Is it necessary to warm up before yoga?

The question “is it necessary to warm up before yoga?” arises for many because yoga poses can be perceived as a light exercise that doesn’t require special preparation. But that’s not quite the case. Even the simplest series “Sun Salutation” is not a warm-up. If you have ever done it by all the rules, meaning with several approaches and repetitions, you can probably recall that state when you don’t feel like going for any additional workout.

So, any set of yoga poses is a full-fledged workout, for which, as always, a warm-up is necessary.

Why warm up before yoga?

• Firstly, it’s the activation of the body, all organs and systems.
• Secondly, during the warm-up, the necessary level of excitability of the nervous system is achieved. This is needed in case there is strong tension during the practice, so the body can send a signal called “pain, danger” to the nervous system so you can stop in time and avoid injury.
• Thirdly, it’s the preparation for training the muscles, joints, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Joint Warm-up

Since joints are almost always involved in performing asanas, they need to be properly prepared for training. During preparation, joint cavities are filled with synovial fluid, which can significantly ease entry into difficult asanas and prevent painful sensations.

Joint gymnastics enhances circulation and stimulates lymph movement. Work on each joint for at least one minute before proceeding to muscle warm-up.

Muscle Warm-up

By warming up your joints, you also engage muscles and tendons. Muscles also need to be energized – for this, some warm-up exercises should be done a little more intensely to increase blood circulation and warmth.

Warm-up for the Heart and Respiratory System

Exercises help stabilize breathing, open up the ribs and lungs, normalize blood circulation and blood pressure, after which you can proceed to any poses, even inverted ones.

How to Warm Up at Home Before Yoga?

Conduct the warm-up for 15-20 minutes. For maximum effect, use the following exercises:

• head tilts in different directions
• circular neck movements
• arm rotations in different joints
• torso tilts in different directions
• hip rotations
• squats
• leg joint exercises

Consider that you need to direct the warm-up not only to the group of joints or muscles that your practice will focus on but also to work on the body as a whole. The warm-up process should work on almost all muscles and joints. After a proper warm-up, you can proceed to a complete workout – the practice of yoga.