Yoga Poses

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.

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.

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.

Use this mudra to find the courage to keep your heart open and loving, especially during those difficult times in your life when fear, hate, or anger pull you away

Give your body what it craves.

King Pigeon Pose is about balancing stability and fluidity, in both your body and mind. Grab a strap, folding chair, and blanket and let’s get started!

Nike Yoga Camps for Kids, the first national kids’ yoga camps program, is entering its third season this summer, offering more locations than ever before, new studio partners, and SUP Yoga!

Open your chest and shoulders and 
challenge your balance as you move step by step into Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II.

Use these prep poses to open your body for One-Legged King Pigeon Pose II.

Modify Virabhadrasana I if needed to find safe alignment in your body.

Open your hips and stabilize your knees to refine your Warrior I with Carrie Owerko, who leads Yoga Journal's Iyengar 101 course.

Yoga for Bad People founders Heather Lilleston and Katelin Sisson travel like it’s their job (because it is). Here, they offer YJ readers their favorite poses to balance out the body after getting off a plane.

The most common beginner form of Tibetan Yoga is Lu Jong, or “body training.” Experience it's natural connection the elements in these sequences.

Connect to and honor the five elements found in ancient Mayan practices with these movements passed down to Miguel Angel Vergara Calleros and Kat Tudor.

Break a sweat and feel empowered—in 20 minutes or less.

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.

A chair practice offers the pregnant body support and helps to create the space it so desperately needs. This sequence feels so good that you will want to continue with it—even after baby.

Mixing new poses into your practice can boost fun and strength. We stole these 10 innovative moves from hybrid yoga styles so you can add a hint of everything from Yogalates to Rolfing to your practice.

Your yoga mat is the perfect place to explore and reconcile the core dilemma your Enneagram number has revealed. Start here.

The following sequences draw from ancient Taoist and Tantric energy practices as well as modern science.

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.

Powerfully stretch and strengthen your legs and turn your consciousness inward as you move step by step into Krounchasana.

Stretch your hamstrings and tone your abdominals in these prep poses for Krounchasana.

Increase flexibility in the knees and hips, tone the muscles in the arches of the feet, and increase circulation in the feet and legs with Hero Pose.

Modify Virasana if needed to find safe alignment in your body.

This basic technique has the power to transform life’s challenges.

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.

Find out how her stress manifests by this quiz from Gaia Herbs.

In part four of our series on teaching trauma-sensitive yoga, teacher Daniel Sernicola shares five practices to help your students get grounded and cultivate mindfulness.

If a sequence makes our end-of-the-year top 10 list, it's one worth saving. Tuck these 10 practices away somewhere you'll be able to find them on days you're in need of a tried-and-true flow.

If you're on Instagram, you've probably seen some of the innovative takes on traditional asana. These 10 creative practitioners tested their limits this year turning asana into an art form.

You probably know that your diet should change with the seasons, but according to Ayurveda, even your pranayama should be tweaked three times a year. Here's how to do it.

Annie Carpenter dove deep into the core at YJ LIVE! San Diego, offering accessible alignment cues and a creative sequence to help maximize core stability.

Think you don’t have time for yoga during the holidays—much less 3-minute pose holds? Yoga Medicine teacher Shannon Stephens makes a case for why yin yoga may be the best practice for your busiest times.

Often during the holiday season we hear that to take care of others we must first take care of ourselves. Here's how to feel more ease and less drained.

As part of our series of posts on teaching trauma-sensitive yoga, teacher Daniel Sernicola offers tips for establishing trust and a sense of safety in your yoga classes to help trauma survivors feel welcome.

Teaching kids’ yoga classes is different from teaching adults’. Try these five strategies to prepare yourself for a successful, fun-filled class.

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.

In honor of Veterans Day, we’re introducing a series of posts with yoga teacher Daniel Sernicola educating yoga teachers on the importance of taking a more trauma-sensitive approach to every class. Start using these 4 strategies today.

In part 1 of our series on teaching trauma-sensitive yoga, teacher Daniel Sernicola offers tips for setting up a safe space for practice.

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.

Amy Ippoliti is masterful at breaking poses down into their individual components, making them accessible and beneficial for all levels and body types. Here, her creative and thorough new pathway to Urdhva Dhanurasana.

If you’ve mastered Bakasana and are ready to take your arm balance practice to the next level, try incorporating these Bakasana toe-taps into your routine.

The six poses, adapted from the Yoga for Climbers online course developed by pro climber and yogi Heidi Wirtz and Climbing magazine, will help you stay strong and flexible so you can climb harder and stay injury free.

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.

Boost energy flow in the body with this dynamic practice, representing the air element to counterbalance Kapha’s earthy and watery nature.

Move built-up fire energy from the belly through the rest of the body to balance the Pitta dosha and combat its tendencies for competition and overheating.

Balancing the air and ether of your Vata dosha with the opposing energy of the earth element can help ease the anxiety, nervousness, fatigue, and digestive issues Vatas are prone to.

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.

Move step by step with power and balance into Ganda Bherundasana.

Open your chest and shoulders and strengthen your arms, back, and core with these prep poses for Ganda Bherundasana.

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

Coral Brown, a licensed mental-health counselor and senior Prana Vinyasa Flow teacher, shares four great mudras for this time of year.

Get strong and flexible so you can climb harder and stay injury-free with his sequence is adapted from the Yoga for Climbers online course

Meditation is a procedure of cleansing the mind and taking out the garbage in the subconscious. These three Kundalini practices passed down by Yogi Bhajan will help you release conscious and subconscious fears that cause stress, worry, and anxiety.

Research shows that the practice goes a long way toward helping your brain stay in top shape.

The $1,000 yoga mat is here, and it's not a joke, says Cedric Yau, founder of BallerYoga, a yoga mat company targeted at "Athletes who have Everything and Desire Nothing" that launched last week.

Here are 5 healthy tips for revving up your energy level, from backbends to Beet Root.

In honor of the Fall Equinox, yin yoga teacher Danielle March offers a sequence to help you gain some perspective and insight on your own summer growth.

Infuse each asana with an empowering affirmation to fully embody the qualities of each pose both physically and mentally. Practiced daily, this sequence may repattern your mind, body, and spirit.

Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Clio Manuelian offers an inversions-focused plan to prepare the body and mind to open to the insight of meditation.

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.

This week, Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Clio Manuelian offers an invigorating and grounding inversions-focused plan to prepare the body and mind to open to the insight of meditation.

This week, Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Clio Manuelian offers an invigorating and grounding inversions-focused plan to prepare the body and mind to open to the insight of meditation.

This week, Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Clio Manuelian offers an invigorating and grounding inversions-focused plan to prepare the body and mind to open to the insight of meditation.

This week, Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Clio Manuelian offers an invigorating and grounding inversions-focused plan to prepare the body and mind to open to the insight of meditation.

This five-day practice will help you discover and embrace the power of sitting every day.

Practice moving your attention into your chest and heart space, where you receive and give love.

Putting a twist on your go-to poses can breathe new life into your practice. Try this sequence, packed with nontraditional variations on classic asanas.