Course description

Would you like to start yoga but feel too stiff, too busy or not sure where to begin? This course teaches you yoga at home, step by step, starting with 15-minute sessions and building to a practice of your own. Every pose is explained in clear words, with an easier version using a chair, a wall or cushions, so you can work at your own pace and stay safe.

It's a full course, not a handful of stretches. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with something to try that day. You follow a fictional bus driver in Ripon with a stiff back and hips through 12 weeks of her practice log, with the figures from each session in her log, the mistakes she made and how she fixed them. Every section has a worksheet, model answers, a cheat sheet and printable tools.

What you'll learn

• Getting started safely: what yoga is, the main styles, health checks before you start, your space and props, and your first 15-minute session.
• Foundations: easy breathing, alignment, the difference between a stretch and pain, mountain pose, getting down to the floor and back up, and relaxation pose.
• Standing, floor and seated poses: warriors, triangle, chair, tree, forward folds, cat and cow, child's pose, downward-facing dog, twists and bridge.
• Sun salutations and flow: a half and a gentle full sun salutation, linking breath and movement, and a 20-minute flow.
• Balance, core and strength: plank, side plank, core work and balance poses, with a chair for support.
• Flexibility and mobility: hips, hamstrings, shoulders and neck, and a routine for stiffness from sitting and driving.
• Relaxation and breathing: a guided relaxation, calming breathing, restorative poses and a gentle evening sequence.
• Yoga for everyone: a full chair yoga session, yoga as you get older, pregnancy and after a baby, back pain and long-term conditions, and how to choose a class and a teacher.

The final project

You'll plan a four-week home practice, build your own sequences from the poses in the course, keep a simple practice log with two easy self-checks, then review how you got on and decide how to keep going. A project brief, a plan builder spreadsheet, a sequence builder and a review sheet are included.

Who this course is for

• Adults who have never done yoga, or haven't for years.
• People who feel stiff from sitting, driving or desk work and want a gentle way to move more.
• Anyone who wants a calm, steady home practice that fits around work and family life.

How the course works

Read each lesson, then try the session or pose practice. A yoga mat helps, and the course shows you how to use books, a belt, cushions and a blanket as props. It gives general guidance, not medical advice, and tells you clearly when to check with your GP, midwife or a physiotherapist first. You keep lifetime access, so you can come back whenever you need a reminder.

What will I learn?

• Start yoga safely, knowing when to check with your GP and how to work at your own edge
• Set up a space at home with a mat and props made from things you already own
• Breathe slowly and easily, line up your feet, knees, spine and shoulders, and get down to the floor and back up safely
• Do the main standing, floor, seated and lying poses step by step, with easier versions using a chair, wall or cushions
• Move through a half and a gentle full sun salutation at your own pace
• Build strength, balance and flexibility, including routines for stiffness from sitting and driving
• Relax with guided relaxation, calming breathing, restorative poses and an evening sequence
• Plan and build your own four-week home practice and keep it going

Frequently asked questions