Start in Mountain Pose. As you inhale, raise your arms, spread your fingers, and reach up through your fingertips. As you exhale, sit back and down as if sitting into a chair. Shift your weight toward the heels and lengthen up through the spine. As you inhale, lift and lengthen through your arms.

As you exhale, sit deeper into the pose. Just remember to breathe. Place your hands on the back of a chair with palms shoulder-distance apart.

Step your feet back until they align under hips, creating a right angle with your body, spine parallel with the floor. Ground through your feet and lift through thighs.

Reach hips away from hands to lengthen the sides of your torso. Firm your outer arms in and lengthen through the crown of your head. This modification shares the same benefits as the classic pose — stretching the hamstrings, opening the shoulders, and creating length in the spine — without all the weight on your upper body.

From all fours, walk your hands 6 inches in front of you. Tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back to lengthen your spine.

If your hamstrings are tight, keep your knees bent in order to bring your weight back into the legs. Spread your fingers wide, press into your hands, and rotate your arms so that your biceps are facing toward one another. Press your thighs back toward the wall behind you.

This classic pose opens your shoulders, lengthens your spine, and stretches your hamstrings. Since your head is below your heart, the mild inversion creates a calming effect.

Stand with feet wide, 3—4 feet apart. Shift your right heel out so your toes are pointing slightly inward. Turn your left foot out 90 degrees.

Line up your left heel with the arch of your right foot. Bend your left knee to a degree angle, keeping the knee in line with the second toe to protect the knee joint.

Stretch through your straight back leg and ground down into the back foot. On an inhale, bring arms to a T at shoulder height. Draw your shoulder blades down the back.

Spread your fingers and keep palms facedown. Gaze over the front fingers. As you exhale, sink deeper into the stretch. Pro tip: To draw your shoulder blades down the back, rotate your palms face-up.

Notice how that shifts your shoulders. Once settled, rotate your palms facedown. Tougher than it looks, it also strengthens your legs and ankles while increasing stamina. Keeping both legs straight, ground through your feet.

Lift arms into a T at shoulder height. Reach forward with your front arm. Bring your front arm down to your shin, a foam block, or the ground. Lift your back arm up toward the sky and spread your fingers.

Take your gaze down to the floor or up toward your lifted hand. While this pose can be challenging for those with tight muscles , it will help promote balance, stretch the hamstrings and inner thighs, and create a feeling of expansion in the body.

As you inhale, shift the weight into your left foot and lift your right foot an inch off the floor. Using your right hand, bring the foot to your shin or inner thigh. Avoid placing your foot directly on the knee.

As you exhale, ground through the standing leg and lengthen through the crown of your head. Bring your palms to touch in front of your sternum into prayer hands. Pro tip: To play with your balance, lift your hands up toward the sky in a V-shape.

Take your gaze up toward the ceiling. This pose helps improve concentration and your ability to balance by strengthening the arches of the feet and the outer hips. Lie faceup with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms at your sides with palms facedown.

Keep your feet parallel and hip-width apart, heels stacked under knees. On an inhale, activate through the legs and the glutes. Press the floor away with your feet and lift the hips off the floor toward the sky. If your shoulders are tight and you want more leverage, try holding the sides of your yoga mat and lifting your hips.

Pro tip: To keep your knees from bowing out to the side, place a block between the upper thighs. Squeeze it tight as you lift up into Bridge Pose.

This energizing backbend opens your chest and stretches your neck and spine. It can calm the mind, reduce anxiety , and help improve digestion. Sitting on the floor, bend knees and open them out to the side like a book. Join the soles of your feet together while sitting upright. Place fingertips on the floor directly behind you and lengthen up through the spine.

You can also hold onto your ankles and hinge forward at the hips. Sit and straighten your legs out in front of you, grounding your thighs into the floor. Hinge at the hips to elongate your torso over your thighs.

Grab hold of the outer edges of your feet. Pro tip: If your hamstrings are tight, grab a strap and loop it behind your feet. Use the leverage to bring your torso closer to your thighs.

You can also sit on the edge of a blanket to help you fold forward. This feel-good fold elongates the back of your body, lengthens your spine, and stretches your hamstrings. Lie faceup, bringing your legs to the outer edges of your mat, like a starfish.

Splay your feet out to the sides. Place arms along sides, palms facing up. Close your eyes and relax. Every yoga class includes Savasana, which relaxes the whole body and gives you space to absorb the benefits of the practice. Start in Downward-Facing Dog. Shift forward so your shoulders are stacked over your wrists.

Draw your navel in toward your spine and keep your hips from dropping. Reach heels back as you lengthen the crown of your head forward. Ground down into hands, pushing the floor away beneath you. Lengthen through the arms and broaden your chest. Considered one of the best moves for core strength, Plank Pose strengthens your abdominals and promotes stability.

From Plank Pose, shift forward onto your tippy toes. Ground through your palms and broaden across the chest. Take an inhale. On an exhale, bend your elbows to a degree angle.

Keep your thighs lifted toward the ceiling. Imagine stretching your tailbone toward your heels as you lengthen through the spine. Hold your elbows in line with the torso. Gaze forward. To come out of the pose, release your knees to the ground. You can also keep your knees lifted and lower down onto your stomach for an extra ab challenge.

Another option is to lift up and back to a Downward-Facing Dog and relax. It promotes core stability and strengthens your abdominals and triceps. Lie facedown on the floor. Bend elbows and place hands on the mat in line with lower ribs. Hug your elbows in line with your torso. Tuck your toes and take an inhale.

As you exhale, push the floor away like a push-up. Straighten your arms and broaden across the chest, hovering your hips a few inches above the floor at the same time.

Pro tip: If you have any low back pain or a spine injury, modify this pose. Keep your feet on the mat, point your toes, and press the tops of your feet down into the floor. As you bend your elbows and push up, keep your hips on the ground and roll your shoulders down the back.

Straighten as much as possible through the arms and focus on elongating the spine. If you feel any pain or compression, slowly lower down onto your stomach. This pose comes after chaturanga in a classic Sun Salutation.

Start in a Triangle Pose. Bend your front knee, keep it in line with your second toe. Step back foot in and walk front hand about 12 inches forward.

Keep it on the floor or place it onto a block. Shift your weight onto your front foot and lift your back foot off the ground. Straighten out the front leg, keeping your front hand on the floor or on a block. Reach your back leg toward the wall behind you, foot flexed.

Lift your back arm up toward the sky. Keep your gaze on the hand touching the ground. To come out of the pose, bend the front leg and slowly lower the lifted leg down toward the floor.

This balancing pose strengthens your legs and outer hips. It also stretches your hamstrings and inner thighs, and promotes concentration. Step one foot forward between your hands. Turn your back foot out, approximately 45 degrees, and ground down into your back foot.

Line your feet up heel to heel, or slightly wider. Bend the front knee directly over the front ankle while you straighten your back leg.

Draw your back heel down toward the floor. On an inhale, lengthen through the spine and lift your arms up. Place your hands on your hips or lift them up in a V toward the ceiling.

Rotate your torso toward the front of the room. Imagine standing on railroad tracks rather than skis. This energizing pose strengthens your legs, arms, and back muscles. It also gives your chest, shoulders, neck, thighs, and ankles a nice stretch.

From Warrior I, hinge forward at the hips. Rest your abdomen on your front thigh. Step the back foot in and shift your weight into your front foot.

On an inhale, lift your back leg off the ground, straighten through the leg, and reach through your back heel. Press your palms together in front of your sternum prayer hands and gaze forward. This heating pose strengthens your legs, outer hips, and upper back.

It also helps improve balance and posture. Step your left foot back and place it flat on the floor at a degree angle. Ground down into both feet and lift up through the thighs.

Place your hands on your hips. Rotate your torso forward. Hinge at the hips and lengthen your spine over the front leg. Lift away from the floor and broaden across the chest. For tight shoulders, grab opposite elbows behind your back. From all fours, come down onto your forearms. Spread your fingers wide and keep elbows shoulder-width apart.

Allow your head to hang above the floor. Ground down into your forearms and lift your upper body away from the floor. Press your heels down toward the mat for a nice hamstring stretch. This pose helps build strength in your upper body in preparation for a headstand and forearm stand.

It can also help calm your mind and relieve stress. Lie facedown, roll your shoulder blades down the back, and send your arms back behind you. Bend your knees so that your feet are near your butt.

On an inhale, lift your upper body and legs off the floor, keeping the hips grounded. Reach back to grab outer ankles. Use the leverage to lift your body up and broaden across the chest. This backbend stretches the whole front of the body, especially the chest and the front of your shoulders.

It also gives a nice massage to your abdominal organs. You can even raise your hands and stretch them. Breathe easy. Tree is an awesome standing balance for beginners to work on to gain focus and clarity, and learn to breathe while standing and keeping the body balanced on one foot.

It replicates the steady stance of a tree. How to do it Start with your feet together and place your right foot on your inner left upper thigh. Press your hands in prayer and find a spot in front of you that you can hold in a steady gaze. Hold and breathe for breaths then change sides. Make sure you don't lean in to the standing leg and keep your core engaged and shoulders relaxed.

Beginner's Tip. Triangle is a wonderful standing posture to stretch the sides of the waist, open up the lungs, strengthen the legs and tone the entire body. Triangle Pose is the essential standing pose in many styles of yoga. Warrior pose is quintessential for building strength and stamina in a yoga practice.

It give us confidence and stretch the hips and thighs while building strength in the entire lower body and core. How to do it Stand in Tadasana Mountain Pose. With an exhale, step or lightly jump your feet apart. Raise your arms perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out 90 degrees to the right.

Align the right heel with the left heel. Exhale and rotate your torso to the right. With your left heel firmly on the floor, exhale and bend your right knee over the right ankle so the shin is perpendicular to the floor.

To come up, inhale, press the back heel firmly into the floor and reach up through the arms, straightening the right knee.

Turn the feet forward and release the arms with an exhalation. Take a few breaths, then turn the feet to the left and repeat for the same length. Beginner's Tip When your are bending the front knee As a beginner you have a tendency to tilt the pelvis forward.

You must lift the pubis up toward the navel and lengthen the tail toward the floor. Downward Dog is used in most yoga practices and yoga classes and it stretches and strengthens the entire body. It may be the first pose you learn as you begin a yoga practice.

It acts as a transitional pose and can be a resting position. How to do it Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. With your hands slightly forward of your shoulders and knees below your hips. Spread your hands wide and press your index finger and thumb into your mat. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor lift the butt toward the ceiling.

Straighten your legs as much as you can and press your heels gently toward the floor. Your head should be between your arms, facing your knees, and your backs should be flat. Hold for breaths. Beginner's Tip If you have difficulty releasing and opening your shoulders in this pose, raise your hands off the floor on a pair of blocks or the seat of a metal folding chair.

Urdhva mukha svanasana, or upward facing dog pose, is often practiced in sequence with adho mukha svanasana, downward facing dog pose. It is is a powerful pose that awakens upper-body strength and offers a wonderful stretch for the chest and abdomen.

How to do it Lie on your stomach on mat. Stretch your legs back, with the tops of your feet on the mat. Bend your elbows and spread your palms on the mat beside your waist. Inhale and press your inner hands firmly into the mat Then straighten your arms and simultaneously lift your cheat up and your legs a few inches off the mat.

Pull your shoulders back, squeeze your shoulder blades, and tilt your head toward the ceiling, to open up your chest. Beginner's Tip There's a tendency in this pose to "hang" on the shoulders, which lifts them up toward the ears and create pressure at the neck.

Actively draw the shoulders away from the ears by lengthening down along the back armpits, pulling the shoulder blades toward the butt,You can also use block undenath each hand. Feel free to drop your knees down to reduce tension in your low back. It's important to incorporate a forward bend in yoga practice to stretch the hamstrings, lower and upper back and sides.

Seated forward bend is the perfect yoga pose for beginners to start to open the body and learn to breathe through challenging positions. How to do it Sit on the floor with ith your buttocks supported on a folded blanket your legs extended in front of you.

Breathe in and raise your hands over your head and stretch. Extend the arms forward, reaching for your feet. Lift your chest engage your lower abdominals and imagine your belly button moving towards the top of your thighs. Hold the pose for up to 10 breath before slowly releasing with an inhalation.

Beginner's Tip If you feel any sharp pain, you need to back off; but if you feel the tension when you fold forward and you can continue to breathe, you will slowly start to loosen up and let go.

You can also keep your knees bent in the pose as long as the feet stay flexed and together. Bridge pose Setu Bandhasana as a way to bridge the gap between body and mind. A counter pose to a forward bend is a back bend. Bridge is a good beginner's back bend that stretches the front body and strengthens the back body.

How to do it Begin lying comfortably on your back in a supine position and place your feet hip width apart. Press firmly on to your feet and lift your butt up off the mat. Interlock your palm and press the shoulder toword the floor.

Imagine dragging your heels on the mat towards your shoulders to engage your hamstrings. Hold for breaths then lower your hips down and repeat two more times. Beginner's Tip A restorative version of Bridge pose with a block or bolster underneath the sacrum is a divine way to release the low back and can also help to ease menstrual cramps and discomfort.

Balasana also known as child's pose, is a gentle resting pose that stretches the hips, thighs, and legs while calming the mind and relieving stress and tension.

Everyone needs a good resting pose and Child pose is an excellent one not just for beginners but for yoga practitioners of all levels. How to do it Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and lay your abdomen resting between your inner thighs and rest your forehead on the mat.

Rest your arms by your sides with your palms facing up near your feet. Stay in the pose from 5 to 10 breaths. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation Gently release back. If pregnant, spread the knees wide apart to remove any pressure on the abdomen. No yoga session is complete without a final relaxation posture.

Even though Corpse Pose Savasana is a resting pose, Although it looks easy, Savasana Corpse Pose has been called the most difficult of the asanas. You should try to stay present and aware during the five to 10 minutes you spend in final relaxation.

How to do it Lie down on your back. Separate your legs. Bring your arms alongside your body, but slightly separated from your torso. Turn your palms to face upwards. Let your breathing occur naturally.

If your mind wanders, you can bring your attention to your breath but try to just notice it, not deepen it. Stay for a minimum of five minutes.