Guide to Begin with Advanced Yoga Poses

 Are you done practicing the basic poses of yoga? Want to buckle up and master some advanced yoga poses?

The main thing to keep in mind before practicing any advanced yoga poses is to know and understand what exactly makes yoga advanced. Practicing an advanced level of yoga requires a great deal of strength and flexibility that you might have developed doing a lot of yoga over a long period of time.

By this time, you might have learned which yoga poses come easy for you and which are a bit more challenging. You've prepared yourself mentally as well physically to step ahead of practicing yoga stretches for beginners.

Try to avoid having a mental checklist on which you'll just tick off the yoga poses that you've perfected yourself in - getting perfect in yoga will never happen because you'll learn something new every day. You'll always come across a different set of variations every time you practice a yoga pose, even if you've practiced it earlier.

Now it's time to get going and practice advanced level yoga poses along with some intermediate ones.

Step Up: Advance Level Yoga Poses

• Bound Angle Headstand Pose

(Sanskrit: Baddha Kona Sirasana)

Bound angle headstand pose is considered as one of the most challenging asanas in the history of yoga. This asana has immense benefits to provide to the mind, body, and soul.
Although bound angle headstand pose is said to be a difficult pose to practice, it is not if practiced under the supervision of a yoga trainer.

Benefits: Bound angle headstand pose helps in energizing your body, improving your blood circulation, and maintaining a healthy digestive system. It also improves your flexibility and heals sciatica.

• Dove Pose

(Sanskrit: Vajra Kapotasana)

Vajra kapotasana name comes from a Sanskrit term, where 'Vajra' means Thunderbolt and 'Kapota' means Dove. Dove pose is known to be one of the easiest poses of yoga that requires minimal physical effort.

Benefits: Dove pose improves the blood circulation in the spine and head. Not only does it strengthens the shoulders and knees but also stretches your chest muscles and biceps.

Read More - Yoga for Women: The Benefits

• Firefly Pose

(Sanskrit: Tittibhasana)

Firefly pose is an advanced pose that aims to improve the overall sense of balance of the body. It is an arm balancing posture that requires a lot of strength – both arm and core strength. This pose puts a lot of pressure on the wrists and the upper arms.

Benefits: Firefly pose encourages the flexibility and mobility of the joints and muscles. It helps you in releasing subtle energy blockages in your body. 

• Half Wheel Pose

(Sanskrit: Ardha Chakrasana)

There's a thing that should be noted, that while practicing this pose, your body takes the shape of a half wheel or Ardha Chakrasana. It is a really significant standing pose that has end number of health benefits.

Benefits: Half wheel pose strengthens and tones the chest muscles, increases the strength of your ankles and lower back, and enhances the overall flexibility of the body. 

Read More - 5 Poses of Yoga for Sciatica Pain Relief

• Headstand

(Sanskrit: Sirsasana)

Before you decide to practice Sirsasana, it is important to understand especially for beginners that it should be practiced under the supervision of a trained yoga teacher.

Sirsasana is responsible for ultimate yoga healing if done in the right manner with the right guidance.

Benefits: Practicing Sirsasana on a regular basis strengthens your upper body and improves your focus and concentration creating enough space in your mind for fresh new thoughts.