12 Yoga Poses for Beginners To Get Started
It’s normal if you spend a better part of your first yoga session staring at everyone else. Am sure you’ll be wondering, what the heck is going on here?? As a beginner, it’s good to first familiarise yourself with simple yoga poses suitable for beginners before you take your first class. You should also familiarise yourself with the English and Sanskrit terms for different yoga poses.
There are over 300 poses in the yoga practice (asana), but we’ll focus on “12-YOGA poses suitable for beginners to get started. These poses will help you learn so you can be comfortable in a class or when practising alone at home.
1. Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana
It’s a pose that’s used in most yoga practices. Its purpose is to strengthen or stretch the body.
How to do it
• Come onto the floor on all fours then put your hands directly under the shoulders and knees below the hips
• Walk your hands a few inches forward then spread your fingers while pressing palms into the floor
• Curl the toes under then slowly press the hips towards the ceiling to make a V shape, pressing your shoulders away from the ears
• Hold for 3 to 5 full breaths before allowing your knees and hands to drop back
2. Half Pigeon Pose or Ardha Kapotasana
Can be combined with the downward facing dog.
How to do it
• lift your left leg high then bring it under your body and put it in front
• Extend the right leg behind your body then rest its top on the floor
• Maintain the left foot in a flexed position
• Stay upright for 3 to 5 breathes
3. Mountain Pose/Tadasana
It is the base of all standing poses. Mountain pose gives you a sense of how to feel the earth through your feet. It may seem like just standing, but a lot happens while in this position.
How to do it
• Stand tall and ensure your feet are together
• Press down all your toes as you spread them apart
• Using your quadriceps, lift your kneecaps through the inner thighs
• Draw in and out your abdominals as you lift your chest while you press your shoulders from the top
• As your shoulder blades come towards each other, open your chest wide then let your palms face inwards towards your body
• Breathe deeply into the torso and hold for 5 to 8 breaths
4. Plank Pose or Kumbhakasana
This pose teaches us to use our body to support us while we balance on our hands. It’s a good way to tighten the abdominals. You learn how to use breath to help you stay in an awkward position.
How to do it
• Come onto the floor on all fours and your put hands flat on the floor then the knees below your hips
• Lift the knees from the floor then extend the legs behind you
• You are now standing on your hands and toes, and your body has formed one long line
• Involve your lower abdomen, draw your shoulders down, away from the ears
• Hold onto this position then breathe deeply for 3 to 6 breaths
5. Triangle or Trikonasana
It’s an excellent standing pose that opens up your lungs, stretches the sides of your waist, and strengthens your body and legs.
How to do it
• Stand tall and make sure your feet are about 2-feet apart
• Stretch your hands out from the sides and bend over to your right leg
• Turn your left foot about 45 degrees and your right foot about 90 degrees
• Let your right hand touch the floor then lift your left hand towards the ceiling and hold on for five breaths
• Stand and repeat the same on the opposite side
6. Warrior 1 or Virabhadrasana 1
Warrior 1 is a great yoga pose to help stretch open the front part of the body while you strengthen the hips, legs, buttocks, and upper body.
These poses are good for giving you strength and stamina in the core and body. They give you confidence while stretching your hips and thighs.
How to do it
• Take a giant step back on your left foot
• Turn your left foot down at 75-degree angle
• Lift the chest then press the palms up overhead
• Step forward and do the same on the opposite side
7. Warrior 2 or Virabhadrasana II
Warrior 2 opens up the hips, inner thighs
How to do it
• Stand tall and make sure your feet are about 3-feets apart
• Stretch out your arms parallel to the ground below
• Turn your right leg 90 degrees and your left foot 45 degrees
• Turn your right knee till it’s directly above your right ankle and keep your torso even between your hips
• Stretch your hands out from the sides and gaze to your right
• Hold for 5 to 10 breaths then straighten the right leg and repeat the same on the opposite side
8. Tree or Vrksasana
It is an awesome standing pose for beginners to work on how to gain focus and clarity. It also teaches one how to breathe while upright and balancing on one foot.
How to do it
• Start like in the mountain pose with both your feet together and heels apart
• Hold your hands together in prayer and find a focus point to gaze
• Keep your focus on a fixed position to help you stay balanced
• Hold for 5 to 10 breaths before you switch sides
9. Seated forward pose or Paschimottanasana
It helps to stretch the sides, hamstrings and the lower and upper backs. It’s a perfect way to train your body to learn how to breathe when in an uncomfortable position. If you get a sharp pain, stop. If you feel tension when you breathe, continue, it will slowly let go.
How to do it
• Get seated with your legs close to each other while your hands alongside your hips, feet firmly stretched and not turning in or out
• Bend from your hips, keep the back of your body flat
• Fold your upper part of the body over the lower part
• If able to, grab the outside of your feet, shins or ankles
• Release your neck head and shoulders
• When you reach the maximum, stop and breathe about 5 to 10 breaths
10. Bridge or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
An opposite pose for the seated forward bend pose. It’s a good pose to stretch the front and strengthen the back of the body.
How to do it
• Lie down on your back
• Place your feet about 2-feets apart
• Firmly press your feet then lift your butt
• Intertwine your hands then press the fists onto the floor and then open your chest out
• Imagine you’re dragging your heels onto the floor towards your shoulders
• Hold for 5 to 10 breaths then relax
11. Child’s Pose or Blsana
Everyone needs a great resting pose. It’s an awesome pose not only for beginners but for all yoga practitioners. It’s good to do it when you want a mental break or release tension or stress.
How to do it
• Begin on all fours
• Bring the knees and feet together as you bring your butt closer to your heels
• Stretch your hands forward
• Lower your forehead onto the ground, pillow or blanket
• Allow your entire body to release itself
• Hold for in there as you wish
12. Dancers Pose or Natarajasana
How to do it
• Stand tall and make sure your feet are close to each other
• Bend the left knee then bring your left leg near your glutes
• Using hands, grab your feet then slowly lift them towards the ceiling
• Press down with the right foot then open your chest, pull your left leg up
• Keep your chest up and hold for 5 to 8 breaths before switching sided
As a beginner, it will be hard for you in the beginning. You will get a few things wrong, but you will better with time. All expert yoga practitioners were once beginners. Focus and follow on these simple poses as you aim to know other poses.
