Standing Yoga Poses
28 poses, every one explained in full
Standing poses are where most classes spend their energy: everything performed on both feet, from Mountain at the simplest end through the warrior family to the wide-legged folds. They build the leg strength and hip mobility that the rest of the library quietly assumes you already have.
They are also the most forgiving place to begin. You can step out of nearly any of them mid-pose, and the floor is a long way from your head. Alignment matters more here than flexibility — most of what feels like tight hamstrings in a standing fold is a pelvis that has not been allowed to tip forward.
What to watch for
The front knee in lunges and warriors. If it drifts past the ankle or rolls inward, shorten your stance instead of sinking deeper.
New to these? Start with Mountain Pose, Warrior II, then Triangle Pose.
Beginner (20)
Mountain PosebeginnerTadasana
The baseline of every standing pose: stand tall, weight even, whole body quietly at work. Mountain looks like nothing and teaches everything about posture.
Upward SalutebeginnerUrdhva Hastasana
Mountain Pose with the arms swept overhead — a full-body reach that opens every sun salutation. Simple, but it wakes up the whole side body.
Standing Forward FoldbeginnerUttanasana
Hinge at the hips and let your upper body hang. This everyday fold stretches the whole back of the body and gives the neck and shoulders a break.
Halfway LiftbeginnerArdha Uttanasana
The half-lift between forward folds: spine long, chest reaching forward, hands on shins or the floor. It teaches you what a truly flat back feels like.
Chair PosebeginnerUtkatasana
Sit back into an invisible chair with your arms reaching overhead. Chair Pose builds heat fast and strengthens the legs, back, and shoulders all at once.
Warrior IbeginnerVirabhadrasana I
A strong lunge with the hips squared forward and the arms reaching overhead. Warrior I builds leg strength while opening the chest and the front of the back hip.
Warrior IIbeginnerVirabhadrasana II
A wide, grounded stance with arms stretched in opposite directions and gaze over the front hand. Warrior II is the home base of most standing sequences.
Reverse WarriorbeginnerViparita Virabhadrasana
From Warrior II, the front arm sweeps up and back into a long side stretch while the legs stay strong. A satisfying opener for the side waist.
Extended Side AnglebeginnerUtthita Parsvakonasana
One long line from back heel to top fingertips over a bent front leg. Extended Side Angle strengthens the legs while opening the whole side body.
Triangle PosebeginnerUtthita Trikonasana
Straight legs, long spine, arms in one vertical line — Triangle stretches the hamstrings and side body while teaching you to lengthen instead of collapse.
Wide-Legged Forward FoldbeginnerPrasarita Padottanasana
Feet wide, fold down the middle. This straight-legged fold stretches the hamstrings and inner thighs and is gentler on the lower back than a narrow fold.
Low LungebeginnerAnjaneyasana
A kneeling lunge that targets the hip flexors of the back leg — one of the most useful stretches there is for people who sit all day.
High LungebeginnerUtthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana
A lunge on the ball of the back foot with arms reaching high. High Lunge builds serious leg strength and balance without asking the hips to square like Warrior I.
Goddess PosebeginnerUtkata Konasana
A wide squat with the toes turned out and arms in a goalpost shape. Goddess builds heat in the legs and opens the hips without needing much flexibility.
Star PosebeginnerUtthita Tadasana
Feet wide, arms wide, everything reaching outward — a five-pointed star. A simple, expansive pose that resets posture between stronger standing work.
Gate PosebeginnerParighasana
Kneel on one leg, stretch the other to the side, and arc up and over it. Gate Pose is one of the clearest side-body stretches in yoga.
Standing Side BendbeginnerIndudalasana
Reach both arms overhead and lean to one side in a long crescent. A quick, honest stretch for the side waist that fits anywhere in a practice — or a workday.
Archer PosebeginnerAkarna Dhanurasana (standing variation)
A standing lunge where one arm reaches forward and the other draws back like pulling a bowstring. Steady legs, open chest, unwavering gaze.
Standing BackbendbeginnerAnuvittasana
A gentle standing arch: hands support the lower back or reach overhead as the chest lifts and opens. The everyday antidote to hunching forward.
Standing Deep BreathingbeginnerPranayama
The slow, full breathing exercise that opens a Bikram-style class: knuckles under the chin, elbows rising and falling with a long six-count inhale and exhale.
Intermediate (8)
- Humble Warriorintermediate
Baddha Virabhadrasana
Warrior I with the hands clasped behind the back and the torso folded inside the front leg. It asks for leg strength, shoulder opening, and balance all at once.
Pyramid PoseintermediateParsvottanasana
A straight-legged fold over the front leg with the hips squared. Pyramid gives the hamstrings an honest stretch and quietly tests your balance.
- Lizard Poseintermediate
Utthan Pristhasana
A deep lunge with both hands inside the front foot, often lowering to the forearms. Lizard goes straight after the hips and doesn't pretend otherwise.
Side LungeintermediateSkandasana
A deep squat over one leg while the other stretches straight to the side, toes lifted. Side Lunge opens the inner thighs and challenges ankle mobility.
- Big Toe Poseintermediate
Padangusthasana
A standing forward fold holding your big toes, using the arms to gently deepen the stretch. A staple of the Ashtanga standing sequence.
- Hand-Under-Foot Poseintermediate
Pada Hastasana
Fold forward and slide your palms under your feet, toes touching your wrists. The body weight on the hands gives the wrists a rare, welcome stretch.
- Standing Separate-Leg Stretchintermediate
Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana
The Bikram-style wide-legged fold: grip your heels from the outside and draw the crown of your head toward the floor between your feet.
- Standing Separate-Leg Head-to-Kneeintermediate
Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana
From a short wide stance, hands in prayer overhead, you round forward to touch forehead to front knee. A Bikram staple that compresses the front body and stretches the back.
Other categories
- Seated 34
- Balancing 15
- Backbends 14
- Twists 11
- Inversions 13
- Arm balances 14
- Prone & kneeling 7
- Reclining 12
Or browse every pose in one list, searchable by English or Sanskrit name.