आसनāsana · seat, posture
Twelve basic yoga poses for beginners
2 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026
In short
The twelve basic yoga poses for beginners are mountain, tree, cat-cow, child's pose, downward-facing dog, cobra, bridge, seated forward bend with bent knees, thunderbolt seat, a gentle seated twist, triangle with a block and corpse pose. Practised slowly in this order, they make a balanced first session of about twenty minutes.
A beginner does not need a hundred postures. Twelve are enough to move the spine in every direction (forward, back, sideways, twisting), to stand, to sit, to rest, and to learn the most important skill of all: breathing calmly while you hold a shape. Patañjali asks only that a posture be steady and comfortable, sthira-sukham āsanam (Yoga Sutra 2.46). That is the measure for each pose below.
What "beginner" means here
In the Indian tradition, a beginner is not someone who is weak or stiff but someone at the start of a path. The cards on Yogide are marked by level: beginner for postures most people can practise safely from the first day with the gentle version, intermediate for those that need some months of regular practice, advanced for those to learn with a teacher. The twelve below are all beginner postures. For what levels mean across the whole practice, see yoga levels.
The twelve poses, in practice order
| # | Pose | Sanskrit | What it teaches | Gentle version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain | tāḍāsana | standing evenly, the axis | feet apart, back to a wall |
| 2 | Tree | vṛkṣāsana | balance on one leg | foot on the ankle, hand on a wall |
| 3 | Cat-cow | mārjārāsana | moving the spine with the breath | small range |
| 4 | Child's pose | bālāsana | resting, the breath in the back | cushion under the chest |
| 5 | Downward-facing dog | adho mukha śvānāsana | length of the spine | knees bent, or hands on a chair |
| 6 | Cobra | bhujaṅgāsana | a gentle first backbend | sphinx on the forearms |
| 7 | Bridge | setu bandhāsana | backbend lying on the back | block under the sacrum |
| 8 | Seated forward bend | paścimottānāsana | folding from the hips | knees bent, strap |
| 9 | Thunderbolt seat | vajrāsana | sitting upright | cushion between the heels |
| 10 | Seated twist | ardha matsyendrāsana | rotation | lower leg straight |
| 11 | Triangle | trikoṇāsana | width and side stretch | hand on a block |
| 12 | Corpse pose | śavāsana | complete rest | cushion under the knees |
A first session of about twenty minutes
- Sit in vajrāsana or on a cushion for one minute, eyes closed, breathing slowly through the nose.
- Cat-cow on hands and knees: six slow rounds.
- Child's pose: five breaths.
- Downward-facing dog with bent knees: five breaths, then rest in child's pose.
- Stand up in mountain pose: ten breaths.
- Tree on each side: five breaths, near a wall.
- Triangle on each side, hand on a block: five breaths.
- Lie on the belly for the cobra or the sphinx: three times three breaths.
- Turn onto the back for the bridge: three times five breaths.
- Sit for the seated forward bend with bent knees: eight breaths.
- Seated twist with the lower leg straight: five breaths each side.
- Śavāsana: five minutes.
Three rules for every pose
- Breath first: if you cannot breathe smoothly through the nose, come back a little.
- No pain in the joints: a stretch in a muscle is fine; pain in the knee, lower back, neck or wrist is not.
- Leave as carefully as you enter: many strains happen on the way out.
After the first weeks
When this session feels easy, add the sun salutation, Warrior I and the half lotus. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that yoga "is generally considered a safe form of physical activity for healthy people when performed properly, under the guidance of a qualified instructor", and that people with knee or hip injuries, lumbar spine disease, severe high blood pressure, balance problems or glaucoma may need to modify or avoid some poses. For a guided progression, see yoga at home and the full list in the asanas chapter.
Questions people ask
How often should a beginner practise yoga?
Two or three short sessions a week are a good start; daily practice of ten to twenty minutes is even better if it stays comfortable. Regularity matters more than length.
I am not flexible. Can I start yoga?
Yes. Flexibility is a result of practice, not a condition for it. Every pose on this page has a gentle version with bent knees, a block, a cushion or a chair.
Should I learn yoga at home or in a class?
Both work. A teacher can correct your alignment, and a 2019 survey of practitioners linked practising alone, without supervision, with more adverse effects. If you practise at home, keep to the gentle versions and avoid inversions until a teacher has seen you.
Sources
- Yoga: What You Need To Know — National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) checked October 16, 2026
- Cramer H, Quinker D, Schumann D et al. Adverse effects of yoga: a national cross-sectional survey. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019 DOI 10.1186/s12906-019-2612-7 PMID 31357980 checked October 16, 2026
- Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026
Practise gently and within your limits. Yoga is learnt best with a qualified teacher; this page does not replace one.