If you’re at the beginning of your yoga journey, the sheer amount of poses, names of poses, and types of yoga can seem a bit overwhelming. But like everything, practice makes progress. As you become more comfortable on your mat, you’ll start to remember poses and eventually have your favorites, as well as your preferred style of yoga to practice. To give yourself a solid foundation in yoga, we suggest learning these 10 key yoga poses for beginners. We chose them for their relative ease, their popularity (you’ll see these poses come up often in your beginner yoga classes!), and for the fact that they can be practiced on their own or strung together in a flow.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Often used as an opening pose and a restorative counterpose between challenging postures, Child’s Pose is a great option for both the already-flexible beginner and those who aren’t quite as bendy. Child’s Pose offers a gentle stretch throughout your shoulders, lower back, ankles, hips, and thighs and prepares the body for deeper stretches later on in your practice.
How to do Child’s Pose:
1. Kneel on the floor and sink your hips down to rest on your heels. Your knees can be out wide or hip-width apart.
2. Gently lay your torso down between your inner thighs as you reach forward with your hands, palms facing down.
3. Rest your forehead on your mat or a block if needed. Stay in this resting pose for a couple of minutes.
Benefits of Child’s Pose:
Stretches your ankles, hips and thighs
Lengthens and stretches your spine
Calms and centers your mind
Releases tension in your back, chest, and shoulders
How to modify Child’s Pose:
Modify Child’s Pose by opening your legs wide instead of placing your knees together. If you have pain in your knees, you can roll up a thick blanket or use a bolster and place it between your back thighs, calves and heels. To alleviate ankle pain, you can roll up a thick blanket and place it underneath your ankles.
Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)
Cat/Cow is one of the first poses that introduces you to Vinyasa, which is the smooth coordination of breath and movement in yoga. Composed of two poses, Cat and Cow, this mini-flow brings flexibility to your spine by both rounding it out and arching it, and the transition between the two brings calm to both body and mind.
How to do Cat/Cow Pose:
1. Start on your hands and knees with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips.
2. Wrap your triceps back to create external rotation and point your elbows toward the back of the room.
3. Inhale to Cow Pose by dropping your belly and lifting your tailbone up. Bring your chest forward, spread your shoulders wide, and arch your back as you gaze forward or slightly up.
5. Exhale into Cat Pose by tucking your tailbone under, engaging your core, and rounding your spine. Squeeze your inner thighs, lower your chin into your chest, and shift your gaze toward your navel.
7. Flow between Cat and Cow for several breaths.
Benefits of Cat/Cow Pose:
Strengthens your arms, wrists, shoulders, and back
Stretches your neck, hips, and spine
Opens your chest and shoulders
Massages abdominal organs
Improves circulation, lung capacity, and digestion
How to modify Cat/Cow Pose:
Save your knees by adding a blanket underneath them. If you find it uncomfortable to be on all fours, you can do the same pose while seated in a chair or with crossed legs.
Plank (Phalakasana)
Plank Pose is an important foundational yoga pose that sets the stage for many other advanced poses and arm balances, as it helps build strength in your wrists, arms, and core. Maintaining proper alignment is crucial to doing this pose successfully. Make sure you keep your hips aligned with your body, keep your gaze down or just slightly forward, and engage your core so you avoid arching or dipping your back.
How to do Plank Pose:
1. Start on all fours. Place your hands shoulder-distance apart and align your knees underneath your hips.
2. Wrap your triceps back to create external rotation with your elbows facing the back of the room.
3. Squeeze your hands together slightly to engage into your chest and press down through the inner hands.
4. Lift your knees and extend your legs, and create scapular protraction by separating the shoulder blades and lifting up through the center of the heart.
5. Squeeze your inner thighs together, tuck your tailbone slightly under, and engage your core.
6. Bring your gaze down or slightly forward.
Benefits of Plank Pose:
Builds strength in entire body, including core, chest, shoulders, back, and legs
Improves your posture
Reduces back pain over time
How to modify Plank Pose:
To modify Plank Pose, bring your knees down to your mat or drop down to your forearms.
Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
When you think of yoga poses, the first one that comes to mind is probably Downward Dog. This pose is ubiquitous in yoga flow classes, but it’s often practiced incorrectly with collapsed shoulders, inward rotation of the arms, or a rounded or arched back — all of which add the risk of injury. It pays off to build a strong foundation with Downward Dog since you’ll see it time and time again.
How to do Downward Dog Pose:
1. Begin in Tabletop Pose on hands and knees. Place your hands shoulder-distance apart at the top of the mat.
2. Wrap your triceps back so your elbows face the back of the room. Squeeze your hands toward the middle of the mat to activate your chest.
3. Curl your toes under, then lift your knees and hips up and back. Align your shoulders between your hands and hips.
4. Lengthen your spine by lifting up from your pelvis and pressing into your hands. Wrap your triceps down to create space across your back.
5. Squeeze your inner thighs together and bring your gaze down so your ears line up between your biceps.
Benefits of Downward Dog Pose:
Reduces stress and anxiety
Relieves tension in your neck, shoulders, and back
Lengthens your spine and improves posture
Strengthens your entire body
Stretches your shoulders, hamstrings, and calves
How to modify Downward Dog Pose:
Modify Downward Dog by bending your knees if you have tight hamstrings and calves, or take Dolphin Pose with forearms down if you have pain in your wrists. You can also try Puppy Pose, which is essentially a cross between Downward Dog and Child’s Pose; you’ll bring your knees down to the mat and reach your arms forward while resting your forehead on the mat.
Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana 1)
We’ve selected Warrior 1 as one of our top 10 poses for beginners because it introduces you to body awareness and the importance of proper alignment in yoga, two themes you’ll see over and over again as you deepen your practice.
How to do Warrior 1 Pose:
1. Start in Mountain Pose at the top of your mat. Step your left leg back into a lunge with your right knee aligned over your right ankle.
2. Bring your hands to your hips and tuck your tailbone down.
3. Turn your back heel in so your back foot points out at a 45-degree angle.
4. Lift your inner left thigh up and press down into the outer edge of your foot.
5. Square your hips as you pull your left hip forward and draw back through your right hip while maintaining pressure on the outer edge of your foot.
6. Engage your core by drawing your ribs together.
7. Sink a bit deeper into your front leg as much as your flexibility allows.
8. Reach your arms forward, wrap your triceps under, and elevate your arms overhead where your biceps align between your cheeks and ears (it’s OK if they don’t line up). Bring your gaze up between your hands.
9. Create some space across your shoulder blades by wrapping your triceps in.
10. Extend up through your fingers.
Benefits of Warrior 1 Pose:
Strengthens your shoulders, arms, legs, and back
Stretches your chest, shoulders, and neck
Opens your hips and chest
Improves balance and concentration
Increases circulation and energy
How to modify Warrior 1 Pose:
If your knees feel uncomfortable in Warrior 1, you can try a High Lunge instead by coming onto the ball of your back foot instead of placing your back foot at a 45-degree angle. You can also bring your fingertips down to the mat for added support rather than stretching your arms upward.
Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana 2)
Warrior 1 and 2, while similar in some ways, require different hip positioning and different placement of the arms. However, both are foundational poses as well as invigorating heart and hip openers.
How to do Warrior 2 Pose:
1. Start in Mountain Pose at the top of your mat.
2. Step your left foot back and come into a High Lunge.
3. Open your hips and point your rear foot at a 90-degree angle.
4. Sink deeper into your legs, align your front knee directly above your front ankle, align your spine vertically, and extend your arms horizontally.
5. Relax your shoulders down and press out through your fingers.
6. Turn your head to bring your gaze out over your front middle finger of your extended arm.
Benefits of Warrior 2 Pose:
Opens your hips and chest
Strengthens your lower body
Increases circulation and energy
Helps ground and focus your practice
How to modify Warrior 2 Pose:
If you feel off-balance in Warrior 2, practice in front of a wall with one palm on it to support you. You can also slide a chair under your bent thigh for added support.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
Tree Pose is a great foundational balance pose that lengthens and strengthens. This is likely one of the first standing balance poses you’ll be introduced to in yoga.
How to do Tree Pose:
1. Come to a standing position with your feet together.
2. Find a focal point to help you balance, then lift one leg up off the ground and grab hold of your knee.
3. Root down through all four corners of your standing-leg foot to find balance.
4. Grab the ankle of your lifted leg with the same-side hand. Flex your foot, then bring the sole of your foot as high as you can on the standing-leg inner thigh with your toes facing down.
5. Press your foot into your thigh and your thigh into your foot to create a lock.
6. Bring your hands to your heart, or reach your arms high overhead to the fullest expression of the pose.
Benefits of Tree Pose:
Improves your balance, stability, and focus
Stretches your inner thighs, groin, chest, and shoulders
Strengthens your thighs, calves, ankles, and feet
Helps relieve sciatic pain
How to modify Tree Pose:
To reduce the wobble (which is totally normal!) place your toes on the inside of your ankle instead of the inner thigh or calf.
Pigeon Pose
Ah, Pigeon Pose — as a beginner, you either love it or hate it. With time and practice, you’re sure to discover more depth and comfort in this deep hip opener. And if this pose is too uncomfortable, there are a variety of modifications you can take to make this your own.
How to do Pigeon Pose:
1. Start in Three-Legged Downward Dog. Bend your right knee and bring it forward to the floor resting to the outside of your right hand.
2. Release your left knee to the floor and lay your leg flat to the mat, toes pointed behind you or tucked under.
3. Square your hips, then either remain upright or fold forward over your right leg.
4. Feel the deep stretch for a few moments, then return to Downward Dog to repeat on the left side.
Benefits of Pigeon Pose:
Stretches your groins, psoas, and piriformis
Reduces lower back and sciatica pain
Increases flexibility
Stimulates the internal organs
How to modify Pigeon Pose:
There are several ways to modify Pigeon Pose. You can modify Pigeon by using props, such as a blanket, cushion, or block underneath your lifted hip. You can also place a blanket underneath your back knee. For more support in keeping yourself upright, place a block underneath each hand.
If you find that variation of Pigeon Pose uncomfortable, try Reclined Pigeon by lying down on your mat and bending your knees, then lift your right leg up in the air and cross your right ankle over your left knee. Now, lift your left leg and bring it toward your chest as you weave your arms around your leg with interlaced fingers wrapped around your shin or behind your thigh. Gently pull your leg toward you for a deep stretch, then switch sides.
You can also try Seated Pigeon Pose by coming to a seat on your mat with your legs bent and feet flat on the mat. Flex your right foot, cross your right ankle on top of your left thigh, and lean back onto your hands. You can adjust the depth by walking your left foot closer or farther away from your body.
This classic seated forward fold will deeply stretch your back, hamstrings, and calves. It’s the perfect way to begin or end a sequence.
How to do Forward Fold:
1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you with your spine straight and your toes flexed toward your body.
2. Inhale and raise both arms above your head, stretching upward.
3. Exhale as you bend forward, hinging from the hips.
4. Hold the sides of your legs or feet, or if you can, wrap your wrists around your heels and rest your head toward your shins.
5. Breathe as you feel the stretch throughout your back, hamstrings, and calves, releasing when ready.
Benefits of Forward Fold:
Releases tension in your hamstrings
Strengthens your spine
Calms your mind
Stimulates the internal organs
Improves digestion
How to modify Forward Fold:
If you feel too much tightness, you can use a strap around your feet, or place a rolled-up blanket under your knees.
This heart opening twist releases tension in the back while stretching the spine. It’s the perfect post-practice stretch and feels amazing after a long day standing or sitting.
How to do Supine Twist:
1. Lie down on your mat and hug your knees to your chest.
2. Release your arms outstretched perpendicular to your body as you gently drop your knees to one side.
3. Twist your torso in the opposite direction until you feel a stretch.
4. Come back to the middle and repeat on the other side.
Benefits of Supine Twist:
Stimulates your internal organs
Stretches your back and spine
Releases full-body tension
How to modify Supine Twist:
Move your arms into the position that you find most comfortable: by your side, cactus arms, or up in a “V”, among others. You can add a bolster or cushion underneath your knees to reduce the stretch or make it more restorative, or add a cushion underneath your opposite shoulder if it’s floating off the mat.
Looking for some good online yoga classes for beginners? Try our Beginner: Start Your Journey yoga playlist on Alo Moves. Try these classes free for 14 days.
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