10 Must-do Yoga Poses
There are many great reasons to add yoga to your exercise routine - improves muscle tone, flexibility, and balance, also helps you to relax, and reduces stress due mostly to pranayama breathing.
Ready to give it a try? Here are ten poses or "asanas" recommended by yoga instructors.
01
Sukhasana
(Easy Pose)
Sukhasana is a standard, basic, and foundational meditative pose that facilitates meditation and pranayama sessions.
Easy Pose improves awareness regarding the body’s posture and keeps the spine in an ideal position. Calms Mind and Body: If you are mentally stressed or had a tiring day, this posture will offer peace and mental calm.
Sukhasana is a base pose that prepares the mind and body for the various twisting, forward and backward bending, and lateral stretches variations performed in easily crossed legs.
02
Balasana
(Child's Pose)
Balasana is a restorative, calming pose that relaxes and rejuvenates the body and if perfectly performed, the body faces the floor in a fetal position (thus the name).
It encourages the right way of breathing and calms both the body and the mind. The stretch in the back relaxes the spinal column. It calms the muscles, thereby helping to alleviate pain, especially in the back, neck, and shoulders. Also opens the pelvic floor, hips, and low back stretches ankles, knees, and hips, and opens the upper back
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03
Tadasana
(Mountain Pose)
This posture is a modern yoga pose in which you stand tall with your spine aligned and your abs and quads engaged. You can practice it all by itself or use it as a transition to flow into other poses.
This posture is a modern yoga pose in which you stand tall with your spine aligned and your abs and quads engaged. You can practice it all by itself or use it as a transition to flow into other poses.
04
Vrksasana
(Tree Pose)
Balasana is a restorative, calming pose that relaxes and rejuvenates the body and if perfectly performed, the body faces the floor in a fetal position (thus the name).
It encourages the right way of breathing and calms both the body and the mind. The stretch in the back relaxes the spinal column. It calms the muscles, thereby helping to alleviate pain, especially in the back, neck, and shoulders. Also opens the pelvic floor, hips, and low back stretches ankles, knees, and hips, and opens the upper back
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05
Uttanasana
(Standing Forward Bend)
This healing, powerful and rejuvenating asana soothes the mind, and works and stretches the hamstrings, gastrocnemius, piriformis muscles, spinal muscles, and so many other muscles and connective tissues.
Incorporating Uttanasana into our daily yoga practice has a lot of benefits, such as, Improving posture, relieving back stiffness and neck tension, Increasing hip flexibility and also, between other, soothes the nervous system aiding in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
06
Adho Mukha Svanasana
(Downward Facing Dog)
This is a foundational pose that you’ll likely practice countless times throughout your yoga lifetime. Adho Mukha Svanasana is both a strengthening and stretching pose.
Practicing Down Dog can help to build better balance and flexibility throughout the whole body.
Just be sure and aware to practice it with care and attention: If you have stiff shoulders or hamstrings, the pose may feel challenging. If you’re flexible, you want to be cautious to avoid collapsing in your lower back and shoulders.
Improves digestion and relieves insomnia, menstrual and menopausal discomfort, and low back pain. Strengthens the arms, legs, and torso and allows us to stretch the palms, chest, back, hamstrings, calves, and feet.
Energizes the body, improves focus, develops willpower, and stimulates the mind.
07
Utthita Trikonasana
(Triangle Pose)
Extended Triangle Pose is a quintessential standing pose that stretches and strengthens the whole body.
"The extension of the limbs and trunk to form several triangles teaches alignment and a sense of direction." - The Iyengar way Mira Silva & SHYAM MEHTA
Utthita Trikonasana provides a healthy mix of grounded stability and heart-opening expansion of the chest. Stretches the hamstrings and back muscles while activating the abdominal muscles. This pose requires concentration and steady breath, which can help focus a wandering mind and bring you fully to the present moment.
It's a good pose for lengthening the spine and strengthening the thighs and torso and also stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest, and spine.
08
Virabhadrasana II
(Warrior 2)
"THIS IS the second warrior pose. The body rises erect over the legs, while the arms reach out to opposite sides ." - The Iyengar way Mira Silva & SHYAM MEHTA
Practicing Warrior 2 increases your ability to concentrate. Distractions tend to disappear and your energy becomes powerful and focused.
Besides a powerful stretch for the legs, groins, and chest, this posture also increases stamina. It helps to relieve backaches and stimulates healthy digestion.
It is a deep hip-opening pose that strengthens the muscles in the thighs and buttocks. It tones the abdomen, ankles, and arches of the feet. This pose also opens the chest and shoulders, improving breathing capacity and increasing circulation throughout the body.
09
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
(Upward Facing Dog Pose)
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is a powerful backbend that opens the heart and lifts the head while improving our posture—all physical movements that aid in dealing with depression and fatigue.
Named Urdhva Mukha Svanasana or Upward Facing Dog Pose as it resembles a dog stretching upwards. It is thus named to represent the unconditional giving nature of a dog and the important relationship shared between man and dog.
This posture strengthens the legs, arms, wrists, and spine stretching the back in a backbend and expanding the rib cage, and improving your lung capacity therefore, it’s a heart-opener pose that opens the thoracic cavity.
It also stimulates the abdominal organs and stretches your chest, lungs, shoulders, and abdomen.
10
Paschimottanasana
(Seated Forward Bend Yoga Pose)
"IN THIS extreme extension of the back of the body the ego becomes subdued and the mind quiet." - The Iyengar way Mira Silva & SHYAM MEHTA
When practicing Paschimottanasana we are folding inward in this way also brings mental calm, bringing balance between the upper and lower body.
Extending the top half of the body over the seated lower half helps stretch the entire back of your body to enhance your physical flexibility.
This pose provides a deep stretch to the spine, inner thighs (adductors), calf muscles, and hamstrings. By calming the mind, this pose may alleviate some symptoms of anxiety.
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