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Balance poses

Poses held on a reduced base — one foot, two hands, or the forearms.

Beginner balance poses 5

Learnable in a first class, with a version that works for most bodies.

Tree Pose● Vṛkṣāsana Beginner · balance · 20–45 seconds each side Dolphin Plank Pose Makara Adho Mukha Śvānāsana Beginner · balance · 20–45 seconds Eight-Limbed Pose Aṣṭāṅga Namaskāra Beginner · balance · 1 breath in a flow, or 3–5 breaths held Half Side Plank Ardha Vasiṣṭhāsana Beginner · balance · 30–60 seconds each side Plank Pose Phalakāsana Beginner · balance · 20–45 seconds

Intermediate balance poses 9

Assume a working base of strength and range, and a teacher who has watched you move.

Crow Pose Kākāsana Intermediate · balance · 3–8 breaths Eagle Pose Garuḍāsana Intermediate · balance · 20–45 seconds each side Four-Limbed Staff Pose Caturaṅga Daṇḍāsana Intermediate · balance · 1–3 breaths Half Moon Pose Ardha Candrāsana Intermediate · balance · 20–45 seconds each side One-Handed Arm Pose Eka Hasta Bhujāsana Intermediate · balance · 3–8 breaths each side Pendant Pose Lolāsana Intermediate · balance · 3–8 breaths Side Plank Pose (Feet Stacked) Pārśva Phalakāsana Intermediate · balance · 20–40 seconds each side Side Plank with Lifted Leg Vasiṣṭhāsana Intermediate · balance · 15–30 seconds each side Warrior III Vīrabhadrāsana III Intermediate · balance · 20–45 seconds each side

Advanced balance poses 17

Long-practice poses. The risk is rarely the shape itself — it is arriving at it years early.

Crane Pose Bakāsana Advanced · balance · 3–8 breaths Destroyer of the Universe Pose Kāla Bhairavāsana Advanced · balance · 3–5 breaths each side Eight-Angle Pose Aṣṭāvakrāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths each side Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose Utthita Hasta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana Advanced · balance · 5–15 seconds Firefly Pose Ṭiṭṭibhāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths Flying Pigeon Pose Gālavāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths each side Lord of the Dance Pose Naṭarājāsana Advanced · balance · 5–15 seconds Lotus Peacock Pose Padma Mayūrāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths One-Legged Sage Pose I Eka Pāda Kauṇḍinyāsana I Advanced · balance · 3–5 breaths each side One-Legged Sage Pose II Eka Pāda Kauṇḍinyāsana II Advanced · balance · 3–5 breaths each side Peacock Pose Mayūrāsana Advanced · balance · 3–8 breaths Rooster Pose Kukkuṭāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths Scales Pose Tolāsana Advanced · balance · 5–10 breaths Shoulder-Pressing Pose Bhujapīḍāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths Side Crane Pose Pārśva Bakāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths each side Two-Legged Sage Pose Dvi Pāda Kauṇḍinyāsana Advanced · balance · 3–5 breaths each side Upward Rooster Pose Ūrdhva Kukkuṭāsana Advanced · balance · 3–6 breaths

Asked before class

What are balance poses in yoga?

Poses held on a reduced base — one foot, two hands, or the forearms. YogaPath lists 31 of them, from Dolphin Plank Pose through to Upward Rooster Pose.

Which balance poses should a beginner start with?

The 5 poses in this family marked beginner: Dolphin Plank Pose, Eight-Limbed Pose, Half Side Plank, Plank Pose, Tree Pose. Each has a version that works for most bodies, and each page lists who should skip it.

Are balance poses safe for everyone?

No family of poses is. Each page in this group lists its own contraindications — pregnancy, blood pressure, glaucoma, and neck, knee, shoulder or wrist injury all rule out specific poses. Read the cautions on the individual page, ask your doctor if a condition applies to you, and learn the poses with a qualified teacher.

Other families

Standing 18Seated 29Forward bends 22Backbends 43Twists 25Inversions 20Restorative 21

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 and what it is written from. 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.

SOURCE·Published asana references·asana names, alignment and cautions as taught·REVIEWED JUL 2026

The people behind these sites

Follow the build

This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.

Amit Sharma @amitsharmaofficial Instagram Geeta Patel @geetapatelnz Instagram Geeta Patel GeetaPatelYoga Facebook

Following changes nothing here — every page stays open, with no account and no wall.

MoveLab

The gym-equipment counterpart to the same movement pattern.

DATA · JUL 2026 GymFinder

Gyms in 200+ Indian cities with researched fee ranges and no paid placement.

DATA · JUL 2026 SehatCheck

The same numbers read against the Asian-Indian cutoffs instead of the Western bands.

DATA · JUL 2026 DietPlanIndia

A day-by-day plan that totals its own numbers instead of asking you to.

DATA · JUL 2026 ThaliFacts

Indian food counted per roti and per katori, not per anonymous 100 grams.

DATA · JUL 2026 RunIndia

The pace maths behind a finish time you can actually hold.

DATA · JUL 2026 FuelFacts

The same foods, counted going in — 1,799 of them, straight from the USDA tables.

DATA · JUL 2026 amit.marketing

Who builds these, and why every figure on them is sourced and dated.

THE STUDIO

See all 10 sites in this family, with what each one answers

Published by

Amit Sharma

Auckland real-estate agent and marketer. Builds free, sourced data tools.

Follow the work