Easy Yoga Poses for Beginners

Before you start

Practise on an empty-ish stomach, wear clothing you can move in, and never push into sharp pain. Yoga should feel like effort and stretch, not pinching or burning. Breathe through the nose steadily; if your breath becomes ragged, ease off.

Eight beginner poses

Move slowly through each pose and hold for five slow breaths unless stated otherwise.

• Mountain pose: stand tall, feet hip width, shoulders relaxed. Sets your alignment.
• Cat-cow: on hands and knees, alternate arching and rounding the spine for eight rounds.
• Downward dog: hips high, knees softly bent, heels reaching toward the floor.
• Low lunge: one foot forward, back knee down, chest lifted, hips sinking gently.
• Child's pose: knees wide, hips back to heels, forehead resting down.
• Cobra: lying face down, press lightly through hands to lift the chest, elbows soft.
• Bridge: on your back, feet flat, lift hips and squeeze the glutes.
• Seated forward fold: legs long, hinge from the hips with a soft bend in the knees.

The 15-minute beginner flow

Begin with two minutes of seated breathing. Then cat-cow, downward dog, low lunge on each side, back to downward dog, child's pose, cobra, bridge, seated forward fold. Finish lying on your back for two minutes of stillness. That final rest is part of the practice, not an optional extra.

Common beginner mistakes

Beginners tend to hold their breath, lock their joints, and compare their range to someone else's. Depth in a pose is irrelevant; alignment and steady breathing are what create the benefit.

• Bend your knees in downward dog and forward folds rather than rounding the back.
• Keep the neck long instead of craning to look forward.
• Use blocks, cushions or a wall without embarrassment.

How to progress

Practise three or four times a week for a month before adding harder poses. Flexibility improves through frequency, not through single heroic sessions. Once the flow feels comfortable, add a second round or hold each pose for eight breaths.