The best beginner yoga poses

We’ve enlisted the help of yoga instructor Jade Gooding, who teaches online yoga classes for InstructorLive. This is one of the top on-demand fitness platforms in the UK, which also provides free videos for the NHS YouTube channel.

Yoga is more popular than ever and if you haven’t tried it yet, we’ve pulled together a guide with everything you need to know on how to get started in beginners’ yoga.

If you want to learn some basic moves before you join a class, or try a few easy yoga poses to improve flexibility, then this is a great sequence to get going .

All you need is a towel or rug to put on the floor – or better still a yoga mat.

A gentle stretch for the back, hips and thighs, whilst creating a moment of rest where the body can be still.

• From kneeling, lower your hips to your heels and your forehead towards the floor. Knees can be slightly apart to help make you more comfortable or place a pillow between your heels and bottom.
• Reach your arms overhead with the palms of your hands on the floor.
• Breathe.

A posture to strengthen the core and upper body, while improving circulation. It provides a wonderful stretch for the backs of the legs, as well as lengthening the spine.

• From your hands and knees, take your hands slightly further forwards and tuck your toes under.
• Exhale as you lift your knees off the mat and send your sit bones up towards the ceiling.
• Keep your knees gently bent and focus on creating space through the spine.
• Let your heels fall towards the mat and keep your neck relaxed between your arms.

This yoga pose builds strength physically and mentally. It strengthens the legs, core and shoulders as well as building stamina and power from within. It also helps to create space around the hips and shoulders.

• Face the long side of your mat, with your feet parallel in a wide stance.
• Turn your right foot and knee to face the top of the mat, angle your left toes slightly in.
• Bend your right knee and stack it over your right ankle.
• Distribute your weight evenly between both legs.
• Keep your shoulders stacked over your hips and extend both arms, with your palms facing down , gazing past your right fingers.

A yoga posture that helps us to feel centred, whilst establishing strength and balance. While it can be one of the trickier beginner yoga poses, mastering it will not only improve your balance, but can also help alleviate anxiety and depression.

• From a strong standing position, place your right foot gently onto the inside of your left calf or thigh and carefully press your right foot and left leg together (alternatively you can keep the foot softly resting on the ground).
• Ensure the pelvis stays level and your hips are square to the front.
• Once you feel stable, gently stretch your arms up, like branches reaching towards the sky.

This yoga pose strengthens your back muscles, legs, glutes and hamstrings, and can also release tension in your back. As it creates space around the respiratory system, it helps to open your lungs.

• From lying down on your back, bend your knees.
• On your inhale, press your heels and shoulders into the mat and lift your hips up.
• Keep your knees parallel by engaging the inner thighs, slide the shoulders down your back and keep your neck neutral.

This stretches the muscles on one side of the body, increases mobility of the spine and relives back pain. This twist is often done at the end of a lesson before going into relaxation or Shavasana.

• Lying on your back, bend your right knee and on your exhale drop the right knee over the left side of your body coming into the twist.
• Open the arms to a t-shape and look towards your right hand, keeping both shoulders on the ground.
• You can place a pillow underneath your right knee for support.