Easy yoga poses you can do in everyday clothes, on an ordinary floor

Most beginner pose guides skip the part you actually need: what to do when a pose doesn't feel like the picture. This section is built around that moment. Each simple yoga pose we cover gets its own card with a difficulty label, step-by-step instructions, a breathing cue, at least one modification and a "Stop if" note that tells you plainly when to come out.

We start with the foundations, the poses that turn up in almost every beginner routine: mountain pose, child's pose, cat-cow, downward-facing dog with bent knees, and a supported bridge. Sanskrit names appear next to plain English, with a quick note on what the name means, so you'll recognise them later in a class or a video.

Nothing here asks you to force a stretch or hold your breath. If your hands don't reach the floor, the floor comes up to meet you on a block, a thick book or a stack of cushions. The next guides we're writing cover how to get started with easy yoga poses and the mistakes beginners most often make with them.