Beginners' Yoga Sequences

Constantly helping others can be energizing and exhausting all at once. This calming practice reminds you how to help yourself.

No matter what's happening around you, it is always possible to come back to what's happening inside you. Here's how.

Prepare yourself for deep, restful sleep with this 10-minute sequence that helps you release all the places you didn't even realize were tense.

Sometimes you need to challenge your body in order to quiet your mind.

Building strength isn't as hard as you think. It just takes practice—and these beginner-friendly poses and instructions for how to take them further.

Not a morning person? Not a problem. In the 5 minutes in between hitting the snooze button, you can set the tone for your entire day.

This a.m. sequence will reset your internal GPS so you can better handle whatever the day might bring.

No props, no problem! All you need for this calming Yin Yoga sequence is yourself and a desire to come to your practice.

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.

Make Sun Salutations more accessible by using a chair as a prop.

Improve your golf swing with these targeted poses for core strength and upper-back mobility.

These poses will help you prep for your next Zoom dance party (who doesn't need a good energetic release right now?)

Radical self-compassion is essential for the health and wellness of all human beings. Yoga provides a powerful way to practice it with our own bodies before practicing it with others. This flow is ideal for quickly honoring your body with both gentle movement and rest.

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.

Home is a feeling, not a place. Whether you are traveling or recently relocated, this sequence will help you find home within yourself.

Try this simple sequence the next time noises—external or in your head—feel overwhelming. Duck into a private space, put your phone on airplane mode, and practice moving with your breath.

These powerful alternates will help you open your hips in all directions.

Improve flexibility and mobility in your hamstrings for better performance and to prevent injuries.

I always felt that yoga offered more than a great stretch or workout. It gave me a way to connect with others and myself at the same time.  You can find a bit of that feeling in this sequence.

Try to practice it daily, especially when you have spent prolonged periods sitting or standing.

Use this sequence to find refuge from the clutches of chronic illness.

The founder of the American Viniyoga Institute shares insight on Viniyoga practices and a sequence for helping to manage addictive behavior.

There’s a good chance you’re not working your back side as often as you should be. Here’s a home practice that will help you change that.

Along with the asanas below, you might also observe that this time calls for the setting of intentions—and deciding what is important to you.

We know that life can be overwhelming and stressful sometimes. Here, 30 different sequences that will help during those hectic times (and this week).

Want to to learn how to really embody your breath in order to take bigger, deeper breaths and rest more fully as a result? Read on.

Transform your quarter-life crisis into a calling.

Plus, five smart ways to stabilize your muscles so you stay safe.

Try an affirmation practice to create a more satisfying sex life and spiritual life.

You are enough. Recognize your worth and own who you are with this sequence.

Heart-opening is great. But after you experience grief, try these heart-closing yoga poses designed to help your broken heart heal.

Plus, 8 poses that helped these trauma survivors heal.

You can’t bypass rage and skip ahead to forgiveness. Anger is a necessary and appropriate response to situations in which we’ve been physically or emotionally harmed, manipulated, or deceived. Here, domestic violence survivor and yoga teacher Liz Arch shares a sequence for releasing anger by truly feeling it first.

Working with the side body can be a powerful way to foster trust that anything is possible. Here’s a practice for the next time you’re craving limitless potential.

Want to challenge your stability and coordination? Grab a yoga bolster and try these four surprising moves.

Yoga can help teenagers be more at peace with their bodies and hear the messages of their own heart more clearly.

Try one or all of these postures the next time you’re stuck at the airport and starting to get cranky.

Move beyond body positivity and focus on finding your true self. This sequence, designed as a vehicle to help you turn your gaze inward and identify the instrument of authenticity inside you, will leave a lasting impression.

It’s all too easy to put ourselves down. Here’s how to use your practice to stop, once and for all.

Even after a disagreement has ended, the effects can linger. Here’s how to foster communication and love after a fight.

Falling out of Tree Pose? Learn how to build a solid foundation from the ground up with these yoga sequences that target the leg muscles.

Want to learn how to go with your gut more often? This 10-pose home practice can help you get there.

This 12-pose sequence will help you remember what the season is really all about.

Before you know it, Chaturanga will be a breeze.

Keep your abs and stomach strong and fit with these yoga poses to fire up the core and strengthen the rest of the body.

Looking to release tension or tightness in the neck and shoulders? These 10 sequences will help support your yoga practice with poses to release pain and strengthen the upper body.

Interested in starting a consistent yoga practice, but not sure where to start? These 30 yoga sequences designed by experienced yoga teachers will help you target specific areas of the body to release tension and increase flexibility.

Here’s how one yoga teacher’s relationship with her mother has evolved thanks to their shared yoga practice. Plus, a customizable sequence to inspire you to practice with your mom, too.

Join NYC yoga teacher Kat Fowler in this sequence to develop courage.

When overcome by feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy in response to hard-to-swallow current events, yoga teacher (and mom) Nancie Carollo turns to the potent practice of surrender.

Secure the foundation for a safe vinyasa practice with this thoughtful, challenging sequence from Natasha Rizopoulos.

When it’s simply not enough to dedicate a yoga practice or #prayfor____, this sequence is designed to ground and focus you, open your heart, and prime your body to be of functional service to those in need. From there, yogis, ask yourself how you can take your practice off the mat.

Need a boost? Expect this sequence from Valerie Sagun (aka Big Gal Yoga) to open your heart, silence negative thoughts, ease stress—and show you everything there is to love about your body.

Purna Yoga co-founder Aadil Palkhivala shares a practice to help you align your body and mind.

Do this short sequence 3–5 times on its own or as part of a longer practice to open your heart chakra and experience compassion.

People with bigger bodies are discovering comfort and empowerment in yoga studios around the globe. Use these tips to help support yourself, or your students, on the mat.

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

Connect to higher consciousness and reach your full potential with this heart- and mind-opening asana and pranayama practice.

Get the most out of 
yoga nidra with this 
exclusive preparatory practice from 
Sri Dharma Mittra.

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.

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

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.

This sequence blends asana with a HIIT tempo, which can help you build strength and burn calories while also inspiring you to feel empowered—all in 15 to 20 minutes.

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.

When our digestion is clear and healthy, it is reflected in our complexion and our radiance. The following set of exercises is amazing for the tummy. It balances the intestinal flora and aids digestion.

The long dark days of winter can lend themselves to physical stagnation, fatigue, and hibernation. In this yin yoga sequence, we honor the pause.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Align your yoga practice with the elemental energies of nature to balance your primary dosha for overall health, wellbeing, and natural beauty.

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.

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.