6 Best Yoga Practices for Beginners on YouTube (Beneficial to Every Experience Level)

I recently invited my mother to take a beginner yoga class with me.

“But you’ve been doing yoga for a while,” she said. “Why would you want to take a beginners class?”

I searched my mind for where to start. I considered starting with, “Yoga is about the journey, not the destination,” but I didn’t want to scare her off with a yoga platitude. I could have said that I often learn more from beginner lessons than anywhere else. Yoga for beginners is also my way to get physically active again after an injury or when I am less active.

“I actually really like yoga classes for beginners,” I said. And it’s true. One of the best things about yoga is that whether you’re curious about yoga or have been teaching for twenty years, a beginner class can help you slow down and strengthen your practice by getting back to the basics. For me, it’s a reminder of why we do yoga in the first place.

Ultimately, my mother and I did not attend the in-person class. But I did share with her my favorite list of yoga exercises on YouTube, made especially for beginners. I was reminded that sometimes it’s best to remove as many obstacles as possible to starting or returning to yoga. You already have it all inside you (and, technically, on YouTube). Gotta love that beginner mentality.

6 Best Yoga Practices for Beginners on YouTube

Whether you’re new to yoga or looking for a practice that takes you back to basics, you’ll find just what you’re looking for in these yoga videos on YouTube.

1. 10-minute yoga for beginners

Yoga With Cassandra guides you through a slow and deliberate sequence in this yoga for beginners. She uses simple alignment cues that make all the difference in complex poses, including Low Lunge and Down Dog. With lots of low poses and no background music, this YouTube yoga video has a relaxing atmosphere. One commenter captures his favorite moment, saying, “Once your cat walked in, I knew I was in the right place.”

Practice a gentle stretch.

2. Gentle yoga flow of 15 minutes

Simple neck and shoulder exercises will get you into an active yet grounding flow in this Charlie Follows YouTube yoga practice. Although it’s yoga for beginners, there are challenging moves (a step back to Plank) and directions for less intense pose variations (knees down in Chaturanga). The ambient music, soothing voice-over and natural light-filled space in the video all support the ‘soft’ atmosphere of the exercise.

Now release the tension.

3. Easy yoga stretch for tension relief

This exercise feels like an escape for the body and mind by floating on a yoga cloud for 10 minutes. In no more than 10 postures, Yoga with Bird guides you through mainly lying down body exercises. Instead of taking a typical Cat-Cow, she encourages you to listen to what your body needs and move your hips back and forth or in a circle. This moment serves as a reminder that the exercise is for *you*.

Practice an easy stretch.

4. Good flow and stretch

If you want to challenge your body and still feel in complete control, this 25-minute exercise from Akshaya Agnes can help you do just that. The beginner flow starts with simple warm-ups. Even as it progresses to more complex poses (Warrior 2, Triangle), Agnes’ straightforward cues help align your body in an easy-to-understand way. Stay tuned toward the end for iconic and stimulating poses, including Goddess Pose and Tree Pose.

Move through a beginner flow.

5. 30-minute yoga for beginners

There are many things a teacher needs could when teaching yoga for beginners say; but sometimes the most important thing is what they don’t say. Nico Marie finds the perfect balance between setting up newbies and returning students for success, gently guiding them on what to focus on without overwhelming. Her tips reflect the basic principles of yoga: focus on breathing and rest when you need it. The exercise takes you through an active but slow-moving sequence set to soothing background music. And there are plenty of moments of silence to allow you to sink further into your experience.

Power for 30 minutes.

6. Yoga flow for beginners

If you’re like me and sometimes feel like the yoga flows are moving way too fast, you might appreciate this 25-minute practice from Yoga With Adriene. Aptly named ‘Intro to Flow’, it is a kind of entry-level course for vinyasa flow, linking poses together, with enough time to orient yourself in the transitions between them. Adriene demonstrates how to use props for support in poses, including Revolved Lunge. I recommend keeping your blocks handy throughout the entire exercise because you never know when they’ll be welcome, whether it’s putting your hands in Forward Bend or even if you want to make Bridge Pose soothing by placing a block under your sacrum.

Take an intro to flow.