What should be included in a Yoga Session

A yoga session can be mixture of many poses and different people do it differently depending on where they have learn from. In my opinion, it is always better to have a set of poses which cover all the regions of the body as well as all the systems like muscular system and working on the mind. Including the entire body helps in feeling good, activating all the right hormones and evenly relaxes the entire body.

Here is what you should include in your routine ideally. Keep in mind that this routine is more suitable for people who are practicing yoga for quite some time and they have the flexibility and strength to do this routine. This is based on what I have observed and read and I feel this kind of sequence gives great results.

1. Warm up - This can include simple stretching with hands folded above the head and legs separated by around 3 feet. You can also include shoulder rotation with awareness on shoulders and synchronizing it with breathing. Example : Tadasana(Tree Pose)
2. Standing Poses - These pose further warm up the body, increase leg and entire body strength, works on the heart and lungs and also increases the digestive power. These poses also increase the stamina and prepares the body for more strenuous poses. Obesity also reduces with practice of these poses. Examples : Utthita Trikonsansa, Parsvakonasana etc.
3. Inverted Poses : This increases the blood flow to the neck and head region and nourishes the brain and soothes the nerves. Most of these poses also increase the blood flow to the spine. Examples : Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand), Sirsana (Head Stand), Halasana, Utthanasana etc.
4. Back Stretching Poses : These poses strenghthen various regions of the back including lower back. Back becomes strong and flexible and pushes old age problems away. Example : Sarpasana(Snake pose), Bhujangasana(cobra pose) etc.
5. Forward Bending Poses : These poses stretch the hamstring, reduce obesity in the abdomen region, and increases the vitality of all organs in the abdomen region. These poses also soothe the mind and reduce stress. Examples : Paschimottan asana, Janu sirsana, sashankasana etc.
6. Twists : These poses provide twist to the back and spinal region and relaxes the muscles and the nerves and increase the flexibility of back. Example : Matsyendrasana.
7. Pranayama : These are breathing exercises in Yoga and soothe the nerves and calms the mind. There are various pranayamas and they act in different manner on the body and mind. Usually pranayama increase oxygen in the blood and also increase the lung capacity. Here is an article about Nadi Shodhan Pranayama.
8. Relaxation : At the end of the practice relax in Shavasna(Corpse Pose) and remove the tiredness. This is quite important part of the practice and should not be avoided.

As you can observe that the entire body gets a good work out when we do this sequence, the internal organs are massaged. All the hormonal glands secrete the right hormones, the mind calms down, the body relaxes and toxins are flushed. This results in good practice, feeling of doing well and better progress. When this happen you look forward to practicing again and that helps in our journey of Yoga.