Yoga Poses for Beginners: A General Guide

• Dr. Koshal Rathore
• November 14, 2024
• Flexibility & Fitness, Online Yoga

Are you planning to bring a positive change to your lifestyle by practicing some physical exercises? How about you learn a few yoga sequences? Well, if you haven’t practiced yoga before, then here’s your cue to a holistic path to fitness.

As a first-timer, the number of yoga poses for beginners may be overwhelming for you. Hence, it is always a better idea to take it slow. Ensure to practice the poses in a calming environment to bring your attention to the heart and get immersed in tranquility and serenity. As you work on the easy yoga poses for beginners regularly, you can take up more challenging postures for optimum results.

Here you are going to learn about 12 basic yoga poses for beginners that you can incorporate into your daily lifestyle.?

12 basic yoga poses for beginners

1. Standing Forward Bend or Uttanasana

If you feel anxious all the time, you can practice the standing forward bend yoga pose. A good stretch can often release the tension out of your body, making you feel calm and relaxed. That’s exactly what this pose does. Standing forward stretches the backside of your body, including your torso, hips, hamstrings, and feet soles. Here’s how you can do this pose:

• Start with a standing pose with your hands on your hips.
• Slightly arch your knees, pulling your torso on your legs. Make sure while doing that you are bending your hips rather than dropping your back.
• Your hands should be by the side of your feet or in front of the ground.?
• Take a deep breath to expand your chest, making your spine straight.?
• Exhale and gently press both your legs without overextending. Raise your kneecaps. Rotate your upper and inner thighs.?
• While exhaling, stretch your torso downward without spiralling your back. Your neck should also move forward with your head almost touching the ground and drop your shoulders down your hips.?

Beginner’s Tip

If you don’t exercise much, you will have tight hamstrings. So, you can put your hands on a single or double block, which you have to put a few inches in front of you and underneath your shoulders.

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2. Mountain Pose or Tadasana

One of the basic yoga poses for beginners is to stand steady like a mountain, which is what tadasana is all about. For all standing yoga poses, the mountain pose is the base, including the standing forward bend pose. This pose requires you to engage your primary muscles. Though the pose seems like just standing, there’s more to it. To practice mountain pose, you need to:

• Stand straight with your feet a few inches apart and hands by your side.?
• Your toes should spread out, and your weight should be equally distributed on each foot. Twist your thigh muscles inwards to engage them. Spiral your shoulders backwards and drop.?
• Inhale and stretch your torso.
• When you exhale, move your shoulder blades farther from the head. Alternatively, you can place your hands by your side or bring them in front of your chest, making a prayer pose.?
• Breathe slowly and take deeper and longer breaths.?

Beginner’s Tip

Lean against the wall to check your alignment. Lift your hands and make a good stretch. Since you’re just starting with yoga poses for beginners, focus on relaxed breathing.

3. Warrior I Pose or Virabhadrasana I

There are certain yoga poses for beginners that focus on offering energy and stamina to a person. One such yoga asana is the warrior I pose. This pose helps stretch your hips and hamstrings to strengthen your core and lower body. Here’s how you can do a warrior pose:

• Start with the basic tadasana, or mountain pose. Exhale and spread your feet slightly apart. Move your hands up parallel to one another and perpendicular to the ground.
• Twist your left foot to the right about 45-60 degrees. Now, turn your right foot to the right at 90 degrees.?
• Your right and left heels should align.?
• With an exhalation, move your upper back to the right side.?
• When you exhale, your left heel is pressed to the floor. Arch your right knee on your right ankle, moving the shin forward, perpendicular to the floor.
• Breathe in and press the rear heel strongly into the ground before reaching up through your arms and lifting your right knee.?
• Breathe out, turn your feet in front, and drop your arms.?
• Breathe slowly and repeat the same sequence on the other side for the same duration.?

Beginner’s Tip

Since you are doing yoga poses for beginners, you would tend to bend your pelvis in the front. You must raise the pubis to your navel and stretch the rear end towards the floor.

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4. Triangle Pose or Trikonasana

Triangle pose is one of the popular yoga poses for beginners, which is again a standing posture. This pose may seem complex initially but with practice, you can master it. This pose helps you stretch the sides of your waist and widens your lungs. This yoga pose forms the base of many other yoga asanas. To do it you have to:

• Stand straight and spread your feet apart. Move your right foot forward and turn it to 90 degrees while positioning your legs towards your torso.?
• Press your foot to the floor and distribute your weight equally on both feet. Breathe in.
• As you breathe out, place your right hand on the shin or ankle or even the floor (farther on your right foot) as you move your left arm pointing to the ceiling.?
• Your eyes should be pointing at the raised hand, and hold the stance for 5-8 breaths.?
• Inhale to rise and then repeat the same on the opposite side.?

Beginner’s Tip

As you’re just starting with the triangle pose, you may feel unsteady at first. In such a case, you can rest your rear torso or back heel against a wall. ?

5. Tree Pose or Vrikshasana

Tree Pose or Vrikshasana If you’re looking for yoga poses for beginners to learn balance, then tree posture is something you should consider practicing. This is a standing yoga pose that helps you remain balanced on the foot while helping you achieve clarity. This exercise also helps you focus on your breathing while standing on a foot. Since the pose mimics a sturdy tree, it is called a tree pose. To practice it, you need to:

• Bring your feet together.
• Lift your right foot and place it on your left upper inner thigh.?
• Fold your hands, making a namaste pose, and fix a point for a steady gaze.?
• Hold the pose and take 8-10 breaths. Make sure your core is engaged and your shoulders are relaxed, and don’t slump in this pose.?
• Now do the same on the opposite side.?

Beginner’s Tip

If you feel unsteady in this posture, you can take the support of the wall and brace your back against it.

6. Garland Pose or Malasana

If you want to enhance the shape of your glutes, you can try the garland pose. This is one of the basic yoga poses for beginners that stretches your muscles around the pelvis. The pose may seem a little difficult at first, but with practice, you will start loving it. Here’s how you do a garland pose:

• Stand on your yoga mat, keeping your feet apart wider than the hips.?
• Move your toes outward about 45 degrees.
• Arch your knees and bring your bottom closer to the ground without touching the floor.?
• When you feel it, you can hold the position, push your buttocks to the floor as much as possible and open up your chest.?
• Place your elbows inside closer to the knees and do a prayer pose in front of your chest. To spread the knees further, you can put some pressure on the elbows.?
• Hold the position for about 10 breaths.?
• To release the pose, make your legs straight.?

Beginner’s Tip

Make sure you keep your feet wider to throw the body down. It may be difficult at first to push your bottom close to the floor initially. Hence, you can use a stacked block under the buttocks for support.?

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7. Upward-Facing Dog or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

A Upward-Facing Dog or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana complex-looking pose at first, but once you learn it, you will increase your time limit to do this yoga pose for sure! Upward-facing dog pose offers strength to the upper body. Also, the pose is an excellent stretch for the abdomen and chest. Here’s how you can do an upward-facing dog pose:?

• Lie on the yoga mat on your stomach.
• Stretch the legs backwards, and the soles of your feet should face up.?
• Now arch your elbows and place your palm right next to your waist on the yoga mat.?
• Inhale, press your hands to the floor, and lift your chest from the mat while keeping your arms straight.
• Move your shoulders back to widen your chest and press the shoulder blades.?
• As you do it, you need to lift your head.?

Beginner’s Tip

When you start with the pose, you may feel hanging on the shoulders, but you need to consciously move the shoulder blades away from the ears as it can cause a strain on your neck.

8. Downward-facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana

Downward-facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana It is among the best yoga poses for beginners as it stretches your entire body. Also, if you want to strengthen your core, back, hamstrings, abdomen, shoulders, thighs and legs, you can try to learn the downward-facing dog pose. To do the pose, you need to:

• Come on all fours and place your hands over your shoulders and your feet below the hips.?
• Stretch your hands as wide as you can and push your thumb and index finger to the yoga mat.
• While breathing out, elevate your knees up the floor with your bottom pointing upward.??
• Push your heels to the floor.
• While doing the pose, your head should be placed between your arms, looking at your feet.?
• Keep this stance up to 10 breaths maximum.?

Beginner’s Tip

While doing this yoga pose, if you’re having trouble extending and stretching your shoulders, then you can use stacked blocks to raise your hands off the floor.?

9. Child Pose or Balasana

Child pose is one of the ideal yoga poses for beginners. It gives a good stretch to the hips, legs, and thighs and also helps you calm your nerves. To do a child pose, you have to:

• Kneel and sit on the heels.?
• After that, you need to spread your knees out as much as your hips.
• Breathe out and press your abdomen inside your inner thighs.
• Place your head on the yoga mat.?
• Move your arms parallel to your ears and your hands should be in front of your knees.?
• Hold this pose for 5-10 breaths. To come out, move your torso to the front and inhale.?

Beginner’s Tip

You can keep a blanket under the head, knees or hips.?

10.? Seated Forward Fold or Paschimottanasana

This Seated Forward Fold or Paschimottanasana pose stretches your hamstrings, the entire back and both sides of the waist. If you want to relax your body and practice breathing in challenging positions, you can learn a seated forward bend. To do this, you have to:

• Sit on your yoga mat, use a folded blanket to support your bottom and position your legs out in the front.?
• Breathe in, raise your hands over your head and stretch.?
• Move your arms in front, reaching for the feet.
• Elevate your chest and tighten the lower abdomen. Now, think your navel is positioned to the top.?
• Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths, then exhale.?

Beginner’s Tip

While doing the pose you experience intense pain, stop it. But if you feel a slight tension when folding forward, you just relax, and the tension will go away.

11. Bridge Pose or Setubandhasana

A good beginner’s yoga is the bridge pose, which gives your front body a good stretch and strengthens your entire back. Here’s how you can do a bridge pose:

• Lie on your back and keep your feet apart.?
• Now push your feet to the yoga mat to lift your bottom. Push your hands in the centre and interlock your arms. Also, press your shoulders into the floor.?
• Now move your heels closer to the shoulders to work on the hamstrings.?
• Hold the stands for about 20 seconds and then bring your hips down. Repeat it once or twice.

Beginner’s Tip

If lifting your pelvis is too much of a task in the beginning, you can support the area with a bolster.

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12. Corpse Pose or Savasana

It is the final relaxation posture for all yoga sessions, even if you’re a beginner. The physical part of it is easy, but focusing your attention in one place is difficult to achieve. Here’s how you can do a corpse pose:

• Lie on your back.
• Spread out your hands and legs, like you’re resting. Your palms should face upwards.
• Now close your eyes and breathe normally. Bring your attention to the breathing and beating heart.

Beginner’s Tip

For ultimate relaxation, you can put on eye pillows and immerse yourself in a calming atmosphere.

Conclusion

Practicing yoga poses for beginners can help you relax your muscles, which would eventually give you a better physical and mental being. If you’re just starting with yoga sessions, you can try the basic poses and look forward to a fulfilling and healthy life.