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आरम्भārambha · the beginning

Start yoga

Classical yoga asks for little equipment and a lot of regularity. Here is where to begin, whoever you are.

Updated October 17, 2026 · sources checked October 17, 2026

A man practising the tree pose (vrikshasana) outdoors on a cotton mat
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

In short

To start yoga, you need a quiet corner, a non-slip mat or a folded blanket, and ten to twenty minutes a day. Begin with a few simple postures, slow breathing through the nose and a rest lying on your back, and stop anything that hurts. Regularity matters more than flexibility or length.

Patañjali defines posture in three words: sthira-sukham āsanam (Yoga Sutra 2.46), steady and comfortable. That is the beginner's compass. If a posture is neither steady nor comfortable, make it easier; if a practice cannot be kept up, make it shorter. Everything else on this page follows from that.

स्थिरसुखमासनम्

sthira-sukham āsanam

Posture is steady and comfortable.

Yoga Sutra 2.46 · our translation

Where to begin, according to who you are

You are…Begin withThen
A complete beginner at homeyoga at home and the twelve basic posesthe 30-day programme
Short of timea 20-minute morning practicea fixed time every day
Older, or getting to the floor is hardchair yogastanding work with the chair, then the floor
Stiff, or with back paingentle versions, yoga for lower back pain after checking with a doctorrestorative yoga
Drawn to meditation more than postureshow to meditate and nāḍī śodhanaraja yoga
Wanting the roots and the textswhat yoga is and the yoga books worth readingthe Yoga Sutras
Already practising, unsure of your levelyoga levels and the level quizone new element at a time
Choosing a class or a stylehome, online or studio?the paths of yoga

The golden rules

  1. Little and often. Ten to twenty minutes a day build more than one long session a week. Patañjali's condition for practice to take root is time, continuity and care (Yoga Sutra 1.14).
  2. Breath first. Breathe through the nose, never hold the breath. If the breath becomes short or forced, come back a little.
  3. No pain in the joints. A stretch in a muscle is fine; pain in a knee, the lower back, the neck or a wrist is a signal to stop.
  4. Empty stomach. Practise before a meal, or two to three hours after one.
  5. Gentle versions first. Bent knees, a block, a cushion, a chair: they are not lesser forms, they are how the posture becomes steady and comfortable.
  6. A teacher for the thresholds. Inversions, the lotus, breath retention and rapid breathing are learnt with a qualified teacher.
  7. End with rest. Five minutes in śavāsana belong to the practice, not after it.

Before your first session

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that the most common yoga injuries are sprains and strains, mostly of the knee and lower leg, and advises beginners to avoid extreme practices such as headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing. It also states that learning yoga on your own without supervision has been associated with increased risks. Learn the demanding practices later, with a qualified teacher.

Your first session, in fifteen minutes

  1. Sit on a cushion, spine upright, two minutes of slow breathing through the nose.
  2. Cat and cow on hands and knees, six slow rounds.
  3. Child's pose, five breaths.
  4. Mountain pose, standing, ten breaths.
  5. Cobra, small, three breaths, twice.
  6. Seated forward bend with bent knees, five breaths.
  7. Śavāsana, five minutes.

The detailed version, with what to wear and where to practise, is on yoga at home. For your kit, see choosing a yoga mat and what to wear; you need neither to begin.

Beginner, intermediate, advanced

In the tradition, a level is measured by regularity and discernment, not by flexibility. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says that the young, the old, the very old, the sick and the weak all succeed if they practise without laziness (1.66 in Pancham Sinh's translation), and it insists that breath is tamed slowly, "as lions, elephants and tigers are controlled by and by" (2.15). Our page on yoga levels gives concrete benchmarks for each level, the postures, breathing and meditation that fit, and the level at which each style of yoga is accessible.

Routines and programmes

Then choose your path

Yoga is not one method. Hatha yoga begins with the body and breath; raja yoga with the mind; karma, bhakti and jñāna yoga with action, devotion and knowledge. Modern schools such as Sivananda, Iyengar or Ashtanga Vinyasa grew out of hatha yoga. The paths of yoga compares them in one table, and the practices of yoga lists everything a yogi does, from postures to chanting.

In this chapter

Yoga at home: a simple daily practice that lastsThe corner, the time, a 15-minute traditional sequence and a first-week plan to practise every day.अधिकारYoga levels: beginner, intermediate, advancedadhikāra · fitness for a teachingWhat each level means in the tradition, concrete benchmarks, poses, breath and meditation by level, and a style-by-level table.आसनChair yoga for seniors: a full seated practiceāsana · seatA complete 20-minute seated session, the safety rules, and what trials show on balance, mobility and pain.ब्राह्म मुहूर्तMorning yoga: a sadhana to start the daybrāhma muhūrta · the hour before dawnBrāhma muhūrta, the five stages of the morning practice, a timed 20-minute routine and what to do if dawn is impossible.साधना30 days of yoga: a progressive programme at homesādhanā · regular practiceFour progressive weeks, a complete session for each one, the safety rules, and a tracker to tick.ग्रन्थThe yoga books worth reading: classics and sourcesgrantha · book, textThe six classical texts with free public-domain editions, the modern books that shaped yoga, and an order to read them in.पुस्तकYoga for beginners in PDF: what is free, and what our guides containpustaka · book, manuscriptFree printables, the Indian government's free yoga protocol, public-domain texts, and the content of our beginner PDF books.गुरुHome practice, online class or studio?guru · teacherHome, online live, recorded video, studio, ashram: what each gives you, the risks of practising alone, and questions to ask a teacher.वेषWhat to wear for yoga, and what ashrams askveṣa · dress, attireClothes for home and class, bare feet, layers for the final rest, and the dress code that Indian ashrams publish.आसनChoosing a yoga mat: what actually mattersāsana · seatGrip, thickness, length, materials and care, without brands or rankings, and the traditional seats of cotton and kuśa grass.

Questions people ask

How should a complete beginner start yoga?

With short daily sessions at home of ten to twenty minutes: a few beginner postures, slow nasal breathing and five minutes of rest on the back. Add a beginners' class with a qualified teacher if you can, and leave inversions and strong breathing for later.

How often should a beginner do yoga?

Two or three times a week is a good start; a short daily session is better still if it stays comfortable. Patañjali's condition for progress is practice kept up over a long time, without interruption (Yoga Sutra 1.14).

Am I too old or too stiff to start yoga?

No. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says the young, the old and even the sick succeed if they practise without laziness. If getting to the floor is hard, chair yoga is a complete practice.

What should I avoid as a beginner?

Headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing, which the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises beginners to avoid; and any movement that causes sharp pain, numbness or dizziness.

Sources

  1. Yoga: What You Need To Know — National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) checked October 17, 2026
  2. Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text, 1.14 and 2.46 (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 17, 2026
  3. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Charles Johnston (1912), Project Gutenberg checked October 17, 2026
  4. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, translated by Pancham Sinh (Allahabad, Panini Office, 1914), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026