A yoga sequence for complete beginners
Twelve poses that between them cover every direction the spine moves, with nothing that needs strength or flexibility you do not already have.
A first practice does not need to be easy — it needs to be legible. Every pose below has an obvious shape, an obvious place to feel it, and a version that works if you cannot touch your toes. The order moves from the floor to standing and back to the floor, because that is how a body warms up and cools down without being told to.
The sequence
Every pose name links to its full page — steps, muscles worked, common mistakes and who should skip it.
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1
Easy Pose Sukhāsana
2 minutes
Sit and take twenty slow breaths. This is the only part of the practice most people skip and later miss.
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2
Cat Pose Mārjaryāsana
8–10 rounds
On hands and knees, round and arch the spine with the breath.
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3
Child's Pose Bālāsana
1–2 minutes
Sit the hips back to the heels and let the forehead rest down.
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4
Downward-Facing Dog Pose Adho Mukha Śvānāsana
30–45 seconds
Lift the hips back and up, knees as bent as they like.
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5
Mountain Pose Tāḍāsana
5 breaths
Stand at the front of the mat and find even weight in both feet.
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6
Chair Pose Utkaṭāsana
20–30 seconds
Bend the knees, sit the hips back, arms forward or up.
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7
Warrior II Vīrabhadrāsana II
30 seconds each side
Step wide, turn the front foot out, bend the front knee.
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8
Extended Triangle Pose Trikoṇāsana
30 seconds each side
Straighten the front leg and hinge sideways over it, hand to a block.
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9
Tree Pose Vṛkṣāsana
20–30 seconds each side
Stand on one foot with the other sole on the ankle or inner thigh.
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10
Bridge Pose Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana
30 seconds, twice
Lie down and lift the hips, or lie face down and lift the chest.
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11
Supine Spinal Twist Supta Matsyendrāsana
1 minute each side
Lie on the back and let both knees drop to one side.
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12
Corpse Pose Śavāsana
5 minutes
Lie flat, arms away from the body, and stop.
Before you start this sequence
- Read the cautions on the individual pose pages. Between them, the poses here rule themselves out for pregnancy, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and neck, knee, shoulder and wrist injuries — the details differ pose by pose.
- A sequence is an order, not a prescription. Leave out anything that hurts and the rest still works.
- If you are pregnant, recently post-surgical, or managing a health condition, get your doctor's view before starting, and learn from a qualified teacher in person.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.
Notes on practising it
Do this three times in a week and the fourth time will feel different — not because you have got more flexible in a week, but because you have stopped spending attention on where the limbs go. That is when a practice starts.
The energy figure above uses the standard ACSM relationship — MET × 3.5 × body mass in kilograms ÷ 200 kcal per minute — with the MET value taken from the nearest published code in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. The full working is on the method page, and the wider activity dataset is at BurnLab.
Questions
How long does the A first practice sequence take?
About 25 minutes for 12 poses at the stay times listed. Suggested volume: once through. At 2.5 MET — the nearest published code in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — that is roughly 77 kcal for a 70 kg adult.
Do I have to do the poses in this order?
The order is the point. Sequences are arranged so that each pose prepares the next one and answers the one before it — a backbend followed by a forward bend, a long hold followed by something that unloads it. Reordering them is fine once you know why they sit where they do.
Is the A first practice sequence suitable for beginners?
Yes. Every pose in it is a beginner-level shape with an accessible version, though you should still read each pose's own cautions — a beginner pose can still be wrong for a specific pregnancy, knee or neck.
What do I need for it?
A mat, and for several poses a block and a strap — a folded blanket and a belt do the same job. Nothing here needs a studio.
Other sequences
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.