Yoga is an ancient art, first practiced in India and then making its way to the rest of the world. Traditionally yoga has been about achieving a balance between the tangible and the spiritual planes. That's why it incorporates aspects of physical exercise, meditation and enlightenment techniques. In the Western world at lot of emphasis tends to be placed on the asanas or postures themselves. However, more and more practitioners are discovering the benefits of relaxation techniques as well and are starting to understand the reasons behind the poses. A good beginners yoga DVD should explain all this to the novice.

Every type of yoga has its own distinct set of poses, each stage having a greater level of difficulty. There are a few basic yoga poses for beginners though and you must ensure that you are familiar with them. These are what form the foundation for more advanced postures so you need to practice and be certain that you can do them properly. If you can't, you will either not be able to get into the more complex poses properly or you will most likely over stretch yourself and possibly injure your muscles and or body. The only way to really learn these postures is through an experienced instructor but let's try to go through a description.

There are two main yoga postures for beginners that you will find on the best beginners yoga DVDs and they serve to introduce one to both the standing and the seated poses. The first is referred to as the 'Mountain Pose'. Standing yoga poses are meant to help with strength and balance, and also to aid in feeling more grounded. What can be more grounded than a mountain? You start off with your feet together and your big toes touching each other. It is important that your weight is distributed evenly or you won't gain the full benefits of improved posture and stronger thigh muscles. Tense your thighs so that your kneecaps are raised and keep your body fully erect with your spine straight. If you have tendency to slouch you may feel some discomfort initially but this will go away with time.

The second of the basic yoga poses for beginners is the 'Staff Pose' and can be thought of as a seated version of the previous posture. You start this pose by sitting, preferably on an exercise mat so you minimize any potential discomfort. Keep your legs straight in front of you and again tense your thigh muscles and flex your feet. This might result in your heels leaving the floor but that's okay. While doing this make sure to keep your spine erect. The main purposes of this pose are to align the body and strengthen the legs.

While not technically one of the yoga poses for beginners, there is a third pose, known as the 'Corpse Pose', which any student of yoga must know. Granted, the name doesn't sound particularly appealing but if done right this will be one of the most relaxing experiences of your life. The posture involves simply lying on your back with your arms and legs on either side, palms up, and your eyes closed. This pose is typically used as a cool down at the end of a yoga routine or as an integral part of meditation exercises and usually involves deep breathing.

Yoga is a great discipline to get into for people of all ages. There are a huge number of benefits and you can go at your own pace. Yoga poses for beginners are not particularly difficult, although you may be a little uncomfortable if you muscles aren't used to being stretched. One thing to remember is that there are a lot of very fine points to doing the beginners yoga poses right. The best beginners' yoga DVDs will demonstrate to you what these fine points look and feel like. As with any form of exercise, it's important that you know your limits and don't try to overdo it. Just ease yourself into the positions slowly and you'll find that you'll be ready to move on to the more complex postures in no time.

Sherry Holistan is a yoga expert. For more excellent tips on the Best Yoga DVD for Beginners please visit http://bestyogadvd.net/