Yoga Pose Families: standing, seated, twists, backbends and more

In short: a pose family groups postures that share a basic shape or action, such as standing poses, forward bends or twists. A pose can belong to more than one family: triangle is a standing pose and a side bend. Below, every family with its poses, then the same poses grouped by starting position.

Family	What the poses share
Standing	Feet on the floor; the base of most classes
Balancing	Standing or arm balances on a small base
Seated and meditation	Seats for breathing practice and meditation, from easy pose to lotus
Forward bends	Folding the trunk toward the legs
Hip openers and leg extension	Rotating or lengthening at the hip: lunges, pigeon, splits
Twists	Rotating the spine, seated, standing or lying
Side bends	Lengthening one side of the body
Backbends and chest openers	Extending the spine, from sphinx and cobra to wheel
Floor foundations and core	Hands-and-knees and plank positions, core work
Arm balances	Weight on the hands with the feet lifted
Inversions	Hips above the heart, from downward dog to headstand
Resting and restorative	Supported shapes for rest, often with props

Families describe shapes, not difficulty: an arm balance can be accessible with a block, and a “basic” standing pose can be demanding. Check the difficulty and prerequisites on each pose page, or browse poses by difficulty. Yin yoga poses are listed in the family whose shape they resemble, with a link to the related active pose; see yin yoga for how the practice differs.

Poses by family

Poses by starting position

Where you begin: standing, seated, kneeling, reclining on your back, prone on your belly, or with your weight on your hands. Useful when getting up and down from the floor is hard: the props and chair adaptations page helps too.

Poses by movement

Sources

1. Yoga poses by type (pose categories), Yoga Journal (accessed October 6, 2026)

Facts checked on October 6, 2026