10 Beginner Yoga Classes for Better Balance
Build better balance with these 10 yoga classes for beginners on Alo Moves.
Many yoga poses test your balance, and rising to that challenge has a host of benefits: Pouring your concentration into holding the posture can help quiet your mind and build stability you can carry with you throughout your day. You don’t have to be a Headstand master to benefit from balance-heavy yoga flows, either! Anything that gets you thinking differently about your relationship with the ground can work wonders.
Whether you’re a new yogi, new to balance postures, or want to strengthen your balance practice, these classes from Alo Moves instructors put stability in focus. If you’re just starting out, we suggest having some support handy! Try practicing close to a wall and keep some blocks (or block substitutes) nearby if you can — and remember that falling is part of the practice!
1. Yoga Break: Focus on Balance
In this 15-minute class with Briohny Smyth, you’ll work on stability and focus — starting with three minutes with both feet on the ground in Tadasana. As you move into one-legged balance exercises, the emphasis is less on perfect form as much as getting comfortable in the position. The flow peaks with a big, open Half Moon.
2. Strong and Steady
Designed to provide a strong base that you can bring to any yoga class, Strong and Steady with Patrick Beach builds stability in many kinds of poses, including balancing postures. After some modified Sun Salutations, you’ll start playing with your foundation with Side Plank variations. Extra pointers on two-legged poses like the Warrior series help increase stability throughout your practice.
Focus on your lower body in this collection of mostly standing poses with Calvin Corzine. In this 30-minute class suitable for those with arm or hand injuries, you’ll increase your balance, strength, flexibility with poses like Standing Figure Four and Tree, plus other creative one-legged balance builders — and even if you don’t have an upper body injury, you’ll practice not relying on your arms.
4. Root to Rise
Firm up your foundations in this 20-minute flow with Naya Rappaport. You’ll build strength in your legs and glutes to help build stability over time. Exercises that need a steady base, including Warrior I Dips, Chair Pose on Tiptoes, and Goddess Variation Squats, appear later in the sequence.
5. Beginners Guide to Balance
Claudine Lafond teaches this 15-minute flow that dives into the form of one-leg balances like Tree Pose, Eagle Pose, and Half Moon. You’ll spend time in each new pose with gentle guidance, but it moves at a slightly faster pace than some of the other classes on this list — and has options for more ambitious transitions.
6. Beginner Flow Foundations
Gain confidence in several essential yoga postures — including ones that test your balance — in this beginner class with Phyllicia Bonanno. Moving at a moderate, steady pace, you’ll get the hang of Sun Salutations along with balance challenges like Tree Pose and deep Malasana Squats.
7. Balance is Key
This full-length flow with Carling Harps uses a mix of postures to bolster your foundation, so expect to balance on your feet, hands, and forearms alike. You’ll open with a small toe balance and eventually move into drills for poses like Forearm Stand, with the option to hop into the fully realized pose if you’re ready. At the end of this playful sequence, you’ll learn targeted stretches to give your hardworking muscles some relief.
8. The Big Chill
Eoin Finn’s full-length, slow-tempo class uses both balancing postures and poses a little closer to the floor to quiet the mind. After some challenging lunges, expect one-legged poses like Tree, Half Lotus, and Eagle — but in a chill atmosphere focused on our relationship with the natural world.
9. Vinyasaless Vinyasa
This creative, half-hour flow with Caley Alyssa has the same fluid movements as a vinyasa class, but without the classic Chaturanga and Down Dog sequence. Nontraditional sequencing keeps you on your toes and helps you concentrate on the postures more fully, including twists and transitions that shake your foundations.
10. Classic 26
Lay a foundation in a different yoga lineage with Alo Moves instructor Talia Sutra and these essential poses from the Bishnu Ghosh tradition. You’ll learn a condensed version of the set sequence of 26 poses and two breathing exercises, which includes balance challenges like Standing Head to Knee Pose, Standing Bow Pose, and Balancing Stick Pose.
Practice all these classes and more with a free 14-day trial to Alo Moves.
