Are you thinking about dedicating yourself to yoga, but you are not sure where to start? AlFeminine is here to help you make your debut in this wonderful discipline! We offer you 20 yoga positions (there are hundreds) to practice from home on a daily basis.
If you’re new to it, that’s no problem—most of these poses are super-simple, requiring only a mat, comfortable sweats, and 30 minutes of quiet time . Some positions, usually aimed at an advanced level, require a good level of training. If flexibility is not your forte, don’t force the movements! Instead, use a strap or stacks of books to help yourself when you can’t touch the floor, so you still have support. Read down below and find out which are the best yoga poses for beginners.
Yoga poses for beginners
Standing side bends
Start with your feet a comfortable distance apart and your knees straight. (First, lengthen your spine. Then push your hips to the right as you bend your spine to the left. Optionally, reach one arm then the other up and to the left, past your head, with elbows straight (you can work on touching your palms together if you like). Instead of holding the position, you can try pushing your hips further to the right and lengthening your spine (and arms) to the left each time you inhale. Then relax while maintaining the shape of the position as you exhale.
Standing yoga spinal twist for beginners
A basic standing position for beginners is the standing spinal twist, based on the mountain pose. Stand in a modified mountain position with feet hip-width apart, knees straight, and arms by your sides. Rotate your pelvis to the right while keeping your feet and knees straight forward. Rotate your ribcage and then your head to the right. Hold this position for about five breaths or for a count of ten. Next, keep your ribcage and head rotated to the right and rotate your pelvis forward. Hold this position for five to ten breaths and then rest. You may choose to repeat this a few times on one side and then switch sides. Or you can alternate sides each time.
Chair position
Start with your feet hip-width apart for this beginner variation. Stretch your spine. Push your hips back and bend your knees to about 90 degrees. Keep your weight centered between your balls of feet and heels, or shift it forward toward your balls of feet and toes. To make your legs feel firmer and more stable, try pressing your balls of feet into the floor without letting your heels lift. He reaches his hands forward for an easy variation of the arms. Or stretch your arms overhead with elbows straight for a more challenging variation.
Tree pose
Gradually press your foot against your inner thigh and release your hand. She brings her torso upright and stretches her spine. You can join your hands in a prayer position, stretch them out to the sides, or raise them, past your head. One option that may make this position a little more beginner-friendly is not touching the foot to the inner thigh. Instead, balance on one foot while the other knee is bent and facing to the side with the foot lifted but not pressing against the standing leg. This option can be more challenging as you have to use the muscles in your raised leg to keep it raised. However, it can ease the balance. For both options, keep your weight forward so your straight leg, ball of your foot, and toes press firmly into the floor.
Eagle pose modified for beginners
Bend both knees and push the hips back over the knees from a standing position. Shift your weight forward onto your balls of feet and toes. Then step onto one foot and cross the thigh of the non-weighted leg with the thigh of the standing leg. You may need to use your hands to push your thighs towards each other. The foot of the upper leg will likely be outstretched to the side. Try to bring the foot of the raised leg into contact with the shin of the standing leg. Try to hold this position for five long, slow breaths or a slow count of ten. Rest if needed and then repeat with the other leg.
2 person yoga poses
Seated partner twist position
In a cross-legged position with your back to your partner, extend your back with your right hand and hold your partner’s left knee. Rest your left hand on your right knee and enjoy a gentle rotation from the base of your spine. Your partner will do the same and turn in the same direction as you. As you inhale, extend your head toward the ceiling, and as you exhale, deepen the twist. Allow your partners to support the pose and encourage your spine to stay high in your lower back.
Supported Boat Pose
Start by sitting facing each other with your knees bent and your toes almost touching, roughly hip-width apart. Grasp each other’s hands at the wrist. One at a time, lift your legs and bring the bottoms of your feet together. He gradually straightens his legs as much as possible. Once in the full expression of the pose, focus on opening the chest and extending through the spine, keeping the chin level.
Partner plank position
At this point, the standing partner will slowly reach their legs one at a time to be caught and held above the ankle by the supine partner who will then extend their arms toward the ceiling, allowing the standing partner to enter a raised plank position. For an added challenge, try holding the plank with your hands on your partner’s shins. The added instability will make it even more of a core workout! Hold for 30 seconds to one minute.
Forward Bend/Backbend Supported position
One partner will bend forward while the other lies on the natural curve of the back, held in position by the grip of the forward bending partner’s hands. The backbend partner may need to bend his knees slightly to comfortably enter the pose, but he may begin extending his legs once in the pose. Hold for at least a minute and then slowly release, repeating the pose but switching roles.
Vertical position supported by downward dog
We are now entering slightly more complicated territory. If you’re working on hand balancing, this can be a really helpful exercise. Standing partner must be able to confidently hold a plank for at least 30 seconds before attempting. Your partner will simply enter Downward Facing Dog as you stand with your feet on opposite sides of your arms. He places his hands on the floor in front of you, then very slowly and carefully place one foot, then the other, on your partners back. He walks towards your back so your feet press gently into his lower back, helping them deepen their downward dog.
Easy yoga poses
Raised hand pose
While Urdhva Hastasana is a fairly basic pose, it allows you to significantly open your ribcage and extend your spine. It symbolizes the balance between heaven and earth.
Stand on one end of the mat and slide your arms along your sides. Inhaling, start spreading your hands and lifting them upwards. Continue slowly as long as you can: if you are elastic enough you can bring your arms together when they are raised. If you don’t succeed, don’t force yourself and above all don’t hunch your shoulders forward in order to be able to bring your arms together.
When performing the position of the raised hands, one must be careful to keep the elbows straight, not bent and pay close attention to the neck as well. If done incorrectly, compressions can be created in the back of the neck.
Tree pose
One of the best poses for improving balance is Vrksasana. Usually we start from the position of the mountain, but let’s try to do it from scratch anyway.
Position yourself on the mat with your feet slightly apart and your hands on your hips. Now shift your weight onto your right foot and start lifting the other by bending your knee outward.
To complete it, place the sole of the right foot on the inside of the left thigh with the sole pointing downwards. The heel, in fact, must be at the level of the perineum and the toes pointing downwards.
Warrior Pose
Warrior Pose can be performed in two ways. In addition to what we have just seen, in fact, his hands can be placed parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the legs, rotating the torso inwards and the head to look forward.
To complete this, stand up straight with your legs together at one end of the mat, leaving it behind you. Now step back with your right leg by placing the sole of your foot at about a 30-degree angle and toes pointing outward. Bend the knee of the front leg as much as possible in a lunge style. Ideally you should be able to have your thigh parallel to the ground.
Forward bend
This position involves bending the spine forward. Uttanasana is rooting, i.e. the pressure of the feet on the ground and the transmission of this throughout the body is very important.
Although the execution is very simple, there are several precautions to keep in mind to execute it perfectly. Start by standing with your feet together and your hands at your sides. Begin by bending your torso forward by sliding your hands along your thighs.
The knees should be kept slightly flexed, especially for those who are starting out and do not yet have the necessary flexibility not to feel pain. During the descent, try to rotate from the pelvis and not from the belly. This helps you increase the distance between your belly button and pelvic wall to fully lengthen your spine. Furthermore, the weight must be carried on the front of the foot.
The cobra pose
A little opposite to the previous position we see the Bhujangasana which is a back bend. Its execution is very simple, but requires a lot of elasticity and has a strong load on the muscles of the arms.
It starts by lying down on the mat. Keeping your legs together, you can bring your hands under your shoulders and your elbows along your sides. Once your arms are in place, you push to bring your chest up and arch your back back. The head must be straight and the gaze directed forward.
Again you need to pay attention to the part of the body that bends: you absolutely must not concentrate the bending only in the lumbar region which would end up compressing and can cause you severe pain. In fact, it is necessary to arch the entire vertical column, including the neck.
