5 Beginner Yoga Poses Inspired by Harry Styles

If you haven’t streamed Harry Styles’ new album Harry’s House, you’re missing out on one of the best albums of 2022. The track list flows through horn-heavy floor-fillers (“Music for a Sushi Restaurant”), groovy midtempos (“Late Night Talking”), and poignant ballads (“Matilda”), much like gym-goers might flow through the peaks and valleys of a yoga class.

It’s ironic that Harry’s House feels like it could score a yoga workout because Styles has name-dropped the practice as one of his go-to forms of exercise in multiple interviews over the years, including The Howard Stern Show most recently.

Styles says he enjoys yoga, as well as Pilates, because it’s low impact, meaning there’s little to no impact on your joints, which ultimately helps preserve the longevity of your body. No wonder the Grammy-winning artist can uphold such a rigorous schedule, having recently wrapped a sold-out 42-date tour in 2021 and now embarked on an even longer run this year.

If you want to sweat like Styles, then yoga might be the workout for you. And if you’re looking for some beginner poses to practice before booking your first class, the following Styles-inspired moves from Tamara Teragawa, RYT-500 and Master Trainer for YogaSix, should leave you feeling pretty “Golden.”

1. “Daydreaming Dog” (Downward Dog)

Teragawa says to begin on all fours in a tabletop position. Place your hands about shoulder-width apart and splay your fingers wide as you grip the floor like a starfish.

person in downward dog yoga pose

Lift your tailbone up and press your chest open toward your thighs. Downward Dog helps to lengthen the spine and hamstrings, open the chest and shoulders, and strengthen the upper body. “It just feels right!”

2. “Cat Kiwi” (Cat Cow)

This pose is great for releasing tension in your spine, neck, and shoulders, according to Teragawa. Begin in a tabletop position with a neutral spine. Splay your fingers wide and stack your shoulders over your wrists as your hips line up over your knees.

person in yoga cow pose

Inhale, tilt your tailbone up and back as you shine your heart forward to show off your “pretty face” and your “pretty neck.”

person in yoga cat pose

Then exhale, push the floor away, and round your spine, tucking your chin into your chest and your tailbone down. Continue to flow through these two movements and allow your breath to guide your pace.

3. “Warrior Sugar High” (or Warrior II)

When done right, Warrior II pose is a full-body posture, building strength and stability, as well as lengthening and stretching multiple muscles, explains Teragawa. Begin in a wide stance with your feet approximately three feet apart. (This distance may vary depending on how long your legs are).

person in warrior ii yoga posa

Turn your right foot outward so it’s perpendicular to your other foot and bend your right knee so it lines up with your ankle. Keep both feet entirely on the floor and try to keep your hips and shoulders squared. Maintain a long spine, reach your arms out to the horizon, and gaze over your right fingertips.

Once you find this stance, enjoy it for a few breaths. “Breathe it in. Breathe it out.” Once you do, “You’ll never want to live without!” Repeat the same steps on the other side.

4. “Harry Baby” (Happy Baby)

Lie flat on your back and hug your knees into your chest. Grab for the backs of your thighs, knees, ankles, or feet (wherever is most accessible while keeping your hips, back, shoulders, and head on the floor).

person in happy baby yoga pose

Relax your hips and use the strength of your arms to pull your legs outside of your ribs. Breathe and enjoy! Feel free to gently rock “your baby and get into it!”

5. “Styles Salutations” (Sun Salutations)

Begin standing tall like a sunflower, with your feet about hip-width apart in a mountain pose.

person in sun salutation mountain pose yoga

Inhale, reach your arms up overhead.

person in sun salutation forward fold pose yoga

Exhale, fold in half, and relax your arms down toward the ground. Feel free to bend your knees as much as you’d like to reach the floor more easily and release your lower back.

person in sun salutation half lift pose yoga

Inhale, lengthen the crown of your head forward and reach your spine long, halfway, so your body makes a 90-degree angle.

person in sun salutation high plank pose yoga

Exhale, plant your hands on the ground for a plank position.

person in sun salutation low plank chaturanga pose yoga

Then bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle for a chaturanga push-up. You can always lower your knees to the floor during the chaturanga push-up for extra support.

person in sun salutation upward facing dog pose yoga

Inhale, flip the tops of your feet to face the ground, roll your shoulders back, and lift your heart forward into upward facing dog. (Make sure to keep your core and glutes engaged to protect your lower back and continue developing more strength).

person in sun salutation downward facing dog pose yoga

Exhale, tuck your toes, and send your hips high to downward facing dog.

Inhale, look forward. Exhale, step your hands up to meet your feet and repeat this as many times as you like.

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About David Robertson

David Robertson has been teaching group fitness for over nine years. He has degrees in Advertising and Kinesiology from the University of Illinois and is certified in Les Mills BODYPUMP, BODYATTACK, BODYJAM and Core, among other formats. Based in Chicago, he currently teaches at the Chicago Athletic Clubs and Fitness Formula Clubs. Previously he has taught at Flywheel Sports, CycleBar and OrangeTheory Fitness. By day, he works as a publicist for several lifestyle brands at a local public relations agency.