Sitting Yoga Poses: Names, Pictures and How to Do Them

Yoga poses 6 illustrations Updated 2 Nov 2026

Sitting yoga poses are practised on the floor on the sitting bones: steady seats for breathing and meditation, forward bends, twists and hip openers. They are calmer than standing poses and are usually practised in the second half of a session, once the body is warm.

Below you will find a named list with pictures, short instructions for the poses that lack a separate guide, and a ten minute seated routine for small spaces.

Families: Seats, forward bends, twists, hip openers
Easiest: Sukhasana, dandasana, butterfly
Hold: 5 to 10 breaths, seats for minutes
Props: Cushion or folded blanket under the hips
Good for: Hips, hamstrings, posture, calm
Careful with: Knee pain in lotus and hero pose

Sitting yoga poses with names

Sanskrit	English	Type
Sukhasana	Easy pose	Seat
Padmasana	Lotus	Seat
Siddhasana	Accomplished pose	Seat
Vajrasana	Thunderbolt	Kneeling seat
Virasana	Hero	Kneeling seat
Dandasana	Staff	Base pose
Paschimottanasana	Seated forward bend	Forward bend
Janu sirsasana	Head to knee	Forward bend
Baddha konasana	Butterfly	Hip opener
Gomukhasana	Cow face	Hip and shoulder opener
Vakrasana	Simple twist	Twist
Mandukasana	Frog	Kneeling fold

Sitting yoga poses in pictures

Gomukhasana, cow face pose, with knees stacked and hands clasped behind the back — Level
Intermediate
Hold
5 breaths each side
Works on
Hips, shoulders
Gomukhasana stacks the knees and clasps the hands behind the back. A strap helps if the fingers do not meet.
**Teacher's cue:** Sit evenly on both sitting bones before you reach for the hands.

Siddhasana, accomplished pose, with one heel in front of the other and hands on knees — Level
Beginner plus
Hold
5 to 20 minutes
Works on
Hips, posture
Siddhasana places one heel close to the body and the other in front of it. It is a stable seat for long breathing practice.
**Teacher's cue:** Raise the hips on a cushion so the knees can drop.

Virasana, hero pose, sitting between the heels on a block with hands on thighs — Level
Intermediate
Hold
1 to 3 minutes
Works on
Thighs, knees, ankles
Virasana sits between the feet rather than on them. A block under the hips protects the knees.
**Teacher's cue:** Point the toes straight back and keep the knees together.

Head to knee pose folding over one straight leg with the other foot against the thigh — Level
Beginner
Hold
5 to 8 breaths a side
Works on
Hamstrings, back
Janu sirsasana folds over one leg at a time, a gentler start than folding over both.
**Teacher's cue:** Turn the chest toward the straight leg before folding.

Staff pose sitting tall with legs straight and hands pressing beside the hips — Level
Beginner
Hold
5 breaths
Works on
Posture, core
Dandasana is the starting point for most seated poses. Sit tall with the legs straight together.
**Teacher's cue:** Press the palms down to lift the chest.

Easy seated twist from cross legged with one hand behind and one on the knee — Level
Beginner
Hold
5 breaths each side
Works on
Spine
An easy seated twist from sukhasana turns the spine gently and can be done anywhere.
**Teacher's cue:** Lift first, turn second, and keep both sitting bones grounded.

How to do sitting asanas in yoga without their own page

Gomukhasana yoga: sit, stack the right knee over the left, feet beside the hips. Reach the left arm up and bend it behind the head, the right arm behind the back, and clasp the fingers or a strap. Swap sides.

Siddhasana yoga: sit on a cushion, draw one heel close to the body and place the other heel in front of it, knees wide. Hands on the knees.

Virasana yoga: kneel with knees together and feet slightly wider than the hips, then sit down between the feet, on a block if needed.

Janu sirsasana: one leg straight, the other foot against the inner thigh; fold over the straight leg.

Seated twist yoga pose: from easy pose, place one hand behind you and the other on the opposite knee, lift and turn.

A 10 minute sitting yoga routine

Sukhasana with five slow breaths.
Easy twist each side.
Dandasana, five breaths.
Janu sirsasana each side.
Paschimottanasana seated forward bend yoga, five breaths.
Butterfly pose, ten breaths.
Vajrasana with hands on the thighs, one minute.

This seated yoga poses sequence suits evenings, office breaks and older practitioners who prefer to stay off their feet.

Sitting position yoga for breathing and meditation

For pranayama and meditation, choose the seat you can hold for ten minutes with a straight spine and no numb legs. For most people that is sukhasana or siddhasana on a cushion, or vajrasana with a block. Lotus is traditional but needs very open hips. A chair is perfectly fine; see chair yoga.

Who should adapt seated poses

With knee trouble, avoid lotus, hero and full thunderbolt; sit on a higher cushion or a chair. With lower back pain, bend the knees in seated forward bends and keep the spine long rather than rounding hard. People with sciatica often find seated folds aggravate the leg, so stay with gentle twists and supported seats.

Practise on an empty stomach, move slowly into each position and stop at any sharp pain. If you have an injury, a health condition or are pregnant, check with a doctor or an experienced teacher first.