28 Yoga Postures You Should Try Today

Yoga originated in ancient India and is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice. The method aims to connect the body, mind, and spirit, as well as the individual self and universal consciousness.

Yoga means making progress toward a conceptual reality in which one understands the ultimate nature of the universe and how it is created.

Table of Content

Types of Yoga poses

What Is the Best Yoga for Beginners

Benefits of Yoga

Goal of Yoga

Types of Yoga Poses

Here’s a complete guide to the 29 different types of yoga poses that you can practise. Some are extremely similar, while others are different.

Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Remember to keep most of your weight on your legs and raise your hips high, expanding your heels toward the floor (no need to touch the floor). If you have tight hamstrings, bend your knees a little to make the move easier. Maintain a straight line with your feet.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Standing with the feet together, grounding evenly through the feet, and trying to lift through the forehead, the posture is entered. The thighs are stretched, the waist is stretched, and the spine is lifted.

Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)

The most key fact to remember in Warrior I is to hold your hips facing forward. Consider your hip points to be headlamps, and they should be parallel to the front of your mat. This may necessarily require taking a broader posture.

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

In Warrior II, the hips face the mat’s side unlike Warrior I. The hips and shoulders open sideways when heading from Warrior I to Warrior II. You can even rotate your back foot so that your toes are at a 45-degree angle. Try to hold your front knee above your knee during both warriors’ poses.

Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

One variation of the long side angle is to put your forearm to your thigh rather than place your hand on the floor. It should stay gently on your thigh and not be overly heavy. This pose allows you to keep your shoulders open. Alternatively, you may rest your hand on the floor.

Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

Trikona means triangle and Utthita means extended/spread. Utthita Trikonasana translates to “extended triangle pose.” Utthita Trikonasana necessitates upper-body control, as the hips and neck must be easily turned. This asana is classified as standing and balancing asana. It’s also referred to as Hip Opener Pose.

Cat-Cow Stretch (Chakravakasana)

Chakravakasana (the Cat-Cow Stretch) is yoga that is necessary for a good cause. It consists of moving the back in a curved (slightly bent) position to a curved one (extension). Each step is done by inhaling or by exhaling the breath, thus becoming an easy vinyasa (linking breath to movement). For cow pose, inhale and tilt your pelvis back, then exhale and tuck your tailbone for cat pose.

Staff Pose (Dandasana)

In the same way that a seated version of mountain pose (above) provides alignment guidelines for a variety of other seated poses, staff pose does the same. Engage and flex the leg muscles. Enhance the chest and relax. You can also allow a gentle curve in the knees, so the shoulders can stack easily on the hips.

Cobbler’s Pose (Baddha Konasana)

In a cobbler’s pose, let gravity stretch your inner thighs. Practice will make a huge difference. If your hips are tight, sitting on a block or blanket raises your hips, allowing your knees to open more naturally. It takes a lot of effort to keep your knees up if they are very high raise. Moreover, your legs must be relaxed to reap the benefits of the stretch. Place a block (or something else supportive) beneath each knee to provide them with a place to rest.

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

The position of the child is very important because it is the position you can take during a yoga lesson when you need a break. If you’re tired, you mustn’t wait for a break from the teacher. Just move into the position of the child and join the class when you are ready. It stretches the back, hips, thighs, and ankles gently without challenging strength or balance.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

Bridge pose is also defined as a backbend for the recovery of spinal extension. This is a great idea because it increases your backbone’s mobility and counters the impact of sitting too long. Try an endorsed block bridge if the bridge is really too intense. Remember to keep your weight on your feet to help support the pose with your leg muscles.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

To start, you will lie on your stomach with your forehead resting on the floor. Put your hands under your shoulders to press the top half of your foot on the floor. Hold your shoulders back and down in this pose. After that, take a deep breath and begin to raise your head and chest off the floor. Stay calm and exhale your shoulders as you descend on the ground. Keep your hands on the ground for up to 30 seconds.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

The majority of yoga sessions conclude with a corpse pose, where you lie flat on your back. It’s a crucial change from yoga to the rest of the day. The rest of the body challenges the mind to keep calm. This may be tricky at first, but the training will become easier.

Downward Facing Dog Split

Core strength can be increased by incorporating effective balancing postures. It’s not just how far you can raise your leg in the down dog split. Instead, concentrate on controlling your hands and evenly distributing your weight between both hands.

Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

It’s not necessary to be afraid of sitting cross-legged. The sensible use of accessories can turn an uneasy position into an easy one so that you can start reversing the effects of sitting too much. Learn how to sit comfortably cross-legged.

Garland Pose (Malasana)

For most people of the 21st century, squatting is not familiar. However, it is an outstanding muscle stretch across the pelvis, such that it is often referred to as a “hip opener” in yoga. It might also be surprising for your feet, which are often overlooked. Accessories can help if squatting is challenging for you: Sit on a block or wrap a towel or blanket around your heels. Try to make your heels reach the ground.

Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana)

This forward bend with a flat back is most commonly done as part of the sun salutation sequence. As a result, it’s frequently rushed, but taking the time to work on it on your own is worthwhile. Part of developing body awareness is recognising when your back is actually flat.

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose – Ardha Matsyendrasana:

Bend your left leg so that the heel of your left foot will be next to your right hip in this pose. Cross your right leg over your left knee and repeat. To increase and decrease the stretch, place your right hand behind you and your left hand on your right knee. Stay in the pose for a few seconds, with gradual and gentle breathing.

Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

Happy baby is a great way to complete yoga. This is also an example of how the effort and the ease in yoga interact. But your tailbone does not lift you up on the floor; you have a little pressure on your feet to pull them up on your armpits. You don’t want to go extraordinary; instead, find a happy medium.

Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirsasana)

Front bends can be difficult for people who have tight hamstrings. Janu sirsasana is easier to reach because one leg is stretched out at a time. A harness around the foot may also be used to stretch the scope.

Knees, Chest, and Chin (Ashtanga Namaskara)

As an alternative to and preparation for chaturanga dandasana, Ashtanga namaskara was once taught to all yoga students in the beginning. Take your time and slowly move from plank to the pose. Begin by bringing your knees to the mat and tucking your toes underneath. Drop your chest and chin to the floor while keeping your elbows pressed against your body. Shoulders should be slightly higher than the palms of your hands.

Plank Pose

Although considering plank a balancing pose may seem odd given the low danger of dropping over, it comes with a deep understanding of what this pose is all about: core strength. For many yoga poses, especially standing balances, arm balances and planks, a core group is important to working out your stability and strength. To maintain neutrality between hips and spine.

Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana)

Standing up like a pyramid is a perfect point to break up your blocks of yoga in order to make it more visible. Put a block on both sides of your foot to “lift the floor” to a level that allows your hands to become relaxed. Your hamstrings will always appreciate the stretch and will thank you for taking the time to think about them.

Raised Hands Pose (Urdhva Hastasana)

Urdhva hastasana, which is built on the base of a mountain pose, allows us to keep your legs rooted on the floor while trying to reach for the sky with your arms. As a result, you’ll get a full-body stretch, which is a good way to start your yoga session physically.

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

At the beginning of yoga, there are a variety of hamstring stretches. In people who sit a lot, who relate to low back pain, the hamstring seems to become short and tight. It is beneficial to stretch them, as you do during the seated forward bend. This posture extends to the whole body. Do not bend your hips and keep your neck aligned with your spinal cord.

Seated Wide Angle Straddle (Upavistha Konasana)

If you spread your legs broadly, it can stretch from paschimottanasana a little bit differently. While this might look like the task is to put your chest to the ground, it really isn’t. Focus more on holding your backs straight and pushing the pelvis forward rather than crunching your ass and holding your feet bent. When you all do these three things, how much you lean just doesn’t exist.

Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

A passive turn is a standard way of ending a yoga session, but at the beginning of your training there is no strict law against this. It’s up to you how you want your legs to be placed. You can also bend, lift the top leg and keep on to your foot if the flexibility is convenient, or flip the legs around (as in an airplane position) to spread the outside hips. Knees should be in line with the waist.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

Tree pose is a perfect way to start if you’re new to balancing poses. You can quickly move out of it if you sense yourself starting to break. Try varying foot positions and focusing your gaze on a spot on the floor to see what works best for you. Heel stays low on the foot, block, or above or beneath the knee.

What Is the Best Yoga for Beginners?

We recommend you begin with a gentle practice until you have developed strength and flexibility for more demanding sequences if you are out of form or are extremely inflexible. You should be able to spring right into a regular hatha yoga class if you are relatively fit and flexible. You can explore a vinyasa or flow class once you know the basic positions. To build physical strength and endurance it’s recommended to do Ashtanga, or hot Yoga. On the side of caution and security, it’s always best to slowly approach yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga: Eight limbs of Yoga

Ashtanga means yoga in eight or eight parts of yoga and these are Yam, Niyam, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharna, Dhyan and Samadhi.

Benefits of Yoga

Maintains your mind strong and healthy
Relieves stress and encourages rest
Quality night sleep and enhances your immune system
Helps cure common problems such as back pain, increase happiness and good well-being
Burn calories and change the form of your body
Enhances and sustains muscle, joint and organ health
Diabetes, heart disease, and auto-immune disorders are all conditions that can be avoided
Improves flexibility, strength, stamina, mobility, range of motion, and balance