Start Your Practice with These Foundational Yoga Poses
As a new yoga student, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of poses, but yoga doesn’t have to be complicated. If you got out of bed this morning and stretched your arms over your head, you already did a yoga pose. A yoga practice is a lifelong pursuit, giving you plenty of time to explore each asana (pose) and learn sequences of postures.
Many basic yoga postures feel familiar because our bodies bend and fold naturally into them. It’s also helpful to mindfully focus on breathing to relax and deepen into poses. These beginner yoga poses will introduce you to the practice and allow you to build into more challenging poses.
Learn more about beginner yoga poses, their benefits, and how to practice them.
Types of Yoga Poses
There are hundreds of yoga poses, but here are fundamental movements to bring you into your practice:
- Standing Yoga Poses: Often done first in a yoga class to “build heat” as a warmup. In vinyasa flow, standing yoga poses are performed sequentially to form sequences. Hatha classes typically have yogis do standing poses with rest between.
- Balancing Yoga Poses: Important for building core strength for advanced yoga poses. Though balances may seem challenging initially, they will improve with regular practice.
- Backbends: Beginners generally start with gentle spine flexion (bending forward) and extension (bending backward), eventually moving to deeper bends. Since daily life rarely requires you to move like this, backbends are essential for spinal health and longevity.
- Seated Yoga Poses: Seated stretches, focusing on hip and hamstring mobility, are usually done near the end of a yoga class after your body is warm. Placing a folded yoga blanket or block under your butt is an excellent way to make yourself more comfortable.
- Resting or Supine Yoga Poses: It’s essential to get to know your resting yoga poses, especially child’s pose, which you are encouraged to do whenever you need a break. These resting yoga poses continue hip and hamstring work and provide gentle back-bending, twisting, and inversion.
1. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Pose Type: Standing
Beginners often lean too far forward in this posture, making it more like a plank. Instead, keep your weight mostly in your legs and reach your hips high with your heels stretching toward the floor (they do not need to touch the floor). Soften your knees to facilitate the move if you have tight hamstrings. Keep feet parallel.
2. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Pose Type: Standing
For good alignment in Mountain Pose, imagine drawing a straight line from the crown of your head to your heels, with shoulders and pelvis stacked. Every person’s body is different, so focus on rooting down with your feet and lengthening your spine. A yoga teacher can talk you through this in class, reminding you to slide your shoulders down your back and keep weight on your heels.
3. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
Pose Type: Standing
The critical thing to remember in Warrior I is that the hips face forward. Think of your hip points as headlights; they should be roughly parallel to the front of your mat. This may require you to take a wider stance.
4. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
Pose Type: Standing
Unlike Warrior I, the hips face the side of the mat in Warrior II. The hips and shoulders open to the side when moving from Warrior I to Warrior II. You’ll also rotate your back foot, angling your toes at about 90 degrees. In both Warrior poses, aim to keep your front knee stacked over the ankle. Your front toes face forward.
5. Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parvakonasana)
Pose Type: Standing
One modification of Extended Side Angle Pose is to bring your forearm to your thigh instead of placing your hand on the floor. It should rest lightly on your thigh and not bear much weight. This modification enables you to keep your shoulders open. You can also place your hand on a yoga block.
6. Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)
Pose Type: Standing
The Triangle can be modified like Extended Side Angle, using a yoga block for your bottom hand if you aren’t comfortable reaching your arm to the floor in this yoga pose. You can also rest your hand higher up on your leg—on your shin or thigh—but avoid putting it directly on your knee. Triangle offers many benefits: Strength (in the legs), flexibility (in the groin, hamstrings, and hips, as well as opening the chest and shoulders), and balance.
7. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
Pose Type: Standing
To do Standing Forward Bend, exhale, and fold over your legs. If your hamstrings feel too tight, soften your knees to release your spine. Let your head hang heavy. Keep your knees soft with feet hip-width apart for better stability (you can straighten your legs, but it is unnecessary). Clasp opposite elbows with opposite hands while swaying gently from side to side.
8. Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)
Pose Type: Standing
Reverse Warrior shares a similar stance to Warrior I and incorporates a slight heart-opening side bend or optional backbend. To stay steady in the posture, root into the sole of your front foot, anchor the outside edge of your back foot, and engage your glutes and hamstrings. Focus your gaze up toward your palm as it reaches overhead. Keep your front knee tracking over your ankle as you sink deeper into the hips.
9. Garland Pose (Malasana)
Pose Type: Standing
Squatting is an excellent stretch for the muscles around your pelvis, often called a hip opener yoga pose. It’s also good for your feet, which are often neglected. If squatting is challenging, props can help: Sit on a block or roll a yoga towel or blanket under your heels. Press your heels down toward the floor.
10. Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana)
Pose Type: Standing
This flat-back forward bend (you may also hear it called “halfway lift”) is most often done as part of a sun salutation sequence. As such, it’s often rushed, but it’s worth it to take the time to work on it independently. Figuring out when your back is flat is part of developing body awareness. At first, it’s helpful to glance in the mirror. You can bring your hands off the ground and onto your legs to keep your back flat. Gently soften your knees as needed, too.
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