First: A word on breathing.
I won’t go into too much detail here, but you need to know the absolute basics: In Yoga, we breath through our nose when practising poses. Both when breathing and out! On an inbreath, feel your belly expand, on an outbreath, feel it go back in.
The breath is guiding our movements and we don’t want to restrict it. So when you feel you cannot breathe deeply in a pose anymore, this means it’s too intense. Back off a little, and let the breath guide you back deeper into the pose.
Sounds a little complicated? Don’t worry, you’ll see how we use the breath in even the basic poses in a second. Just read on!
Secondly: Make sure you’re cleared by your doctor to practice yoga. I’ll give a few warnings about issues that prevent you from practicing these poses, but these are not exhaustive. You know your medical conditions best. Please practice caution!
Thirdly: This guide is in no way exhaustive. I picked a few yoga poses that come up in almost any yoga flow. They will also help you gain flexibility and strength to prepare you for more advanced poses later while still being accessible for most bodies with the right adjustments.
At the same time I didn’t want to overwhelm you with a huge amount of poses. Get to know these poses well, and practice them regularly. The rest will come!