Grounding is an incredible practice that can help you feel more balanced, resilient, and even less anxious. And using grounding practices alongside the yoga practice is kind of like a double whammy, really.
There are many yoga poses that tap into the sensation of grounding by physically connecting parts of the body with the earth element. I mean, that’s kind of a no brainer, right? If some part of your body isn’t touching the ground, then you’d be levitating.
In yoga, grounding is more specifically associated with the Root Chakra, as the Root Chakra is related to the Earth Element. When you’re working on poses that target the Root Chakra, you’re often practicing yoga poses that are close to the ground, or strong in the feet, ankles, and legs.
Practicing yoga poses that focus on grounding can help you to deepen your focus, stability, and sense of calm within. Who doesn’t want that?!
Today I’m sharing a round up of 13 grounding yoga poses that you can start practicing today! If any of these shapes don’t feel good to jump into right away, then make sure you do a short warm up first.
You can always find great warm up classes in my No Time For Yoga series, or any short class on my app.
13 Grounding Yoga Poses
Today we’re exploring grounding yoga poses by targeting the feet, ankles, calves, hamstrings, and calves in strong standing postures. As well as low to the ground shapes.
All of these yoga postures are designed to open your Root Chakra. As well as ignite your sense of grounding from the inside out.
Child’s Pose
This is a beginner level posture that can be done at any point in your yoga practice. In fact, it’s the perfect shape to start in, as it allows you to connect inward right away.
The benefits of this pose include:
Opening the low back, deepening compression with subtle abdominal engagement, and igniting your hip flexors.
If you’re struggling to rest your forehead on your mat, then you can always place a block underneath your forehead, instead. If this pose puts strain on the front of knees, it’s best to avoid it altogether.
Dragonfly
This is a beginner level posture that feels really nice towards the end of your practice. This is a Yin posture that is more commonly referred to as “straddle” or wide legged seated fold in Vinyasa classes.
The benefits of this posture include:
Opening the hips, opening the inner thighs, lengthening the hamstrings, opening the low back, and allowing body connection with the earth, and inward focus.
Remember, you can always bend your knees a lot. And bring your legs in closer to one another if a wide stance is too much on your hips.
Double Pigeon
This is an intermediate level pose that is best practiced at the start of your cool down in full-length 60 minute class. Because this posture is quite intense on the outer hips.
The benefits of this shape include:
Opening the outer hips, lengthening the spine, opening the inner thighs, and connection to the Earth Element.
It’s important to try to parallel your shins. Meaning, your left foot should be on top or below of your right knee. And your right foot should be on top or below your left knee. If your top leg is hanging in space uncomfortably, then place a block underneath it.
Low Lunge
This is a beginner level pose that’s best done in the warm up portion of your yoga practice. It provides the perfect blend of waking up the hips, while still staying low to the ground.
Benefits of this pose include:
Opening the hip flexors, strengthening the inner thighs, increased balance, increased focus, and abdominal engagement.
Don’t forget that if it’s too challenging to stay balanced with your arms overhead with your palms facing inward, then you can always place your hands on the ground outside of your front leg instead.
Crescent Lunge
This is a beginner level pose that is best done after you’ve already practiced Low Lunge. So that your hips and legs are open and ready for a stronger balancing pose.
The benefits of this shape include:
Tonifying the thighs, strengthening the hamstrings, opening the hips flexors and inner thighs, increased balance and focus.
If you find that you get too wobbly when you lift your hips from Low Lunge to Crescent Lunge, then try a wider stance to stabilize yourself.
Warrior ll
This is an intermediate level pose, even though it’s one of the most classic yoga shapes around. In order to do Warrior ll correctly, you’ll understand why it’s considered intermediate, rather than beginner.
The benefits of this posture include:
Strengthening the legs and inner hips, opening the inner and outer hips, increased focus and balance, abdominal stabilization.
Try to avoid allowing your front knee to cave into the center, by actively tracking it out to the pinky toe side of your front foot, instead.
Reverse Warrior
This is an intermediate level pose that feels incredible right after your Warrior ll as a part of a full Warrior sequence.
Benefits of this pose include:
Opening the side body, strengthening the legs, opening the hips, and engaging the core.
Remember to keep hugging your shoulder blades together on your back, rather than letting your front shoulder creep up by your ear.
Extended Side Angle
This is an intermediate level pose that is best completed in your Warrior sequence either before or after Reverse Warrior.
The benefits of this pose include:
Strengthening the legs, deep opening of the hips, increased balance, opening the side body, and oblique activation.
You’ll be able to stabilize more easily by magnetizing your heels into center to help lift up and out of the low belly, even as you take the side bend.
Chair Pose
This is a beginner level pose that is best done during the warm up portion of the class. As well as at any point nearing the peak posture of your practice.
There are many benefits to this pose, including:
Strengthening the thighs, strengthening the hamstrings, increasing focus, lengthening the spine, strengthening the arms, leaning into the breath, and increased balance.
Don’t forget that you can have the feet together or at hips width distance depending on what’s comfortable in your body. This is a great pose to practice when you’re learning to strengthen the legs for backbend yoga poses later on.
Downward Facing Dog
This is a beginner level pose that is often introduced in the warm up portion of a yoga class. This shape provides a true full body experience to get you grounded and invigorated, alike.
The benefits of Downdog include:
Stabilization, lengthening the hamstring, strengthening the grip of the hands and wrists, elongating the low back, inversion practice, increased blood flow, and balance.
The purpose of this pose is to find as long of a spine as possible. So make sure to bend your knees a lot if this helps you to drive your hips further skyward as you draw the crown of your head in between your thumbs.
Feel free to try Dolphin Pose instead of Downward Facing Dog, if you want to connect your forearms to the ground, instead.
Mountain Pose
This is a beginner level pose that can be practiced anytime in your yoga class. In fact, this is a great entry point for the practice. As well as the perfect standing pose to wind down with.
The benefits of this pose include:
Balance, stabilization, connection to breath, engaging core, strengthening thighs, and lengthening the spine.
When you’re practicing this posture, try to hone in on the grounding sensation in the soles of your feet. Work on plugging into your big toes to lift the inner arches of your feet to stabilize.
Tree Pose
This is a beginner level pose. It is best to practice after a warm up in your yoga class. Don’t forget you can always try this posture with a wall if you need additional stabilization.
Benefits of Tree Pose include:
Increased balance, increased focus, strengthening the thigh of the standing leg, opening the hips of the bent knee, and core activation.
Don’t forget to bring the sole of your lifted foot anywhere along the inseam of your standing leg, other than the knee joint. The lower down your foot is placed on the leg, the more accessible the balance will be.
Eagle Pose
This is a beginner level pose that is best practiced after a warm up portion of a class. And preferably after some other balancing pose has already been introduced (like Tree Pose).
The benefits of this posture include:
Opening the shoulders, increased balance, increased focus, strengthening the legs, compression, and core activation.
Eagle Pose is a great shape to help you prepare for heart opening postures. Because it works to strengthen the legs while also opening the shoulders. Don’t forget that you can always single wrap your arms and legs if the double wrap is out of reach.
Let me know which grounding yoga pose is your favorite in the comments.
And, as always, feel free to share your own grounding yoga poses, as well!
xx,
K
