Yoga Poses

Modify Supta Padangusthasana as necessary to find safe alignment in your body.

Stretch your hamstrings and open your hip flexors with these prep poses for Half Moon (Sugarcane) Bow Pose.

Steady your balance and stay open to possibilities as you move step by step into Half Moon (Sugarcane) Bow Pose.

The trendy go-to remedy for a tight IT band—foam rolling—can actually do more harm than good. Here’s why, plus 3 yoga poses that’ll help you keep this thick fascial tissue healthy.

Every single body has its own unique skeletal structure, ranges of motion, and thus expression of a given pose. Here, discover how a bolster can help you make better sense of backbends in your own body.

Yoga and Pilates teacher Trina Altman shares why she practices and teaches a lot more than basic asana. Here, three big ways she’d love to see asana practice advance in the near future.

Children have a natural proclivity for letting go of distractions and being in the moment. Teaching them how to harness it offers them access to their own resiliency, which they can use throughout their lives.

Flexible and strong, hamstrings are key to a healthy, happy yoga practice. Here's what you need to know in order to lengthen and strengthen these muscles.

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Use this sequence to check in with yourself, quiet fears and negative mental chatter, and ultimately move into a place of deep trust.

This pose lengthens your hip flexors and stabilizes and strengthens your gluteals.

Modify High Lunge as needed to find safe alignment in your body.

Strengthen core muscles, ease lower back pain, and open your shoulders and chest with these prep poses for Dhanurasana.

Strengthen your back and open your shoulders and chest as you move step by step into Dhanurasana.

Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Rachel Land created our Yoga for Flexibility Challenge but explains why it’s not all about about “stretching.”

There’s a myth that a strong muscle is a tight one, and a flexible muscle is weak. It seems counterintuitive, but identifying and strengthening weak areas can actually help tight areas release their grip. Your challenge for this week is to address one or two of your dormant areas with targeted strength work. Share your progress on social media with #YJflexichallenge for a chance to be featured on our @YogaJournal Instagram page!

Need a boost? Expect this sequence from Valerie Sagun (aka Big Gal Yoga) to open your heart, silence negative thoughts, ease stress—and show you everything there is to love about your body.

We can mitigate some of the shifts in the body that occur during pregnancy, simply by standing well. This practice will wake up the muscles that we need to maintain good structural integrity and a healthy pelvic floor even as big changes are occurring within.

You can count on animals to make yoga fun.

Do you have to do asana first? Is it like hypnosis? Dharma Mittra answers YJ readers’ common queries about this deep relaxation practice.

Wild Awakening founder Michael Jaidev DeNicola shares how reconnecting our children with nature could actually save the planet.

Opens your shoulders and chest in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana.

Modify Setu Bandha Sarvangasana if needed to find safe alignment in your body.

Open your shoulders, chest, and upper back, and practice rooting down through your forearms and lifting your shoulders away from the floor with these prep poses for Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana.

Root your forearms, lift your shoulders, curl your chest open, and extend through your spine and legs as you move step by step into Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana.

For starters, it can offer the benefits of an extra four (yep, four!) hours of sleep. Here, Dharma Mittra shares why this is the practice for modern times.

How to do it, why you should, and the secrets to making inversions less scary, more stable, and a ton of fun

This joint plays an important role in knee and foot health, balance, and more. Here’s what you need to know about your ankles.

Your yoga practice is an excellent way to give your ankles the attention they deserve, helping to reverse past damage and keep you injury free for years to come.

Trust your gut. Follow your instincts. Do what your heart tells you. There are so many ways we talk about heeding our intuition, and yet for many of us it remains a challenge. Below, Los Angeles–based yoga teacher Caley Alyssa shares ways to boost self-confidence and tune in to the voice within—both on and off the mat.

An extensive new report from the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality shows that yoga programs that are both trauma-informed and gender-responsive can be transformative for girls in the juvenile justice system.

Guys, your what-to-wear-to-yoga dilemma ends here. These 6 men’s yoga pants and shorts are so comfortable, you’ll probably be wearing them next time a free hour presents itself, making it super convenient to just drop into a class.

This guided meditation is designed to help you feel that something has your back, so you can open your heart.

As yogis celebrate our diversifying community, those new to the practice often still face ribbing from behind-the-times peers. Here, Broga® Yoga’s Katie Rose shares some of the best reasons the men she knows give for proudly returning to the mat.

Do this short sequence 3–5 times on its own or as part of a longer practice to open your heart chakra and experience compassion.

Brings flexibility to your knees, ankles, and feet in Bharadvaja's Twist II

Modify Bharadvajasana II to find safe alignment in your body.

Open your hips and hamstrings, create flexibility in your spine, and increase circulation to your core with these prep poses for Tolasana.

Strengthen your arms and shoulders, fire up your core, and bring levity to your practice as you move step by step into Tolasana.

So, just how handy is yogic breathing during childbirth? Is 9 months of prenatal yoga actually realistic? And can you meditate your way through contractions?

Strala Yoga founder Tara Stiles shares how her practice contributed to her pregnancy and recovery and the benefits a baby with a yogi mom receives. (Read: Good vibes galore.)

Senior Prana Vinyasa teacher and psychotherapist Coral Brown opens up about her trying pregnancy, nonexistent prenatal asana practice, and the wonder of bringing another being into the world.

Aruba-based yoga teacher Rachel Brathen, aka Yoga Girl, gets real about her pregnancy, letting go of her control-freak tendencies, and how pranayama isn’t actually an effective substitute for pain medication during labor.

Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Rachel Land breaks down the anatomy of fascia and four effective ways to keep it fit through yoga practice.

Motherhood can be tough, even if you’ve made a career out of staying calm and centered. In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked 3 yogi moms how they cope with the pressures of motherhood, and how yoga can help.

“The first time I heard those words, my response was, ‘You’re f--king crazy.’ I’m a dude. I’m a combat veteran. I don’t have yoga pants. I don’t need yoga in my life.”

Tabay Atkins is not your typical 11-year-old boy. And being the youngest certified yoga teacher in the United States is only a small part of what makes him so special.

This contemplative meditation can be practiced regularly or whenever you feel overwhelmed, unstable, or emotionally shut down.

Move into backbends more safely, knowing you can consciously engage the muscles needed to protect the lumbar spine.

Want to unleash the true potential of your middle? 
Turns out crunches—yes, the exercise you’ve avoided for years in favor of holding Plank—are key to a stronger core and more stable yoga practice. Discover how they can serve you in every pose.

Practice these four poses to heal an injury or strengthen your shoulders to prevent one.

Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Rachel Land says don’t worry if you’ve never considered the health of your fascia before. As a yogi, you may already be taking good care of it anyway. Here, she outlines what it takes.

Use this mudra anytime you need to detach from daily life, anchor yourself, and plug in to your untamable feminine power.

Suffering from a pounding head? Learn how to diagnose, treat, and prevent headaches the Ayurvedic way.

Come into Kali Mudra, named after the fierce goddess Durga.

This mudra represents unshakeable self-confidence, inner strength, and faith in something greater.

Binds are a wonderful way to open the shoulders, create a safe, stable haven in a pose, and build prana in the body. Within these 5 binds, you’ll find some of the most elegant, graceful shapes that ask you to rise to the occasion.

The intensity of Virasana can feel as daunting as the hero’s journey in your favorite adventure story. Choose the variation on the pose, ranging from gentle to fiery, to fit the narrative of your personal story on the mat today.

Connect to higher consciousness and reach your full potential with this heart- and mind-opening asana and pranayama practice.

Get the most out of 
yoga nidra with this 
exclusive preparatory practice from 
Sri Dharma Mittra.

Maintaining flexibility and stability in the hip joints is crucial for lower-back health and cultivating overall freedom and ease in our bodies.

Soar like a bird as you move step by step with Tias Little 
into Parsva Bakasana.

Warm up your legs and spine in these prep poses from Tias Little for Parsva Bakasana.

Tias Little offers 3 ways to modify Jathara Parivartanasana if needed 
to find safe alignment in your body.

Learn how to create elasticity and strength in Revolved Abdomen Pose in preparation for Parsva Bakasana.

Excuses to get out of yoga? We’ve heard 'em all. That’s what makes us love these excerpts from the new book The Yoga Man(ual) so much. Here, 10 guys share how they came around to embracing the practice—and what keeps them coming back to their mat.

Often used in meditation, pranayama, and asana, this mudra helps lift dull energy, creates a more receptive state, calms the mind, and brightens the overall mood.

This mudra connects us to our higher Self, helps lift dull energy, creates a more receptive state, calms the mind, and brightens the overall mood. It is often used in meditation, pranayama, and asana.

Garuda Mudra is named after the eagle that Vishnu—the lord of preservation—rides. It can help you cultivate the discipline you need to stick with your daily yoga practice when life gets busy.

Tattva Mudra reminds us that the true nature 
of the Self, or our fundamental essence, is transcendent, unchanging, pure, and whole.

Jason Crandell struggles to make time for his home practice just like the rest of us. Here, the poses he deems essential to feel balanced when he’s looking for shortcuts.

Separation anxiety is common at different turning points in a child’s life. Try preempting it with yoga to help them cope and transition to the next phase with ease.

Master teacher Sianna Sherman takes us step by step through Padma Mudra.

Prana Mudra is great if you need a quick pick-me-up, as it elicits the vitality that resides within our prana, or life force.

Bring your hands to the contemplative gesture of Dhyana Mudra by resting them, upturned, at your navel with the right hand on top.

Draw inspiration from this hand gesture representing the purity and perseverance of the lotus flower floating above the muddy waters of desire, fear, and attachment.

Representing a continuous flow of energy, use this mudra to calm and focus your mind and improve your attitude.

Master teacher Sianna Sherman takes us step by step through Abhaya Hrdaya (Fearless Heart) Mudra.

Ganesha Mudra is named after the Hindu deity who removes obstacles. Use it relieve stress and tension and lift your spirits.

Fire up your passion for a sacred life with Lingam Mudra.