Yoga Asanas (Poses)

Our Yoga Asana blog has everything you need to know about yoga asanas (poses).

Whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been practicing for a long time, we have something for you to learn here.

We’ll provide warm-up sequences, in-depth instructions on how to get into different postures and even the ‘why’ behind each pose.

Beyond that, we’ll talk about the benefits of specific poses and how you can use them to enhance your life, no matter your level of practice.

For those who are planning to do the yoga teacher training in India, we have prepared short videos series of asanas sequences to prepare your body before the course. You can start with this yoga warm-up sequence first and then follow the Yoga Stretches for Beginners to Yogis of All Levels.

It’s important to know different ways of getting into each pose in order to practice them safely. While yoga is very healthy and holds an array of benefits, it can be a strenuous practice, one that, when not practiced with care, can lead to injury.

That’s why we have an entire section dedicated to the asana practice. For students looking to learn more about the different ways to get into poses and teachers looking for modifications and alternatives to different poses, you’re in the right place.

Arm Balancing Yoga Poses

These are the yoga poses that really build upper body and core strength! Arm-balancing poses have become very popular on social media as an athletic feat, but they’re also a great way to build balance, confidence, and connection between the different parts of the body. Some of them are pretty tricky, but most are easily modified for all skill levels. Give them a try and don’t be afraid of losing your balance. That means they’re working!

Bakasana (Crane Pose)

Mayurasana (Peacock Pose)

Phalakasana (Plank Pose)

Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose)

Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose or One Arm Balancing Pose)

Tolasana (Scale or Lifted Lotus Pose)

Eka Hasta Bhujasana or Eka Pada Bhujasana (Elephant Trunk Pose)

Kakasana (Crow Pose)

Backward Bend Yoga Poses

Open your heart and enliven your breath with our collection of exhilarating backward bending poses! Backward bends stretch the abdomen and the ribcage, which helps to invigorate the breath. When performed with control, backbends can also build incredible power and control in the legs, and help to give you the confidence to conquer your fears both on and off the mat.

Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose)

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Camatkarasana (Flip Dog or Wild Thing Pose)

Chakrasana/Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose/Upward Bow)

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Dwi Pada Viprita Dandasana (Upward Facing Two-Foot Staff Pose)

Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

Balancing Yoga Poses

Our balance is one of the most important factors in staying mobile and healthy throughout our lives and well into old age. Yoga is full of unique and challenging poses that test our balance and help us to develop laser-like focus. They also fine-tune the support muscles of the abdomen, lower back, hands, and feet!

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance OR Dancing Shiva Pose)

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand-to-Big Toe Pose)

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)

Vriksasana or Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Core Yoga Poses

The core connects the different parts of the body to one another and learning how to control your core will help you move with confidence and grace. Though they aren’t as visible as the big glamour muscles of the legs and arms, our core gives us the stability we need to run, jump, climb, crawl and dance safely. They are probably the most important muscles for maintaining healthy mobility as we age, and yoga is one of the best ways to keep them strong!

Navasana (Boat Pose)

Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana (Dolphin Plank Pose)

Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Pose)

Anantasana (Sleeping Vishnu or Side Reclining Leg Lift Pose)

Forward Bend Yoga Poses

Forward bends stimulate the body's natural recovery mechanisms and relax the nervous system. They obviously provide a stretch to the back of the body, but when done intelligently, they tone and strengthen the abdomen, hips and back as well. Forward bends can range from relatively passive poses like Passchimotanasana, to incredibly active poses like Bakasana, or Crane Pose.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Half Forward Bend)

Janu Sirsasana (Head-To-Knee Pose)

parsvottanasana intense side stretch pose

Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch or Pyramid Pose)

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend Pose)

Padangusthasana (Big Toe Pose)

Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend Pose)

Inversion Yoga Poses

Let’s get upside down! Inverted poses can be a little bit scary, but with a bit of practice, they are some of the most fun and the most meditative poses in yoga. They develop the razor-sharp focus of the mind and help to maintain balance and equilibrium. They deliver blood to the upper portions of the lungs which improves the efficiency of the respiration and helps maintain healthy lung tissue. Most importantly, they invert our perspective and encourage us to look at things in a fresh, new way.

Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand Pose)

Viparita Karani (Half Shoulder Stand)

Relaxation Yoga Poses

It has been said that the four pillars of optimal health are diet, exercise, sleep, and relaxation. Many of us pay attention to the first three but often overlook relaxation but in many ways, it may be the most important one! Stress depresses our immune system and is linked to most forms of inflammatory disease, but Yoga has the solution with a wide variety of relaxation techniques to help you take control of your nervous system and relax!

Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose)

Balasana (Child’s Pose)

Pawanmuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Shashankasana (Rabbit Pose)

Supta Kapotasana (Reclining Pigeon Pose)

Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)

Seated Yoga Poses

Turn your gaze inward and build an intelligent balance between activation and surrender with seated poses. Seated poses are naturally meditative and are easily held for long periods which makes them ideal for conditioning the connective tissues of the body, which in turn allows muscles to lengthen and grow.

Agnistambhasana (Fire Log OR Double Pigeon Pose)

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose or Butterfly Pose)

Dandasana (Staff Pose Or Base Pose)

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)

Hanumanasana/Purna Hanumanasana (Monkey Pose/Full Monkey Pose)

Krounchasana (Heron Pose)

Malasana (Squat or Garland Pose)

Parighasana (Gate Pose)

Standing Yoga Poses

Build strength, confidence, and control with our exhaustive collection of standing yoga poses! Standing poses to build the foundation for deeper and more complex yoga poses and set up patterns of alignment and engagement that can help to build strong, sustainable mobility throughout your life. Most of these poses are ideal for beginners and are constantly refined as one progresses in their practice.

Tadasana or Samasthiti (Mountain Pose)

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)

Utkata Konasana (Fierce Angel or Goddess Pose)

Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)

Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)

Twist Yoga Poses

Twisting stimulates the internal organs, improves digestion, and maintains the mobility of the spine. These are some of the most exhilarating poses in yoga and most are easily accessible with a little bit of practice. Twisting poses expose the deep connection between all parts of our body, and we often notice that subtle movements in our legs and arms have a large effect on the depth of our twist.