8 Yoga Poses to Celebrate Spring and New Beginnings

If you listen closely, your body subtly perceives spring’s message of renewal. As the physical body craves the release of stored heaviness from winter through movement, the mind urges you to learn something new. This is the emotional and spiritual self looking ahead and wanting to move forward into whatever comes next. These spring yoga poses can help you feel more awakened and motivated in your body, mind, and spirit.

A Spring Yoga Sequence to Celebrate New Beginnings

As with any yoga practice, the effects relate not just to the specific poses but how you approach the poses. Remain aware of your breath and listen to your body.

1. Seated Meditation

Begin in any comfortable seated position for meditation and listen to the natural flow of your breath. Spend some time moving inward by creating a fluid and balanced flow of inhalations and exhalations. For internal guidance, you might choose to focus your internal gaze around the third eye (ajna chakra).

Pay attention to the spaces between your inhalations and exhalations. Observe this flow in its natural state without any intervention. As you continue, you might practice a few seconds of breath retention between each breath in and each breath out. Think of it as a long pause before and after each inhalation. This is a tool to free up space in your lower belly, chest, back and of course, your mind.

2. Marichi’s Pose (Marichyasana III)

Transition out of your meditation with a satisfying twist in Marichi’s Pose.

How to:

1. Sit up straight and root down through your sitting bones. Hug your right knee into your chest.
2. When you feel long and tall in your back and relaxed in your belly, plant your right foot outside your left knee. Turn your chest toward the left and press your left fingertips to the mat behind your left hip and either hug your right knee with your right arm or bring your right elbow to the outside of your right knee. Turn your head to look over your left shoulder.
3. Inhale and straighten your spine. Exhale and ease into the twist. Breathe here.

3. Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana)

Move into Head to Knee Pose, a subtle twist that’s a tension-reliever for the hamstrings, spine, and lower back.

How to:

1. Straighten your left leg, keeping a slight bend in your knee if that’s more comfortable. Bend your right knee and place your right foot against your inner right calf or thigh.
2. Inhale as you straighten your spine and then exhale as you lean forward over your straight leg, as if you were bringing your chest toward your left foot. Your belly will twist slightly from the right to the left. Relax your shoulders and breathe deeply as you bring your full presence into this pose.

4. Revolved Head to Knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)

Opening your side body in Revolved Head to Knee Pose stretches your shoulders, back, hips, and hamstrings. Imagine you are opening yourself to the opportunities of this new season.

How to:

1. With your left leg straight in Head to Knee Pose, reach your left hand toward your left foot.
2. Reach your right hand overhead toward your left foot. Try keeping both sit bones grounded on the mat so you feel a stretch in your lower back. You can place your leftt hand on your right thigh and rest it there. Breathe here.

5. Pigeon Pose or King Pigeon Pose

Practicing Pigeon Pose helps you feel an intense stretch in your hips. You can chose whether to lean forward, letting your front body relax toward the mat, or stay upright, leaning backward and reaching for your foot in King Pigeon.

How to:

1. Starting in Revolved Head to Knee Pose, bend your left knee and rest your outer calf on the mat. Extend your right leg straight behind you, resting the top of your foot on the mat. Bring your left heel closer to your hips for a less intense stretch and farther away from your hips for a more intense stretch. If you find yourself leaning to one side, sit on a folded blanket or block for support. Place your hands on the mat leg.
2. Stay upright, bring your chest forward toward the front edge of the mat or move into a gentle backbend. If you take the backbend, it can be as simple as lifting your chest and lengthening along the throat or bending the back knee and grasping your foot with both hands and then flipping your grip to open your shoulders (shown above).

Repeat the sequence of poses, beginning with Marichi’s Poses, on your other side.

6. Cow Face Pose (Gomukasana)

Stretch your shoulders, hips, and glutes in Cow Face Pose. You’ll notice whether there is more tightness in your right or left sides of your body.

How to:

1. From a seated position, bend your right knee and bring it to the middle of the mat with your right heel by your left hip. Place your left knee on top and take that heel toward your right hip. You might already feel a stretch here.
2. Stay here or walk your hands out to the sides. Let your right hand drop to the mat and reach your left arm overhead. Keep your sitting bones grounded on the mat so that the sensation of the side stretch runs from your hip all the way through to your fingertips. Breathe here. Repeat on the opposite side. Release or first bend forward at the hips, walking your arms forward. Switch sides.

7. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) 

This pose is a symbol of opening the body and mind. You can adjust Bow Pose to feel more or less intense by using a strap to reach your feet or practicing it with one leg at a time.

How to: 

1. Lie on your belly.
2. Bend your knees and reach for your ankles. You can take a belt or strap, wrap it around your ankles, and hold the ends.
3. Press your front hips  the mat and lift your shoulders and chest off the mat. Use your grasp on your ankles or strap as leverage to lift your chest and knees off the mat while reaching your feet backward toward the wall behind you. Breathe here.

Variation: For a less intense stretch, come into Half Bow Pose. Lie on your belly. Bend your right knee and grasp your right ankle with your right hand. Or loop a strap or belt around your right ankle and hold the end of it in your right hand. Use your left arm to prop yourself up onto your forearm. Breathe here. Repeat on the opposite side.

8. Side Bow Pose (Parsva Dhanurasana) 

Side Bow Pose is a playful variation of Bow that has the potential to open you up to new sensations and space in the body. Follow the same instructions as Bow Pose. Once you feel stable, tilt onto your right shoulder and lift your left shoulder off the mat. Feel the backbend and side-bend sensations. After pausing for a few breaths, come back through center and roll onto your  left side. If the pose feels good, try it twice on both sides.

Close your practice however you feel, whether Savasana, Legs up the Wall, or seated meditation.

This article has been updated. Originally published April 20, 2019.