For any beginner the first yoga class is baffling by the large number of poses and the novelty of the practice as such.

Surely, things are taken progressively, with the instructor starting by naming the yoga poses and explaining them one by one while also giving a personal example. The benefits that result from the full practice are manifold, from health improvement and body mobility to the ability to control the workings of the inner self and stress management.

Yoga gives offers many rewards when practiced on a constant basis, particularly if it brings a balance not only over the body but over the mind in particular.

The yoga poses or postures are also called asanas, and each of them has a physical and mental dimension to it. Instructions for the execution of various yoga poses are given in books, e-guides, on Internet sites and magazines. Asanas are dedicated to almost all the parts of the body, and most often the instructor will indicate the most intense point of physical stress.

For further clarification consider the fact that depending on the yoga variant practiced, the performance of the asanas varies, particularly since some postures are specific to one school or another.

Besides the physical capacity to perform yoga poses, one also needs to grow the balance and the concentration ability, since the physical is just one side of the practice that gets complete by the spiritual dimension only.

Tension release, breathing techniques as well as the ability to ignore the difficulty of a posture improve the level of success allowing one to carry on with the asana for the required exercise completion. Once you get into the yoga poses, it is important to maintain them for a specific period of time.

The practice of yoga poses without professional guidance and assistance could turn into a threat to one's physical and spiritual health with the risk of getting injuries. Therefore, do not start yoga practice by word of mouth, or following directions in books, Internet sites or videos.

Beginners should remain under the direct guidance of a trainer, particularly since you are still an apprentice even after you have evolved a bit on the yoga path. The complexity of the yoga poses will get higher with every advance you make on the way, but progress is usually slow as one learns to push the limits of body and mind.