Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners

The term Yoga can be defined as the summation of activities of body, speech and mind. In spiritual terms, yoga is the cause of karmic influx or asrava. In the modern world, Yoga poses have become popular for the health benefits it offers. It has also become a popular form of exercise in Western countries along with Eastern nations. The yoga exercises are not limited for adults to perform. There are many yoga poses which can help kids in having fit mind and body. Few of the basic yoga poses for beginners are explained in the article below.

Basic Yoga Postures for Beginners


The following yoga postures for beginners would help in learning its basics. These poses would help in keeping the body flexible and maintain the tone of muscles.

Sukhasana/Easy Position


It is one of the easiest poses to achieve. The affix, ‘sukh’ attached to the name of this poses means pleasure. In short, this pose doesn’t stretch the body. It just helps in concentrating on breathing. One has to sit cross-legged in this pose and place the hands on knees. The spine should be maintained in a straight position and one should take 5-10 slow and deep breaths. One can also try the following technique: raising the arms while inhaling and lowering them down at the time of exhalation. This pose helps in strengthening the muscles of hip and lower back.

Bhujangasana/The Cobra


To perform this exercise, one has to first lie on the stomach. Arms should be placed at sides of the body and legs kept together. Palms need to be placed close to the chest.

• In the first step, one should raise the head as high as possible. Lower back is to be supported by keeping the buttocks tight.


• In the process of raising head and supporting the back, one should open up the chest.


• In this position, the spinal cord is stretched. One should breath slowly for several times in this pose.


• After breathing for a while, one should lower the head to its original position.


• The head should again be raised as per the earlier procedure. The only difference or change to be made this time is raising/supporting the body on arms.


• The spinal cord is stretched even more by this procedure. It is however, recommended to stretch the spine only till the point at which one feels comfortable.


• The one thing to be kept in mind while performing this exercise is that, the pelvis should never be raised above the ground surface.

Yoga Breathing for Beginners


Nadi Shodhana or alternate nostril-breathing is the best breathing exercise to begin with. One should sit in a cross-legged position to perform this breathing exercise. The index and middle finger of the right hand should be folded. The thumb, ring finger and the pinky comes into play in this breathing exercise. The following instructions would act as a guide in the process of performing the breathing exercise.

• Thumb should be used to close the right nostril. One should inhale with the left nostril.


• The next step is to close left nostril with the ring finger and pinky. As the left nostril gets closed, exhalation by right nostril takes place.


• This process should be repeated 5-10 times.

Standing Yoga Poses for Beginners


The following yoga poses can be attained while standing.

Tadasana/Mountain


The tadasana or mountain is a good standing pose for beginners. This yoga pose helps in improving the body balance, posture and awareness. This yoga pose may apparently seem to be an easy; however, trying it out reveals the efforts needed to perform it properly. One should stand in such a manner that the feet are placed together. To begin with, one should stand on his toes. The heels need to be lifted in the air. The pubic bone should be shifted slightly forward and chest raised upwards & outwards. The hands need to be raised above the head. One should breath slowly for 5-10 times in this position and lower the body.

Chandrasana/Crescent Moon


This pose can be achieved by standing in the tadasana or mountain pose. In this pose, the feet should be placed on the ground firmly; unlike the tadasana pose, heels need to touch the ground. The fingers of hands should be interlaced and the index finger pointed upwards. Body should be arched to the left while the right hip is pressed out to the side. This pose should be attained along with exhalation. One should hold on to this position for 2-6 breaths. Then the body should be brought back to the original position. The same exercise should then be repeated on the other side of the body.



The other yoga poses that can be attained in a standing position are Garudasana/Eagle, Utkatasana/Chair, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana/Extended Hand to Toe, etc.



To attain/achieve basic yoga poses for beginners mentioned in the paragraphs above, one should pay attention to the instructions properly. If one is not sure how to do the exercise, he/she must seek expert guidance.

Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners