Yoga is a great way to relax and unwind, but it can also improve your health and well-being. It’s important to know the proper poses for beginners, as you will likely be practicing them on a regular basis.
The standing yoga poses for beginners is a yoga pose that can be practiced by people of any age. It is an easy pose to do and it also helps with posture.
Are you new to yoga? You’ve started a practice, which is fantastic! Building correct alignment from the start will guarantee you get the most out of every class—while also feeling comfortable and secure. To that aim, here are 10 beginning yoga postures to learn at home and in the classroom.
Table of Contents
Child’s Pose
Child’s pose is a relaxing posture that you may do at any point during a yoga session.
It’s at the top of our list of yoga postures for beginners to master because it’s a good place to start. Are you out of breath and need to take a break? Pose of a child. Are you injured and can’t perform another pose? Pose of a child. It’s absolutely fine to imitate a child’s posture as much as you like.
The following are some of the advantages of the child’s pose:
- very relaxing
- muscular strain is relieved
- spine lengthening
- makes the hips more mobile
How to do child’s yoga pose?
- Widen your knees towards the borders of your yoga mat from a kneeling posture.
- With the tops of your feet touching the mat, point your toes and pull them together.
- Extend your arms and hands forward to the front of your yoga mat and contact the ground.
- Allow your bottom to return to its original position on your heels, creasing at the knees and hips.
- Bring your chest forward while maintaining a tall spine, and lay your forehead and chest on or near the mat.
- To relieve leg strain, roll up a yoga blanket and put it in the crease below the knees.
- Rest your forehead on a yoga block if it does not touch the mat, allowing your neck to relax comfortably.
Downward facing dog Yoga pose
Downward facing dog is a basic yoga position that may be challenging for both beginners and experienced practitioners.
If you want to perform handstands one day, starting with a strong downward facing dog is the first step. Don’t be frustrated if you find this position difficult to maintain at first. You will get stronger and it will become easier as you practice on a regular basis.
The advantages of the downward-facing dog posture are as follows:
- increases shoulder and arm strength
- extends the backs of the legs and the spine
- how a slight inversion gets blood flowing
How to do Downward facing dog Yoga pose?
- Begin in a plank position to determine the proper distance between your hands and feet.
- Lift your hips towards the ceiling by pressing hard with your hands and feet.
- Continue pushing until your back is completely flat. The shape of your body should resemble an upside-down V.
- To completely engage the arms, outwardly rotate through the biceps and shoulders while internally rotating through the forearms.
- Stretch the backs of your legs while reaching your heels towards the mat.
- Your fingers should be stretched out gently, not forced apart.
- To relieve tension in the lower back, some studios teach downward-facing dog with generously bent knees and elevated heels. Others like straightened legs with their heels touching the ground. To find out which version you prefer, try both.
- To provide additional leg support, place a wrapped blanket under your heels.
- For a raise in the arms and shoulders, place yoga blocks on their lowest position under your hands.
Upward-facing dog Yoga pose
As a counter stretch, upward-facing dog is typically combined with downward-facing dog. You won’t stress your lower back if you’re in the right position.
The upward-facing dog aids in:
- Stretch your whole front torso as well as the tops of your feet.
- The chest and lungs expand as a result of this.
- Arms and legs get stronger as a result of this workout.
How to do Upward-facing dog Yoga pose?
- Lie facedown on your tummy, with your head pointing forward on the mat.
- Place your hands near to your upper rib cage on the mat.
- With the tops of your feet placed flat on the mat, point your toes back.
- Lift your body and legs off the mat with your hands, keeping just the tops of your feet pushed down. (Your other leg should be floating just over the mat.)
- Spread your collarbones and relax your shoulders away from your ears.
- To lengthen your spine, reach through the top of your head.
It’s absolutely fine to swap a cobra posture for this pose if you find it too difficult.
- Place your hands under your shoulders and rise using your chest and back muscles to achieve the cobra position. The mat will keep your legs pushed against it.
- The arms should not carry much weight in this version. Because it would put too much pressure on the lower back, the ascent will be less dramatic than in an upward-facing dog.
- Maintain a comfortable posture with your shoulders away from your ears in all variants.
Standing Yoga Poses
This standing posture is a go-to for transitioning into and out of many other standing poses. Pay careful attention to the signals if you don’t sense the pose’s difficulty at first. When done wrong, it’s simple, but when done right, it’s difficult (and powerful). Warrior II is useful for:
- Legs, back, core, and arms should all be strengthened.
- increase your stamina and endurance
- generate heat and blood circulation
How to do Standing Yoga Poses?
- Extend your arms parallel to the floor with your body facing sideways on the mat.
- Take a step outside to expand your perspective. Make sure your feet are broad enough to equal the width of your extended hands’ wingspan. (If this is too difficult right now, shorten your stance and build up to it over time.)
- Face the front of the mat with your front foot’s toes. The angle of your rear foot should be 45 degrees.
- Bend the front leg at the knee to a 90-degree angle. Maintain a straight back leg.
- Turn your head to face the front of the mat, looking over your fingers.
- The closer your front knee bends to 90 degrees, the more difficult this position becomes. Adapt to your requirements.
- By pushing through the rear heel, keep your back leg dynamic and engaged.
- Your shoulders should be relaxed and away from your ears.
- To stretch across the collarbones, reach aggressively with both hands.
Warrior I Yoga Pose
Warrior I is a strengthening standing posture comparable to a lunge that is perhaps more difficult than its counterpart. It’s a big part of the Sun Salutation B sequence. The following are the advantages of Warrior I:
- develops lower body, core, arm, and back strength
- The spine is lengthened as a result of this.
- increases stability and balance
- encourages excellent posture
How to do Warrior I Yoga Pose?
- Take a posture that is somewhat shorter than Warrior II.
- Your front foot’s toes will point to the front of the room. The angle of your rear foot will be 45 degrees.
- While maintaining your rear leg straight, bend your front leg to a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your torso tall and towards the front of your mat.
- Extend your arms out and up towards the ceiling, keeping your hands shoulder-distance apart.
- Maintain a level hip position. You can inspect, correct, and straighten your back knee once it’s even by bending it momentarily.
- You may improve your balance in this posture by widening your stance.
- Kneeling lunges may be substituted by dropping your back knee to the mat and pointing your toes back.
Triangle posture Yoga Pose
This fundamental position is a great warm-up for the half moon pose, which is more complex. Instead of slumping inward, don’t be scared to utilize blocks to create space in the body. It’s more essential than making contact with the ground that you feel stretched.
Triangle posture has the following advantages:
- the backs of the legs are stretched
- The spine is lengthened as a result of this.
- bolsters the side body
How to do Triangle posture Yoga Pose?
- On your yoga mat, take a wide stance. Your front foot should be pointing forward, and your rear foot should be at a 45-degree angle, as in the warrior postures.
- Extend your arms to the sides.
- Bounce your back hip against your back leg.
- Reach your body toward the front of the mat and lean down until your torso is parallel to the mat, keeping your arms extended.
- Allow your front arm to fall to the ground, your ankle, shin, or a block.
- Consider maintaining your arms, chest, and legs all in one plane, as if you were trapped between two walls.
- Allow your attention to go to one of your extended hands.
Vinyasa Yoga Pose – Standing Half Forward Bend
In many vinyasa sequences, you’ll come across this quick posture. (A Standing Half Forward Bend is another name for it.) Beginners may not have enough time to properly absorb the alignment signals to improve their practice since it is a transitional position. Follow the suggestions below to avoid recurrent misalignment in this fundamental stance. The following are some of the advantages of this transitional pose:
- forward folds by acting as a counter-stretch
- helps to strengthen the back
- stretches the muscles in the back of the legs
How to do Vinyasa Yoga Pose?
- Begin in a standing forward fold with your feet together or hip distance apart. Allow your head and neck to dangle freely and heavily.
- Bring your hands to the front of your thighs or your shins.
- Bring your back parallel to the floor by lifting and straightening it.
- Your shoulders should be rolled away from your ears.
- Maintain your eyes on the ground or raise it slightly to the front of the room.
- The position of your hands will be determined by your flexibility. Focus on straightening your back parallel to the floor and letting your hands rest wherever they are most comfortable in this posture. (Just don’t lay your hands on your kneecaps; instead, rest them above or below.)
- Lift using your back and chest, not your neck.
- To relieve strain in the lower back, keep your knees slightly bent.
Seated Yoga Poses
Although this sitting posture seems easy, it should provide a stretch if done correctly. The introverted position may also be used to relax and contemplate. A forward fold from a sitting position:
- extends the whole back and behind of the body
- promotes a calming focus on the breath
- internal organs are stimulated
How to do Seated Yoga Poses?
- Sit with your legs straight out in front of you on your mat.
- To ground yourself equally on the sit bones, place your hands on each side of your hips.
- Inhale deeply, raise your arms, and sit tall with your body at a 90-degree angle.
- Exhale and fold your legs over, keeping your back straight and your hips creasing. Maintain a tall spine as you fold your legs over.
- Allow your arms to fall over your legs and grab the outer edges of your feet, ankles, or shins.
- Allow your neck and head to relax.
- Some teachers prefer straight legs for this posture, while others favor substantially bent knees. To discover which you prefer, try both. To support the hips, sit up on a folded blanket.
- Put a block between your shins to raise your head and neck so it can rest and release more readily.
- Place a yoga strap around the soles of your feet and hold on to it for better reach.
Happy Baby Yoga Pose
This posture is both enjoyable and beneficial. It’s even better if it makes you laugh. Consider it an opportunity to get in touch with your inner kid. The following are some of the advantages of the happy baby pose:
- lower back pain relief
- hips are stretched
- aids with digestion
How to do Happy Baby Yoga Pose?
- Lie down on your yoga mat with your back to the mat.
- Bring your legs up to the ceiling and freely bend them.
- Grab the outer borders of the feet or ankles with your palms outstretched.
- For a neutral spine, press your lower back against the mat.
- With your arms, pull your legs towards your body while softly pushing away with your legs.
- Shorten your arms’ reach to your ankles or shins if your back feels rounded. Touching your toes is less essential than maintaining the integrity of your spine.
- While maintaining this position, rock gently from side to side to massage the back and kidneys.
- To stretch the backs of the legs, try extending one leg out at a time while keeping touch with your hand.
Yoga Nidra a.k.a Corpse Yoga Pose
Although it may seem to be little, this posture is crucial for harmonizing our bodies and thoughts. Most yoga sessions end with this restorative position, which allows you to catch your breath, contemplate, and experience the benefits of your practice. Allow plenty of time to appreciate it at the conclusion of each yoga session.
(If this position becomes a favorite, consider taking yoga nidra courses.)
The following are some of the advantages of corpse pose:
- muscles are relaxed
- the parasympathetic nervous system is activated
- encourages you to sleep
How to do Yoga Nidra?
- Come to your back and lay down.
- Allow plenty of room for your arms and legs to splay out.
- Make sure your hands are facing up.
- With each breath, take inventory from your head to your toes and relax your muscles. Don’t forget to take care of your jaw!
- Before settling into this position, wrap yourself with a blanket or add additional clothing. Because your body temperature drops in corpse position, it’s best to remain warm and calm.
- To allow the lower back to rest more easily into the mat, use a yoga bolster behind the knees.
- To create more space across the chest and collarbones, push the back of your head into the yoga mat momentarily to raise your chest and relax your shoulders down away from your ears as you release back into the mat.
It’s essential to remember that yoga postures are intended to generate space in the body as you learn more about them and their forms. If you feel yourself crunching or pushing your body into any of these beginning yoga postures, consult the adjustments for greater room and comfort. Also, don’t be scared to include props into your performance!