6 Yoga Warm Up Exercises Before Workout

I personally love deep backbends and explosive workouts. Both of these two require a proper warm up before getting started. A painful lesson I learned after straining muscles leaving my back injured for several days. Warming up before a workout is like meditating in the morning. Try these yoga warm up exercises before workout, You’ll have much more clarity, awareness and get through  your  workout without injuries . 

In this sequence I’ll be walking you through six different warm up poses to get your body warm and ready for a exercise. Warming your body properly before exercising minimizes the risks of getting injured. After completing theses asanas you’ll be feeling empowered and ready to hit you workout! 

Inhale lift your arms parallel to the floor and exhale bend your arms from your elbows so that your fingertips touch your shoulders. With an inhale lift shoulders up and rotate back, exhale and rotate down. Do five of these rotations, moving your body with your breath and being mindful on how your shoulders feel today. If you feel any sort of pain that you know does not come from your muscles then don’t force it. Ever. After completing five rounds, switch direction. Again after finishing these five start rotating your upper body with an exhale from side to side, still keeping your fingertips gently on your shoulders.

Do five rotations on each side, always exhaling when rotating and inhaling when coming into center. Exhale release arms and come onto your all fours.

We start with a Downward Facing Dog, tucking your toes under and exhale, push yourself into a downward dog, with your fingers spread wide apart, if you can, placing your ankles to the ground. Now moving into a Dolphin Pose, exhale, bring your forearms one by one on the ground. Push your hips up to the sky. Making sure your fingers stay wide and your arms don’t spread wide apart.

After repeating come back to a Downward Facing Dog, inhale, lift your right leg up and exhale, bring it in between your arms. Coming into a Warrior 1. Turn your left leg into a 45 degree angle, make sure your right knee is on top of your right ankle and square your hips with front side of the mat. Lift your arms up and follow the arms with your gaze.

Stay here for five breaths and from Warrior 1 we will move to warrior 2.

Open up your hips to the side and bring your arms parallel to the floor. Tuck your pelvis, lift chest, press back heel and outside of the back foot into the floor. Now we will do Cactus Arms, so bend your arms from elbows and spread all your fingers wide. Stay here for five breaths and then exhale, bringing your arms to the floor and moving into Downward Facing Dog. Repeat on the left side.

Lowering yourself from Downward Facing Dog to the ground, placing your knees on the floor and moving into a Sphinx. Place your elbows underneath your shoulders and lift your head and upper body slightly up. Engage your lower back and feel that slight bend in there. Stay here for five breaths and release to the ground.

There is no right answer to this. It all depends on your body, what type of yoga are you about to do, and the environment. Yoga is all about consciousness and being aware. If you know that your body is very stiff and you are about to enter a hardcore Ashtanga or Power Yoga class, you might want to consider doing some warming up before entering. Even though these classes do usually include warming up as sun salutation etc – only you know if this is enough for your body.

When you are warming up the body you want to move consciously and slowly. Spend time with those more delicate areas of the body, such as the neck, shoulders and spine. These are the muscles, that when even slightly twinged, can have you bed bound and immobile.  

Neck Rolls
Standing in a Mountain Pose, move your neck with the breath from side to side. Starting from the center, exhale and roll to the left. Inhale whilst being up and exhale roll to the right. Once you have done five of these half circles you can move into the full range – but be careful when you roll your head back.

Standing Yoga Seal Pose – Dwikonasana
Starting from a Mountain Pose, step your feet hip distance apart. Tuck your pelvis, straighten your spine and roll your shoulders back. Inhale lift arms parallel to the floor and interlace your fingers behind your back. Exhale start folding forward from your hips, bringing your arms above your head for a great stretch. Stay for five breaths.

Upward Salute Pose Variation – Urdhva Hastasana
Start in a Mountain Pose, feet together and grounded. Spread your toes to grab the mat and activate your legs by pulling kneecaps up. Tailbone tucked in, shoulders rolled back and spine straight. Inhale, lift your arms up. Interlace your fingers. Release index fingers, and feel as if someone is pulling you up from your head. Exhale, tilt your upper body to the right side from you hips. Keeping hips straight and deepening the stretch with every exhale. Stay for five breaths. Remember to keep pelvis tucked in, feet strong on the ground, chest open, and shoulders away from the ears. Inhale, raise back up and exhale. Repeat the same to the left side.

Yoga and warming up the body is going to compliment those more intense physical workouts, including weight lifting. If you have the time, jump into five rounds of the Sun Salutations A & B and then continue with these following three poses:

Chair Pose – Utkatasana
Inhale, lift your arms over your head, so that your palms are facing each other. Bend your knees. Exhale, relax shoulders and a tuck your tailbone. If possible, deepen the pose by lowering your hips, as if you would sit on a chair. Gaze to your fingers and stay for five to ten breaths.

Goddess Pose – Utkata Konasana
Inhale step your right foot back, facing the longer side of your mat. Turn both toes into a 45 degree angle. Exhale, bend knees, coming into a goddess squat. You want to have your knees above your ankles and thighs parallel to the ground. Next creating cactus hands: Lift arms parallel to the floor, bend from elbows into 90 degrees and spread your fingers wide. Draw shoulder blades back, engage abs and tuck your tailbone. Stay for five breaths. Exhale, straighten legs and lower arms, returning to Mountain Pose.

Supported Shoulderstand Pose – Salamba Sarvangasana
Coming into a seated position, taking a grip from behind your thighs, lowering yourself gently to the floor. Walk your heels close to your sitting bones. Place your arms beside your body and reach your heels with your fingertips. Start rolling your shoulders gently underneath you, lifting the heart center up a little. Make sure heels, knees, and hips are on the same line.

Before we go into the asana, remember to never move your head from side to side when in a shoulderstand. And now with an inhale, lifting your legs up. Exhale, lift legs over head, toes touching the floor. Placing hands on the back, as close to your shoulders as it is possible for you today. Make sure your elbows are not wide open. Walk them in towards each other and take chin away from chest. Inhale, raise your legs up, over your head supporting your back with your arms. If possible walk hands even closer to shoulder. Remember to keep your elbows still close to each other. Hold Shoulder Stand for 5-15 breaths. When coming out, exhale, bend knees and let yourself slowly to the ground.

Warming up before exercising is essential to get the most out of your workout in a safe way. Warming up properly prevents injury and prepares the body for more demanding physical activities. Yoga warm up exercises before workout is an awesome short sequence that targets and challenges the biggest muscle groups in your body. It is for all levels so you don’t have to worry about not being able to complete it! After flowing through these exercises you will be feeling prepared and properly warmed up for your workout!