Yoga Poses for Beginners
Ease into your yoga practice with these basic beginner yoga poses.
If you’re just beginning to do yoga and not sure where to start, this post is for you. Becoming a natural yogi takes time and practice, and the more you consistently you are in that practice, the easier and more natural it will become. They key is to start with the basics and learn the important techniques, like breathing and quieting the mind, first. Once you’ve nailed down the fundamentals of yoga, you’ll find yourself feeling ready to move on to more advanced poses.
Check out the beginner poses below to help inspire and motivate you as you begin your yoga journey!
Child’s Pose
Bring your big toes together to touch and send the hips back over the heels. Take the knees wide to open and stretch the hips or keep knees together to lengthen and stretch the lower back. Extend your arms straight out to the front of the mat. Gently rest your forehead on the ground, keeping length in the back of the neck and let the chest melt down. Relax your entire body, feel supported by the ground beneath you, and melt into the space that’s being created.
Downward Facing Dog
Begin in tabletop position with shoulders stacked over wrists and hips aligned over knees. Curl the toes under and spread the fingertips as wide as possible. Exhale – send the hips back and high as you straighten the legs. Engage the entire arms – rolling the upper arm outwards & melting shoulders away from the ears. Lengthen the backside of your legs, letting the hamstrings towards the back of the mat and keeping a slight bend in the knees. Head and neck should be completely relaxed – let it hang heavy. Inhale and send the breath up the front side body, exhale send it down the back side body. Continue to breathe and find stillness here.
Warrior I
Begin in mountain pose at the top of the mat and bring hands to rest on the hips. Step the left leg back and plant the back left foot at a 45 degree angle. Root down through the outer edge of the foot and lift of the inner arch and ankle. Bend the right leg and stack knee over ankle. Guide the right knee to the right pinky toe and feel the inner right leg open and strengthen here. Keep the back leg super strong and engaged and begin to square the hips towards the front of the mat. Raise the arms overhead, keep fingertips active, melt shoulders away from the ears, and pinky fingers rotate inwards.
Triangle Pose
Begin in Warrior II with the right foot forward. Straighten the front leg and keep arms in a T shape. On an exhale breath, begin to move the chest and right hand as far forward as possible. Send the left hip high and the right hip to the back of the mat. Windmill the right arm down to the shin and send the left hand high to the sky. Arms are in line with one another, shoulders stacking on top of one another, and fingertips active.
All images courtesy of The Journey Junkie.
