Health & WellnessBeginnerPreview
Yoga for Beginners
This course introduces the essential asanas, breathing techniques, and alignment principles that form the backbone of a sustainable yoga practice. You will finish with the knowledge and confidence to practise independently at home.
Complete beginners who want to start yoga at home with proper technique and a structured progression plan.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook accompanies the Yoga for Beginners course and gives you structured exercises, worksheets, and checklists to deepen your learning between sessions. Complete each section after finishing the corresponding module, then use the action plan and templates to build and track your home practice over the first 90 days.
Foundations: Breath, Body Awareness, and the Yoga Frame
Establish your breathing baseline, identify your personal alignment starting points, and practise the Sun Salutation A sequence step-by-step.
Exercise: Breath Quality Audit
Find a quiet place and sit on the floor or a chair with your spine long. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Place one hand on your belly and one on your sternum, close your eyes, and breathe naturally without controlling the breath. After the timer, answer the prompts below honestly based on what you observed.
- Which hand moved first and most — belly or chest? What does this tell you about your default breathing pattern?
- Did your breath feel smooth and even, or choppy and strained? Note any moments when you held your breath without intending to.
- Try ujjayi breath for 1 minute (gentle throat constriction, ocean sound). What did you notice? Was the sound consistent, or did it fade? When did it fade?
- Write one specific thing you will practise this week to improve your breath quality.
Worksheet: Neutral Spine and Joint Stacking Self-Assessment
Stand in Tadasana in front of a full-length mirror (or film yourself from the side). Check each alignment point and record your findings. Repeat this worksheet at day 30 and day 60 to track improvement.
- Date of assessment
- Head position: ears over shoulders? (yes / no / partially)
- Cervical spine: natural curve present or flattened?
- Shoulders: level and relaxed, or one higher / rounded forward?
- Lumbar curve: natural arch present, or flattened / over-arched?
- Pelvis: neutral, anteriorly tilted (bottom sticking out), or posteriorly tilted (tucked under)?
- Knees: straight, hyperextended, or slightly bent?
- Feet: hip-distance apart and parallel, or turned out?
- Your biggest single alignment finding and what you will do about it
Checklist: Sun Salutation A Mastery Checklist
- I can name all 10 poses in Surya Namaskar A in order without looking
- I know which breath (inhale or exhale) accompanies each transition
- My front knee stays over my ankle in the lunge shapes
- My hips are level and not sagging in Plank Pose
- I am using the knees-down Chaturanga modification until I can hold Plank for 30 seconds
- I complete 3 rounds without stopping to look at notes
- My Downward Dog hold is 5 complete breath cycles, not rushed
- I finish in Tadasana with hands at heart and take one full breath before moving on
Standing Poses: Strength, Balance, and Lower Body Opening
Practise the alignment cues for Warriors and Triangle, log your balance times, and design a mini-sequence combining this module's poses.
Exercise: Warrior Alignment Troubleshoot
Practise Warrior I, Warrior II, and Reverse Warrior on both sides, then immediately answer these prompts. Use a mirror or phone video if available. This exercise is most useful done on day 2 or 3 after watching the lesson, when you have had time to feel the challenges.
- In Warrior I: Could you keep both hips squared forward without shortening the stance significantly? What did you have to sacrifice to get the hips square?
- In Warrior II: Did the front knee drift inward over the big toe instead of the second toe? What cue helped you correct it?
- In Reverse Warrior: Did you stand up out of the lunge to reach overhead? How did it feel when you maintained the deep Warrior II leg position throughout?
Worksheet: Balance Pose Progress Log
Test Tree Pose and Warrior III on both sides twice per week. Use a timer and record your hold time before form breaks. "Form break" means the hip wings up, the standing knee buckles inward, or you hop to catch balance. Record your results below over four weeks.
- Week 1 Date
- Tree Pose — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Tree Pose — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Tree Pose foot level used (ankle / calf / thigh)
- Warrior III — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Warrior III — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Week 2 Date
- Tree Pose — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Tree Pose — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Tree Pose foot level used (ankle / calf / thigh)
- Warrior III — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Warrior III — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Week 3 Date
- Tree Pose — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Tree Pose — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Warrior III — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Warrior III — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Week 4 Date
- Tree Pose — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Tree Pose — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Warrior III — Right leg hold time (seconds)
- Warrior III — Left leg hold time (seconds)
- Notes on what changed most between Week 1 and Week 4
Checklist: Standing Pose Alignment Checklist
- In all standing poses my front knee tracks over my second toe, not collapsing inward
- In Triangle Pose I use a block at a height that lets me keep my spine long (not curved)
- My back foot outer edge presses into the mat in Triangle and Extended Side Angle
- I can hold Warrior II for 5 breaths on each side without the front thigh rising toward parallel
- My Tree Pose gaze point (drishti) is fixed on one still point at eye level
- I enter Warrior III from a high lunge rather than jumping straight to the balance
- I exit balance poses with control — I do not crash-land the lifted foot
Exercise: Mini-Sequence Design
Using only the poses from this module (Warrior I, II, Reverse Warrior, Triangle, Extended Side Angle, Tree, Warrior III), design a 10-minute standing sequence. Write it out below using the format: pose name → breath → hold time. Then practise it twice and revise.
- Write your standing sequence (6–8 poses, both sides): pose name, inhale or exhale entry, hold time in breaths
- After practising it: what transition felt rough or unclear? How would you cue it better?
- What is the peak pose (most challenging) in your sequence, and what is the preparatory pose that logically leads into it?
Floor Poses: Seated, Supine, and Restorative Shapes
Map your current hip and hamstring flexibility, practise the restorative setup process, and design a 15-minute cool-down routine.
Worksheet: Hip and Hamstring Flexibility Baseline
Complete these three measurements on the same day, unwarmed (before practice), to get your true baseline. Repeat at day 30 and day 60.
- Date of measurement
- Standing Forward Fold: fingertip-to-floor distance in cm (negative if touching floor, positive if above)
- Seated Forward Fold: can you hold feet with a straight (or slightly bent) back? (yes / strap needed / back rounds significantly)
- Supine Figure-4: when right ankle is over left thigh, can you pull both legs toward chest without the right hip lifting off floor? (yes / partially / no)
- Supine Figure-4: same for left ankle over right thigh
- Butterfly (Baddha Konasana): knee height above floor when feet are together (cm) — right knee
- Butterfly: knee height above floor — left knee
- Day 30 repeat: Standing Forward Fold (cm)
- Day 30 repeat: Butterfly right knee height (cm)
- Day 30 repeat: Butterfly left knee height (cm)
- Day 60 repeat: Standing Forward Fold (cm)
- Day 60 repeat: Butterfly right knee height (cm)
- Day 60 repeat: Butterfly left knee height (cm)
Exercise: Restorative Setup Practice
Gather all available props (blankets, blocks, a belt or strap, an eye pillow or folded face cloth). Set up and hold each of the three restorative poses described below, exactly as instructed. Then answer the prompts.
- Supported Bridge (block under sacrum): hold 10 breaths. Where did you feel the opening — hip flexors, chest, both? Did the block position need adjusting? Note the exact block height and distance from tailbone that worked best for you.
- Legs-Up-the-Wall: hold 5 minutes. How far from the wall did you need to position your hips for your hamstring length? Describe any sensations in the legs or lower back.
- Savasana with full props: hold 8 minutes. Were you able to stay still the entire time? If not, at what point did you move, and what drove it? What would you change next time?
Checklist: Floor Practice Safety Checklist
- I never press my knees toward the floor with my hands in Butterfly — I let gravity work passively
- In Seated Forward Fold I hinge from the hips (pelvis tips forward) rather than curling the spine
- I use a strap or bent knees rather than rounding my back to reach my feet
- I exit Pigeon Pose by pressing up with both hands first, not by rolling sideways
- My Savasana is a minimum of 5 minutes — I do not skip it
- I have identified and set up my optimal prop configuration for Supported Bridge
- I exit Savasana slowly: finger wiggle, roll to side, pause, press to seated
Building Your Home Practice: Sequencing, Habits, and Progression
Write your implementation intentions, build a 4-week schedule, and set your personal 30-60-90 day benchmarks.
Exercise: Implementation Intention Writing Exercise
Research shows writing implementation intentions (if-then plans) doubles exercise adherence compared to intention-setting alone. Write all three plans below in specific, first-person language. Make them concrete enough that a stranger could follow them without clarification.
- Normal practice day plan: write the exact if-then statement (if [trigger], then I will [specific yoga action]) including your practice time, location, which sequence, and duration
- Busy or travel day plan: write the same if-then format for a day when your normal routine is disrupted — specify the 10-minute fallback sequence by name
- Low-energy or unwell day plan: write the restorative-only plan (which two poses, how long, what props) — this is still a practice day
Worksheet: 4-Week Practice Schedule and Streak Log
Fill in your planned practice days for all four weeks before week 1 begins. After each practice, mark it complete. At the end of each week, record your completion rate and one note about what worked or did not work.
- Week 1 planned practice days (circle): Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
- Week 1 actual practices completed (number out of planned)
- Week 1 reflection: what worked or did not work?
- Week 2 planned practice days
- Week 2 actual practices completed
- Week 2 reflection
- Week 3 planned practice days
- Week 3 actual practices completed
- Week 3 reflection
- Week 4 planned practice days
- Week 4 actual practices completed
- Week 4 reflection: what will you adjust for month 2?
Worksheet: Personal 30-60-90 Day Benchmark Card
Adapt the course benchmarks to your own starting point and goals. Write realistic but stretching targets for each milestone based on your baseline measurements from the workbook. Review and sign off on each at the target date.
- My Day 0 Standing Forward Fold (cm from floor)
- My Day 0 Tree Pose hold time (sec, right)
- My Day 0 Tree Pose hold time (sec, left)
- My Day 0 Warrior II hold time (sec, each side)
- Day 30 target: Standing Forward Fold (cm)
- Day 30 target: Tree Pose hold time (sec)
- Day 30 target: Sun Salutation rounds per session
- Day 30 actual result (fill in at day 30)
- Day 60 target: can sequence own 30-min practice from memory (yes / not yet)
- Day 60 target: Warrior II hold time (sec)
- Day 60 actual result (fill in at day 60)
- Day 90 target: one pose I want to access that currently feels out of reach
- Day 90 target: practice days per week average
- Day 90 actual result (fill in at day 90)
Checklist: Home Practice Readiness Checklist
- My mat is always unrolled and visible in my practice space (not stored away)
- I have identified a consistent anchor habit to stack yoga onto each practice day
- I have written and posted my three implementation intentions (normal / busy / low-energy)
- I have a minimum viable practice (10 minutes) I can do anywhere without equipment
- I track my practice streak visually (calendar, app, or notebook)
- I have scheduled my monthly benchmark assessments in my calendar
- I know which style of yoga I want to explore after completing this 90-day foundation
Your Action Plan
- Complete the Breath Quality Audit (Section 1, Exercise 1) today — before your next practice session
- Film yourself in Tadasana from the front and side to complete the Neutral Spine Self-Assessment worksheet
- Practise Sun Salutation A every day this week: 3 slow rounds, knees-down Chaturanga if needed
- Set up your practice space — unroll your mat and gather one block and one strap so props are ready without friction
- Write your three implementation intentions (normal, busy, low-energy) and post them somewhere visible
- Take your flexibility baseline measurements (Section 3 worksheet) before your first full floor-practice session
- Complete the Balance Pose Progress Log on weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 — schedule these in your calendar now
- Design and practise your 10-minute standing mini-sequence (Section 2, Exercise 3) by end of week 2
- Practise your full restorative setup (Supported Bridge, Legs-Up-Wall, Savasana) at least once before end of week 2
- At day 30: retest all baseline measurements, review the 4-Week Practice Schedule, and set month 2 targets
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