10 Beginner Yoga Poses For Plus-Sized Women

From hanumanasana to eka hasta vrksasana there are tons of poses in yoga for improving your overall health. But as a beginner with little to no flexibility performing these complex yoga poses is impossible. So what should you do? Quit yoga and look for something else. No, what you need are yoga poses that are suitable for you

Even if you are overweight, you still can perform various yoga poses to gain flexibility and build strength. Apart from physical poses, yoga also consists of various spiritual as well as mental practices to gain mental clarity and enlightenment. This is what makes yoga unique

Before you start your yoga journey, take a moment to know about various benefits of performing yoga every day

Benefits of Yoga Poses

Here are a few benefits of performing yoga every day. All of these benefits are backed by science

1. Performing yoga every day will boost your immunity
2. Active Forms of Yoga can help you in losing and maintaining weight
3. Performing yoga poses will improve your flexibility
4. Yoga will also help you in toning your body
5. You will be able to improve your posture
6. Performing yoga poses can improve bone health
7. Performing yoga can lower your blood pressure
8. Improves heart health
9. People who practice yoga claim to have lower levels of stress
10. Improves sleep quality
11. Improves balance
12. Improves breathing and lung function
13. You will gain mental clarity

Can You Lose Weight by Performing Yoga?

While most of the yoga poses will improve your flexibility and balance, the more active forms of yoga can help you in losing weight. Various physical types of yoga including power yoga, vinyasa, ashtanga can help you in burning calories as well as in maintaining your overall weight

A study on restorative yoga suggests that it helps overweight women in losing weight, especially abdominal fat. There are various forms of yoga such as Ashtanga, Hatha, Bikram, Vinyasa yoga. Each of these forms has it’s own pros and cons

For instance, Bikram yoga also known as hot yoga is performed in a room that has been heated to a higher temperature ( 35-40 degrees ) which promotes a higher level of flexibility. Ashtanga yoga is performed by synchronizing breathing with continuous postures that generated heat which detoxifies organs and builds endurance

As a beginner you can perform various yoga poses to gain flexibility and balance for advanced forms. These advanced forms can help you in burning calories. When you feel like you are up for challenges then you can start performing yoga for losing weight

Female body Transformation specialist and a certified yoga instructor, Zoe Bray-Cotton came up with a 12 Week Yoga Burn Challenge designed to boost metabolism, build yoga booty while flattening your tummy and toning your whole body especially for women

Zoe talks about 3 simple mistakes that prevent people from gaining health benefits that true yoga can deliver. You can perform this challenge from the comfort of your home ( More like Stuck at Home ) whenever you need a mental, emotional or a metabolic boost

Moreover, if you are able to perform beginner yoga poses and those poses are not helping you in moving forward. Then You should consider trying active forms of yoga to burn excess calories

Yoga Poses For Plus-Sized Women

If you have never tried yoga before then these poses are perfect for you. These poses will help you in gaining the basic amount of flexibility and balance you need to perform advance poses

1. Chaturanga Dandasana

Chaturanga dandasana, also known as the four-limbed staff is a part of Surya Namaskar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Power yoga. Chaturanga dandasana will help you in strengthening your abdominal muscles, arms, lower back, and wrist

How to Perform Chaturanga Dandasana?

In order to perform chaturanga dandasana begin with a plank pose and then slowly lower your body down while keeping your back flat and straight. Hold yourself a few inches above the ground for 30 seconds

Avoid practicing this pose if you have wrist, elbow or shoulder injury

Moreover, you can also practice this pose by lowering your knees to the ground in order to gain the required arm and core strength to perform this pose in its full expression. This way it will be a lot easier for you to perform this pose

Benefits of Chaturanga Dandasana

1. Strengthen your arms, wrist, lower back, and abdominal muscles
2. Prepare your for complex yoga poses that require arm strength
3. Improves your Posture

2. Uttanasana

Anyone who sits for a prolonged period of time will find this pose especially useful. As uttanasana can help you in releasing lower back pain by giving your hips, calves, back, and hamstring a good stretch

How to Perform Uttanasana?

In order to perform uttanasana, stand straight and rest your hands on the hip, inhale. Exhale and slowly bend forward from the hip joints. While keeping your knees straight, slowly bring your palm or fingers in front of your feet and let them rest on the ground

Stay in the pose for 30 seconds. As a beginner, you can bend your knees slightly to perform this pose. Slowly but surely you will gain the required amount of flexibility to perform this pose without bending your knees

Benfits of Uttanasana

1. Reduces your stress level
2. Improves your digestion
3. strengthen knees, thighs
4. Reduces fatigue
5. Therapeutic for high blood pressure
6. Stretches calves, hamstrings, and hips

3. Utkatasana

Utkatasana ( chair pose ) is a powerful pose that will work the muscles of your legs, arms.

How to Peform Utkatasana?

In order to perform utkatasana, stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Stretch your hands forward with your palm facing downwards. Bend your knees and imagine yourself sitting on a chair

Lean forward slightly to ensure that your knees are over your feet. Hold the pose for at least 30 seconds

Benefits of Utkatasana

1. Stretches chest and shoulders
2. Stimulate heart, diaphragm
3. Strengthens thighs, calves, and spine

4. Ustrasana

Ustrasana commonly known as camel pose is a back-bending yoga pose that can help you relieve lower back pain. This pose strengthens back muscles, shoulder muscles improve the flexibility of the spine and will improve your overall posture

How to Perform Ustrasana?

If you have any back or shoulder injury then you should avoid performing this pose. To perform ustrasana, kneel on the ground with your thigh perpendicular to the floor, sole of your feet facing the ceiling, and your knees hip-width apart. Arch your back and slide your arms over your feet

While keeping your arms straight, stay in that posture for 10-15 seconds and then slowly revert back to the initial position

Benefits of Ustrasana

1. Stretches ankles, thighs, groin, and entire front body
2. Strengthen back muscles
3. Improves posture

5. Adho mukha svanasana

Adho mukha svanasana ( downward-facing dog pose ) is a part of surya namaskar. This pose stretches the calf muscles, hamstrings, and build strength in the shoulder

How to Perform Adho mukha svanasana?

You can perform adho mukha svanasana, by standing on all four limbs with your hands in line with your shoulders and your feet in line with your hips

As you exhale, straighten your elbows and knees and hold the position for 10-15 seconds before reverting back to initial pose

Benefits of Adho mukha svanasana

1. Strengthens arms and leg
2. Reduces stress
3. Improves digestion
4. Relieves back pain and headache
5. Stretches the shoulders, calves, hamstrings

6. Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana

Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana ( Upward facing dog pose ) is a back-bending yoga pose and a part of Surya namaskar. This pose stretches the chest, shoulder, abdomen, and lower back

How to perform Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana?

Lie down on your stomach with your hands beside your shoulder. After inhalation, lift your upper body while rolling your shoulders back. Avoid straining your back as you straighten your arms. Hold the position for 10-15 second before you revert back to the initial position

Benefits of Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana

1. Strengthen arms, wrist, and spine
2. Stimulates abdominal organs
3. Improves posture
4. Stretches chest, shoulders

7. Anjaneyasana

Anjaneyasana is commonly known as a high lunge. This pose helps in deep stretch of hip flexors. Performing this pose regularly will increase your overall balance, stability and will strengthen your legs

How to perform Anjaneyasana?

Start by performing Adho mukha svanasana ( downward-facing dog pose ). then take a deep breath and step your left foot forward between your hands. Ensure that the left knee is aligned with the left ankle and feet. As you exhale pull your abs in. Shift your weight on the left leg

Then inhale. With your palm facing each other raise your arms up while bending your knees a little. Take 3-4 deep breaths in this position. As you exhale, bring your hands down and then repeat the steps by bringing your right foot forward

Benefits of Anjaneyasana

1. Improves the functioning of the thyroid gland
2. Stretches legs, ankles, calves
3. Strengthen the legs and spine

8. Virabhadrasana II

Virabhadrasana II ( warrior II ) is a standing yoga pose that helps in strengthening and improving physical and mental endurance. This pose will help in stretching legs, chest, and groin. Avoid performing this pose if you have a recent hip, knee or shoulder injury

How to perform Virabhadrasana II?

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. As you exhale, step your right foot in front of you at least 4-5 feet apart from left foot. Make sure that your heels are aligned with each other. with your right foot pointing straight forward, pivot your left foot inwards

Turn your hips, shoulders towards the front. Bend your knees and align them with your ankle, raise your hands up with palm facing downwards. Gaze at the fingertips of your hands. Hold this position for 50-60 seconds and then repeat the steps with the opposite side

Benefits of Virabhadrasana II

1. Strengthen the legs and ankles
2. Increases endurance
3. Stretches the chest, groin, shoulder
4. Relieves back pain

9. Anuvittasana

Anuvittasana ( standing backbend ) is one of the simplest yoga poses on this list. Performing Anuvittasana regularly will strengthen your cardiovascular, endocrine, and respiratory system

How to Perform Anuvittasana?

Stand straight, put palms of your hands on your lower back. Press the hip forward while squeezing your thighs, buttock and arch the torso backwards

Hold this position for 10-20 seconds

Benefits of Anuvittasana

1. Stretches the lower back
2. Strengthen the endocrine, respiratory and cardiovascular system

10. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana ( One-Legged King Pigeon Pose ) will help you in strengthening your back muscles and stretching your thighs, groins, chest, and shoulders. This pose can also help in solving urinary disorders and stimulate your abdominal organs

How to perform Eka Pada Rajakapotasana?

Stand on all four limbs and then slowly bring your right knee forward between your hands. Slide the right foot over to the left while placing the left leg back. Exhale and sink down as much as possible without straining your legs. Take few breaths before releasing the pose and then repeat the steps with the opposite side

Benefits of Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

1. Stretches groins, thighs, chest, abdomen, shoulders
2. Stimulates the abdominal organs
3. Therapeutic for urinary disorders

Precautions you Should Take While Performing Various Yoga Poses

There are a few things you need to keep in mind while performing yoga to ensure your safety.

1. No Yoga after a meal: Avoid performing yoga poses after a meal. Performing yoga poses on a full stomach can result in you experiencing cramps and nausea
2. Doctor’s advice: If you have any injury consult your yoga instructor or a doctor before practicing a yoga poses or breathing technique
3. Know how to perform a pose: Performing a yoga pose in the wrong way can damage your body in several ways. So learn a pose properly before performing it
4. Don’t push yourself: If you are not able to perform a yoga pose, practice a modified version of that pose. Avoid straining your muscles just to perform a pose. If possible skip poses you can’t perform. Until you gain the required amount of flexibility to perform it
5. No hard Exercise: Avoid intense exercise immediately after a yoga session. Wait for at least 20 minutes
6. Yoga journey: Yoga is about the journey, it’s not about how many different poses you can perform. Keep moving forward. Push your limits and go beyond

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