Updated February 1, 2025 by Teri Almquist

The Hot Yoga Postures

group of people performing cobra pose

The original hot yoga series is made up of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises.

The class is done in a heated room to allow the body to stretch safely and effectively. Each student works to their own ability. The postures improve general mobility by building strength and flexibility as well as improving balance.

The goal of the postures is to improve your physical wellbeing enabling you to move freely without limitations or discomfort.

The same series of postures are done in each class allowing you to observe the changes in your body and mind.

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man pushing his head back with his arms during yoga pose

Standing Deep Breathing

  • Expands the lungs to their full capacity.
  • Increases lung capacity
  • Increases circulation to the whole body.
  • Counteracts emphysema, asthma, and other breathing problems.
  • Helps regulate blood pressure.
yoga students performing side leaning posture

Half Moon/Hands to Feet Pose

This is a three-part posture.

  • Moves the spine in four directions.
  • Helps to alleviate lower back pain.
  • Improves posture.
  • Increases flexibility of the spine and sciatic nerves.
group of people balancing on their toes with knees bent

Awkward Pose

  • Increases core strength.
  • Increases mobility in the knee, toe and ankle joints.
  • Relieves arthritis and joint pain in the legs.
  • Increases hip joint flexibility.
  • Strengthens and firms upper arms.
group of student performing a pose in a studio

Eagle Pose

  • Relieves tension in neck and shoulders.
  • Increases flexibility of the upper back.
  • Improves circulation to reproductive organs.
  • Improves flexibility of all 14 major joints of the body.
  • Strengthens and firms legs.
  • Improves balance.
men and women during yoga class performing a posture

Standing Head to Knee Pose

  • Develops concentration, determination and patience.
  • Increases pancreatic functions.
  • Helps balance blood sugar levels.
  • Improves flexibility of sciatic nerve.
  • Strengthens the abdomen, thighs, legs, upper body and arms.
yoga class performing bow pose

Standing Bow Pulling Pose

  • Flushes out kidneys helping to eliminate metabolic waste.
  • Increases the size and elasticity of the rib cage and lungs.
  • Helps correct high blood pressure.
  • Helps tennis elbow and frozen shoulder.
  • Improves flexibility and strength of the lower spine.
  • Improves flexibility of sciatic nerve.
  • Strengthens abdominal wall, upper thighs, upper arms, hips and buttocks.
group of people doing a one-legged balancing pose

Balancing Stick Pose

  • Strengthens and improves circulation to the heart muscle.
  • Increases lung capacity.
  • Helps tennis elbow and varicose veins.
  • Increases flexibility of the spine, hip and shoulder joints.
  • Strengthens arms, hips, buttocks and upper thighs.
woman doing a hamstring stretch in front of a mirror

Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose

  • Helps functioning of the abdominal organs.
  • Brings blood to the brain.
  • Stretches the hamstrings.
  • Increases flexibility of the pelvis, ankles, hip joints and lower spine.
  • Improves muscle tone and flexibility of thighs and calves.
people doing a stretch during a yoga class

Triangle Pose

  • Improves every muscle, joint, tendon.
  • Increases circulation to the internal organs.
  • Revitalizes nerves, veins and tissues.
  • Improves spinal alignment.
  • Helps correct frozen shoulder and tennis elbow.
  • Increases strength and flexibility of hip joints
  • Increases flexibility muscles of the torso.
  • Strengthens the arms, upper thighs, and hips.
people reaching down to their legs to stretch hamstrings

Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose

  • Increases blood circulation through the body.
  • Massages internal organs.
  • Improves functioning of the endocrine system.
  • Helps with diabetes and high blood pressure.
  • Improves flexibility of the spine, shoulders, hips, sciatic nerves.
man performing tree pose

Tree Pose

  • Improves posture and balance.
  • Strengthens abdominal muscles.
  • Improves circulatory disorders.
  • Relieves tension in neck and shoulders.
  • Increases flexibility of ankles, knees and feet.
woman balancing on one foot during a pose

Toe Stand Pose

  • Develops mental focus and patience.
  • Helps increase range of motion in the knees, ankles and feet.
  • Strengthens stomach muscles, weak joints.
  • Improves abdominal strength.
  • Improves balance.
group of people laying on towels in a studio

Dead Body Pose

  • Teaches muscles to relax.
  • Returns circulation, respiration and blood pressure to normal.
  • Improves concentration and focus.
  • Helps reduce nervousness, anxiety and irritability.
group of woman laying on their back and hugging their knees

Wind Removing Pose

  • Massages and increases circulation to the colon.
  • Helps relieve and prevent constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Stimulates the liver, small and large intestine, spleen.
  • Improves flexibility of the hip joints and relieves lower back pain.
  • Strengthens the abdomen, thigh and hip muscles.
students in a yoga class, laying on their back with their hands up

Sit-up

Not a posture but a transition out of savasana 

  • Strengthens the abdominal muscles.
  • Increases flexibility of the spine, hamstrings, and sciatic nerves.
students doing cobra pose

Cobra Pose

  • Relieves lower back pain.
  • Increases strength and flexibility in the lumbar spine.
  • Improves functioning of the large and small intestines, liver, kidney, spleen.
  • Helps to realign the spine slipped disc, sciatica.
  • Helps relieve menstrual problems.
  • Improves flexibility of hip and shoulder joints.
women lying on their stomach with both legs lifted up

Locust Pose

  • Relieves upper back and neck pain.
  • Increases spinal strength and flexibility.
  • Improves flexibility of shoulder and elbow joints.
  • Increases circulation to the chest.
  • Improves flexibility of the elbow, relieves pain of tennis elbow.
  • Strengthens the wrist joint, relieves and prevents carpal tunnel syndrome.
people laying on their stomach and reaching up with their hands and legs

Full Locust Pose

  • Increases strength in the middle spine.
  • Helps relieve scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylosis and slipped discs.
  • Opens up the rib cage and increases elasticity.
  • Strengthens the arms and shoulders.
students performing a chest and abs posture

Bow Pose

  • Strengthens the entire spine, resulting in relief from back aches.
  • Stretches abdominal muscles.
  • Improves the flexibility of the scapula, deltoid and trapezius muscles.
  • Increases oxygen intake by opening the rib cage.
yoga students lying on their back with their knees bent inwards

Fixed Firm Pose

  • Helps to cure sciatica, gout and rheumatism in the legs.
  • Helps to prevent hernia.
  • Strengthens and improves flexibility of lower spine, knees, and ankles.
  • Firms thighs, calf muscles and strengthens the abdomen.
yoga group on their knees and stretching their back

Half Tortoise Pose

  • Provides maximum relaxation.
  • Stretches lower part of the lungs.
  • Increases blood circulation to the brain.
  • Massages heart, lungs and coronary arteries.
  • Increases flexibility of the hip and shoulder joints.
group of woman stretching their abs, chest, and shoulder

Camel Pose

  • Stretches abdominal organs.
  • Stretches the throat, thyroid gland and parathyroid.
  • Stimulates the nervous system.
  • Opens rib cage to allow for maximum expansion of the lungs.
  • Improves flexibility of neck and spine.
group of people on their knees with their head on the floor

Rabbit Pose

  • Maintains mobility and elasticity of spine.
  • Nurtures the nervous system, helps with depression.
  • Improves digestion.
  • Strengthens abdomen and back muscles.
yoga group stretching their hamstring

Head to Knee with Stretching Pose

  • Helps balance blood sugar levels.
  • Improves kidney function.
  • Improves digestion.
  • Improves the flexibility of sciatic nerves, ankles and hip joints.
  • Strengthens abdomen and arms.
group of woman performing a lower back pose

Spine Twisting Pose

  • Increases circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves, veins and tissues.
  • Improves spinal elasticity and flexibility.
  • Improves digestion.
woman sitting on her legs on an exercise mat

Blowing in Firm

  • Increases circulation.
  • Removes metabolic waste.
  • Strengthens all abdominal organs.
group of people laying on their back on the floor

Final Savasana

  • Increases ability to relax.
  • Builds focus.
  • Allows body to integrate the benefits of the practice.

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