be aligned over your shoulders.
4. While in this position it is important to keep very still. Do not move your neck while in this position, keep your neck straight and face forward while gazing upwards.
5. Take five to ten deep breaths before releasing your arms, lifting your feet and rolling your spine back down and onto your mat, slow and steady.
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Benefits:
• Increases spine flexibility
• Calms the mind
• Relaxes the nervous system
• Stimulates liver and kidneys
• Improves digestion
How To:
1. Sit on a flat surface (preferably the floor) with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Bend your legs at the knee before sliding your left foot under your right leg. Your left foot should be outside of your right hip, and the outside of your left leg on the floor.
3. Place your right foot over your left leg, placing your foot flat on the floor outside of your left hip. Your right knee should be pointing towards the ceiling.
4. Inhale then exhale while twisting toward your right thigh. Place your right hand behind your butt (flat on the floor). Your left arm should be outside of your right thigh, close to your knee. Bring your front torso and inner right thigh as close together as possible.
5. Press down on the right foot to release the right groin while lengthening the torso. Slightly lean backward while continuing to extend the tailbone.
Boat Pose (Navasana)
Benefits:
• Improves balance
• Improves digestion
• Stretches hamstrings
• Strengthens spine and hip flexors
• Relieves stress
• Tones and strengthens core
How To:
1. Begin seated with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands down by your hips.
2. Straighten your back while slightly leaning backward and lifting your feet simultaneously.
3. Lengthen the front of your torso and extend your arms forward, with your palms facing each other.
4. Make sure that the lower abdomen area is firm and somewhat flat, before straightening your legs 45 degrees from the ground turning your body into the shape of a “V.”
5. Hold this pose and exhale as you lower your legs and hands downward.
RELATED: Beginner HIIT Exercises that Work: Get Your Blood Flowing and Adrenaline Pumping
Head to Knee Forward Bend (Janu Sirsasana)
Benefits:
• Stretches hamstrings
• Lengthens spine
• Massages abdominal organs
• Calms nervous system
• Reduces stress
• Relieves anxiety
• Reduces mild depression
How To:
1. Sit on an even surface with your legs in front of you. Bend your right knee before tucking the heel backward so that sole of your right foot is resting lightly against your inner left thigh.
2. Carefully lay the outer right leg on the floor with the shin at a right angle to the left leg (if your right knee doesn’t rest comfortably on the floor, support it with a folded yoga mat or blanket).
3. Press your right hand against the inner right groin, and your left hand on the floor beside the hip. Turn the torso to the left, slightly lift your chest while pushing down on the ground and your inner right thigh simultaneously. Your belly button and mid left thigh should be parallel.
4. Exhale and extend forward from the groins. Listen to your body, do not force yourself down. When descending, bend your elbows out to the sides and lift them from the floor.
5. Carefully pull your upper body forward into a comfortable stretch. Lower belly to thighs and head last.
I recommend practicing the above mentioned, intermediate yoga exercises at least three times a week to achieve desired results. Like anything else, it may take you doing them a few times to get them down to a science; however, doing a session of yoga, no more than 15 minutes long, before bed has proven to be extremely beneficial. Yoga before bed will also help to improve your sleep.
Good Luck!
