Yoga 101: All about alignment

Strengthen your legs, ankles, and core while building balance and focus in Vrksasana, tree pose. Learn precise alignment, weight distribution, hip openness, and safe foot placement for steadiness.

Master Virabhadrasana 1 by learning precise foot placement, knee alignment, and hip orientation while engaging the core to strengthen arms, legs, back, and open the chest for balance and concentration.

Master Virabhadrasana 2 by aligning feet, hips, and gaze; strengthen legs and arms, open hips and chest, and develop balance, focus, and core engagement.

Strengthen your legs, ankles, feet, arms, and back while improving balance in Virabhadrasana 3, and maintain proper alignment by transferring weight and engaging the core.

Triangle pose strengthens and stretches the thighs, knees, hips, spine, and shoulders, opens the chest, and aids digestion, while guiding alignment with feet distance, heel alignment, and a firm core.

Strengthen legs, ankles, feet, and abdominals with Parivrtta trikonasana, or revolved triangle pose, while stretching hamstrings, shoulders, and upper back through a left twist, reinforcing alignment for balance and digestion.

Master utthita parsvakonasana by aligning feet, hips, and belly, while folding from the hips to extend the side angle pose, strengthening legs and opening chest, shoulders, and spine, improving digestion.

Learn revolved side angle pose (Parivrtta Parsvakonasana) to strengthen and stretch the legs, hips, chest, shoulders, and spine while enhancing balance and digestion through twisting.

Master Uttanasana, the standing forward fold, to strengthen thighs and knees, stretch hips, hamstrings, and calves, while keeping the back flat and belly in.

Strengthen your legs and core while stretching the legs, hips, spine, shoulders, and wrists in parsvotanasana, the intense side stretch, with precise alignment and folding from the hips.

Explore utkatasana, chair pose, to strengthen legs, ankles, hips, and back while stretching chest and shoulders and engaging the core. Maintain alignment with tucked tailbone, open chest, and shoulders down.

Pascimottanasana, seated forward fold, stretches the backs of the legs and back, stimulates abdominal organs, and calms the mind; fold from the hips with a long spine, belly in.

Explore Navasana, the boat pose, to strengthen the abdominals, hips, and spine, stretch the hamstrings, and improve balance and digestion by proper alignment.

Explore Janu sirsasana (head to knee pose) to stretch groins, hamstrings, and spine while improving digestion and calming the mind, with alignment steps to fold forward over the right leg.

Master marichyasana A in yoga, a shoulder-stretching pose that aids digestion and calms the mind through precise alignment: bend the left knee, lengthen the spine, fold forward.

Master the proper alignment of marichyasana C, a seated twist that stretches the lower back, stimulates abdominal organs, and improves digestion through mindful leg engagement.

Learn phalakasana, plank pose, by aligning hands under the shoulders, keeping shoulders above the wrists, tucking tailbone, sucking the belly in deeply, and engaging the leg muscles for body strength.

Master chaturanga dandasana, a four-limbed staff pose, by applying plank alignment cues: hands under shoulders, core engaged, and a straight line with elbows back and shoulders down.

Learn upward facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana) to strengthen the spine, arms, and wrists; stretch the chest, abdominals, and shoulders; and improve posture with proper alignment.

Adho mukha svanasana, or downward facing dog, strengthens the legs and arms and stretches calves, hamstrings, and shoulders while calming the mind through proper alignment and press through the hands.

Learn the vasisthasana side plank pose with proper alignment from plank, engage core and legs, lift hips, press through the hand, and vary gaze while maintaining balance.

Explore Balasana, or child's pose, with three variations that stretch spine, low back, hips, quads, and ankles while calming mind; learn alignment and how to choose the right variation.

Strengthen and stretch your arms, upper back, hips, and shoulders with uttana shishosana, the extended puppy pose, while calming the mind. Maintain tabletop alignment, hips above knees, and feet hip-distance.

Salabhasana, or locust pose, strengthens the abdominals and back, stretches the spine, opens chest, and aids digestion. Aligns from a prone position by engaging the pelvis, legs, and chest lifts.

Explore setu bandhasana, the bridge pose that strengthens the back, glutes, and hamstrings; promotes alignment, stretches the neck, chest, hips, and spine; improves digestion and circulation, and calms the mind.

Strengthen the whole body with Purvottanasana, the upward plank, which opens the chest and stretches the shoulders and ankles, with feet together, tailbone tucked, hands under shoulders, and hips lifted.

Master salamba sarvangasana, the shoulderstand, the queen of asanas that stretches shoulders and neck while strengthening the core, legs, and glutes and improving upper body circulation.

Practice halasana, the plow pose, to stretch the shoulders, neck, and spine while engaging the core and calming the mind with proper alignment and controlled transition.

Strengthen your core, arms, and shoulders with Sirsasana, the headstand pose, while boosting balance and focus with proper alignment—top of the head on the ground and elbows shoulder-width apart.

Learn the proper alignment for shavasana, the corpse pose, to relax the body, relieve stress, and calm the mind through a guided body scan and natural breath.

Learn proper alignment for sun salutations a, coordinating breath and movement through poses like plank, chaturanga, upward facing dog, and downward facing dog with five breaths.

Master the alignment of Surya Namaskar B, sun salutation with similar benefits to A but more challenging, flowing through chair pose, forward fold, halfway lift, plank, chaturanga, and warrior 1.