Yoga

Strength, flexibility, and calm — at your pace.

Seventeen essential poses, a 10-minute beginner flow, and the alignment cues that actually make a difference. No experience or flexibility required to start.

Try the 10-minute flowBrowse the poses
12 wks
Of practice to measure strength & flexibility gains
2–3x
Sessions per week recommended for beginners
10 min
Is enough to notice a calmer nervous system
1 mat
Is all the equipment you actually need
Before you start

Get the fundamentals right.

Most of what makes yoga feel good — or not — comes down to a handful of basics. Get these right before worrying about any individual pose.

  • All you need is a mat and clothes you can move in — no special gear required
  • Breathe through the nose, slow and steady — never hold your breath in a pose
  • Inhale as you lengthen or open; exhale as you fold or twist
  • Sensation is normal, sharp pain is not — ease out of anything that pinches or stabs
  • Keep a soft bend in the knees and elbows — locking joints strains them over time
  • Use a block, strap, or folded blanket wherever a pose feels out of reach
  • Progress comes from consistency, not from forcing a deeper stretch
  • New injury, pregnancy, or a chronic condition? Check with a doctor or a qualified instructor first
The flow

A 10-minute beginner sequence.

Seven poses, roughly a minute each, moving from standing to the floor. Move slowly — the breath cue is more important than the shape.

  1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana) — stand tall, feet hip-width apart, weight even across both feet. Five slow breaths to arrive.
  2. Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana) — on hands and knees, inhale as your belly drops and chest lifts, exhale as you round your spine. Repeat 6–8 times to warm up the back.
  3. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) — tuck toes, lift hips up and back. Bend your knees generously if your hamstrings are tight — a long spine matters more than straight legs.
  4. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) — lower to the mat, hands under shoulders, lift your chest using your back muscles, not your arms. Keep elbows slightly bent.
  5. Child's Pose (Balasana) — hips back toward your heels, arms extended or resting by your sides. A full minute here to let your nervous system catch up.
  6. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) — legs extended, hinge from the hips rather than rounding your lower back. Hands rest wherever they comfortably reach.
  7. Corpse Pose (Savasana) — lie flat, arms and legs relaxed, eyes closed. One full minute of doing nothing — this is where the practice integrates.

No need to rush

If ten minutes feels like a lot on day one, do the first three poses and Savasana. A short practice you repeat is worth more than a long one you dread.

The poses

Seventeen essential poses to learn.

Each one links to a full breakdown — step-by-step setup, alignment cues, common mistakes, and modifications.

Beginner

Mountain Pose

Tadasana

Improves posture and balance

Learn this pose
Beginner

Downward Dog

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Strengthens arms and legs

Learn this pose
Beginner

Warrior I

Virabhadrasana I

Strengthens legs, arms, and back

Learn this pose
Beginner

Tree Pose

Vrikshasana

Improves balance and stability

Learn this pose
Beginner

Child's Pose

Balasana

Calms the brain and relieves stress

Learn this pose
Beginner

Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana

Strengthens the spine

Learn this pose
Beginner

Warrior II

Virabhadrasana II

Strengthens legs and arms

Learn this pose
Intermediate

Triangle Pose

Trikonasana

Stretches and strengthens legs

Learn this pose
Beginner

Bridge Pose

Setu Bandhasana

Strengthens back and glutes

Learn this pose
Beginner

Seated Forward Bend

Paschimottanasana

Stretches spine and hamstrings

Learn this pose
Beginner

Cat-Cow Pose

Marjaryasana-Bitilasana

Warms up the spine

Learn this pose
Intermediate

Pigeon Pose

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Opens hip flexors

Learn this pose
Beginner

Plank Pose

Phalakasana

Strengthens core muscles

Learn this pose
Beginner

Corpse Pose

Savasana

Promotes deep relaxation

Learn this pose
Intermediate

Eagle Pose

Garudasana

Improves balance and focus

Learn this pose
Intermediate

Half Moon Pose

Ardha Chandrasana

Improves balance and coordination

Learn this pose
Intermediate

Fish Pose

Matsyasana

Stretches chest and throat

Learn this pose
Staying safe

The mistakes that cause most injuries.

Yoga has a reputation for being gentle, but most yoga injuries come from the same handful of avoidable habits — not from the poses themselves.

  • Forcing depth. Flexibility builds over months, not single sessions. Competing with yesterday's stretch — or someone else's — is the top cause of strains.
  • Collapsing the lower back. In backbends like Cobra or Bridge, lift through the chest and engage your glutes rather than cranking the neck back.
  • Hyperextending the knees. In standing poses, keep a micro-bend in the front knee rather than locking it straight under load.
  • Holding the breath. If you notice you've stopped breathing, you've gone past where your body is ready to be.
Why it works

The body and mind, trained together.

Yoga research generally falls into two buckets. On the physical side, randomized trials over 8–12 weeks show meaningful gains in flexibility, balance, and core and lower back strength — enough to meaningfully reduce chronic low back pain in several studies, on par with standard physical therapy. On the mental health side, the combination of slow movement with breath control (pranayama) reliably lowers self-reported stress and anxiety, likely through the same parasympathetic pathway engaged by meditation and slow breathing more broadly.

It's worth being precise about what the evidence supports: yoga is a well-studied complement to physical and mental health care, not a replacement for it. If you're managing a diagnosed condition, use it alongside — not instead of — your treatment plan.

Go deeper

Build a fuller practice.

Beginner's guide

Starting from zero — what to expect in your first weeks.

Read the guide

Yoga benefits

A closer look at what the research actually shows.

See the research

Yoga for back pain

A gentler sequence for chronic tightness and low back pain.

Explore poses

Yoga for flexibility

A progressive sequence for building range of motion safely.

Start stretching
Frequently asked

Quick answers about starting yoga.

No — flexibility is a result of practicing yoga, not a requirement for starting. Every pose above has a modification. Meet your body where it is today.
2–3 sessions a week is enough to notice physical change within a couple of months. A short daily practice, even 10 minutes, tends to build the habit faster than longer, less frequent sessions.
Just a mat. Blocks, straps, and bolsters are useful but optional — a stack of books or a folded towel can usually substitute.
Often, yes, with modifications — but check with your doctor or physical therapist first, and tell any instructor about the injury so they can adjust poses for you.
Either works. Morning practice tends to build consistency and energize the day; evening practice tends to unwind tension before sleep. Pick whichever you will actually keep doing.
It depends on your goals. Yoga builds meaningful strength, balance, and mobility, but if you're training for pure cardiovascular fitness or heavy strength gains, it works best alongside other exercise, not as a full replacement.

Roll out the mat, begin where you are.

Pick one pose or the full 10-minute flow. Progress comes from showing up again, not from any single session.

Try the 10-minute flowBeginner's guide