As Doctors we write about evidence- based facts and with that in mind select products we believe to be the best for our readers. Thelifestylecure.com is a participant of the amazon associates program and we may earn a very small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Below you will find 11 of some of the absolute best yoga poses for beginners. However, first lets begin by discussing my initial feelings about yoga and how hesitant I was in the very beginning.
Table of Contents
MY YOGA JOURNEY AS A BEGINNER
I actually strongly disliked yoga for the last few years.
I found it to be everything that I wasn’t. This despite the fact that it originated in India and I am the daughter of two immigrant parents from India. It had this preppy yet hippy atmosphere of mostly lean and bra-sporting women who started each class by being in some weird concocted position and ended each class by saying “namaste”.
Cut to a few years later and I can now say that I feel like I fit into that atmosphere quite comfortably. Despite the fact that I am neither preppy nor hippy and cannot contort my body (yet!) into any weird positions.
The secret is that I simply got comfortable with being uncomfortable, which I think is a good anecdote for life itself. It’s important to force yourself out of your comfort zone in order to grow, change and also be a part of the change.
Plus it makes you feel good when you conquer something, anything in life. Now back to yoga. I knew the first step would be to attend a class. But before I actually got myself into a yoga studio, I decided that the best thing to do beforehand was a little research.
So like I mentioned beforehand, before showing you the best yoga poses for beginners, I wanted to take some time to share with you all I have learnt about yoga.
YOGA RESEARCH PROS AND CONS
The good news is that research shows how good yoga is for improving lower back pain. And also how excellent it is for reducing inflammation in the body.
Research also shows that regular yoga practice can make you more self-aware of your body.
For example, how shallow your breath may be can indicate that you are feeling anxious in the moment and focus you to breath for deeply with intention.
Now the not so good news (I wouldn’t consider this to be bad news, more like a work in progress). There really hasn’t been that many good, substantial, highly validated studies done on the effects of yoga.
Sure there have been many claims made about how it is ridding your body of toxins and how well it helps with your digestion. But I think that is, honestly more of people’s personal experiences rather than based on research itself.
Most studies done on yoga and its benefits are not easily generalizable because they consist of small study groups.
Plus the gold standard in research is considered to be a randomized control trial (RCT), and it is hard to use this method on yoga specifically because you need to have one experimental group and one control group.
Bottom line is that although there are studies out there including some RCTs on the benefits of yoga, they unfortunately only consist of small study groups. And there has not been any follow up over a 20+ years in order to scientifically determine the effect of yoga practice on health.
What we can conclude: yoga improves lower back pain, helps form a better mind to body connection and most importantly wards off inflammation in the body.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AS A YOGA BEGINNER
Question 1: Why even do yoga to begin with?
Answer 1: Because it is extremely good for you, especially as we age. I’ve have noticed positive effects on my mind and body in such a short amount of time.
The mind to body connection really makes you take a step back from your hectic day/life. Effectively allowing you to breathe, recollect, and then surmount the day again.
Question 2: Why is yoga good for you?
Answer 2: Yoga is defined as a mind-body practice composed of physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation.
The answer is in the definition itself. It makes you feel stronger, teaches you how to breathe with control, and allows you to tap into the power of your unconsciousness mind all at the same time. That’s a powerful drug without the negative side effects.
Question 3: When will I become an advanced yogi?
Answer 3: It shouldn’t matter to you how long it takes. Life is too short to be focused on the ‘what if’s?’ of the world. Just do your best because that’s all that matters in the end.
Master the following poses (or as they are known in Sanskrit as asanas) by giving yourself grace and time.
I personally feel like the best yoga poses for beginners to begin with are the ones found under a commonly performed yoga series called Sun Salutations.
As stated by the American Council of Exercise, sun salutations or surya (sun) namaskar (form of greeting) are a set of postures or poses that are done together in order to salute/honor the sun. In India this was and still is an important aspect of life, as it is the sun that sustains all life on earth.
As a beginner yogi the only suggestion I would make is to invest in a great yoga mat! I actually found this out the hard way and unfortunately purchased a yoga mat that didn’t feel great. And actually resulted in me slipping while performing even the most basic pose.
Below is a sequence of 11 yoga poses for beginners to get your inner yogi on!
1) Mountain Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Begin by standing straight and having your feet as close to one another as comfortably possible.
- Make sure your knees have a slight bend in them and your chest is upright.
- Let your arms hang loose off to the sides of your body and have your shoulders go up, back and down naturally.
- Proper alignment is crucial in this pose even though it may seem simple.
- You should be able to form a line from your shoulders, sacrum and heels (stand against a wall for practice).
- Check out yogabykarina for more details!
2) Swan Dive Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Begin by bending the knees a little more and taking your arms in a sweeping motion above
- your head with your fingers spread far apart while looking up towards the sky, as if you were reaching for the sun.
- Now leading with the chest, swing your arms out towards the side of your body like a lever as you hinge at your hips and take a swan dive towards the floor.
- For more information check out sequencewiz.org
3) Forward Fold Yoga Pose For Beginners
- From the swan dive, you want to let your head hang down with your arms and hands extending to your shins or toes if possible.
- Do this move with bending at your knees so as to release pressure from your lower back.
- Note that you should try and relax your head, neck and shoulders at this point.
- Breathe.
- And if you want to find out other yoga poses for beginners along with this one, yogajournal is amazing for that!
4) Kneeling Lunge Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Try and take a step back into a lunge.
- Keep your knee on the floor in the beginning and as you get comfortable, start to raise it off the floor into a proper lunge position.
- The knee that is in the front and bent should be directly over the ankle with the heel flat.
- From here you can either place your hands on the mat, thigh or reach them high above you with arms extended.
- Push your pelvis forward and keep your shoulders down and back.
- Find out more at yogainternational.
5) Kneeling Plank Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Place both hands on the floor underneath your shoulders with your fingers spread out.
- Start to take your front leg and step it back so that both knees are bent on the floor.
- While keeping your abs braced and shoulders down, press your thighs together and squeeze your glutes.
- Keep your chin tucked and lengthen through the crown of your head and tailbone.
- For more plank modifications for yoga poses for beginners, check out yogalily.
6) Modified Cobra (Sphinx) Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Lower yourself to the ground so that your elbows are bent at your sides but your chest is still lifted and only your hips on the floor.
- Keep your abs braced but relax the rest of your body as you press up by extending your spine and lengthening through the head.
- Do not tilt your head back, keep it in line with your spine.
- Press up to the point that you are comfortable. Proper form is the most important take away.
- Greater details can be found at yogabasics.
7) Downward Dog Yoga Pose For Beginners
- One of the most well-known poses in yoga.
- Begin by tucking your toes under and lifting your hips into the sky as you press through your hands and feet.
- You should be in an inverted V shape right now.
- Make sure that your ears are aligned between your arms, your shoulders are away from your ears and that your neck is forming a straight line with your spine.
- You can keep your heels off the ground and bend your knees as much as needed.
- There is no right or wrong way to do this pose. The goal is too feel relaxed.
- For tips and benefits of this pose go to gaia.
8) Child’s Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Press up into kneeling plank and drop your body back so that you are sitting on your shins with arms out in front of you.
- Spread your fingers and feel the floor beneath you.
- For more about this great pose follow verywellfit.
9) Kneeling Lunge Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Step forward into a kneeling lunge just like before.
- Try to use the same leg that you began with earlier and move it around until your foot is in alignment with you knee.
- There is no rush to perfect the pose so please take your time.
- For adjustments and modifications see gaia.
10) Forward Fold Yoga Pose For Beginners
- From there you should step the other foot forward, so that both feet are placed close to one another and your hips are in the air.
- Keep your knees bent if that feels more comfortable to you; you do not need to touch the floor with your hands.
- Try and see if you can have your lower part of the abdomen rest on your thighs.
- You can also do what is called a half lift where you place your hands on thighs and extend through the crown of your head.
- Benefits are discussed at rishikulyogshala.
11) Chair Yoga Pose For Beginners
- Now with your feet hip distance apart, keep all your weight in your heels and have your abs braced as you slowly try and lower your hips.
- For support, you can place your hands on your legs.
- If not, reach them forward to help you stabilize as you lower into the pose if possible.
- Variety of yoga poses for beginners at yogabasics.
Repeat each pose as many times as you would like. It is important to breathe throughout the movement and then to take 4-5 deep breathes (if possible) while maintaining the pose itself.
Feel free to modify and/or skip moves that you are not comfortable with. This is your practice and should be done at your own comfort level.
For more on yoga check out:
Morning Yoga Stretches: Secrets To Waking Up Happier!
Top 11 Weight Loss Yoga Poses! For Beginners
Top 11 Hip Opening Yoga Poses For Flexibility And Pain Relief!
