Beginner Yoga How To

No matter how well you think you know this challenging pose, you can find safer and more stable alignment.

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.

Because you shouldn't have to suffer through class.

If you only have 10 minutes to squeeze in your practice, flow through this ancient series of yoga postures, commonly known as Sun Salutations.

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.

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.

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

Modify Uttana Shishosana if needed to find safe alignment in your body.

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.

This precise explanation of how to engage the root lock will help you find full expression of this pose and improve your understanding of the bandhas.

Don't let Plank Pose be your worst nightmare. Here's how to build a Plank safely. Add it to your vinyasa flow or practice it on the side, for total body strength.

Open the shoulders and chest in Matsyasana in preparation for Camatkarasana.

Discover how a single sequence, when practiced consistently, can provide grounding, openness, and a greater sense of stability in all aspects of your life with this routine from Sonima.

Next time you find yourself bogged down with emails and to-dos, take 10 minutes to disconnect from the computer screen and practice this short yoga sequence.

Master Baptiste Yoga teacher Leah Cullis, who leads YJ's online course Pillars of Power Yoga, demonstrates 6 common pose mistakes and how to tidy them up for spring.

After a long day at school, there's always more to do. Before hitting the homework, take a yoga break to reset mind and body for better focus.

When we’re happy, we can thrive in our work. This desk-side practice will make your whole body happier in just a few minutes.

Start to ease lower back discomfort and counteract the effects of too much sitting by swapping some of your standard Surya Namaskars for this core-focused variation.

The yoga splits, or Hanumanasana, are a lifelong journey for many yogis. Fortunately there’s more than one way to skin a Monkey. These four variations of the pose each offer their own value and benefits.

Twists, like the new year, can often invoke that same urgent sense of wanting more. SmartFLOW teacher trainer Tiffany Russo wants you to slow it down.

More than a transition, when practiced mindfully this pose prepares the body for Warrior III, Standing Splits, and Handstand. Get more out of it every time.

Challenge pose master Kathryn Budig offers some sage advice for beginning yogis craving more advanced asana.

If you mindlessly breeze through Up Dog countless times per class, protect yourself from injury by taking some time to practice this advanced approach to the basic backbend.

See if you can’t makeover your entire flow by focusing on a few foundational poses. This week, try an advanced approach to Uttanasana.

Are you Type A? Is work more central to your day than breath? This 14-minute practice eases stress by boosting endorphins and dopamine—right at your desk.

Here’s a deep dive into the deep pose from Nikki Costello, that you can and should return to long after the 21-Day Yoga Challenge is over.

As simple as Mountain Pose seems, it is immediately grounding—and portable! Keep this pose in your pocket to pull out and practice anywhere this fall.

If you’re tossing and turning in bed at night, or have trouble calming your mind before going into meditation, spend a few minutes doing Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing.

Try this sun salutation version from Kundalini teacher Joan Shivarpita Harrigan to feel reinvigorated and newly inspired on your mat!

Sniff sniff ... the last weekend of summer is almost here. Tackle back-to-school stress with Two Fit Moms' amped-up Sun Salutation, which will give you the energy you need to get the kids out the door on time.

Inversions are a rite of a passage, testing your mental and physical boundaries. Learn how to conquer your fear.

Alexandria Crows teaches Bow Pose in her "new, backwards way," to target all the tight and weak places that might be holding you back.

Ever try a yoga pose and feel like your body just doesn’t make that shape? Erin Motz (a.k.a. the Bad Yogi) has 3 ideas to help you rock Crow Pose.

Sure, you could eat watermelon or take a dip in the pool, but yoga can help your body and mind chill out, says Kristen Kemp of Powerflow Yoga.

It turns out, you don't have to commit to a full hour of yoga practice to reap its many benefits.

Modify Dolphin if needed to find safe alignment for your body.

Open and strengthen the shoulders, open the hamstrings, and prepare the body and mind to go upside down in Dolphin Pose. Learn how to get the most out of this pose.

How do you know if you've been in a pose too long? When you start to "sag," says Eddie Modestini, who will lead Yoga Journal's upcoming Vinyasa 101 course.

Tame anxiety with this short meditation and seated sequence.

Every yogi, it seems, has a tale of a bum knee, shoulder, or hip. But getting injured in practice often means something is out of alignment.

Feeling discontent, dissatisfied or down? Heart-opening yoga poses, such as Wheel (Upward Bow) Pose, are the perfect Rx.

The hunch in your shoulders and knots in your neck aren’t just uncomfortable, they carry an orthopedic risk. Amy Ippoliti created this practice to counteract "tech neck."

In part two of this three-part series on The Science of Breathing, learn how to take advantage of the power of the breath on the mat in various types of poses and with five different pranayama techniques.

The way you position your hands on the ground is important. Alexandria Crow breaks down what this commonly used cue misses about doing it safely and how you can do better.

Turn to this pranayama practice in times of transformation to invoke Kali and free yourself from anything that's holding you back.

Try this floor-based Viniyoga Sun Salutation 
that takes weight-bearing out of the picture and pressure off your joints.

Try the Ashtanga sun salutation for a physically demanding practice that involves synchronizing the breath with near-constant movement in a series of postures.

This Kundalini Sun Salutation is tied to reverence and prayer and likely looks more like the Sun Salutation the rishis of old might have practiced.

Celebrate summer solstice with three 
innovative and inspiring Sun Salutation practices.

Try these variation-mixes of Sun Salute A, B, and C to spice up your yoga practice.

Sianna Sherman introduces you to Durga and teaches you how to summon her strength in practice and in life.

Ever try a yoga pose and feel like your body just doesn’t make that shape? Erin Motz (a.k.a. the Bad Yogi) has three ideas to help you rock Fire Log Pose (Agnistambhasana).

Yoga teacher Alexandria Crow delves into what your teacher really wants you to do when you hear this cue—and it’s “not navel to spine.”

Are you struggling with your lift off into Bakasana? Kathryn Budig uses a blanket to unlock the secret source of strength (hint: core) you need to soar.

Your wrists bear weight in so many yoga poses—not to mention every time you do a vinyasa. These 8 poses can help you keep your wrists pain-free.

It’s one of the most common yoga poses, which makes getting it right extra important. Check back in with your form this foundational pose.

This common hip opener is supposed to feel good. Bad Yogi Erin Motz says if all you feel is awkward, the magic is in the modifications.

Why only salute the sun? To celebrate Spring, Masumi Goldman and Laura Kasperzak put a fresh on spin on a traditional Surya Namaskar.

Bad Yogi Erin Motz shares three ways to modify Down Dog to help your body find peace and bliss in this "resting" pose.

Alexandria Crow explains why a pose’s foundation is so key and what your teacher wants you to do with this key alignment cue.

Meditation tips, techniques and practices for the beginner—everything you need to know about meditation to get you started.

Alexandria Crow picks apart confusing yoga-speak and explains what your teacher really wants you to do.