Yoga for Beginners: 5 Poses to Start Your Practice

You don’t need to be flexible to start

The biggest myth about yoga is that you need to touch your toes before your first class. You don’t. Yoga meets you where you are and gradually opens the body.

Five foundational poses

• Mountain pose (Tadasana) — grounding and posture.
• Downward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) — full-body stretch.
• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) — leg strength and focus.
• Child’s pose (Balasana) — rest and lower-back release.
• Corpse pose (Savasana) — the final relaxation.

A 10-minute beginner flow

1. 1 min: mountain pose, steady breathing.
2. 2 min: cat-cow, slow spinal waves.
3. 2 min: downward dog, pedal the feet.
4. 2 min: warrior II on each side.
5. 1 min: child’s pose.
6. 2 min: corpse pose.

The pose you can hold is the pose that matters. Comparison is the enemy of practice.

Common questions