Is there a book with yoga poses illustrated?

Yes. I searched on the term “yoga for beginners” (without quotes) on Amazon to find the book I have, by Ansari and Lark, which turns out to be out of print; but quite a few other titles came up under the same description.

I like this book because it has lots of illustrations and because the book is made to sit open so you can refer to it while you exercise.

The problem (I think) is that you do need someone to correct your poses until you get a feel for it. You can do subtle things wrong that lose the benefit of the position or even hurt you, such as how you place the pressure on your hands. You may not realize that your elbows are tucked wrong or your shoulders are too scrunched or your back isn’t straight, but an instructor can see that and reposition you.

Also the pictures don’t tell you how to transition from one pose to the next.

My son prefers a DVD for yoga workouts. I still think a class (such as at the Y) is a good idea so you can actually follow a live instructor and get the benefit of tailored instruction.

I bought Yoga: The Poetry of the Body by Rodney Yee, simply because he is drop dead gorgeous. The photos are almost erotic.

On the other hand, I’ve bought some of his videos, which are quite helpful, especially Back Care for Beginners Yoga

I think videos or in person is the best way to learn yoga too.

I used Yoga Mind and Body teaching beginner yoga courses.
It is excellent, the descriptions are clear and complete.
It is useful to get first-hand instruction, but this book is the best resource I know if you want to learn basic yoga on your own.

I would suggest Yoga, the Itengar Way. especially if you’re a beginner. It shows modifications and the use of props in order to do the poses correctly without hurting yourself if you are unable to do the complete pose.
The pose is the same as most other types of yoga, it just offers a great way to still get the benefits when you are beginning.

Yes, A bunch, and you can usually find one in the clearance section of Half-Price Books on any given week. I am not denigrating those books in this section. I merely point it out as a less expensive alternative to give you some idea as to what you are getting into when you are starting out.

Wow what a helpful yoga community :) @inquisitivemind2020 one thing I wanted to chime in about here is that, especially as a beginner, you will never get the full experience of a yoga asana from a book. I highly recommend you learn your postures from a teacher or someone in person who can see your body and help you make adjustments if you’re off somewhere. The book will be a great reference once you have those down, but until then you really need a real live person to help!

@cinnAmini, do you read the previous comments before you post?

Yes, there are a lot of yoga books with illustrated poses. Light on Yoga by BKS. Iyengar is a good book, especially if you are practicing Hatha yoga. Another excellent book is Illustrated Yoga, which is available in PDF format.