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Wall yoga for beginners: a 20-minute routine at the wall

A 20-minute beginners' yoga routine that uses a clear wall as your only prop. Your back against the wall shows you where you are in the standing poses, your fingertips on it steady you in the balances, and your feet on it support the floor poses. Use the lightest touch that keeps you steady and take it away bit by bit as you improve: a light touch steadies you at once, but balance improves by practising it. We found no study of wall yoga itself, so the doses come from our other classes.

20 minBeginner13 movesA wall · A stepCalves · Shoulders · Hamstrings · Quads · Glutes · Adductors
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Arrive at the wall

  1. Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)1 min
    Beginner · 3D demoStand with your back against the wall, or sit with your back to it. In for about 4, out for about 6, with no holdsEasier: Breath reachHarder: Crocodile breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)
  2. Mountain pose (Tadasana)5 to 10 slow breaths, twice
    Beginner · Calves, Back, Abs · 3D demoHeels a few centimetres from the wall; let the back of your pelvis and your shoulder blades touch it lightly. Don't force your head back to the wallHarder: Tree pose (Vrksasana)

Facing the wall

  1. Downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths
    Beginner · Shoulders, Hamstrings, Calves · 3D demoHalf dog: hands on the wall at hip height, then walk your feet back until your back is long and level with the floor, knees soft. The demo shows the floor versionEasier: Extended puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana)Harder: Half handstand at the wall (Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana)
  2. Wall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)30 s each side
    Beginner · Calves · 3D demoHands on the wall, back heel down, back knee straightEasier: Seated calf stretch with a towelHarder: Heel-on-step calf and hamstring stretch

Back to the wall

  1. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)2 holds of 20 to 30 s each side
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Adductors · 3D demoThe outer edge of your back heel against the wall, front knee over your ankle. Shorten your stance if your knee complainsEasier: Chair pose (Utkatasana)Harder: Extended side angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
  2. Triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana)2 holds of 20 to 30 s each side
    Intermediate · Hamstrings, Adductors, Abs · 3D demoThe back of your body lightly against the wall, lower hand on a block or your shin, never on your knee. Look down if turning your head makes you wobbleEasier: Wide-legged standing forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Harder: Half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

Side-on: balance

  1. Tree pose (Vrksasana)3 to 5 breaths each side, twice
    Beginner · Glutes, Hip abductors, Calves · 3D demoFingertips on the wall. Foot at your ankle with your toes down, then your calf, never pressed into the side of your knee. Second round: one finger, or let your hand hoverEasier: Mountain pose (Tadasana)Harder: Standing hand-to-big-toe pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

Facing the wall: balance

  1. Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)3 breaths each side, twice
    Advanced · Glutes, Hamstrings, Back · 3D demoHands on the wall at hip height. Hinge forward as your back leg lifts, and keep the leg low rather than arching your backEasier: High lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Harder: Standing splits (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

Strength at the wall

  1. Wall sit2 holds of 20 to 30 s
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes · 3D demoChair pose with your back on the wall: slide down only as far as is comfortable, knees over your ankles. Breathe normally; never hold your breathEasier: Straight-leg raiseHarder: Spanish squat (band squat hold)
  2. Wall push-up1 or 2 sets of 5 to 10
    Beginner · Chest, Triceps, Shoulders · 3D demoHands on the wall at chest height, body in one line. Step your feet back to make it harderHarder: Push-up

On the floor, feet on the wall

  1. Wall bridge (feet-on-wall bridge)8 to 10 slow reps
    Beginner · Glutes, Hamstrings, Abs · 3D demoFeet flat on the wall, knees bent at about a right angle; lift your hips, then roll down slowlyEasier: Glute bridgeHarder: Shoulder bridge (Pilates)
  2. Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani)2 min
    Beginner · Hamstrings, Calves · 3D demoSeat close to the wall, legs resting up it. With glaucoma, ask your eye team first and keep your hips flat, with a folded blanket under your head. Skip it in later pregnancy, or with heart failure, or kidney or liver disease that causes fluid build-up, unless your doctor agrees. Come out slowly: roll to your side and sit for 30 secondsHarder: Plow pose (Halasana)

Rest

  1. Corpse pose (Savasana)3 min
    Beginner · 3D demoOn your back with your knees bent or a cushion under them, or on your side. Get up slowly

Tips

  • Two or three times a week. Make one thing harder every week or two: less hand on the wall in the balances, a longer wall sit, or your feet further back in the push-ups.
  • Use the lightest touch that keeps you steady: fingertips, then one finger, then a hover. As the NHS puts it, "As you progress, move away from the wall".
  • If falls are your worry, this isn't enough on its own: add the balance and strength exercises in our yoga for balance guide on other days, and if you've fallen in the past year, ask your GP about a falls assessment.
  • With glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't under control, keep the half dog short, keep your hips flat in legs up the wall, and breathe through the wall sit.
  • Pregnant? After the first trimester, keep time on your back short: swap the bridge for a side-lying or all-fours move, prop yourself up for legs up the wall or leave it out, and skip tree pose if you have pelvic girdle pain.
  • With osteoporosis, keep your back long in every pose, and don't force your head back to the wall.
  • No headstands or handstands here. They're for experienced practitioners without eye, blood pressure or neck problems, even with a wall.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the wall yoga for beginners: a 20-minute routine at the wall take?

About 20 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: A wall, A step. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 9 of its 13 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.