I recently invited my mom to take a beginner’s yoga class with me.

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

I searched my mind for where to begin. I considered starting off with, “Yoga is about the journey, not the destination,” but I didn’t want to scare her off with a yoga platitude. I could’ve said that I often learn more from beginner’s classes than anywhere else. Yoga for beginners is also my way of easing back into physical movement after an injury or when I’m being less active.

“Actually, I really enjoy beginner yoga classes,” I said. And it’s true. One of the best things about yoga is that, whether you’re yoga curious or you’ve been teaching for 20 years, a beginner’s class can help slow you down and strengthen your practice by returning to the foundations. For me, it’s a reminder of why we do this thing called yoga in the first place.

In the end, my mom and I didn’t attend the in-person class. But I did share with her my favorite list of YouTube yoga practices, specifically made for beginners. I was reminded that sometimes it’s best to remove as many obstacles as possible in order to get started with or return to yoga. You have it all within you—and, technically, on YouTube—already. Gotta love that beginner’s mindset.

6 Best Beginner Yoga Practices on YouTube

Whether you’re new to yoga or looking for a practice that brings you back to the basics, you’ll find exactly what you’re seeking in these YouTube yoga videos.

1. 10 Minute Yoga for Beginners

Yoga With Kassandra walks you through a slow and intentional sequence in this yoga for beginners practice. She uses simple alignment cues that make all the difference in complex poses including Low Lunge and Down Dog. With plenty of low-to-the-floor poses and no background music, this YouTube yoga video gives a chill vibe. One commenter captures their favorite moment by saying, “Once your cat walked in, I knew I was in the right place.”

Practice a gentle stretch.

2. 15 Minute Gentle Yoga Flow

Simple neck and shoulder stretches ease you into an active yet grounding flow in this Charlie Follows YouTube yoga practice. Although it’s yoga for beginners, there are challenging movements (stepping back to Plank) along with cues for less intense pose variations (knees down in Chaturanga). The ambient music, calming voiceover, and natural light-filled space in the video all support the “gentle” vibe of the practice.

Release tension now.

3. Easy Yoga Stretch for Tension Relief

This practice feels like an escape for the body and mind by way of floating on a yoga cloud for 10 minutes. In no more than 10 poses, Yoga with Bird guides you through mostly reclined, full-body stretches. Instead of taking a typical Cat–Cow, she encourages you to listen to what your body needs and move your hips side to side or in a circle. The moment serves as a reminder that the practice is for *you.*

Practice an easy stretch.

4. Feel-Good Flow and Stretch

If you’re looking to challenge your body yet still feel fully in control, this 25-minute practice by Akshaya Agnes can help with that. The beginner’s flow starts with simple warm-ups. Even when it moves on to more complex poses (Warrior 2, Triangle), Agnes’s uncomplicated cues help align your body in an easy-to-understand way. Stay tuned toward the end for iconic and energizing postures including Goddess Pose and Tree Pose.

Move through a beginner’s flow.

5. 30-Minute Yoga for Beginners

There are a lot of things a teacher could say when teaching yoga for beginners; but sometimes what matters most is what they don’t say. Nico Marie strikes the perfect balance between setting up newbies and returning students for success, gently nudging what to focus on, without overwhelming. Her tips echo yoga fundamentals: focus on the breath and rest when you need. The practice takes you through an active yet slow-moving sequence set to calming background music. And there are plenty of moments of silence that allow you to sink further into your experience.

Flow for 30 minutes.

6. Yoga Flow for Beginners

If you’re like me and you sometimes feel as if yoga flows move waaaay too fast, you might appreciate this 25-minute practice by Yoga With Adriene. Appropriately named “Intro to Flow,” it’s sorta an entry level course to vinyasa flow, which links poses together, with plenty of time to get your bearings in the transitions in between. Adriene demonstrates how to use props for support in poses including Revolved Lunge. I recommend keeping your blocks close by during the entire practice as you never know when they might be welcome, whether for your hands in Forward Bend or even if you want to make Bridge Pose restful by placing a block underneath your sacrum.

Take an intro to flow.