Yoga for Girls

Yoga can be helpful to young women and girls by helping them increase flexibility, release tense muscles, reduce stress, improve self-confidence and develop a good posture. As young girls become older they tend to become less flexible. Yoga for girls can help to reverse this trend. Along with maintaining a healthy weight, yoga can help girls become more aware of their breathing, and body and mind.
Why Yoga for Girls?
Some girls do yoga to become more flexible. Others want to learn to relax, focus and improve their concentration. Celebrities like Madonna and Christy Turlington confess they owe to their taut, toned bodies to yoga. This has triggered the curiosity of many girls, who want to try yoga to get energized and unwind simultaneously.

What is Yoga?
Yoga is an ancient Indian art which blends breathing, flexibility, strength and awareness techniques that can keep you calm and fit. With consistent practice, your physical and mental balance will improve. Physical yoga consists of slow, gradual movements called poses and focus on breathing. Yoga has been called meditation in motion as you pay full attention to performing your poses and this improves the connection between your body, mind and spirit.
Is Yoga for Girls Hard to Perform?
You don't have to twist yourself into pretzel shapes or stand on your head at the very beginning. You can start with basic poses that will give you confidence and poise. With experience and developing skill, you can try the harder poses. There are many different yoga styles available and depending on your goals and skills you can choose the one that is apt for you.

Benefits of Yoga for Girls
Besides improving strength and flexibility, regular yoga practice develops balance, coordination and better posture. Yoga also promotes better circulation, which means your muscles do not become tired easily. On the mental front, yoga and meditation are proven stress-busters. You can concentrate better, feel more calm and get positive empowerment to deal with the vicissitudes of life with confidence.

Risks of Yoga for Girls
Beginners should be careful not to get over-enthusiastic and push themselves too hard when starting out. Over-straining can hurt your ligaments, tendons or muscles. Some poses can exert pressure on the knees, lower back and neck. If you feel pain while doing yoga, stop immediately. It is always advisable to learn the poses from a qualified teacher, before you start practicing them at home.
Yoga for Fitness
Even professional athletes use yoga to tone their bodies. So, if you are a runner, surfer, tennis player or any other type of athlete, you can use yoga routines to warm up and cool down. You can also target and develop specific muscle groups located in the abdomen and lower back through yoga poses and deep breathing.
Basic Yoga Poses for Girls
If you are just starting out, try the following yoga poses to get a feel of this ancient yet effective and relevant holistic exercise method:

• Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
• Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
• Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
• Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
• Basic Pranayama exercises (for breath control)