Standing Yoga poses

Tadasana – Mountain Pose

Benefits:

• improves posture
• improves body awareness

Tips:

• spread your toes out on the mat
• ground down evenly through four corners of the feet
• engage your quadriceps
• tuck your tailbone & draw your navel towards the spine
• press down through your feet and lift the heart and the crown of the head
• draw your shoulderblades down the back

Urdva Hastasana – Upward Salute

Benefits:

• improves posture

Tips:

• maintain all elements of Tadasana and reach up, looking to thumbs
• keep legs active, tailbone tucked, core engaged
• keep lots of space between shoulders and ears

Uttanasana – Standing Forward Bend

Benefits:

• stretches hamstrings & lower back

Tips:

• if you’re tight in the hamstrings or lower back, bend the knees slightly, and place your hands on yoga blocks or a chair rather than on the floor

Ardha Uttanasana – Standing Half Forward Bend

Benefits:

• lengthens the spine
• allows you to move more deeply into your forward bend

Tips:

• keep the knees slightly bent if your hamstrings and lower back are tight
• press hands into shins in order to help lengthen your spine
• draw navel in for support

Anjaneyasana – Low Lunge

Benefits:

• improves balance
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• if you have pain in your back knee, place a folded towel under it for support
• keep your hips as square as possible
• visualize your tailbone dropping towards the floor
• draw your navel in and up
• keep your hands apart and look forward (especially if you feel off balance) or bring your hands together and look up to thumbs.

Virabhadrasana I – Warrior I

Benefits:

• improves posture
• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• as you ground your back heel, make sure that the back foot doesn’t cross over behind the front one
• keep your hips as square as possible
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor and find equal strength in both legs

Virabhadrasana II – Warrior II

Benefits:

• improves posture
• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• line up the arch of your back foot with the heel of your front foot
• keep your hips as level as possible
• have a sense that your torso and hips are facing the side, with only the front leg and the head facing the front of your mat
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor and find equal strength in both legs
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Viparita Virabhadrasana – Reverse Warrior

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hips
• stretches the side of the torso

Tips:

• line up the arch of your back foot with the heel of your front foot
• keep your hips as level as possible
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor and find equal strength in both legs
• keep your front knee bent deeply as you reach your arm up overhead
• think of lifting up and over to avoid collapsing in the low back
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Parsvakonasana – Side Angle Bend (modified)

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• line up the arch of your back foot with the heel of your front foot
• focus on the long line of energy from your back foot to your top hand, making a straight line from your foot to your fingertips
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor and find equal strength in both legs
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Parsvakonasana – Side Angle Bend

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• line up the arch of your back foot with the heel of your front foot
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor and find equal strength in both legs
• relax your shoulders away from your ears
• only progress to this version of the pose once you can maintain the straight line from your back foot to your top hand as you move your bottom hand to the floor
• you may place your bottom hand on a yoga block

Uttita Trikonanasana – Triangle Pose

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hamstrings
• improves balance
• improves posture

Tips:

• line up the arch of your back foot with the heel of your front foot
• keep your spine as long as possible, avoiding collapsing the shoulders towards the floor
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor and find equal strength in both legs
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Parvritta Trikonasana – Revolved Triangle Pose

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• stretches the hips
• stretches the muscles surrounding the spine
• improves balance

Tips:

• stance may be shorter than Triangle Pose
• place your hand to the inside of the front foot, on a yoga block, on the foot itself, or to the outside of the foot
• press the outer edge of your back foot into the floor
• focus first on lengthening the spine, then twisting and looking up
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Vrksasana – Tree Pose

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• improves balance
• improves posture
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• if your foot doesn’t reach your inner thigh, place it against the inner calf or inner ankle, avoiding the knee
• press your foot into your leg and your leg into your foot
• keep your core engaged
• when you feel stable, lift your arms overhead
• focus on the feeling of grounding through your standing foot while lifting the heart, crown, and fingertips
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Vrksasana – Tree Pose II

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• improves balance
• improves posture
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• if your foot doesn’t reach your inner thigh, place it against the inner calf or inner ankle, avoiding the knee
• press your foot into your leg and your leg into your foot
• keep your core engaged
• when you feel stable, lift your arms overhead
• focus on the feeling of grounding through your standing foot while lifting the heart, crown, and fingertips
• relax your shoulders away from your ears

Ardha Chandrasana – Half Moon Pose

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• improves balance
• improves posture

Tips:

• keep both legs strong, and allow the top hip to roll open so that your toes face the side
• imagine your back foot is standing into the wall to keep it active
• lengthen your spine
• draw the navel in
• press your fingertips into the floor or a yoga block to create a sense of buoyancy in your upper body

Prasarita Padotanasana – Wide-Legged Forward Fold

Benefits:

• stretches the hamstrings
• stretches the hips

Tips:

• if you are unable to maintain tall posture while upright in a straddle position, sit on a folded blanket or yoga block to give yourself more freedom in the low back
• aim to keep the spine long as you fold forward

Prasarita Padotanasana – Wide-Legged Forward Fold (variation)

Benefits:

• stretches the hamstrings
• stretches the hips
• stretches the shoulders and opens the chest

Tips:

• if you are unable to maintain tall posture while upright in a straddle position, sit on a folded blanket or yoga block to give yourself more freedom in the low back
• aim to keep the spine long as you fold forward
• allow the hands to float away from the back
• if you have limited mobility in the shoulders, hold a yoga strap between the hands

Malasana – Garland Pose – Full Squat

Benefits:

• strengthens the legs
• stretches and strengthens the hips
• aids digestion

Tips:

• feet can be wider than hip distance apart if necessary, and toes may point out to the sides
• if your heels don’t reach the floor, roll up your mat or place a folded towel or blanket under your heels so that you’re grounded
• let your tailbone drop towards the earth and lift the chest to elongate the spine
• press your elbows into the inner knees to create more openness in the hips