10 Yoga Poses for Beginners that will Give you Countless Benefits (2024)

Start your yoga journey! Discover 12 basic yoga poses with pictures in our complete guide.

What offers so many benefits and is fun to do? Yoga!

Think of yoga as natural medicine for the mind and body, thanks to its healing properties and health benefits. Yoga is something natural and totally free that you can do right now to improve your general well-being.

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The benefits of these yoga poses for beginners include:

• Lessened anxiety
• Better digestion
• Improved balance
• Relieved menstrual discomfort
• Reduces headache and fatigue
• Helps asthma
• Relives symptoms of menopause

So many different yoga poses are perfect for beginners that I’ve listed below. When practiced regularly these poses will lead you to explore more advanced yoga positions. Beyond what we’ve listed below, you would also check out Yoga International. This website connects yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda lovers with teachers so they can learn and deepen their practice.

If you are looking to learn more beginner yoga poses other than the ones below, visit Yoga Download. They have amazing yoga classes you can download or stream right on your phone. They even have an app.

For these poses you should be deep breathing and relaxing the muscles in your body. Do some quick research on yoga poses before starting. You can get a yoga mat, but understanding the proper form helps you get the most out of them.

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12 Yoga Poses for Beginners

1. Diamond Thunderbolt Yoga Pose (Vajrasana)

Benefits: This pose helps regulate blood circulation in your pelvic area and aids in digestion.

How to do it: The position is basically sitting down on your legs with your heels touching your bottom. Just make sure your back is at 90 degrees from the floor. You should hold this pose for two minutes.

2. Gracious Pose (Bhadrasana)

This pose straightens your body and improves alignment.

How to do it: This pose has you sitting down with your legs apart and feet touching each other. The pose is similar to a prayer position. Relax your head, neck and spine. Hold for as long as your comfortable.

3. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Benefits: This pose is therapeutic for asthma, stretching, improves menstrual variations.

How to do it: For this one you will lay on your stomach with your forehead resting on floor to start. Stretching your arms, press the top half of your feet against the floor while placing your hands underneath your shoulders. Throughout this pose keep your shoulders back and down.

Next breath in and lift your head and chest off the floor. Keep your shoulders relaxed and exhale while lowering yourself back onto the ground. Hold up to 30 seconds.

4. Half Spinal Twist Pose (Ardha-Matsyendrasana)

Benefits: The pose increases flexibility and cleanses internal organs.

How to do: In this pose you will bend your left leg so that the heel of the left foot lies next to the right hip. Take your right leg over your left knee. Place your right hand behind you, and your left hand on the right knee to increase and decrease the stretch of your upper body. Hold the pose for a few seconds, breathing slowly and deeply.

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5. Corpse Pose(Shavasana)

Benefits: This pose is an important one for reducing anxiety and promoting muscle relaxation.

How to do it: For this pose you will lie down letting your muscles deeply relax and keep breathing into your abdomen. Straighten your legs and keep them at a hip width apart. Try to ignore distractions and clear your mind by focusing on your breathing.

Hold this pose as long as you are comfortable.Take your time getting up after you exercise.

6. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

Benefits: This pose strengths muscles and improves posture.

How to do it: Lie on your back and bend your knees while resting your feet on the floor. Inhale while lifting your pelvis slightly off the floor and slide your hands, palms down, below your bottom. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.

7. Seated Forward Bend Yoga Pose (Paschimottanasana)

Benefits: This pose helps with many issues which includes relieving the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort.

How to do it: For this pose you’ll be sitting on the floor with legs extended out. Focus on leaningtowards your toes instead of towards your knees. Stay in the pose 1 to 3 minutes.

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8. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

Benefits: This pose stimulates function of abdominal organs along with reducing stress.

How to do it: This is one of the standing poses where you have to put your legs apart and extend your arms. When you have your arm extended to the right, drop your right arm so your right hand reaches the front of your right foot. Breath and hold for 5 to 6 breaths.

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9. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Benefits: This one stimulates the heart, diaphragm, and abdominal organs.

How to do it: This pose is basically a squat, keeping balance, deep breathing and holding. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute.

10. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Benefits: The child’s pose reduces stress and fatigue.

How to do it: For the position you get onto your hands and knees and then relax your arms and let your forehead rest on the floor. Hold 3 minutes.

11. Wind-Relieving Pose (Pawanmuktasana)

This pose fights trapped gas and boosts your digestion!

How to do it: For this pose you get into a fetal position on your back with your knees drawn up towards your chest. You will hold your knees and then lower your right leg and straighten it while still holding on to your left leg. Hold pose for up to a minute.

12. Half/Full Standing Forward Bend Yoga Pose (Uttanasana/ Ardha Uttanasana)

Benefits: This pose helps strengthen your body and aids in digestion.

How to do it: For this pose you stand straight up and fold forward, while keeping your spine extended. Start slowly and ease into the pose, particularly if your back isn’t flexible. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute.

These are great poses for beginners so don’t be afraid to try them out. If you’re interested to learn more Chakra poses to improve your intuition make sure to check our guide out!

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Don’t worry, these are so simple you won’t end up tangled up like you’re playing a game of twister!