11 Yoga Poses for Beginners

As a new yoga student, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of poses and their odd-sounding names. 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. And remember that your yoga practice is a lifelong pursuit — giving you plenty of time to learn scores of postures.

Many basic yoga postures feel very familiar because our bodies bend and fold naturally into poses. Mindfully and with conscious breaths, learn beginner yoga poses first. It’s a good idea to keep things simple when you’re just starting. The yoga poses for beginners that are outlined here are valuable enough to keep you occupied for a long time. Then, as you build your practice, you can take on more challenging poses.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to learn all 31 poses listed below. They are just options for you to choose from and can be learned at your desire and leisure without any pressure to perfect them. Keep reading for more on each pose.

Types of Poses

Yoga has various pose types based on how you move your body to complete them. Here are the basic types of yoga poses.

• Standing poses: Standing poses are often done first in a yoga class to “build heat” and warm you up. In vinyasa/flow style yoga, standing poses are strung together to form long sequences. In Hatha classes, you may do the standing poses individually with rest between each pose.
• Balancing poses: Beginners’ balances are an important way to build the core strength necessary for many of yoga’s more advanced postures. Though balances may seem difficult at first, you will find that you can improve markedly with regular practice.
• Backbends: As a beginner, you will generally begin with gentle spine flexion and extension, eventually moving to deeper bends. Since you rarely move like this in daily life, backbends are essential for spinal health and longevity.1
• Seated poses: Seated stretches, which often focus on stretching the hips and hamstrings, are usually done toward the end of a yoga class after the body is warm. Placing a folded yoga blanket or a block under your seat is an excellent way to make yourself more comfortable in these postures.
• Resting or supine poses: It’s essential to get to know your resting poses, especially child’s pose, which you are encouraged to do whenever you need a break during a yoga session. These resting poses continue the hip and hamstring work of the seated poses and provide gentle back-bending, twisting, and inversion.

1. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Pose type: Standing

Downward Facing Dog goes hand in hand with yoga, but just because you’ve heard of this pose doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.

Beginners often lean too far forward in this posture, making it more like a plank. Instead, remember to 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).

Bend your knees a little to facilitate the move if you have tight hamstrings. Keep feet parallel.

2. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Pose type: Standing

Mountain pose may not be as famous as Downward Facing Dog, but it is equally important. This is an excellent time to talk about alignment, which is how your body parts are ideally arranged in each pose.

The alignment in Mountain pose draws a straight line from the crown of your head to your heels, with the shoulders and pelvis stacked along the line. Every person’s body is different, so focus on rooting down with your feet and lengthening up with 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.

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 with the front of your mat. This may require you to take a wider stance.

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

Pose type: Standing

Unlike Warrior I, in Warrior II, the hips face the side of the mat. 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 45 degrees. In both Warrior poses, aim to keep your front knee stacked over the ankle. Your front toes face forward.

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.

If you reach toward the floor before you’re ready, you may compromise the position of the torso, turning your chest toward the floor instead of toward the ceiling.

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. You can also rest your hand higher up on your leg — on your shin or thigh — but avoid putting it directly on your knee.

Don’t hesitate to micro-bend both knees if the pose feels uncomfortable. This won’t look or feel like a pronounced bend, but rather, just enough of a movement to unlock your knees and ease tension in your hamstrings.

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.

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

To do Standing Forward, Bend, exhale, and fold over your legs. If the hamstrings feel a little tight at first, bend the knees so that you can release your spine. Let the head hang heavy.

Keep the legs gently bent with feet hip-width apart for better stability (you can straighten the legs, but it is unnecessary). You can clasp opposite elbows with opposite hands while swaying gently from side to side.

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, it’s essential to root into the sole of the front foot, anchor the outside edge of the back foot, and engage the glutes and hamstrings.

Focus your gaze up toward the palm as it reaches overhead. Keep your front knee tracking over your ankle as you sink deeper into the hips.

Garland Pose (Malasana)

Pose type: Standing

Squatting isn’t something familiar to most 21st-century humans. However, it’s an excellent stretch for the muscles around the pelvis, making it what is often called a “hip opener” in yoga.

Perhaps surprisingly, it’s also good for your feet, which are often neglected. If squatting is difficult for you, props can help: Try sitting on a block or rolling a yoga towel or blanket under the heels. Keep pressing your heels down toward the floor.

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 the 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 may find you need to let your hands come off the ground and onto your legs as high as is necessary to keep the back flat. Gently bend your knees as needed, too.

Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana)

Pose type: Standing

Standing forward bends like Pyramid pose are an ideal time to break out your yoga blocks to make the pose more accessible. Place a block on either side of your front foot to “raise the floor” to a level your hands can comfortably reach. Your hamstrings will still enjoy a nice stretch, and they’ll thank you for your consideration.

A Word From Verywell

Give yourself plenty of time to learn these poses. Dedicate some time daily (or every few days) to relax in a comfortable space and review your practice. It’s a good idea to wear workout tank tops with low support and four-way stretch to move with you through poses. With regular yoga sessions, you’ll find that your body moves comfortably from one pose to the next for improved physical function and wellness.