Yoga Poses by Anatomy

Let love in by practicing these self-compassion postures first.

Try these alternatives to get all the same benefits without bearing weight on your hands and wrists.

You are enough. Recognize your worth and own who you are with this sequence.

Your heart is a source of intuition and deep knowledge—but you may miss its messages when your (busy) mind rules. This sequence is designed to help you get out of your head and into your heart.

Plus, a practice to help you learn how to stay safe when you practice, too.

Pain and discomfort can be gone with these therapeutic asana sequences from pelvic-floor expert and yoga teacher Leslie Howard.

Your yoga practice is as strong as your feet. Practice these sequences to help build stability in your yoga practice.

Use these exercises to experience a different kind of strength and ease in your body.

No matter how often you practice, and how deeply you twist, the answer is probably no. Here is the anatomy lesson and exercises every yogi needs to experience more ease both on and off the mat.

Whether you’re looking to find more compassion in your life or simply want to counteract the effects of sitting at your computer all day, this supportive and strengthening yoga sequence will awaken your heart, body, and mind.

Is sitting really that bad? How do you strengthen your butt muscles? Your questions answered.

YJ senior editor Meghan Rabbitt caught up with YogaGlo's Kathryn Budig and life coach Ash Cebulka to learn how to navigate change with grace. Plus, Kathryn shares four poses for embracing transition.

Starting to slouch? These stretches will help.

These simple moves will powerfully balance your legs, pelvis, and spine whether you're at your desk, out and about, or on the mat.

Whether you have chronic low back pain, herniation, osteoporosis, or trouble with your SI joints, these supported variations will help you enjoy the benefits of Triangle Pose with ease.

Practice this hip-opening sequence regularly to help you release energy from unprocessed grief.

Learn what muscles are activated when you jump back to Chaturanga or Plank Pose, and how to do it safely.

Start to understand, lengthen, and strengthen your teres major—a little-known muscle that can be the key to protecting your shoulders when you go upside down.

In this excerpt from his new book Yoga Therapy: Foundations, Methods, and Practices for Common Ailments, Mark Stephens offers methods for warming up and massaging the wrists to reduce pain in yoga practice.

Long day? Feeling sluggish? Try these poses from YJ Influencer Meredith Cameron to create space in your upper body to soften, flush, and balance your organ system.

You can rock Plank pose, but did you know that your diaphragm might be your secret weapon when it comes to strengthening your core?

Try this strap trick to increase postural awareness in the upper back and shoulders—and relieve the excess tension that accumulates there.

Breasts are intimately connected to a woman’s overall well-being and heart, yet proactive tips for keeping breast tissue healthy are scarce. Fortunately, your yoga practice can help.

Check out Carrie Owerko's author page.

Here's how to strengthen and gain mobility in your upper back

Incorporate these poses into your daily routine to strengthen your core muscles and help you maintain a strong and flexible spine.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

You're going to like how this feels.

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

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.

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

When done properly, twists have the potential to help your low back feel great. Here are three poses to help you relieve low back pain.

Ray Long, MD, explains the anatomy of twists and how to support the action with proper muscular engagement to prevent low back pain.

These poses help to awaken the psoas, activating different parts of the muscle so that it’s ultimately easier for the brain to fire it up.

Hip openers aren’t always the answer.

Do you practice yoga regularly but still feel “stuck” in certain spots? Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Allison Candelaria created this muscle-and fascia-freeing flow to tune up the lateral sides of your body.

Yoga teacher Giselle Mari shows you how to use your chakras to resolve any negativity or emotional issues holding you back so you become a lighter, brighter version of you.

This sequence is designed to help you ease tension by putting your spine through its full range of motion.

Every yogi can melt hip tension with this Monkey Pose sequence (with mods!) from the yoga teacher, body-positive advocate, and Instagram star.

Practicing this twisting sequence is beneficial for anyone who sits for a good portion of the day, suffers from chronic back pain, or loves activities like running, cycling, and hiking.

Whatever the root cause of your slumping, your yoga practice can help alleviate any resulting pain or dips in mood by bringing more balance to the muscles in your chest, upper back, and neck.

Stretch the upper back, spine, and shoulders; opens the chest; help release chronic tension in the shoulders and neck in Extended Puppy Pose.

In honor of National Yoga Month, Two Fit Moms is offering you this eight-pose flow that will help you reap the cardiovascular benefits of yoga.

Balancing forces is particularly crucial when it comes to addressing the feeling of “tightness” many of us have in our hips.

Yoga teacher Cyndi Lee offers advice on practicing yoga in front of a mirror.

Do you practice yoga regularly but somehow still feel “stuck” in certain spots? Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Allison Candelaria created this fascia-freeing flow to find more mobility in the backside of your body.

Want to hone your intuition? We went behind the scenes at YJ LIVE! in NYC to bring you this third-eye-activating practice from master teacher Seane Corn.

Here are 4 yoga-inspired, belly-toning exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home, on your own time.

A droopy butt is a common side effect of pregnancy but you can prevent it—or correct it—by strengthening the right muscles.

Most women know they should be strengthening their pelvic floors, but what about lengthening? Try this 10-step practice for strong and supple muscles to support childbirth, your vital organs, and even your love life.

A simple, mindful big-toe adjustment can create stability in the bones, ligaments, and muscles of the feet, enhancing the mind-body connection and creating a secure foundation for safe and comfortably aligned poses.

Think of the word “core,” and terms like “hard" and “tight” likely come to mind. But the secret 
to a strong middle is actually to soften in your practice. This sequence shows you how.

Whether or not you ever find yourself in the full expression of Monkey Pose, you can still enjoy the journey with these very effective preps from Two Fit Moms.

Happiness is a mind-body endeavor. It only takes two minutes to deploy this self-massage to stimulate our belly brain, the enteric nervous system, which regulates mood and immunity.

Start to ease lower back discomfort and counteract the effects of too much sitting by swapping some of your standard Surya Namaskars for this core-focused variation.

We spend hours in front of our computers and phones, and the repetitive movement patterns can cause neck and shoulder strain. This sequence will help.

A tense QL could be lurking behind those aches and pains. Here's how to address it.

The yoga splits, or Hanumanasana, are a lifelong journey for many yogis. Fortunately there’s more than one way to skin a Monkey. These four variations of the pose each offer their own value and benefits.

Master Baptiste Yoga teacher Leah Cullis demonstrates 10 poses that tone and strengthen your arms without adding bulk.

These vital muscles help stabilize your entire body.