Yoga For Beginners - Beginner Yoga Poses Online

Yoga Health & Healing wants you to develop a safe yoga practice, one that will bring the many health benefits to your physical body that the practice of yoga has to offer. Here you can learn, or just brush up on, proper alignment for yoga poses that are commonly found in Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Baptiste Power Yoga. Also, find out common misalignments for yoga poses and how to fix them for a safer yoga practice.

1. Warrior II

Virabhadrasana II, translated in english as Warrior II, opens the hips and strengthens the legs. Warrior II pose also opens the shoulders, stretches the chest, and upper back and can also relieve pain in the lower back and symptoms of sciatica.

It is very important to have right alignment in this pose as it is the foundation for several other standing yoga poses.

Align the heel of your Right foot with the inner arch of your LT foot
Bend your RT knee so that it is stacked directly above your ankle and aligned over your 2nd toe; keep your back leg straight hugging muscle to bone in the arms and legs to support the weight of the body in the pose and to increase strength.
Your front thigh should be parallel to the floor without the knee pressing out over the ankle or toes, if this happens move your feet wider apart.
Open your RT knee out towards the pinky toe and press into the outer edge of your back foot
Bring even weight into the feet, both legs should be working together in this pose
If you drop down into the hip socket to support the pose you risk having future pain in the hips and lower back which is caused by repeated overuse of the joint to support weight. Rather, we use muscle strength to support the weight of the body.
Pull your LT hip in towards the body and away from the back of your mat to help support the pose
Drop your tailbone down towards the ground and find length in the side body, lifting your lower ribs away from your hips to support the weight of the upper body in the pose.
Use your arms to support the pose reaching the finger tips of your RT and LT hands away from the center of the body as you draw the inner thighs in towards midline to create strength and balance in the pose.

Common misalignments:

Shoulders too far forward, not stacked above hips
Front leg knee falling inward causing a misalignment along the femur, or upper thigh, bone making the pose less strong and less safe for the knee.
Not enough weight in the back leg which makes the front leg work harder
Tailbone not drawing down towards the ground and back hip moving towards the back of the mat. These misalignments bring the hips out of proper alignment causing more weight to be supported in the front leg hip joint which can wear the joint over time.

2. Child’s Pose

Child’s Pose, which is also referred to by it’s Sanskrit name as Balasana, is a restorative pose and often used as a resting pose in Vinyasa and Power Yoga classes. Once you find a version that accommodates your physical needs, relax into it and enjoy the benefits. Child’s pose gently opens the hips, stretches the spine, opens the heart and grounds our energy increasing your ability to focus. You will feel more connected improving your overall ability to concentrate.

Begin by bringing your knees wide and your big toes together to touch.
Rest your forehead down onto the mat and stretch your arms forward.
Send your hips back towards the back of your mat, then allow them to relax down to your heels

If you have any pain in your hips or in your knees you can modify by bringing your knees and feet hips width apart; Lift the hips up as high away from the ground as you need to in order to take the strain out of the knees
You can also use your arms more by pressing down into the hands
If this is still too much you can come onto your back into Happy Yogi pose which will open the hips and relieve strain on the back and knees.
Relax the back of your neck and soften the shoulders
Find length along the spine as you reach your hands and the crown of your head forward, draw your hips back
Keep your belly soft
Find an inward focus
Tune in and bow to the teacher within
Child’s Pose allows you to Child’s Pose is symbolic of surrender; take a moment to surrender to all distractions, those that are within you and around you.

3. Downward Facing Dog

If you have Carpel Tunnel please practice only under the supervision of a medical professional. Downward Facing Dog, or otherwise referred to by its sanskrit name as Adho Mukha Svanasana, decompresses the spine and opens the shoulders. Downward Dog is generally found in Sun Salutations but can be done on its own for therapeutic health benefits.
Downward Dog is considered a restorative posture and can be used to soothe the nervous system which will help those who suffer from insomnia and fatigue. Downward dog is an inversion and therefore can benefit anyone who has asthma or sinusitis. Sciatica and lower back pain can also be relieved by consistent practice of this pose. If you are using this healing yoga pose as a way to restore health to the body then you can do this pose for 1-3 minutes every day.

Bring your hands and knees onto the mat coming into a table top position
Bring your hands shoulder width apart and move your hips back slightly towards your heels lengthening your arms so that your elbows and shoulders are not stacked above the wrists.
The back of your wrists will be moving down slightly towards the ground.
Point your index or middle fingers straight forward to the top of your mat and spread the fingers wide.
Root down into the finger tips and into the knuckles of the hands, especially the base knuckles at the mound of the index finger and thumb.
Bringing this activity into the hands will take pressure off of your wrists.
Curl your toes under and straighten the legs as much as you can without rounding the spine.
It is important to feel a balance of weight between your arms and legs. If you feel like your arms and wrists are holding up too much weight then push your upper body back towards your thighs and lift your tailbone high
You may also try walking you feet back a little bit farther away from your hands
Feet are hips width apart but can be slightly wider; feel free to experiment
Also make sure to lift weight up out of your shoulders by pressing the mat away from you; isometrically push your hands down and forward towards the top of the mat.
Soften the elbows if you tend to hyper-extend into your joints.
Draw the shoulder blades onto the back and spread them away from your spine to open the chest.
If you feel like your spine is rounding bend your knees slightly to take the intensity out of the stretch in the back of your legs, this will allow the spine to open, creating a beautiful stretch into your lower back.
Press your stomach back towards your upper thighs and lift your tailbone a little higher
Hollow the belly between your lower ribs and hip bones by drawing the navel back to hug the spine
Relax your head and neck completely between your arms so that you are not straining your neck; find a steady gaze at the center of your mat somewhere between your hands and feet
Reach your heels all the way up off of the ground then slowly reach them towards the back of your mat as you allow them to fall heavy to the earth.
Strengthen the legs drawing your thigh muscles into the bone

Common Misalignments for Downward Dog:

Sinking too far into the shoulder joint. Tip: lift up out of the shoulders and draw the shoulder blades onto the back and away from the spine to increase the upper body’s ability to support the pose.
Lifting the head up in pose creates tension in the neck and compresses the vertebrae of the cervical spine; relax your head.

Rounding in the spine and upper back. See #14 above to modify the pose. Here is what the pose will look like when you apply the modification.

4. Extended Side Angle

Extended Side Angle pose, or Utthita Parsvakonasana in Sanskrit, strengthens the legs, lower back and the side body obliques in addition to providing a gentle lower back twist. Extended Side Angle is a therapeutic pose which can be used to relieve sciatic nerve pain and to help prevent osteoporosis.

Before you learn this pose please make sure that you feel completely comfortable in your Warrior II pose as it is the foundation for this pose.
Find your Warrior II pose with the RT leg forward Make sure to stay in the Warrior II alignment from your hips down:

Align the heel of your Right foot with the inner arch of your LT foot
Keep both feet active lifting the arches away from the ground
Bend your RT knee so that it is stacked directly above your ankle and aligned over your 2nd toe; keep your back leg straight
Hug muscle to bone in the arms and legs to support the weight of the body in the pose and to increase strength.
Your front thigh should be parallel to the floor without the knee pressing out over the ankle or toes, if this happens move your feet wider apart.
Bring your RT elbow to your knee creating length in the RT and LT side body

There is a straight line from the outer edge of your LT foot along the entire side of the body to the under arm; Make sure that you rounding in the side body or collapsing it onto the top of your thigh.
Stretch your Lt hand up to the ceiling to open the chest and shoulders.
Use your RT elbow to gently nudge the knee open towards the pinky toe
Bring even weight into the feet, both legs should be working together in this pose.
To create a slight twist in the lower back, which stimulates the abdominal organs and relieves lower back pain, roll your LT shoulder back as you push into the elbow slightly for leverage
Lift your inner thighs away from the floor and draw them in towards the tailbone to strengthen the pose
There are other arm variations offered in yoga classes as you advance your practice, have fun and explore them as they are offered using this as a foundation for proper alignment. This arm variation is modified so that proper alignment can be achieved before advancing.

Common misalignments of Extended Side Angle:

Knee not stacked directly above ankle which makes the pose less supported and in the long run more difficult to hold.
Sinking into the front leg hip socket to support the pose (letting the sitting bone slide back). This causes the whole pose to be less safe and less beneficial overall. Helpful tip: Slide the front leg upper thigh bone forward so that your sitting bone comes under you to support the pose. Pull the outer, upper hip of the back leg in towards the body; don’t let it push out towards the back of your mat.
Too much weight on the elbow making the pose heavy on the front leg and closed in the shoulders
Rounding, or collapsing, in the side body closest to the front leg thigh (in this case the LT side body). This makes the space between the ribs decrease which results as less space for the lungs making deep breathing an effort. The shoulders also collapse when the side body collapses.

5. Forward Fold

Forward Fold or otherwise referred to by it’s Sanskrit name, Uttanasa, is a restorative pose that calms the nervous system and aids digestion, stimulating the kidneys and liver. As we come into this mild inversion, bringing the head below the heart, blood comes into the brain nourishing the pineal and pituitary glands as well as the hypothalamus. These glands serve in the function of the endocrine system which influences almost every cell, organ and function in our bodies. Forward Fold will help to release tension in the lower back and spine and also gently stretches tight hamstrings when done correctly. This mild inversion yoga pose may also help to relieve the symptoms of asthma and sinusitis. Forward folds may also help those who suffer from: headaches, menopause, infertility
If you are doing this pose as yoga therapy hold for up to 3 minutes, build your way gradually to this, practicing on a daily basis for best results.

Bring your feet hips with apart, you can measure this by bringing two fists between your feet
Begin in a crouching pose with your finger tips on the ground aligned next to your toes and your stomach touching your thighs.
Slowly begin to lift your sitting bones up moving them away from the earth; make sure to keep a stomach to thigh connection as you ascend; you have straightened your legs too much if you feel your stomach lifting away from the upper thighs.
Your fingers also will not leave the ground, which means that your knees may stay bent quite a bit.
Severe lower back and hamstring tightness will cause the spine to round when the legs are straight in this pose putting extreme pressure on the lower lumbar spine. It is extremely important to bend your knees enough to take this pressure off of the spine. Keeping your stomach on the thighs and your fingers on the floor next to the toes is a great way to gauge how much you should straighten the legs.
Relax your head and neck so that the crown of your head is extending to the ground.
Allow your upper body to wrap onto your thighs so that your lower back muscles can lengthen, this will safely create space along the spine between each vertebrae which brings relief to the nervous system reducing the effects of stress, fatigue, anxiety, mild depression and aiding those who suffer from insomnia.

Common misalignments of Forward Fold:

Rounding spine which puts harmful strain on the discs of the lower back
Tip: See instruction #5 above

6. Half Lift

Half Lift, Urdha Uttanasana, is a pivotal transition used between poses in yoga during Sun Salutations to open the chest, create length in the spine and stretch the lower back muscles.
It may seem like there’s not much to this simple pose, however it is an amazing pose for the lower back, providing relief to many of the symptoms of back pain by lengthening the spine and stretching the sacrum and SI joint as well as the abdominal muscles and obliques. Forward Fold also prepares the body for the next pose which in Sun Salutations is generally a forward fold or a chaturunga so make sure that you are fully present and engaged in this transitional pose.

From a forward fold (make this a link to the forward fold video) push your palms onto your shins and lift your chest up bringing it parallel to the ground.
If your knees are bent in forward fold keep them bent in half lift to create more length along the spine.
Keep your neck neutral, neither lifting your chin nor tucking it.
Extend the crown of your head forward and lengthen the tailbone to the wall behind you
Your shoulders are the same height as your hips to create a table top back
Roll your shoulders back away from your ears and away from the floor
Draw the shoulder blades onto the back and towards your sitting bones and soften your heart towards the earth to create an opening in the chest.
To make this pose more active draw your navel up towards the spine, away from the floor, and lengthen your sitting bones to the back of the room as you actively push the hands into your shins

Common misalignments for half lift:

Rounding in the spine. This is common when the muscles in the back of the thighs, the hamstrings, are tight. Rounding the spine in the pose will put strain on the discs of the lower lumbar spine.

Tip: see #2 above to modify the pose

Hands not on shins. Placing the hands onto the shins with a little bit of a push helps to open the chest and shoulders creating length in the upper back spine which keeps the breath flowing.
Head lifting up. This causes strain in the neck and shoulders and compresses the discs of the cervical vertebrae. Tip: Keep your neck neutral, neither lifting or tucking your chin. Extend the crown of your head towards the front of the room creating a straight line along the spine to your tailbone.

7. Mountain Pose

Mountain Pose, or Tadasana, is the foundation from which all other poses are built upon. It is here that we bring the body into proper alignment and natural balance, awakening an inner state of stillness, quieting the mind, grounding our energy, and improving focus. Mountain pose gives an increased sense of balance and strengthens our equilibrium. Tadasana improves posture and awareness of the body’s right alignment strengthening our knees, and ankles which can help to prevent future injuries that can stem from weakness caused by misalignments which weaken the body.

Bring your feet hips width apart (which can be measured by bringing two fists between the feet)
Stand in a place of alignment beginning with your foundation
Soften your toes and root down into the four corners of the feet; big toe and pinky toe mounds at the base of the toes and the inside and outside corners of the heels.
Lift your arches up
Feel the alignment of the legs stacking above your feet; ankles directly above heels, knees above ankles, hips above knees
Take a moment to notice if your knees or ankles are falling inward towards the ground. If this is happening mindfully lift them, bringing your body back into proper alignment.
Gently tuck your tailbone down lengthening it towards the earth as you lift the crown of your head up towards the sky.
Turn your palms out facing them to the sides of the room and lift your chest up as you roll the shoulders back and down away from your ears
Lengthen the back of your neck

Sweep your arms straight up with the palms shoulder width apart facing each other
Turn your pinky fingers in a little to open and relax the shoulders
If your shoulders are still too tight you can modify by slightly bending the elbows and opening the arms
Find a steady point of focus with your gaze straight in front of you

8. Cobra

Cobra Pose, Bhujangasana in Sanskrit, is an extremely therapeutic pose for the lower back and spine. You can use this pose to strengthen your lower back muscles which will help stabilize and support the spine. If you have slipped or bulging disks in the lower back you may want to do this pose consistently until pain ceases before trying any Vinyasa or Power Yoga classes. Cobra can be used as a modification for Upward Facing Dog during Sun Salutations if there is any pain in the lower back. In addition to strengthening the lower back muscles Cobra pose offers a variety of healthy benefits such as opening the heart, chest and lungs which is therapeutic for asthma. Be mindful as you practice this pose and enter mild boundaries.

Lie down with your belly on your mat.
Bring your chin onto the floor
Take your hands to the ground with your palms down and the fingers pointing forward.
Slide your palms back so that your elbows stack directly above your wrists, this is an extremely important as it sets up proper alignment for a safe pose.
Make sure that your thumbs are next to the body
Draw your elbows in towards the spine and reach them back towards the hips allowing the chest to open, avoid letting the elbows bend out.
Bring your feet hips width apart and press into the tops of your feet with the toes pointing to the back of your mat.
Press the palms of your hands lightly down as you slowly peel your chest off of the earth.
Pull your hands back isometrically towards the hips to slide your lower ribs forward, creating space between the lower ribs and hips and draw the shoulders back towards the hips
Reach your heart forward and draw your shoulder blades in towards the spine
Drop the pubic bone down and extend your tailbone back to stabilize your hips
Keep your neck neutral as you extend the crown of the head forward
Engage your lower back muscles drawing them in to hug the spine and soften the belly
Breathe here for 1-3 min if you are using this pose for yoga therapy. You can begin with 3-5 breaths and work your way up taking breaks and doing several sets until you are able to hold the pose for a length of time.

Common misalignments in Cobra pose:

1. Lifting the head up. TIP: Keep your neck neutral, neither lift or tuck your chin too much. Gaze at the top of your mat.
2. Hands too far forward and too far away from the side of the body causing compression of the discs in the lower spine. This in combination with coming up too far can increase your risk for injury and pain.
3. Elbows splaying out away from the body. TIP: Stack your elbow directly above the wrist and keep your hands close to the ribcage. Draw the elbows in towards the body.

9. Utkatasana

Utkatasana, which is also referred to as chair or thunderbolt pose in english, strengthens the lower back, and legs and stimulates the circulatory and metabolic systems. Utkatasana is generally a pivotal point in a Power Yoga practice that prepares the legs for standing poses.

Bring your feet hips width apart which can be measured by bringing two fists between the feet.
Bend your knees and drop your hips down towards the floor.
Sweep your arms up so that your upper arms are next to your head.
Make sure to keep your knees above the ankles, don’t let them fall in towards the body as this will strain your knees.
Reach your chest forward and arms forward away from the hips.
As you continue to extend the heart forward, slide your hips back towards the wall behind you to create a balance of energy in the pose
Look down to make sure that your knees are not falling in or over bending, you should be able to see all ten toes
If your shoulders are tight you can open the arms by slightly bending the elbows.
Find a nice neutral spine with length in the back of your neck and in your lower back
Support the spine and lower back by drawing the navel in and drawing the tailbone down slightly without tucking it too much.
Make sure to stay focused when you are in this pose

Common misalignments in Utkatasana:

Bending the knees too far forward over the toes which strains the knees
Allowing the tail bone to lift up too far which makes the pose less supported in the lower back and can cause pain
Knees falling in towards each other which strains the knees

Option: You can do this pose with your feet together and your knees together. Standing with your feet hips width apart in this pose is a modification for those with tightness in their hamstrings. Sun Salutations should be done with the feet hips width apart for those who have tight hamstrings.

10. Upward Facing Dog

If you have an injured back or spine please speak with a medical professional before performing this posture. Cobra pose is a more restorative posture for those who suffer from spine and back injuries.
Upward facing dog, or otherwise referred to by its Sanskrit name Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, is commonly found in Vinyasa Yoga and Power Yoga classes and is also part of Sun Salutations. Upward Dog brings flexibility to the spine, opens the shoulders and heart, and increases strength in the arms and back

Lie down with your belly on your mat.
Bring your chin onto the mat
Bring your hands to the mat with your palms down and the fingers pointing forward.
Slide your palms back so that your elbows stack directly above your wrists, this is an extremely important as it sets up proper alignment for a safe pose.
Bring your thumbs next to the body and draw your elbows in towards the spine
Press into the tops of your feet with your toes pointing to the back of your mat
Press into the palms of your hands as you slowly begin to straighten your arms; lifting the chest, ribs and finally the stomach off of the earth.
Now that your arms are straight, look to see if the joints are stacked; shoulder above elbow, elbow above wrist. Carefully make any necessary adjustments to find proper alignment in the arms before continuing with the rest of the pose. It is extremely important that your hands are not in front of the shoulders and also that they are not wider apart than shoulder width, this can cause compression in the lower back spine.
Push down into your hands to lift up
Bring your shoulders down away from your ears creating length along the neckline and strength in your arms.
Pull your hands back isometrically towards your hips to create more space in the lower back
Reach your heart forward and draw your shoulders back, eventually hugging the shoulder blades closer together
Lift the crown of your head up and lengthen the tailbone back
Push into the tops of your feet and lift your knees off of the ground. As you do this make sure that your legs stay strong, drawing muscle into bone.

Common Misalignments in Upward Facing Dog:

Toes curled under. This causes the discs in the lower back spine to compress increasing risk for injury.
Tailbone lifting. When the tailbone is not actively tucking and extending towards the back of the mat discs in the lower back spine are compressed.
Shoulders up around ears. See # 9-12 above.
Hands too far forward and too far away from the body. See #3-9 above for proper alignment. When the hands are not in the proper placement then the joints of the arms don’t stack and the pose becomes dangerous for the discs in the lower back.

10. Reverse Warrior

Reverse Warrior strengthens and stretches and strengthens the side body. Reverse Warrior is a great counter stretch to Extended Side Angle pose. Before you learn this pose please make sure that you feel completely comfortable in your Warrior II pose as it is the foundation for this pose.
Find your Warrior II pose with the RT leg forward Make sure to stay in the Warrior II alignment from your hips down:

Align the heel of your Right foot with the inner arch of your LT foot
Keep both feet active lifting the arches away from the ground
Bend your RT knee so that it is stacked directly above your ankle and aligned over your 2nd toe; keep your back leg straight
Hug muscle to bone in the arms and legs to support the weight of the body in the pose and to increase strength.
Your front thigh should be parallel to the floor without the knee pressing out over the ankle or toes, if this happens move your feet wider apart.
Without twisting your shoulders, reach your RT arm up to the ceiling and your LT arm either down towards the ground or allow it to lightly rest on your back leg.
Make sure that you stay low in the front thigh, keeping your knee bent and above the ankle.
Lift your LT under arm up away from your hip and lower ribs staying long in the back side body.
As you continue to reach up create space between the ribs in the ribcage stretching the intercostal muscles of the ribcage and also opening tight psoas muscles.

Common misalignments in Reverse Warrior:

Reaching too far back with the high hand causing the back body ribs to collapse and strain in the spine
Putting too much weight on the back hand causing pressure on that knee
Front knee falling inward causing pressure on that knee and misalignment from the knee to the hip.