10 Yoga Asanas/Poses for beginners

These 10 Yoga asanas/poses are a great way to start if you are new to yoga. Yoga is an excellent way to build physical and mental strength and these guidelines will help you confidently do yoga and that too with ease.

Key to progress is practice, if you practice regularly then your body will become stronger and your awareness will also increase. As you gain more strength and become more aware, you will be able to do more difficult and challenging yoga asanas/poses.

Best 10 Yoga Asanas/Poses for Beginners

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

The word Tada means mountain and that’s how the name came. This pose is the base for all kind of standing poses. It may seem easy but this asana involves major muscle groups and helps improve focus and concentration.

Steps to do Tadasana:

• Stand erect with your toes together and heels slightly apart. Place your arms beside your body.
• Now slowly spread your toes apart and place weight evenly on both feet.
• Flex your thigh muscles and along with that relax your shoulders.
• As you inhale, stretch your upper body and raise your shoulders. While you exhale relax your shoulders.
• If you can, join your hands and place it in your front of chest (prayer position), or else you can just rest them by your side.

Tip: Check your alignment by standing against a wall.

2. Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Vrks means tree and this is an excellent pose for practicing balance. This exercise is good for improving your focus and makes your mind more lucid. By looking at this pose you can say that it resembles to tree.

Steps to do Vrskasana:

• Start by standing erect with your feet joined together.
• Now, raise your right leg and place it on inner side of your left thigh.
• Join both of your hands and raise it over your head. If you are not able to raise your hand then you can place your joined hands in front of your chest in prayer position.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds and change the position of the legs and then repeat above steps.

Tip: If you are not able to stand or not able to maintain balance, then you can take support of wall by leaning your back on it.

3. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Tri means three and kona means side, thus trikona – triangle. The way you take this pose resembles a triangle. This asana/pose has benefits like you will get good stretch to your waist, it will strengthen your legs and tone your body. Additionally, when in this posture you will also open up your lungs.

Steps to do Trikonasana:

• Stand with your legs apart and then stretch your right leg by 90 degrees. While stretching your legs see to that you are balanced and feet firm to ground with weight equally distributed amongst both legs.
• Take a deep breathe and slowly exhale, while you exhale touch your right hand to ankle or toe of your right leg, while you get your right hand to touch ankle or toe raise your left hand straight up in the air.
• With both hands stretched, move your forehead in the direction of left hand or hand which is overhead.
• Hold this posture for 5 to 10 breathes and release this position while inhaling and repeat above steps with opposite direction.

Tip: If you feel unsteady or if you are losing balance then you can take support of wall by placing heel of your back feet.

4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose 1)

Warrior pose is extremely good and easy posture to build strength and stamina. This pose is really good for building confidence, strengthen your core, thighs and back.

Steps to do Virabhadrasana I:

• Stand in Mountain Pose and with slight exhale lightly jump and move your feet apart.
• Raise your hands above and join your palms.
• Turn your left foot in 45 degrees or 60 degrees to the right and take out your right foot to 90 degrees. See to that your left and right heel are aligned.
• Slowly exhale and rotate your torso towards the right side.
• Hold your left foot firmly to the ground and bend your right knee. See to that both feet are firm to ground.
• To come out of the posture, press back heel to the ground and reach out to your arms while straightening your other leg out of bend.
• Turn the feet forward and rest your arms down. Repeat above steps with left leg.

Tip: While bending the front knee you may bend lower torso forward, if this is the case then stretch your back foot more.

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Dog Facing Pose)

Downward-Dog Facing Pose is the most practiced yoga pose and this posture is really good for strengthening whole body. At most of the yoga classes this will be the first pose you may learn. In complex yoga postures this pose act as a transition pose or a resting pose.

Steps to do Adho Mukha Svanasana:

• Get down on floor with both your hands and knees. Your hands should be slightly ahead of your shoulders and knees should be below your hips.
• Spread your hands wide and firmly press index finger and thumb on ground. This will help you get grip and remain stable.
• Exhale and lift your knees. While you lift your knees raise your lower torso too.
• Straighten your legs as much as you can and to avoid slipping add a bit of pressure towards heels.
• Keep your head between your arms and facing your knees. See to that your back remains straight.
• Hold this posture for 5 to 10 breathes.

Tip: If you are finding it difficult to get out of this posture then you can use a small chair or any blocks to raise your hands off the floor and easily get out of the posture.

6. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is mostly practiced with Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog). This posture is really good to increase upper-body strength and gives a good stretch to your upper torso.

Steps to do Urdhva Mukha Svanasana:

• Lie down on your stomach and stretch your legs back with sole facing upwards.
• Bend your elbows and put your palms beside your waist.
• Take a deep breathe and straighten your hands by pressing them on the ground. While you straighten your arms, lift your chest up.
• Now, pull your shoulders back and tilt your head above. This will give a nice stretch to your chest.
• Hold this posture for 5 to 10 breathes.

Tip: While doing this pose you may tend to slouch your shoulders which can put pressure on your neck. See to that your shoulders are straight.

7. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold Pose)

Seated forward fold pose is the best yoga pose for beginners to try something challenging. With this posture you get a good stretch to your hamstrings, lower and upper back and sides.

Steps to do Paschimottanasana:

• Sit down floor with legs stretched forward and raise your arms and stretch them.
• Extend your arms forward and try reaching your feet.
• Contract your gut and try to raise your chest.
• Hold this posture for 10 breathes.

Tip: While doing this posture if you feel any kind of sharp pain then you should immediately release the pose. If you cannot keep your legs straight then you may bend your legs as long as the feet remains flexed and are together.

8. Setubandhasana (Bridge Pose)

It is said that Setubandhasana is a bridge that connects our body and mind. This pose is opposite to forward bend pose. Bridge pose is a good back bend for beginners that stretches your front body while strengthening the back.

Steps to do Setubandhasana:

• Lay down on your back and fold your knees. Keep some distance between your feet.
• Push your feet on the ground and lift your body up from the knee. Use your arms to give support and provide extra push by placing them straight on the ground.
• Hold this posture for 10 breathes and then lower your body. Repeat above steps for 5 times.

Tip: You can keep pillow below your lower back to make it easy while releasing the posture.

9. Balasana (Child Pose)

Balasana is a resting pose that stretches your lower body while relieving stress and tension. Child pose is one of the excellent pose for beginners and it is also good resting pose for expert yogis too.

Steps to do Balasana:

• Start by kneeling down on floor and lock your toe finger together. Keep some distance between your knees.
• Lay your abdomen between your thighs and rest your forehead on floor.
• Rest your arms in open position and spread them in front of your forehead.
• Rest in this position for 5 to 10 breathes. To release this posture, gently rise back from the torso.

Tip: You can keep a blanket below your knees and head for a little bit of cushion.

10. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Savasana is the best asana to end your yoga session. This is the most easy asana any person can do physically but, you need to be mentally focused while relaxing.

Steps to do Savasana:

• Lie down your back and slightly spread your legs.
• Spread open your arms and your palms should be facing upwards.
• Relax and breathe naturally.
• Stay in this position for 10 minutes and focus on one thought.

Tip: If you are not able to focus on one thought or your mind keeps wandering then you should focus on your breathing.

Practice these 10 yoga asanas/poses for beginners regularly and definitely you will see results. Share your thoughts and experience in comments about the yogasanas which you have tried.