Yoga Poses

Find the best prenatal yoga poses for all stages of your pregnancy.

Take a leap of faith into Hanumanasana or Monkey Pose, named for a figure in Hindu mythology who did just that. And when faith doesn't get you all the way there, practice will.

Strengthening your side waist muscles may not eliminate your love handles, but it will unlock your pelvis and protect your lower back.

Iyengar Yoga instructor Lisa Walford makes suggestions for how you can make Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) more comfortable.

Iyengar Yoga instructor Lisa Walford explains the strength, flexibility, and actions necessary for Pincha Mayurasana.

Why you should consider swapping inversions for restorative yoga poses during your period.

Sarah Powers offers advice for modifying neck position in Camel Pose.

Different yoga systems have different answers. Sarah Powers addresses the debate of whether backbending during pregnancy is safe.

Sarah Powers advises yogis with sciatica which poses to avoid and which to favor.

Check out Sarah Powers's author page.

Salabhasana or Locust Pose effectively preps beginners for deeper backbends, strengthening the back of the torso, legs, and arms.

Lay Virasana back and to take the stretch in the thighs and ankles up a notch.

Boost the body's energy and fight fatigue with Fish Pose, or Matsyasana in Sanskrit, while building confidence with a loving stretch in the shoulders. It is said that if you perform Matsyasana in water, you will be able to float like a fish.

Say hello to leg and ankle strength as you seek stability and extend into this balancing pose, Half Moon Pose.

Learn how your body's midline is key to balancing in Tree Pose.

If backbends are a struggle for your body, you may try these preparatory shoulder-openers.

Prenatal Yoga doesn't seem right for you? Tim Miller gives advice for modifying a more advanced practice for pregnancy.

Tim Miller gives advice for practicing with a common injury, an overstretched hamstring attachment.

Tias Little offers advice for designing a practice to support recovery from a knee surgery to repair a meniscal tear.

Can't see the cow face? Notice that the crossed legs look like the lips. The bent-elbow arms, one up and one down, are the ears.

Upavistha Konasana is good preparation for most of the seated forward bends, twists, and the wide-leg standing poses.

Check out Stacie Stukin's author page.

A classic restorative posture, Supta Baddha Konasana or Reclining Bound Angle Pose can be modified for any level of hip and groin resistance.

Yoga gives us deeper breathing awareness–and brings greater concentration to the parts of the body that allow us to exhale and inhale fully.

Develop an attitude of a dancer to explore your inner rhythm transitioning from Downward-Facing Dog Pose to Wheel Pose.

Learn how yoga can help you prevent slouching—and the depression, shallow breathing, tension, and headaches that often go with it.

Plow Pose increases circulation, suppleness, and vitality and also prepares the body for relaxation and meditation.

This simple yet demanding pose builds courage, poise, and confidence to explore more challenging arm balances.

Which poses should you practice to reverse the effects of chronic stress? Our expert Roger Cole recommends a regular restorative sequence.

Check out Barbara Benagh's author page.

These tips for balancing will make challenging poses easier when you're first learning yoga.

Understanding the mechanics of your feet in yoga and the patterns in your foot health is the first step to establishing a solid foundation in your practice.

In 1990 River Huston was a kick-ass fitness trainer in New York City. Her workouts were about pain, tight buns, and thousands of stomach crunches. Pushing herself beyond physical limits was her modus operandi.

Check out Paul Grilley's author page.

Know whether to exhale through the mouth or nose during pranayama breathing or just in natural breathing.

As many chiropractors and back specialists have discovered, yoga can help improve your posture, and even scoliosis.

Check out Robert Gray's author page.

Check out Robert Gray's author page.

Virasana is a balm for tired legs at the end of the day, as well as an alternative to Lotus for seated meditation.

Practicing Anjali Mudra is an excellent way to induce a meditative state of awareness.

Also called Seated Twist Pose or Ardha Matsyendrasana in Sanskrit, this pose energizes the spine and stimulate proper digestion while improving postural and body awareness.

Bharadvaja's Twist, or Bharadvajasana in Sanskrit, is a gentle and loving twist that inspires postural and body awareness.

Oh, your aching back? Or maybe you can't crack those tight hamstrings. Supta Padangusthasana I or Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose I is for you.

This version of Shoulderstand is performed with blanket support under the shoulders.

Janu Sirsasana, or Head-to-Knee Pose, is appropriate for students of any level and melds a forward bend with a spinal twist.

Need an energy boost? Urdhva Dhanurasana can help—and strengthen your arms, legs, abdomen, and spine in the process.

By providing a conscious opening in the chest and stretch in the shoulders, Cobra Pose, called Bhujangasana in Sanskrit, fights fatigue and relieves lower back pain, boosting both the energetic and the physical body.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out Richard Rosen's author page.

Check out Richard Rosen's author page.

Check out Yoko Yoshikawa's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Relieve tension in your wrists, back, and shoulders at your desk.

Check out Richard Rosen's author page.

Check out Sally Eauclaire Osborne's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

If your headaches happen often, body awareness can help predict the onset of a headache. Try practicing yoga for headaches to ease the pain.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Shaking muscles and too much quivering may be a sign of overworking. Learn why you should slow down and listen to your body.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

In both yoga and cooking, the better your skills, the better the results. We explain why yoga and food challenge you to find full expression and accept what is.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out YJ Staff's author page.

Check out Richard Rosen's author page.

Mary Pullig Schatz talks about yoga for sciatica and different ways you can ease the source of pain.

Check out Yoko Yoshikawa's author page.

Are you a mouth breather? Poor breathing habits are easy to spot. Use these 6 tests to identify your own breathing problems.

No two styles of yoga teach the same pose the same way, and nowhere is this more evident than with Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). So who's right? We asked five instructors to show us their approach to Triangle and compared their methods.

Check out Laurel Kallenbach's author page.

Check out Denise Benitez's author page.

Check out John Schumacher's author page.

Check out Barbara Benagh's author page.