Top 30 Yoga Poses

Top 30 Yoga Poses, December 2021

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Look out for these top 30 yoga poses with its benefits and we are sure you would want to go for it.

We all know how valuable and effective the art of Yoga is for our body. It is a way of living that aims for a healthy mind and body.

The reason why people prefer Yoga over other exercise forms is because of its help in the balanced development of physical, mental and spiritual being, whereas in other forms only physical being is assured. 

So don’t you think we need to absorb this form for our overall development?

There are over 300 poses overall( lot many I know) and of course, we can’t do all of these in a day and we don’t expect you to do that! But you can decide upon the no of poses you want to perform in a day according to your everyday schedule. 

Therefore, to make it easy for you we have chalked out 30 yoga poses which can benefit you and will not increase your exercise time as well. 

Basic Poses

1. Tadasana (Mountain)

Woman in her yoga outfit doing Tadasana

Stand in an erect position with arms by your side.

Try to press together with your weight evenly across the balls and arches of your feet. 

Lift the toes and keep them apart. Then one at a time places them back. 

While doing this lengthen up through all four sides of your waist, elongating the spine. Elongate your neck so that your ears, shoulders, hips, and ankles come in one line.

en balance the crown of your head over the pelvis and keep your underside of the chin parallel to the floor with the throat and tongue in a resting position. 

Benefits- It improves posture and reduces back pain. It strengthens your thighs, knees, ankles, abdomen, and buttocks. Relieves sciatica and reduces the effects of flat feet. 

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

A woman in black yoga bra and yoga pants doing Adho Mukha Svanasana

Use your hands and knees to come on the floor. Set your knees directly 

 under the hips and your hands in front of your shoulders.

Now spread the palms, index fingers a little bit turned out and tuck your toes under. 

Exert pressure on the hands, keep outer arms firm. Push your thighs back and stretch your heels on the floor. Keep the shoulder blade firm against your back and widen them towards the tailbone.

Then keep the head between the upper arms and see to it that it doesn’t hang. After staying in this pose for some time bend your knees to the floor and rest.

Benefits- The benefits are that it strengthens the whole body and stretches the back of your body. It stimulates the blood circulation and calms your mind.

3. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Woman in her yoga outfit doing Utkatasana

Stand in Tadasana and raise your arms perpendicular to the floor.

You can also keep the palms parallel with the palms inward or you can join hands.

Now exhale and bend your knees so that the thighs are parallel to the floor.

Now exhale and bend the knees with keeping the thighs parallel to the floor as much as possible.

 Keep your shoulder blades firm against the back. Try to stay in this condition for 30 seconds and then straighten the knees while inhaling and lift strongly through the arms. Then release your arms to the side after exhaling.

Benefits- This pose helps in strengthening the ankles, thighs, calves, and spine. It also stretches shoulder and chest along with stimulating the abdominal organs, diaphragm, and heart. 

4. Puppy Dog on the Chair (Modified Downward Facing Dog)

Woman in a sky blue tank top and dark gray sweat pants doing Puppy Dog on the Chair

Keep a chair in front of you and place your hands on the back of the chair by keeping palms and shoulders straight.

Create a right angle with your body so that your spine is parallel to the floor and your hips are aligned. 

Step one foot back at a time. Now try to keep the hands apart from the hips.

Keep the crown of your head stable and lengthen your outer arms by keeping it firm. Then hold onto the stretch and lift your torso without leaving the chair. And return to the starting position by bringing one foot forward followed by the other. 

Benefits- It calms the brain and relieves stress. Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands. It also strengthens the arms and legs.

5. Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2)

A woman in her yoga outfit doing Virabhadrasana 2

Start with the Tadasana pose and then create a gap between your legs.

Now raise your arms parallel to the floor and keep them out to the sides with the shoulder blades wide and the palms down.

Then turn your right foot slightly to the right and your left foot out to 90 degrees and align the left heel with the right one. 

Fix your thighs and turn the left one outward so that the center of the left knee cap is aligned with the center of the left ankle.

Exhale and then bend your left knee over the left ankle. Now stretch the arms away from the shoulder blades keeping it parallel to the floor. 

Benefits- Strengthens and stretches the legs and ankles along with groins, chest, lungs, and shoulders. Increases stamina and relieves backaches during the second trimester of pregnancy.

6. Trikonasana (Triangle pose)

Man in his yoga outfit doing Trikonasana

Start with Tadasana and step apart keeping some distance.

Raise your arms parallel to the floor and keep your shoulder blades wide, palms down.

Now turn your left foot to right and keep your right foot to 90 degrees. Align one heel with the other. 

Then exhale and extend your torso to the right directly over the right leg. Now stretch your left arm towards the ceiling in line with the shoulders.

Benefits- Stretches the thighs, knees, ankles, calves, shoulders, chest and spine. Strengthens the thighs, knees. Stimulates the abdominal organs and helps in digestion. It helps relieve stress and symptoms of menopause.

7. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Woman in orange top and dark gray leggings doing Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Lie on the floor and keep a blanket or sheet under your neck so that it doesn’t get damaged.

By bending your knees and keeping your feet closer ensure the heels are closer to the sitting bones. 

Open your upper arms to expand your chest. Keep your outer arms sticking to the ground with heels on the roots and lift the lower body with the support of knees. 

Benefits- Stretches chest, neck, and spine. It calms the mind and alleviates stress. Rejuvenates legs and makes digestion better.

8. Vrksasana (Tree pose)

A woman in her yoga outfit doing  Vrksasana

Stand in Tadasana and then shift your weight slightly on the left foot keeping the inner foot firm on the floor.

Bend your right knee and reach down with your right hand and clasp the right ankle.

Lift your right foot and place the right heel into the groin. 

Now join your hands in Anjali mudra and gaze at a fixed point.

Benefits- It strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine. Improves balance and relieves Sciatica.

9. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle)

A white man in maroon tank top doing Baddha Konasana

Sit on the floor and unfold your knees like an open book.

Then join the soles of your feet together and keep a tight posture.

Place your palms behind your back with fingers firm with a grip and lengthen through the spine. 

Benefits- Helps in stimulating the abdominal organs, ovaries, prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys. It relieves the effect of menopause, menstrual discomfort and stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees.

10. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)

Woman in gray tank top and black leggings doing Paschimottanasana

First, sit and then straighten your leg in front of you, keep your legs firmly on the floor.

Bend at the hips to elongate your torso over your thigh. And now grab the edge of your feet 

Benefits- It elongates the back of your body along with lengthening your spine. It also stretches your hamstrings.

Intermediate Pose

11. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Woman in black tank top and gray leggings doing Savasana

Place your body in the neutral position and lie front face with legs apart and feet splay.

Now place your arms alongside with palms open and facing up. Close your eyes and relax. 

Benefits- It relaxes the body and reduces headaches, insomnia, and fatigue. It also helps to lower blood pressure. 

12. Plank Pose

Woman in her yoga outfit doing Plank Pose

Start with the downward-facing dog position.

Now shift forward to support your shoulders on the wrist. 

Lengthen the crown of your head forward and keep your heels back.

Press outer arms inward and firm your index fingers into the floor. Keep your shoulder blades against your back away from the sternum. Lift your body to stabilize the post. 

Benefits- Tons the abdomen and strengthens arms, wrist with the spine. 

13. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose)

Woman in her gray tank top and black legging doing Chaturanga Dandasana

Keep the plank pose and slightly shift.

Create a 90-degree angle by bending elbows with the upper arms parallel to the floor. 

Spread the collarbones wide and ground your palms.

Keep your shoulders broad and lift the head of the sternum and lookup keeping your head forward. 

Benefits- Strengthens arms, wrists, and tones the abdomen. 

14. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Woman in her printed yoga pant and long sleeved yoga top doing Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Lie on the floor face down. Press your palms on the floor alongside and push yourself against the floor. 

Pull yourself forward after reaching back through your legs and straighten your arms.

Spread your chest wide and lift thighs and knees away from the floor. 

Benefits- It improves your posture, strengthens the arms, spine, and wrists. It stimulates the abdominal organs and firms the buttocks. 

15. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

A woman in her yoga outfeet doing Ardha Chandrasana

Start with a triangle pose. Bend your right knee and slide your left foot forward.

Put your weight on the front foot and lift the back foot the ground.

Now try to touch your back leg on the wall at your backside and then raise the top arm. 

Benefits- Improves coordination and balance. It helps relieves stress and improves digestion.

16. Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1)

A woman in her yoga outfit doing Virabhadrasana

How to perform it- First stand in Tadasana and raise your arms perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other.

Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out to 90 degrees.

Keep your left foot anchored to the floor and bend your right knee over the right angle.

Benefits- It helps to stretch the chest, lungs, shoulders, neck, belly, and groins. This exercise helps to strengthen the shoulder and arms. The thighs, ankles, and calves are also stretched due to it. 

17. Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)

A woman in her yoga outfit doing Virabhadrasana 3

First, start with Tadasana and shift to Uttanasana.

Then take your left foot back into a high position.

Now look down at the floor and stare at a constant point for balance. 

Then make a straight line by reaching out through the left toes and the crown and the fingers. Breathe and hold for at least 2-6 breaths.

Benefits- It improves balance, memory, concentration along with toning the body. Strengthens the ankles and legs along with the shoulders and the muscles of the back.

18. Parsvottanasana (Intense side stretch)

A man in navy blue shirt and grey sweat shorts doing Parsvottanasana

Start with Tadasana and make a 45-degree angle with placing your left foot back and placing it flat on the floor.

Keep both your feet firm on the ground and lift through your thighs.

 Position your hands on the hip and rotate your torso forward. Bend at the hips and lengthen the spine over the front leg. 

Benefits- This pose helps you to calm the mind and it also stretches the spine, shoulders, wrists, hips, and hamstrings. 

19. Ardha Pincha Mayurasana (Dolphin Pose)

A man in a black yoga suit Ardha Pincha Mayurasana

First, get on your knees and hands.

Then place your forearms on the ground ensuring that your elbows and shoulders are aligned in the same line. 

Now lift your back and hips and tuck your toes making your legs straight. 

Keep the shoulder blades firm and into your ribs. Lift your shoulders away from the ears and free your neck. Step towards your arms and hold onto the position for a few seconds.

Benefits- Calms the brain from relieving stress. Strengthens the legs and arms and gives a good stretch to the hamstrings, shoulders, and calves. Acts as an aid for asthma, blood pressure, sciatica, and flat feet. 

20. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Woman in her yoga outfit doing Dhanurasana

Start with lying on your stomach and keeping your feet and hips a little apart and arms on your side.

Now fold your knees and take your hands backward along with holding your ankles. 

Lift your chest off the ground with breathing in and pull your legs back.

 Look straight and keep the pose stable with paying attention to your breath. As you continue to take long breaths in this pose start bringing your legs and chest to the ground with releasing the ankles and relaxing. 

Benefits- It strengthens the back and abdominal muscles and stimulates the reproductive organs. With toning the legs and arm muscles it adds great flexibility to the back. Acts as good stress and fatigue buster. 

21. Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Woman in her yoga outfit doing Ustrasana

Position yourself on the mat and kneel with placing your hands on the hips.

Keep your knees in line with the shoulders and position your soles towards the ceiling. 

Bend in your tailbone towards the pubis stretching from the navel.

 Now arch your back and position your palms over your feet with keeping the hands straight. Be in a neutral position and do not strain your neck even a slight.

Exhale and slowly come to the original position. Slowly withdraw your hands and bring them back to your hips as you straighten. 

Benefits- It improves digestion and stretches the body. Strengthens the back and shoulders with improving flexibility and posture. It is believed that it helps to overcome menstrual discomfort.

22. Vasisthasana (Side Plank)

A woman in her yoga outfit doing Vasisthasana

Start with performing Adho Mukha Svanasana and shift on the outside edge of your left foot and place your right foot on the left one.

Now place your right hand onto your right hip and turn your torso to the right and support the weight of the body on the left foot and the left hand. 

Your supporting hand should not be directly under the shoulder and should be slightly in the front. Now straighten the arm and press the base of the index fingers firmly.

Make sure to strengthen your thighs and then press the heels towards the floor. Now align your body into a diagonal line starting from the heels to the crown.

Maintain this position for 15 to 30 seconds and then come back to Adho Mukha Svanasana. 

Benefits- This asana is supposed to improve the sense of balance along with strengthening the arms, belly, and legs. Strengthens and stretches the wrists with the back of the legs. 

23. Parivrtta trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)

Woman in a white yoga outfit doing Parivrtta trikonasana

Start with Tadasana. Keep a distance of 3 to 4 feet in between both your legs and raise your arms parallel to the floor and position them to both sides with shoulder blades wide and palms down.

Angle your left foot in between 45 to 60 degrees and right foot to 90 degrees.

Align both the heels in one line. Exhale and then turn your torso to right and lean in front over the leg. Place your left hand down on the floor against your inner right foot and drop the left hip slightly towards the floor.

Maintain the position for at least 30 to 60 seconds. Do exhalation and release the twist with bringing your torso back while inhaling. 

Benefits- Stimulates the abdominal organs and relieves mild back pain. It stretches the hips and spine and strengthens the legs.

24. Navasana (Boat Pose)

Woman in red yoga outfit doing Navasana

Start with sitting on the floor and placing your legs in the front.

Position your hands on the floor a little behind your hips.

Point your fingers towards your feet and fix your arms.

 Now sit on the tripod including your two sitting bones and tailbone. Angle your thighs to about 45 to 50 degrees by bending your knees and lifting them off the floor while exhaling.

Try to stretch your arms and legs parallel to each other as well as the floor. Stay in the position for at least 20 to 60 seconds depending on your capacity. 

Benefits- Helps relieve stress and improves digestion. It also strengthens the abdomen, hip flexors, and spine. It also stimulates the kidneys, thyroid, and intestines.

25. Bakasana (Crow Pose)

A woman in bright red tank top and black legging doing Bakasana

Squat down on the floor and keep your tucked inner feet a little apart.

Now separate the knees wider than the hips and lean the torso in the front. 

Stick your inner thighs against the side of the torso and the shins into your armpits.

Then lift and balance onto the balls of your feet and lean in the front taking the weight of your torso on the upper arms. 

Benefits- Tones the abdominal organs and strengthens the abdominal muscles. It stretches the upper back and strengthens the arms and wrists.

26. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose)

Woman in Maroon tank top and violet leggings doing Urdhva Dhanurasana

Lie on the floor with your backside touching the ground.

Then bend your knees, and fix your foot on the floor.

After that bend, your elbows and spread your palms on the floor beside the head and keep the forearms perpendicular to the floor and keep your fingers pointed towards the shoulders.

Press the inner feet on the floor and push the tailbone in the direction of the pubis and push the buttocks off the floor.

Now press the feet and hands in the floor and balance the tailbone, shoulder blades against the back and exhale. Then lift your head and straighten the arms. Slightly turn the upper thighs inward and keep the outer thighs stable.

Now balance the weight on the bases of the index fingers and turn the upper arms outward.

Benefits- It increases energy and restrains depression. It also stretches the chest and lungs. Helps in strengthening the arms and wrists, legs, buttocks, abdomen as well as spine.

27. Adho Mukha vrksasana (Wall assisted Handstand)

A woman in a yoga outfit doing Adho Mukha vrksasana

Start with the Downward Facing Dog Pose and keep your fingertips a little away from the wall with a hand shoulder’s width.

Then firm your shoulder blades and against the back torso give it a pull towards the tailbone.

Now spread your palms and exert pressure on the bases of the fingers firmly against the floor.

Lift your right leg with an arc in the direction of the wall and push your left foot off the floor to straighten the left knee. Now with the help of your abdominal muscles lift your hips over the shoulders.

Benefits- It calms the brain and relieves stress. Also, improves balance and stretches the belly. Also, it strengthens the shoulders, arms, and wrists. 

28. Pincha Mayurasana (Wall assisted forearm stand)

woman in her maroon yoga suit doing Pincha Mayurasana

Start with the modified Adho Mukha Svanasana at the wall and with your palms and forearms placed on the floor.

Then firm your shoulder blades against the torso and pull them towards the direction of the tailbone.

Rotate the upper arms outward, keep the blades broad and cover your forearms inward. Now start bending the knee and push the foot closer to the wall and keep the other leg extending through the heel.

Benefits- Helps in strengthening the shoulders, arms and back with stretching the shoulders, neck, chest, and belly.

29. Sirsasana (Headstand)

A woman in her yoga outfit doing Sirsasana

First, create a triangle by joining your hands and placing them close to the wall and then place your head in between the gaps of your both hands. 

Pull your shoulders away from your ears by taking some weight off your head on your forearms. 

Now straighten the legs coming on the toes. Then exert some more force to put more weight on the forearms and shoulders and at last lift the toes from the mat.

Benefits- Helps in building stronger muscles and improves upper body strength. Makes the digestion better. It relieves stress and calms the mind.

30. Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

Woman in a neon pink yoga outfit doing Salamba Sarvangasana

Keep two fluffy blankets to create a height of 1 to 2 feet.

Then lie on it supporting your shoulders on the edge of the blanket parallel to each other and lay your hands on both sides of your torso and bend your knees. 

Now set your feet against the floor and see that the heels are close to the sitting bones. After exhaling press the arms against the floor and your feet away from the floor pulling your thighs into the front torso.

Then lay the backs of your upper arms on the blanket and lean your palms evenly on the back of your torso.

Now make sure to raise the pelvis over the shoulders such that the torso is relatively perpendicular to the floor.

After inhalation lifts the bent knees in the direction of the ceiling and bring the thighs in line with the torso and hang the heels down by your buttock.

Make sure your forehead should be relatively parallel to the floor and your chin should be perpendicular. 

Benefits- It tones the legs and buttocks with stretching the shoulders and the neck. It also stimulates the thyroid, prostate glands, and abdominal organs. 

Denver Matheson
 

I spend a lot of time at the gym and even more time in the kitchen giving my body what it needs to repair itself and grow stronger. The third most important place for any athlete is their research zone. That's exactly why this site exists, to help me share all of the information I've learned throughout the years just like people did for me in the first place!

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