Yoga stretches for beginners

Gardening is a great form of exercise.

It is considered moderate exercise by the American Heart Association and you can burn as many calories gardening as you would from a typical workout at the gym.

Yoga stretches for beginners are a great way to ease into practice without taking on a whole class. If you’ve been looking for an accessible way to start, we spoke to an expert yoga teacher for the moves you need to move your body and improve your flexibility.

Boosting your mobility is one of the benefits of yoga (opens in new tab), alongside strengthening your mind-body connection and developing mindfulness. You don’t need loads of equipment either; one of the best yoga mats (opens in new tab) can help, but it’s optional.

Felicity Wood (opens in new tab) says the practice is for everyone. “You wouldn’t say you have to be able to play Mozart to take music lessons, and it’s the same with yoga — you don’t have to be flexible to start.”

“Yoga is not about being good or bad; it’s about being with your body without trying to change anything,” says Felicity. Her sequence of ten yoga stretches for beginners is a great starting point, including many fundamental poses and building blocks for yoga.

Felicity Wood

core yoga (opens in new tab) session strengthens your mid-section to develop stability.

1. Cat-cow

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Yoga stretches for beginners – Fit and Well — (Image credit: Story Wheel Production Co.)

Cat-cow is a gentle yoga stretch for beginners and helps develop an awareness of your breath, allowing you to tune in to how you feel, and offers a whole back stretch for improved spine mobility.

Start on all fours in a tabletop position with wrists in line with shoulders, knees under hips, and knees hip-width apart. Feel your fingers spreading and pushing into the floor.
For cat pose, inhale as you look forward, bringing your navel towards the floor, with sitting bones lifting.
Exhale to cow pose, rounding the spine, bringing chin to chest, and sitting bones under as you press the floor with your hands.
Repeat both poses five times, synchronizing movements with your breath.

2. Puppy pose

Woman performing the puppy pose yoga stretch

The puppy pose is an excellent warm-up pose for the well-known yoga stretch, downward dog. It helps lengthen your spine and opens your chest and shoulders.

Start on all fours in a tabletop position with wrists in line with shoulders, knees under hips, and knees hip-width apart. Feel your fingers spreading and pushing into the floor.
Keep your bottom in line with your knees as you take your hands a giant step forward.
Your hands can be as wide as the mat, with fingers spread wide.
Press the floor away from you, feeling like you are gently pressing your chest towards the mat.
Stay in this position for five breaths.

3. Low lunge

Lunges (opens in new tab) are a classic workout move, and a fundamental part of several yoga poses, including the low lunge. This position helps stretch your hip flexors and quads, which is helpful if you’ve been sitting down for a while.

If you feel pressure on the back knee, roll your mat slightly to double up or use a cushion or blanket.

From a tabletop position on all fours, step your right foot forward toward your right hand into a low lunge, keeping your left knee on the ground.
Bring your arms above your head, keeping them wide apart to make space for the shoulders.
Stay for a couple of breaths and swap sides.

4. Child’s pose

The child’s pose is a restorative resting pose that promotes spinal flexion and allows your back and shoulders to stretch. It’s also an ideal exercise for the end of your regular workouts.

Bring your bottom back towards your heels from the tabletop position on all fours.
Legs can either be together or separated.
Fold over your thighs and bring your forehead to the floor or a cushion.
Bring your arms alongside your body with palms facing up.
Rest here for a few breaths.

5. Downward dog

Woman performing a downward dog yoga stretch

For a good reason, this is one of the most famous yoga stretches for beginners and experienced practitioners—downward dog benefits your whole body, strengthening your arms, lengthening your spine, and giving your hamstrings and calves a stretch.

Come to all fours with your knees hip distance apart.
Take your hands a big step forward, landing mat-width apart with your fingers spread.
Tuck your toes under and lift your knees, then lift your bottom up towards the ceiling.
Keep a good bend in the knees (it doesn’t matter if your heels don’t touch the floor) as you press the floor away with your hands.
Make sure there is even weight distribution between hands and feet.
You can alternate bending one knee and then the other to stretch out the back of the legs.
Hold the pose for five breaths.

6. Standing forward fold

This stretching exercise (opens in new tab) is relatively straightforward but helps stretch your legs, including your hamstrings and calf muscles, and offers a release along your spine.

Stand upright with a straight back and arms by your sides, with a slight bend in your knees.
Bring your hands to opposite elbows, hinge at the hips, and fold your torso forward over your thighs.
Your weight should be evenly split between both feet and legs.
Stay in this position for five breaths.
You can rock back and forwards a little, alternating your weight between your toes and heels.

7. Warrior 2

Woman performing a warrior 2 yoga stretch

As you’d expect for a pose with this name, Warrior 2 is a great strengthening yoga pose (opens in new tab). It develops your legs and opens your hips and chest, and improving your shoulder’s range of motion.

Stand upright with a straight back and turn to face the long edge of your mat.
Position your feet, so your stance is wider than your hips.
Turn your right foot to face the short edge of the mat; your back toes can turn in slightly.
While keeping your spine upright, bend your right knee over your right foot, moving your shin vertically.
Take your arms wide towards the long edge of the mat, with fingertips stretching away from each other.
Look towards your right fingertips, and stay here for five breaths.
Return to the starting position by turning your left leg to face the other short edge of the mat.
Repeat on the other side.

8. Triangle pose

The triangle pose stretches your inner leg and hamstrings while opening the chest and improving the range of motion for the spine.

Stand with your legs wide and turn your right toes to the short edge of your mat and turn your left toes in about 45 degrees.
Straighten your right leg as you extend your arms wide and reach your right arm forward.
Take the right hand to rest anywhere along your inner right leg.
Turn your torso and left collarbone towards the ceiling and reach the left arm directly up, coming into a triangle shape.
Stay in this position for five breaths, then bend the right knee to come out of the pose.
Repeat on the other side.

9. Wide-legged forward fold

This soothing wide-legged forward fold is like the earlier standing forward fold but also helps stretch the back of your legs and offers a spine and neck release.

Stand upright with a straight back, your arms by your sides.
Your feet should be wide as you turn your toes to face the long edge of the mat.
Bend your knees slightly and fold your torso towards the thighs, so the crown of your head releases towards the floor.
Hands can come to your thighs, shins, feet, or the mat.
Check the weight is evenly distributed through your feet.
Stay for five breaths, then soften your knees and roll gently up.

10. Bridge pose

The bridge pose strengthens your legs, activates your glutes (the large muscles in your upper leg), lengthens your hip flexor and quads, opens your chest, and helps improve your spinal range of motion.

Lie on the mat with knees bent and feet on the floor a little wider than your hips, with arms by your sides.
Press into your feet and squeeze your glutes to press the hips towards the ceiling.
Your feet should remain firmly on the floor as you lift your front body.
Ensure your shoulders stay on the ground, and squeeze your shoulder blades together to broaden your chest.
Hold this position for five breaths, then slowly lower to the floor.

According to Wood, after the sequence, you can stretch your legs out and spend a few moments lying on your back, focusing on your breathing. Resting here can also be the ideal time to learn how to meditate (opens in new tab).

Yoga helps strengthen the connection between your mind and body physically, while meditation lets you focus on your breath so that you notice your thoughts but can let them pass by without getting distracted by them.

Source: fitandwell.com