Every yoga practice, however advanced it looks, comes back to a handful of shapes. Learn these ten and you can walk into any class and follow along.
1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
It looks like standing still, and it absolutely isn't. Tadasana teaches you to root through your feet, stack your spine and switch the whole body on. Every standing pose is built from it.
2. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
An upside-down V — hands pressing, hips lifting, heels reaching for the floor. Downward Dog is rest and work at the same time, and you'll return to it between almost everything else.
Our Downward Dog print — part of the 52-pose asana series.
3. Child's Pose (Balasana)
Balasana is the off-switch. Knees wide, forehead down, breath slowing. Come here whenever a class moves faster than your body wants to — it's a rest, not a retreat.
4. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
One foot rooted, the other tucked to the inner thigh, arms growing upward. Tree is your first real balance, and the wobble is part of the deal.
5. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
Wide stance, front knee bent, arms reaching to the horizon. Warrior II is the pose everyone pictures when they picture yoga — fierce and patient at once.
Pro Tip: Warm the body before the standing poses — a few rounds of Cat-Cow and a couple of Downward Dogs — so your hips and hamstrings are ready to hold Warrior II without straining.
6. Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Lying low, hands by the ribs, chest peeling off the mat. Cobra wakes the spine after all that folding forward and undoes a day at the desk.
7. Bridge (Setu Bandhasana)
Feet planted, hips lifting into a long arch. Bridge is the friendly backbend — strong on the legs, kind to the spine, and a good place to open the front of the body.
8. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
Legs long, spine reaching forward over them. Paschimottanasana lengthens the whole back of the body. Patience beats force here every single time.
9. Easy Seat (Sukhasana)
Cross-legged, spine tall, hands resting. Sukhasana is where breathwork and stillness live — the simplest seat, and the one you'll use most.
10. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Flat on your back, palms open, doing nothing on purpose. Savasana is where the practice lands, and it's harder than it looks. Don't skip it.
Where to start
Pick three of these, hold each for five slow breaths, and finish with two minutes of Savasana. That's a complete practice. Browse the full asana series if you'd like the shapes on your wall as well as on your mat.
How long should I hold each pose as a beginner?
Five slow breaths is a good rule — roughly 30 seconds. Quality of breath matters more than time; if the breath gets ragged, ease off.
Do I need to be flexible to start yoga?
No. Flexibility is a result of practice, not a requirement for it. Bend your knees, use the floor, and let range of motion come over weeks rather than days.