Beginner Yoga How To

Strength is the secret to a safe backbend. Learn how to activate your abs for support in Cobra Pose.

Got back pain? Tight hip flexors could be to blame. Open them up with these four yoga poses that counterbalance the prolonged hip flexion of sitting for hours.

In the yoga tradition, the breath is said to carry a person's life force. Here's what you need to know to tap into yours.

The vast majority of us tend to adopt this shoulders-hunched, neck-craned-forward posture regularly throughout our day thanks to our desk-bound jobs. Learn how yoga can reverse its effects.

You may have read of people doing 108 Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) at the time of the spring equinox, or own mala with 108 beads. Here's why the number is considered so auspicious.

Even if you have chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or autoimmune diseases like Lyme or rheumatoid arthritis and have to spend part (or most) of the day in bed, you can still reap the benefits of Sun Salutations.

You can still receive the physical and mental benefits of beloved Sun Salutation from a chair. If standing is painful, difficult, or impossible, try this variation of Sun Salutation to feel more you more grounded, balanced, and at home in your body. Bonus: you can do it at your desk for a rejuvenating midday break.

Yoga is for every body and every level. If traditional Sun Salutation is not available to you, try this variation using a wall as support.

You change as you get older—and your yoga practice should, too. Here’s how to tweak your Sun Salutation during three key phases of your life.

Unsure what Sanskrit word your yoga teacher is calling out during class? Learn the foundational beginner yoga poses every yogi should know as you continue to develop more skill and flexibility in your practice.

Modify Setu Bandha Sarvangasana if needed to find safe alignment in your body.

You deserve to reap the profound rewards of the humble (yet powerful) Namaskar.

Learn how to create elasticity and strength in Revolved Abdomen Pose in preparation for Parsva Bakasana.

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

Master teacher Sianna Sherman takes us step by step through Abhaya Hrdaya (Fearless Heart) Mudra.

Making space for your belly in yoga is a way to both welcome your whole body to your practice and make it more comfortable. Bring these tips from Curvy Yoga founder Anna Guest-Jelley with you for support in any yoga class.

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

In this excerpt from her new book, Every Body Yoga, Jessamyn Stanley inspires first-time yogis by getting real about what will get them on the mat. (Even yogis with a long-term relationship with yoga need to read this!)

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.