Stretching in yoga is crucial, whether you're a fitness enthusiast who exercises regularly or an office worker sitting for long hours. However, achieving precise and scientific stretching can be challenging for yoga beginners. Therefore, we highly recommend 18 high-definition anatomical yoga illustrations that clearly show the targeted stretch areas for each pose, making it easy for beginners to master.

Note: Focus on your breathing during practice! As long as you perform slow and gentle stretches, there should be no pain. It's recommended to hold each yoga pose for 10 to 30 seconds to allow your body to fully stretch and relax.

Wall-Assisted Downward Dog Pose

This exercise involves the broad back and chest muscles—latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major. Stand a certain distance from the wall, with your body parallel to the floor, ensuring your back remains flat. Then, bend slowly from your chest, feeling the muscles in your back and chest stretch and contract, effectively working these muscle groups.

Supine Spinal Twist

This exercise primarily targets the glutes and external oblique muscles. While lying on your back, bend your right knee and twist your body to the left. During this process, you will feel a stretch and contraction in your glutes and external oblique muscles, helping to strengthen these muscle groups.

Standing Side Bend

This exercise mainly works the external oblique muscles and the broad back muscles—latissimus dorsi. While standing, bend your body to the right, feeling a stretch and contraction in your external oblique muscles. After completing the exercise on the right side, repeat on the left side to ensure both sides' muscles are worked evenly.

Simple Standing Forward Bend

This exercise primarily targets the hamstrings. While standing, place one foot in front, keep your back straight, and place your hands on your hips. Then, fold forward from your hips over the other leg, feeling the stretch in your hamstrings. Repeat this exercise to enhance its effectiveness.

Butterfly Pose

This exercise primarily targets the adductor muscles. Start by sitting with your knees bent and the soles of your feet together, keeping your back straight. Then, gently place your hands on your knees and try to bring your hips and knees closer to the floor, feeling the stretch and contraction in your adductor muscles.

Cradle the Baby Pose

This exercise mainly targets the hip flexor muscles. Sit on the floor, keep your back straight, and slowly pull one leg towards your chest, turning your thigh outward. Repeat this exercise with the other leg to thoroughly work the hip flexor muscles.

Seated Pigeon Pose

This exercise mainly targets the tibialis anterior muscle. Sit on the floor, pull your right hand back and hold your right foot, then place your right foot on your left knee. Next, repeat this action with your left hand holding your left foot and placing it on your right knee to comprehensively work the tibialis anterior muscle.

Forward Bend

When we sit on the floor with our legs together and stretched out, bending forward primarily involves the hamstrings and calf muscles. This action not only tests our body's flexibility but also strengthens our hamstrings and calf muscles.

Lunge Pose

Lunge Pose, a yoga pose, challenges body balance and deeply works the lower back muscles and quadriceps. During practice, place your left leg forward, bent at a 90-degree angle, while grabbing your right foot and pulling it towards your waist, ensuring you feel the twist in your lower back and the stretch in the front of your thigh. Then, switch legs and repeat the exercise to achieve bilateral training. This pose is suitable for yoga beginners, but ensure accuracy during practice to avoid injury. For more precise guidance, it's recommended to keep a collection of scientific anatomical yoga illustrations for easy reference.