A full yoga timetable can look wonderfully varied, yet certain shapes return again and again. The 10 most common asanas in a Berlin yoga class are not a fixed sequence or a test of flexibility. They are practical movement patterns: ways to build steadiness, explore your breath, strengthen the body and settle the busy mind that often comes with city life.
You may meet these poses in a strong Vinyasa flow, a slower Hatha class, a healthy back session or an evening practice designed to help you unwind. Their purpose changes with the class, and so can their expression. A thoughtful teacher will offer options, because the most useful version of a posture is the one that works with your body today.
The 10 most common asanas in a Berlin yoga class
1. Mountain Pose – Tadasana
Tadasana can appear to be simply standing, but it gives you a reference point for almost every upright pose. Feet rest hip-width apart or together, weight is shared across the soles, and the spine lengthens without becoming rigid. Let the shoulders soften rather than pulling them forcefully back.
In a flowing class, Mountain Pose is often the moment between sequences when you can notice your breath and reorient. For beginners, it is a reminder that yoga is not always about making a big shape. For experienced practitioners, it can reveal familiar habits such as gripping the toes or locking the knees.
2. Downward-Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
Downward-Facing Dog is one of yoga’s best-known poses, partly because it works as both a strengthening posture and a transition. Hands press into the mat, hips lift back and up, and the spine reaches long. Bent knees are not a mistake here. They can make space for a more comfortable back and shoulders, especially if the hamstrings feel tight.
There is no prize for forcing heels to the floor. Think first about length from hands through the sides of the body to the hips. If your wrists are sensitive, a teacher may suggest taking the pose at the wall, resting in Child’s Pose, or spending less time bearing weight through the hands.
3. Child’s Pose – Balasana
Child’s Pose is a genuine resting option, not a pose you need to earn. From kneeling, the torso folds forward over the thighs, with arms extended or resting alongside the body. Placing a block, bolster or folded blanket beneath the chest can make the shape more spacious.
You might choose it during a dynamic class when your breathing becomes strained, or hold it longer in a gentler practice. Knees can be together for a more contained feeling, or wider to give the abdomen and ribs room. During pregnancy or when deep folding is uncomfortable, props and a wider stance are particularly helpful.
4. Low Lunge – Anjaneyasana
Low Lunge introduces the hips and legs to a position many Berliners recognise from daily life: one hip extending while the other is flexed. With one foot forward and the back knee down, the pelvis can move gently forwards only as far as the front of the back hip allows. Keeping the hands on the front thigh is often plenty.
Lifting the arms adds demand through the trunk and shoulders, but it is optional. A folded blanket under the back knee offers welcome cushioning. Rather than chasing a dramatic stretch, aim for a steady breath and a sense of length through the lower back.
5. Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II
Warrior II is broad, grounded and quietly demanding. The front knee bends in the direction of the middle toes, the back leg is active, and the arms reach out from the centre of the chest. Your gaze may travel over the front hand, though keeping it forward or down can feel better for the neck.
The challenge is not only in the legs. Warrior II invites attention to how you meet effort. Can the jaw relax while the thighs work? Can you stay present without hardening? Shortening the stance is a sensible choice if the hips, knees or balance ask for more support.
6. Triangle Pose – Trikonasana
Triangle Pose builds from a wide-legged stance and asks for length along both sides of the torso. One hand may reach to the shin, a block, or the floor, while the other rises towards the ceiling. The lower hand is there for support, not to pull your body deeper into the pose.
A common misconception is that the aim is to reach as low as possible. More useful is keeping the front of the chest open enough that breathing remains easy. A block on the outside or inside of the front foot can bring the floor closer and make the pose feel more balanced.
7. Chair Pose – Utkatasana
Chair Pose asks the legs to work while the upper body stays lifted. Bend the knees as though sitting back towards a chair, send the hips behind you, and raise the arms only as high as your shoulders comfortably allow. It is a familiar shape, yet holding it for several breaths can quickly show its strength-building quality.
For some bodies, bringing the feet hip-width apart feels more stable than having them together. If the lower back feels compressed, reduce the depth of the bend and draw the ribs gently in. Chair Pose is less about going low and more about finding organised, sustainable effort.
8. Plank Pose – Phalakasana
Plank often appears as part of a Sun Salutation, linking Downward-Facing Dog to a lower push-up position. Shoulders stack roughly above wrists, heels press back and the whole body works as one long line. The knees can absolutely come down to the mat. This variation still develops strength and can help you practise clear shoulder alignment.
Avoid letting the hips sag in the hope of lasting longer. A shorter, well-supported hold usually teaches more than a strained one. In slower classes, Plank may be used to explore stability; in faster classes, it is simply one moment in a flowing transition.
9. Cobra Pose – Bhujangasana
Cobra Pose brings gentle extension to the spine while you lie on your front. Place the hands beneath or slightly in front of the shoulders, keep some weight in the legs and feet, then lift the chest to a height that allows the back of the neck to stay long. Your elbows may remain bent.
The pose is often confused with a backbend that should be large. In fact, a low Cobra can be powerful and comfortable. Think of broadening across the collarbones rather than pushing the hands hard into the floor. If lying on the front does not feel right, similar spinal extension can be explored in standing poses instead.
10. Savasana – Final Rest
Savasana is the posture where the practice has room to land. Lying on your back with arms and legs relaxed, you allow the nervous system time to absorb movement, breathwork and stillness. It can be deceptively challenging when thoughts are loud, which is precisely why it matters.
Comfort supports rest. A folded blanket beneath the knees can ease the lower back, while an extra layer keeps the body warm as it becomes still. If lying flat is uncomfortable, resting on your side or taking a supported seated position is completely valid.
Let the poses serve the practice
Knowing these common asanas can make your first class feel less unfamiliar, but memorising Sanskrit names is never a requirement. Listen for simple actions: press, lengthen, soften, breathe, pause. Those cues matter more than creating a picture-perfect shape.
At Lotos Yoga, classes in English and German give you space to meet these poses in different ways, from energising flow to quiet restoration. Come as you are, use the props offered, and let each practice be a conversation with the body you have that day. The most meaningful progress is often not a deeper pose, but a clearer sense of how to care for yourself within it.