Want to chill out and try something new at the same time during lockdown? How about taking up yoga - it can help bring an inner peace while also providing much-needed exercise.

Here, certified senior Iyengar yoga teacher at Maidstone Yoga Centre, Lin Craddock, gives her tips on the best five poses to start with.

For many of us, lockdown has brought a new perspective to our lives, and now, more than ever, we are looking for new ways to release tensions, move freely and take responsibility of our mental well-being.

Yoga gives us the opportunity to become aware of our bodies and to appreciate how stability, through practice, helps us to reconnect both mentally and physically. If you are new to yoga or have already been attending classes, then this is a perfect time to maintain a simple home sequence, to keep the continuity of good posture and breathing.

By lengthening, (stretching) the body, we open the diaphragm and expel the staleness, which allows us to start the inward journey. Invigorate your body and re-balance your mind with our “5 a day” poses. These will help create space and movement.

1 Forward Extension.

Ground down into the outer foot bones to ignite the legs, extend fully to the top of a chair and observe the breath.

2 Leg Lifts.

Find any height where the legs can straighten (back of a chair or table). Loop a dressing gown tie or maybe a belt around the foot to keep connection. Remember to lift the side waist.

3 Prepare for Triangle Pose.

Ground into the legs; lift the side waist and reach the arms to the fingertips.

4 Triangle Pose.

Ground into the legs: lengthen the side waist and reach the arms to the finger tips. Remember to breath.

5 Child’s Pose.

Rest and then observe your breath.

For online pre–recorded and live classes visit the Maidstone Yoga Centre website, and enjoy your first class for free at iyengar-yoga.co.uk

For more ideas of things to do during lockdown click here.