Yoga Poses by Anatomy

Natasha Rizopoulos shares her tips for camel pose—to improve the pose and relieve pain in the upper back.

Check out Paul Grilley's author page.

Check out Paul Grilley's author page.

Check out Paul Grilley's author page.

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Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Use these simple, but important, twisting techniques that help elongate the spine and have a host of physical and emotional benefits.

Your mom was right: You'll look better and feel great if you stop slouching and stand up straight. Yoga can help you do just that—in a way that honors your spine's natural curves. Here's a guide to assessing and improving your posture.

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If you want your yoga to build strong, stable, balanced legs, it's important to work the feet properly—even when you're not standing on them.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

When life has you dying to curl up into Child's Pose, try empowering Boat Pose instead to recharge your spirit.

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An eye opener, Parsvottanasana can shine light on easy-to-overlook truths.

Building strength in the lower back can enhance your performance in daily activities and help you avoid sports injuries.

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Maintaining a proper cervical curve by strengthening weak muscles can ease many common pains in the neck.

Open tight shoulders and an achy back in this beginner-friendly seated twist, Marichyasana III.

If your curved back has you twisted, here are some asanas that will help realign your spine.

Check out Carol Krucoff's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

Check out Roger Cole's author page.

By educating yourself on anatomy, you can protect your knees in yoga poses.

In this challenging version of a twist, your arms wrap around your legs so your hands can clasp behind the back, almost like a lasso or a snare.

Heron Pose is an intense hamstring stretch. You may need to give Krounchasana some time.

Dance with cosmic energy in this challenging yet graceful balancing pose that relies on equal parts effort and ease.

After making alignment adjustments in Warrior I, let go and feel the wholesome integration of your entire body.

It’s time to show them some TLC.

This forward fold restores a sense of balance by grounding the body so the mind can become tranquil.

A prescription of asanas to help balance the subtle energies of the chakra system.

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.

Tim Miller turns to the ancient wisdom of Patanjali to answer this existential question.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Use your core to lift your belly and distribute your weight correctly in Bakasana.

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

Usher in 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.

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.

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

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.

This is no easy chair. Sit back and power up in Chair Pose.

Head-of-the-Knee Pose fosters flexibility in the hamstrings and spine while calming the nervous system.

Reclining Big Toe Pose provides a safe stretch for tight hamstrings —and opens the door to a host of other asanas.

This fall, a team of British academics, yoga teachers and practitioners will join forces to find out if a 12-week course of Iyengar Yoga can be used to treat lower back pain. More than 260 people between the ages of...

The findings of a new study conducted at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and McLean Hospital show that practicing yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels. Low GABA levels are associated with depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and even Alzheimer's. Complete...