Simply Yoga: Power Poses

"One of the most frequently utilized yoga poses, downward-facing dog is challenging as you begin your practice and becomes a resting pose as your body heats up. Start in push-up position with toes tucked. Push down into hands, engage core, and lift hips to form upside-down V position, pushing heels flat to the floor. Your gaze should always be toward your feet."

Experienced yogis seem to defy gravity with inversions and balances, but many of the most powerful yoga poses are relatively simple. Jaimi Jones, yoga instructor at Charlotte Yoga, offers insight on taking your practice to the next level by mastering these essential yoga poses.

Child's Pose

"Child's pose is a perfect way to start your practice, as it centers your thoughts, and steadies breathing. Start on all fours and touch your big toes together behind you. Separate knees wider than your torso and shift weight back to sit on heels. A variation: lift belly and extend arms forward with forehead resting on your mat."

Downward-facing Dog

"One of the most frequently utilized yoga poses, downward-facing dog is challenging as you begin your practice and becomes a resting pose as your body heats up. Start in push-up position with toes tucked. Push down into hands, engage core, and lift hips to form upside-down V position, pushing heels flat to the floor. Your gaze should always be toward your feet."

Warrior One

"Start by standing tall with feet hip-distance apart. Keep one foot forward, step other foot to back of the mat. Keeping your front foot facing forward, turn your back foot slightly outward. Reach arms overhead, lower shoulders from ears, and lift core as you bend the front knee into a ninety-degree angle. Switch your feet and repeat on opposite side."

Chair Pose

"Stand tall with big toes together and heels a few inches apart. Simultaneously, squeeze thighs together and bend knees. Lower your rear as if you're sitting in a chair and be sure not to arch the lower back. Lift arms overhead, reach fingers toward ceiling, and drop shoulders away from ears."

Tree Pose

"Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, begin to shift the weight over to the right foot, lift the left foot off the floor, and bring the sole of the left foot high onto the inner right thigh. Press the foot into the thigh and the thigh back into the foot. Keep both hips squared toward the front. Repeat the move while standing on the left foot."

Ashley Kaufman