10 Yoga Poses to Know

Our top 10 favorite yoga poses for 2021

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed yogi or a beginner, yoga classes can feel intimidating because of their lingo. In today’s blog, we have written out ten of the most common yoga poses so that you can feel confident on your mat.

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Child’s Pose is often seen at the beginning of a yoga class or it can be placed as a moment of rest in the sequence. 

Child’s Pose:

Kneel on the floor and place your knees wide towards the edges of your mat

Bring your big toes together behind you and sit your hips on your heels

Lower your chest down to the floor and reach your arms forward

Actively press your hands into your mat

Cat (Marjaryasana)/Cow (Bitilasana)

While Cat and Cow are two separate poses, we have listed them together as one usually does not happen without the other. These two postures are a gentle way to warm up the spine and bring your attention to your breath. 

Cat Pose:

Start in tabletop position - your hands and knees on the mat and your spine neutral

Round your spine towards the ceiling

Drop your gaze to the floor

Tuck your tailbone downward

Cow Pose:

Start in tabletop position

Pull your tailbone and the crown of your head up

Arch your back and drop your belly towards the ground

Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

The infamous Downward Facing Dog is a staple in many types of yoga classes and can be used as a transition pose from one part of a sequence to another. Don’t let the word “transition” fool you though! This asana is no joke and requires a fully activated body. 

Down Dog:

Place your hands shoulder-width distance apart at the top of your mat

Step your feet out to hip-width distance at the back of your mat

Lift your hips high towards and press your heels down

Mountain (Tadasana)

The best thing about Mountain Pose is that once you know the alignment in this standing posture, you’ll be able to understand how to align yourself for nearly everything in class.

Mountain Pose:

Stand with feet hip-width distance apart

Align feet under your hips and your hips under your shoulders

Lengthen through your spine to find it’s natural S curvature 

Option to raise arms above your head

Option to keep your arms down by your sides with your palms facing forward

Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana ii)

The name Warrior 1 might make this pose sound advanced, but this high lunge with a turned back foot is very accessible and can be modified to suit your needs. Tip: check that your back foot is rotated at a 45 degree angle and no further as this will protect your knee. 

Warrior 1:

Step one of your feet forward and bend your front knee to a 90 degree angle

Face your front foot to the top of your mat and your back foot at 45 degrees

Square your shoulders to the front and raise your arms straight up

Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana ii)

This is very similar to the first Warrior, however, Warrior 2 allows you to expand across your chest and really open up. A perfect pose to take up space and take ownership of your practice. 

Warrior 2:

Begin with Warrior 1 legs

Square your hips to the side

Open your arms horizontally 

Crescent Lunge (Anjanyasana)

Crescent Lunge will likely feel very familiar to you as it's another variation on the high lunge with the addition of lifted arms. This pose has many modifications to either stretch or strengthen, which makes it a valuable asset to have in your yoga repertoire. 

Crescent Lunge:

Take a big step forward

Bend your front knee so that your thigh is parallel to the floor

Rise your back heel over your toes

Lift your arms energetically to the sky

Half Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

Half Pigeon is an excellent hip-opener to seal a practice. Like any asana that involves bending or angling at the knee, take it slow and request a modification if you feel any pain. 

Half Pigeon:

Start in Down Dog

Lift one leg and bring it through so your knee meets your wrist

Press your bent leg into the mat

Straighten your back leg behind you

Stay upright or fold your torso forward

Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)

Another hip-opener! As Happy Baby is done lying down, this pose is a wonderful opportunity to massage out your low back at the end of your practice. 

Happy Baby:

Lie on your back

Lift your legs and grab the outside edges of your feet with your hands

Pull your knees towards your armpits

Hold still or gently rock back and forth to release your low back

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Ahhh, sweet Savasana. There’s nothing better than the relaxing pose after you’ve shown up and done the work. 

Savasana:

Lie on your back

Let your feet fall to the sides of your mat

Set your arms down by your sides with your palms facing up or down

There you have it, sweet friend! We hope this helps make you comfortable walking into any yoga class. At the heart of it, yoga is a practice and we encourage you to try new things, have fun, and give yourself the grace to explore on and off your mat. 

Intend to SHINE, 

The NuPower Yoga Team