Beginners' Yoga Poses

No matter where you are in your practice, these fundamental postures provide you with everything you need.

Because you shouldn't have to suffer through class.

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.

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

When you need to approach any situation—or, let's be honest, life—from a calmer place, this quiet practice is your solution.

Named for a legendary warrior, Virabhadrasana 2 strengthens your quads, shoulders, and core—not to mention your stamina and inner resolve.

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

A simple pose that's anything but easy.

There's a general consensus among modern yogis that Viparita Karani or Legs Up the Wall Pose may have the power to cure whatever ails you.

Parsvottanasana encourages balance, body awareness, and inspires confidence.

Sometimes you need to clear out what you no longer need to let in everything that you want.

The prop you never even knew you needed can transform how you (and your students) find alignment.

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

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.

Uttanasana will wake up your hamstrings and soothe your mind.

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

Virabhadrasana 1 is a foundational yoga pose that balances flexibility and strength in true warrior fashion.

Want to get into yoga, but don’t know where to start? These foundational poses will set the stage for your evolving practice.

Take a break. Balasana is a restful pose that can be sequenced between more challenging asanas.

We've seen an explosion of memes about Child's Pose over the last year and a half. Coincidence? We think not.

Savasana is a pose of total relaxation—making it one of the most challenging.

It seems so simple as to hardly be a pose. But this basic posture contains the secrets of how to hold yourself in countless other poses.

Nurture your love-hate relationship with Plank Pose. A beginner's best friend, it's the perfect precursor to more challenging arm balances.

Each month, YJ editors and contributors share the pose that they've been working on.

Try this variation of Savasana to give your mind, body, and spirit a break from everyday stress and a view into contentment.

Warrior Pose I Virabhadra = a hero or warrior from the Mahabharata asana = pose

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Try these four poses to lengthen and stretch your side when the urge hits you.

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

Warm up for Eagle Pose with these three prep poses that will open your shoulders and hips.

We look at three of the riskiest poses commonly practiced in yoga and how to modify them for your and your students’ safety.

Alignment is essential for the health of the knees. Unfortunately, practicing Triangle Pose too often without its counterpose can create an imbalance in the joint. Lean how to stay safe.

Strengthen your lower back, free yourself from back pain in seated poses, and skillfully deepen your forward bends.

This pose gently brings a greater awareness to the hip joints.

Low Lunge, or Anjaneyasana in Sanskrit, stretches the thighs and groins and opens the chest. It provides recovery post-workout, and boosts energy while consciously working to improve posture.

This variation of High Lunge, sometimes called Crescent Pose, is a great preparation for the full version of Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I Pose).

Find length in front body before forward folding in Ardha Uttanasana.

Counteract the effects of Modern-Day Sitting Syndrome by lengthening your hip flexors in High Lunge.

Ujjayi is the beginner-friendly springboard for all other formal pranayama.

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

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.

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

Blow off some steam, wake up your face, and lighten up your practice in silly Simhasana.

Salabhasana or Locust Pose effectively preps beginners for deeper backbends, strengthening the back of the torso, legs, and arms.

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.

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.

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

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.

Practicing Anjali Mudra is an excellent way to induce a meditative state of awareness.

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

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.