7 Beginner Yoga Poses to Try at Home

Yoga can look intimidating when your only picture of it is a stranger folded like origami. In reality, a handful of effortless poses held for a few slow breaths can ease stiff shoulders, loosen tight hips and quiet a busy mind. You do not need to be flexible to begin; flexibility is something yoga builds over time.

Below are seven beginner-friendly poses, each with clear setup steps, how long to hold, and a modification if the full version feels like too much. At the end, you will find a short flow that links them together in about ten minutes. All you need is a mat or a non-slip patch of floor.

1. Mountain pose

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, weight evenly spread across both feet. Lengthen your spine, relax your shoulders away from your ears and let your arms hang with palms facing forward. Hold for 5 slow breaths. It may look like standing, but it teaches alignment you will use in every other pose.

2. Cat-cow

Start on hands and knees with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Inhale, drop your belly and lift your chest; exhale, round your spine and tuck your chin. Move slowly for 8 to 10 rounds. It warms the spine and is often a relief for a stiff back. If your wrists complain, rest on your forearms.

3. Downward-facing dog

From hands and knees, tuck your toes and lift your hips up and back. Keep your knees as bent as you like; the goal is a long spine, not straight legs. Press the floor away and hold for 5 breaths. Pedal your feet to loosen tight calves and hamstrings.

Tip: If your shoulders feel pinched, bring your hands slightly wider and spread your fingers.

4. Low lunge

Step your right foot forward between your hands, lower your left knee to the mat, and slide it back until you feel a stretch in the front of your left hip. Keep your front knee over your ankle. Hold for 5 breaths each side. Pad under the back knee with a folded blanket if needed.

5. Child's pose

Sit back on your heels with knees wide and reach your arms forward, forehead toward the floor. Rest here for 8 to 10 breaths. This is the pose to return to any time you need a break. If your hips do not reach your heels, place a pillow between them.

6. Cobra

Lie on your stomach with hands under your shoulders and elbows tucked in. Press gently through your hands to lift your chest a few inches, keeping your hips on the floor and neck long. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, then lower. Use only as much lift as feels comfortable in your lower back; a low sphinx pose on your forearms is a gentler option.

7. Seated forward fold

Sit with legs extended and a little bend in the knees. Hinge from your hips, not your waist, and walk your hands toward your feet. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths. Place a folded towel under your hips or loop a belt around your feet if reaching is hard.

A ten-minute flow

Move through the sequence below with one breath for each movement transition and longer holds in the poses you like most.

1. Mountain pose, 5 breaths.
2. Cat-cow, 10 rounds.
3. Downward-facing dog, 5 breaths.
4. Low lunge, 5 breaths each side.
5. Cobra, 3 breaths, twice.
6. Child's pose, 8 breaths.
7. Seated forward fold, 8 breaths.
8. Lie on your back for 1 minute of rest, eyes closed.

How to practice safely

• Breathe through your nose. If you cannot, ease out of the pose.
• Stretch to a point of mild tension, never sharp pain.
• Practice on an empty-ish stomach, about two hours after a meal.
• Avoid bouncing in any stretch.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Locking your knees in standing poses.
• Forcing depth instead of building it across weeks.
• Comparing yourself to photos or videos of advanced practitioners.
• Skipping the final rest, which is where your body absorbs the practice.

If you are pregnant, have high blood pressure, glaucoma, or an injury, talk to your doctor before starting. Otherwise, roll out your mat, pick two or three poses, and give yourself permission to be a beginner.