Poses for Your Spine

Our spines do so much. Here's how to keep yours healthy.

How to avoid falling into autopilot while practicing this basic—but beneficial—stretch.

Bitilasana is an easy, gentle way to warm up the spine before a more vigorous practice.

Purvottanasana counteracts the effects of Chaturanga by stretching the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and anterior deltoids.

A classic standing posture, Vrksasana establishes strength and balance, and helps you feel centered, steady and grounded.

The key to Parsva Bakasana is twisting enough to place the outer edge of one upper arm far around the outside of the opposite thigh.

Open wide into Prasarita Padottanasana to increase flexibility by leaps and bounds.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, a well-known backbend, will challenge you to lift and open your chest.

Plow Pose (Halasana) reduces backache and can help you get to sleep.

Padmasana creates an essential foundation for meditation practice, while stretching the front of the thighs and ankles.

It might look straightforward, but there's more to Dandasana than meets the eye.

A simple pose that's anything but easy.

Sometimes called the Sage's Pose, Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi III (Marichyasana III) is a wise addition to any practice.

Parsvottanasana encourages balance, body awareness, and inspires confidence.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana boosts energy and confidence, and can literally give you a new perspective on life.

A standing posture centered around balance, Virabhadrasana III will strengthen your legs, ankles, and core.

Standing on your head in Salamba Sirsasana strengthens the whole body and calms the brain.

Don't let the name fool you. If you're used to sitting in chairs, Easy Pose (or Sukhasana) can be quite challenging.

Extended Triangle Pose is a quintessential standing pose that stretches and strengthens the whole body.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana can be whatever you need—energizing, rejuvenating, or luxuriously restorative.

Utkatasana powerfully strengthens the muscles of the arms and legs, but it also stimulates the diaphragm and heart.

Find length in your side body, from your heel to your fingertips with Extended Side Angle Pose.

Bump up your energy (and confidence!) by bending back into Camel Pose. Ustrasana counteracts slouching and relieves lower back pain with a generous, heart-opening stretch.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose, or Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, offers a deep, vivid stretch to the side body paired with loving and heart-opening movement.

As a counterpose to Utthita Trikonasana and preparation for seated forward bends and twists, this pose is key to a skilled practice.

Bend back into the shape of a bow to feel energetically locked, loaded, and ready to take aim.

This revolved variation of Utthita Parsvakonasana requires a lot of flexibility to twist so deeply and ground the back heel.

Folding into Marichyasana I or Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I calms your mind, extends your spine, and gives your internal organs a healthy squeeze.

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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.

Deskbound at the office or at home? Starting to slouch? These strengthening and lengthening poses will help you sit with support and ease.

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

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

Understanding the anatomy of the spine is essential for both yoga teachers and practitioners. Injury-proof your practice with these three key tips.

Maintaining a feeling of youth, even as you age, requires a flexible spine. Try this sequence to open your back and shoulders.

In order to stay agile as you age, make forward bends, backbends, and twists a regular part of your practice. Start here.

This sequence emphasizes moving safely into backbends that open the heart and shoulders and challenge balance.

Healthy movement in your tailbone may 
influence your whole spine.

Dial in to the details for greater integrity in your forward folds.

Road tripping? Leave stiff muscles behind with these poses targeted at car-bound bodies.

Try out this twisting sequence to rejuvenate your spine and boost energy.

Yogis do it better—yet again. Trade your slouch for a squat to strengthen your ankles and abs and extend your spine.

To enjoy all the benefits a forward bend has to offer, find just the right amount of rounding in your back.

Keeping your hip points squared straight ahead may not always be best in twists.

One poetic translation of Camatkarasana means "the ecstatic unfolding of the enraptured heart."

Learn the fundamentals of how to safely come into Marichyasana III.

Which type of scoliosis are you living with? These yoga poses will relieve and possibly reverse the symptoms.

Twists can be heaven for a bad back—if you don't push too hard. Learn how to do these 9 stretches for the spine to ease pain in your back.

A cross between Child's Pose and Downward-Facing Dog, Extended Puppy Pose lengthens the spine and calms the mind.

Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II tones the belly and spine, strengthens the arms and wrists, and gives your self-confidence a big boost.

Can you practice Wheel with straight arms and Headstand without strain? Then, you're ready.

An excellent facilitator of good pelvic floor health, Garland Pose, called Malasana in Sanskrit, stretches the ankles, groins, and back while stimulating proper digestion. No worries if your heels don't reach the floor—simply rest them on a folded blanket.

In Extended Hand-to-big-toe Pose, maintaining solid grounding through the standing foot helps keep you steady.

Eka Pada Koundinyasana I or Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I has a lot going on—the twist, the legs going their separate ways, oh, and the arm balance. Master it.

Kapotasana invigorates your body and gives your spirits a lift. This extremely deep backbend is appropriate for advanced practitioners only.

This pose gently lengthens and strengthens even stubbornly tight hamstrings.

Sphinx Pose is the infant of backbends. It can be practiced with either an active or passive approach.

Ease up into Half Frog Pose, called Ardha Bhekasana in Sanskrit. This pose strengthens the back while gently opening up the shoulders, chest, and thighs—a loving treat for the entire body.

Dolphin Pose strengthens the core, arms, and legs, while also nicely opening the shoulders.

Deep, seated twists have the power to transform your spine. Learn how to twist right into Ardha Matsyendrasana.

You may know Pincha Mayurasana or Feathered Peacock Pose by one of its common aliases: Forearm or Elbow Balance.

Strengthen your wrists, arms, and abs, hanging in the balance of Tolasana.

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.