Hey yogi! I have been practicing yoga online for nearly a decade, and I want to share how you can develop a strong yoga practice by learning yoga at home online. Here's a hint to getting started with yoga, it all starts with the fundamentals, aka the basic yoga poses.
In this article, we'll explore the basic yoga poses beginners should learn first, and I also share the best yoga memberships and online studios to join for learning yoga at home.
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Can a beginner learn yoga at home?
Beginners can learn yoga at home, but should take proper precautions and ease into it, just as you would ease into weight training.
If you've never attended a yoga class and you're not familiar with the asanas of yoga, it's imperative that you start practicing beginner poses first.
DoYogaWithMe is a great online yoga option for beginner yogis to learn yoga. They have a robust beginner section with a dedicated area called Basics For Beginners. This section contains beginner videos about breath and bandhas, alignment, stabilization, and core strength. All of which are critical components of a safe and effective yoga practice.
How to start learning yoga
As a beginner, you should build upon your practice slowly and really get to know each pose before learning a new one. In an ideal scenario, you complete an entire beginner series so you learn the foundational poses first, and then you add a new pose in each week.
As a yoga newbie, give yourself time to become familiar with the practice. Overstretching is a thing, and other injuries can happen from yoga.
10 yoga poses a beginner should learn first
There are certain asanas (postures) that you will perform in almost every single yoga class so I recommend that you learn these poses first.
These specific yoga postures should become like second nature to you, and you'll want to be able to recall them quickly from memory. Here are ten poses you should familiarize yourself with first when you start learning yoga:
- Cat cow
- Child's pose
- Downward-facing dog
- Upward-facing dog
- Plank pose
- Cobra pose
- Warrior 1
- Warrior 2
- Chair pose
- Low lunge
1. Cat cow
Cat cow, also called Chakravakasana, is great for warming up your spine and activating your core.
To perform the alternating sequence of cat-cow, begin on all fours with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your hips stacked over your knees:
- For cow: Inhale deeply while dropping your lower back towards the floor while keeping your abs engaged. Bring your head up and tilt your pelvis up and broaden your collarbones.
- For cat: From cow, exhale deeply while pulling your navel in towards your spine and rounding your back to draw your shoulder blades apart.
- Drop your head so that your gaze is towards your navel, and tuck your tailbone under.
2. Child's Pose
Child's pose, also called Balasana, is a classic resting pose and a slignt hip opener. Here's how to do Child's Pose:
- First come to your hands and knees, move your big toes towards one another to touching with the tops of your feet to the mat.
- Take your knees hip distance apart. Sit back onto your heels.
- Rest your forehead to the mat.
- Bring your hands forward with your palms facing down or behind you with palms up.
- Close your eyes and relax into the pose.
3. Downward-Facing Dog
Down Dog, also called Adho Mukha Svanasana, is an inversion and one of the most commonly practiced yoga poses performed in nearly every yoga class. Here's how to do Downward Facing Dog:
- From a tabletop position, using your core, draw your hips up to the sky and your chest towards the back of the mat into down dog.
- Walk your feet back until you are in an inverted V position.
- Root down through your feet and continue lifting from the core to lengthen your side body. Your hands should remain shoulder-distance apart, and your feet should remain hip-distance apart. Keep your ears in line with your arms to lengthen your neck.
4. Upward-Facing Dog
Up Dog, also called Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is a chest-opening pose and a beginner-friendly backend. Here's how to do Up Dog:
- From a Cobra position, push firmly through your hands and the tops of your feet, and straighten your arms to lift your chest. Your shoulders, elbows, and wrists should be stacked.
- Knit your shoulder blades together and down to draw the chest forward.
- Broaden your collarbones. Keep your pelvis and knees lifted.
- Gaze forward or up to lengthen the back of the neck.
5. Plank Pose
Plank, also called Phalakasana, is another foundational pose, and it's great for building core strength. Here's how to do Plank pose:
- From a Table Top position, place your hands on the mat beneath your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide with your middle fingers pointing forward.
- Step back with your feet hip distance apart or with your feet together for more leg engagement.
- Stack the balls of your feet beneath your heels. Straighten your legs by engaging your quadriceps to lift the kneecaps.
- Gaze down to lengthen the back of the neck.
6. Cobra Pose
Cobra, also called Bhujangasana, is a beginner-friendly backend that doesn't require the strength of Upward Facing Dog. Here's how to do Cobra:
- Lie on the ground with your chest on the floor. Place your feet hip-distance apart. Bring your hands in line with your elbows and bottom ribs.
- Straighten your legs by engaging your quadriceps and glutes. Press firmly through the tops of the feet to lift the kneecaps off the mat.
- Lightly press through your hands. Knit your shoulder blades together and down to draw your chest forward and up.
- Gaze forward to lengthen the back of the neck.
7. Warrior 1
Warrior 1, also called Virabhadrasana 1, is one of the first poses all yogis learn. It's a foundational standing posture. Here's how to do Warrior 1:
- From Mountain Pose, step back with one foot.
- Keep your feet hip distance apart to square your hips to the front of the mat. Stack your front shin in a straight line from knee to ankle.
- Spin the back heel to the mat and angle the toes to point slightly forward and out. Root down through the feet and lift your back inner thigh to the sky.
- Engage your core to lift the torso, and reach your arms to the sky with hands shoulder-distance apart.
- Pull your legs energetically towards each other to find mula bandha. Gaze forward or up.
8. Warrior 2
Warrior 2, also called Virabhadrasana 2, is a very commonly performed posture that you'll practice in many different types of classes. Here's how to do Warrior 2:
- From Warrior 1, maintain your stance and open your body to the side.
- Change your back foot position to be in line with the back of your mat. The heel of your front foot should be in line with the arch of the back foot.
- Bend your front knee directly over your ankle, bringing your front thigh parallel to the mat. To straighten the back leg, lift the inner thigh while opening the front hip.
- Keeping your torso upright, engage the upper back.
- Reach your arms out parallel to the mat, away from the body. Gaze forward.
9. Chair pose
Chair, also called Utkatasana, is a basic standing pose that's great for improving leg strength. Here's how to do Chair Pose:
- From Mountain Pose (Tadasana), bend your knees deeply and shift weight into your heels.
- Try to bring your shins into a straight line from your knees to the tops of your feet.
- Lift your arms to the sky with your palms facing one another and fingers spread wide. Gaze forward or up.
10. Low Lunge
Low Lunge, also called Anjaneyasana, is a nice hip flexor stretch, and it's a great pose for improving your balance. Here's how to do Low Lunge:
- From Mountain Pose, step back with one foot and place it on the ground behind you. Keep your feet hip-distance apart to square hips to the front of the mat.
- Stack your front shin in a straight line from knee to ankle. Lower your back knee to the mat and untuck the toes. Reach your arms to the sky with hands shoulder distance apart.
- Gaze forward or up.
The best online yoga membership to join to learn yoga at home
I recommend Alo Moves to anyone who wants to learn yoga. They have over 24 yoga programs for beginners, and Sri Dharma Mittra, a “living yogi legend,” has a series that breaks down 36 basic yoga poses, with each posture having its own dedicated video tutorial.
Dylan Werner's Beginner Yoga Strength series is also a great yoga series for beginners to explore.
Takeaway
Learning yoga at home as a beginner is entirely feasible with the right resources and approach. By focusing on fundamental poses and gradually building your practice, you can establish a strong foundation in yoga from the comfort of your home.
We were mentioned in a Rent. article about practicing yoga at home! Check out the featured article: 10 Fun Hobbies to Do at Home That Bring out Your Creative Side on Rent.
Basic to intermediate yoga pose guide
If you are brand new to yoga, these poses below will be ones you will likely soon master with your own expression by repetition! As well as getting acquainted with the asanas described above and the ones in the image below, we encourage you to look at Yoga Journal's pose guide, and most importantly, listen to your body.
FAQ about learning yoga
Is online yoga good for beginners?
Online yoga is great for beginners as long as you start with beginner classes to learn basic alignment principles, how to breathe in a yoga class and the fundamentals of engagement.
Can I do yoga every day as a beginner?
Yes you can do yoga every day as a beginner, but I recommend switching the styles of yoga up if you want to practice yoga every day. For example, you could mix it up between Restorative, Vinyasa, and Hatha classes. More advanced yogis can certainly take multiple Vinyasa classes in one week, but I wouldn't recommend that for a beginner.
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