Beginner Yoga Poses Chart: 15 Essential Poses with Names, Holds & Cues
A beginner yoga poses chart is a quick-reference table of the foundational poses — names in English and Sanskrit, what each pose works, how long to hold it, and the one cue that keeps it safe. This chart covers the 15 poses almost every beginner class will ask of you, plus a 20-minute home sequence that strings ten of them together. If you are also looking for a printable version with more poses, our yoga poses chart expands the catalogue beyond the beginner set.
- What Is a Beginner Yoga Poses Chart?
- The Beginner Yoga Poses Chart (15 Poses)
- How to Use This Chart
- 12 Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners
- 5 Beginner Yoga Poses (If You Only Have 5 Minutes)
- 7 Foundational Yoga Poses Every Beginner Should Know
- A 20-Minute Beginner Yoga Sequence (10 Poses)
- Three Poses Worth Extra Attention
- How to Print and Use This Chart at Home
- What Type of Yoga Should a Beginner Start With?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Beginner Yoga Poses Chart?
A beginner yoga poses chart is a single-page reference that pairs the shape of a pose with the practical details a new student needs: the English and Sanskrit names, the body part it works, a safe starting hold time, and one alignment cue that prevents the most common beginner error. Use it as you would a recipe card — beside your mat, not in place of a teacher. For the broader philosophy of how a beginner should approach a first practice, see our beginning yoga primer.
The Beginner Yoga Poses Chart (15 Poses)
Hold times assume calm breathing — roughly 5 seconds per breath. Come out of any pose that causes sharp pain.
| Pose | Sanskrit name | Type | What it works | Hold | Key tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain | Tadasana | Standing | Posture, foot grounding | 5–10 breaths | Weight even across both feet |
| Standing Forward Fold | Uttanasana | Standing fold | Hamstrings, spine | 5 breaths | Bend the knees freely |
| Downward-Facing Dog | Adho Mukha Svanasana | Inversion | Hamstrings, calves, shoulders | 5–10 breaths | Long spine beats straight legs |
| Plank | Phalakasana | Core | Core, shoulders, wrists | 3–5 breaths | Knees down is still a plank |
| Cobra | Bhujangasana | Backbend | Spine, chest | 3–5 breaths | Lift with the back, not the hands |
| Cat-Cow | Marjaryasana-Bitilasana | Spinal flow | Spinal mobility | 5–10 rounds | One movement per breath |
| Low Lunge | Anjaneyasana | Lunge | Hip flexors, quads | 5 breaths/side | Back knee down on a folded mat |
| Warrior I | Virabhadrasana I | Standing | Legs, hip flexors, chest | 5 breaths/side | Back heel grounded, hips forward |
| Warrior II | Virabhadrasana II | Standing | Legs, hips, endurance | 5 breaths/side | Front knee tracks over ankle |
| Triangle | Trikonasana | Standing | Hamstrings, side body | 5 breaths/side | Reach long before tilting down |
| Tree | Vrikshasana | Balance | Balance, ankles, focus | 5 breaths/side | Foot above or below the knee, never on it |
| Bridge | Setu Bandhasana | Backbend | Glutes, back, chest | 5 breaths | Press evenly through both feet |
| Seated Forward Bend | Paschimottanasana | Seated fold | Hamstrings, back line | 5–10 breaths | Hinge from the hips, sit on a blanket |
| Child's Pose | Balasana | Rest | Back release, recovery | As long as needed | Your anytime rest stop |
| Corpse | Savasana | Rest | Nervous system, integration | 3–5 minutes | Do not skip it |
How to Use This Chart
- Learn names first. Knowing both English and Sanskrit names means you can follow any class, since teachers mix the two freely — a slower hatha class will give you the most time to connect name to shape.
- Work in pose families. Practice the standing poses together one day, folds and backbends another — related poses teach each other.
- Use the hold column as a floor, not a ceiling. Longer calm holds build strength and patience; shaky short holds mean the pose needs a modification, not abandonment.
- Check the tip column every time. Each tip targets the most common beginner error in that pose.
12 Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners
If you want a shorter, manageable starter set, these 12 are the core of the chart. They cover standing alignment, the most common transition pose, the universal rest position, spinal mobility, and the leg-strength poses that almost every beginner class cycles through.
- Mountain (Tadasana) — the standing template
- Child's Pose (Balasana) — the universal rest
- Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana) — spinal warm-up
- Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) — the classic transition
- Cobra (Bhujangasana) — gentle backbend
- Plank (Phalakasana) — core and shoulder strength
- Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) — hamstring release
- Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) — opens the hip flexors
- Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) — legs and chest
- Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) — legs, hips, endurance
- Triangle (Trikonasana) — side body and hamstrings
- Bridge (Setu Bandhasana) — backbend and glutes
5 Beginner Yoga Poses (If You Only Have 5 Minutes)
Some days you have a chair, a mat, and not much more. These five will give you a complete mini-practice — warm-up, one standing or transitional shape, and a closing rest.
- Mountain — 5 breaths, set the day's posture
- Cat-Cow — 5 rounds, wake up the spine
- Downward-Facing Dog — 5 breaths, lengthen the back of the body
- Child's Pose — 5 breaths, soften
- Savasana — 2 minutes, let the practice settle
7 Foundational Yoga Poses Every Beginner Should Know
Between the five-minute version and the full chart, these seven are the ones teachers most often name on a first day. Learn them well and you can walk into almost any beginner class and follow along.
- Mountain (Tadasana)
- Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
- Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
- Triangle (Trikonasana)
- Tree (Vrikshasana)
- Bridge (Setu Bandhasana)
- Corpse (Savasana)
A 20-Minute Beginner Yoga Sequence (10 Poses)
This stringing of chart poses follows the standard arc of a class — warm-up, standing work, floor work, rest:
- Child's Pose — 8 breaths to arrive
- Cat-Cow — 8 rounds
- Downward-Facing Dog — 5 breaths
- Standing Forward Fold — 5 breaths
- Mountain — 5 breaths
- Warrior I — 5 breaths per side
- Warrior II — 5 breaths per side
- Tree — 5 breaths per side
- Bridge — 5 breaths, twice
- Savasana — 3–5 minutes
Once this feels familiar, the same poses link into flowing sequences — that is essentially what a vinyasa class does with them, and sun salutations (covered in our surya yoga guide) are the classic connecting thread.
Three Poses Worth Extra Attention
Mountain Pose looks like standing still; it is actually the template for every standing pose. Stack ears over shoulders over hips over ankles, spread the toes, and you have learned the alignment that Warrior I and Tree both borrow.
Downward-Facing Dog is the pose beginners fight hardest. The fix for almost every problem: bend the knees generously and push the floor away through the hands. A long spine with bent knees is correct; a rounded back with straight legs is not.
Savasana is the one beginners skip and teachers never do. Lying still while the nervous system absorbs the practice is where much of the stress-relief benefit consolidates — pairing it with slow breathing, or a few minutes of pranayama, deepens the effect.
How to Print and Use This Chart at Home
Printable yoga charts are popular because the table is a one-page reference that fits next to a mat. To get the most out of yours:
- Print at 100% scale, portrait orientation. The six columns fit cleanly on a US Letter or A4 page without wrapping.
- Laminate or sleeve it. Sweat is part of practice; a plastic sleeve keeps the chart readable across months of use.
- Pair the chart with video for new poses. A chart is a reference; a slow demonstration teaches the transitions between shapes.
- Mirror or phone camera occasionally. Checking your shape against the chart once in a while catches drifting habits early.
- Use props without shame. Books stand in for blocks; a belt stands in for a strap. A rolled towel under the sit bones tips the pelvis forward in seated folds.
- Slow styles consolidate fastest. Long-hold practices like yin yoga give you time inside each shape to feel what the cues mean.
- Two short sessions beat one long one. Twenty minutes, three times a week, builds the habit and the body together.
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What Type of Yoga Should a Beginner Start With?
A slow hatha class is the most beginner-friendly entry point: long holds, common poses, time to look around and learn names. If you want more flow and heat, a beginner vinyasa class links the chart poses into sun-salutation-style sequences. If you want stillness and longer holds in fewer shapes, a beginner yin session is a good complement after a few weeks of hatha. Most beginners settle into one of these three within a month and stay there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with Mountain, Downward-Facing Dog, Child's Pose, Cat-Cow, and Warrior II. Those five cover standing alignment, the most common transition pose, the universal rest position, spinal mobility, and leg strength — the backbone of nearly every beginner class.
Three to five slow breaths — roughly 15 to 30 seconds — is the standard starting hold for active poses. Resting poses like Child's Pose can be held as long as you like, and Savasana works best at three to five minutes.
Yes, for the foundations. A chart works well as a reference for names, targets, and hold times, ideally paired with slow video demonstrations for transitions. A few in-person or live online classes are worth adding early so a teacher can catch alignment habits a chart cannot.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have an injury, are pregnant, or live with a chronic condition, talk to a qualified health professional before starting a new movement practice.
Have a correction? Contact us.
Last update 2026-09-10. Price and product availability may change.
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