There are over 300 yoga poses. That high number may come off a bit intimidating to a newcomer, but hopefully it won’t deter you away.
Beginning a journey with yoga is a process, and it can take a long time before being able to accomplish all (or even most) of the poses. With all of the media and literature available about yoga, it may seem like anywhere is a good place to start.
However, there are six poses that are the most important for beginners, as they will help to train the body and the breath so that poses to come are easier. Starting with these poses will help ease you into the practice and it won’t seem so intimidating after all.
Repeating these six poses daily in a routine will naturally create an introductory yoga program that’s easy to remember and will get your body and soul in the flow.
Six Daily Yoga Poses For Beginners
1. Child’s Pose
Child’s pose is a good place to start, as it’s one of the most comfortable and beloved yoga poses for yogis of all levels.
To achieve the correct pose, you want to kneel on your mat and sit your bottom back onto your heels. Stretching your arms forward, lower your forehead to the floor and release all tension in your body.
Breathing into this stretch will allow for even more relaxation.
2. Mountain Pose
Once you are fully relaxed, let’s stand up and get into a pose that serves as the base for most other standing yoga poses: Mountain Pose.
The key to Mountain Pose that makes it different from just standing is the awareness of grounding your feet into the floor below you while tightening your core. Simply stand with your feet together, shoulders down, grounded into the earth and supporting your body with your core muscles.
3. Tree Pose
Tree Pose comes from a natural transition out of Mountain Pose, so it will be easy to go from one to the next.
From Mountain Pose, lift either your right or your left leg up the other leg and rest it wherever is comfortable along your inner upper thigh. Press your hands into prayer position in front of your chest and keep your breath controlled to help with balance.
4. Downward Dog
Downward Dog is a great stretch used in all levels of yoga practice to stretch out the entire body with emphasis on legs and back. It’s great on its own but also serves as a good transition pose.
From a position on all fours, tuck your toes under so that you can grasp the mat with the bottom of your feet and lift your hips upward toward the sky. Keep your arms out straight ahead of you on the mat and try to use your arms to push your abdominals towards your legs.
If you find tension in this pose, it’s better to slightly bend your knees rather than round out your back.
5. Plank
Plank might not be new to you if you like to do floor workouts at the gym. Planks are great because they require balance, core engagement, and controlling your breath to strengthen a pose.
From a position of all fours, slide your feet back to the edge of the mat with the intention to create a straight line with your body from head to toe. Don’t let you back dip under; instead, contract your abdominal muscles and lift them towards your spine. Keep your back straight and use your breath to keep this pose strong.
Transitioning out of Plank, step one of your feet up through your two hands and push up on it so you find yourself in a lunge. Then, straighten your front leg so you are in an extremely wide-leg stance. Stretch your arms straight out to the sides from your shoulders, stretching them away from your body. Then, pick a leg for the stretch and turn those toes outward. Hinge towards that leg with your hips, allowing that arm to fall to your knee. With your other arm, lift it up to the sky and turn your neck in that direction as well.
Keep your neck relaxed, abdominals engaged, and feel the stretch in your ribcage and legs.
Find Your Flow
You can combine these poses into a flow of any order that feels natural to you. One of the most important things about yoga is regular practice, so find something that makes you feel good and you will look forward to.
Regular repetition of these above six poses will train your body to become familiar with the breathing, balance, strength, and flexibility required from more advanced yoga poses.
Remember, every yogi started at the bottom at some point.