It’s the middle of your day. Maybe you’ve been sitting at a desk. Maybe you’re super stressed out. Maybe you can’t focus to save your life. And you know you should practice yoga – it will help – but you just don’t have time. Take 5 minutes to move and breathe, and you’ll feel better, I promise.
Here’s a mini sequence that you can use for a 5 to 10 minute break. Length depends on how long you hold each pose. If you don’t have a block for the final pose(s) – you could use a rolled up blanket, a stack of books or any object that will give a slight elevation to your hips.
See below for some additional notes on the sequence.
Notes are row by row, starting from left and moving right.
1. Childs Pose with a shoulder opener
Allow your forehead to be really heavy on something – floor, block, book. The arm variation is optional, but feels nice after working at a desk.
2. Cobra Pose
You could hold this pose and breath, or lift and lower dynamically into and out of the pose.
3. Down Dog
Good ol’ fashioned down dog. Let yourself stay here for at least 10 or so breaths for a gentle, mini inversion.
4. Low Lunge with a Side Bend – Both Sides
If your hand can’t quite reach the ground, you could put a block or books beneath your hand, or you could rest your forearm on your front thigh as an alternative.
5. Standing Forward Fold with a Twist – Both Sides
If your hand doesn’t comfortably reach the floor, you could put a block beneath your hand, put your hand on your shin, or rest that elbow on your bent knee thigh.
6. Thread the Needle – Both Sides
You can hold onto either the shin or the thigh. As an alternative, you could let your support leg (the one in neutral, not rotated to the side) rest with the foot on the ground.
7. Supported Bridge
You can do one or both of these versions. If you don’t have a block – you could use a rolled up blanket, a stack of books or any object that will give a slight elevation to your hips. Use this as a savasana for your sequence.
MIKKI TROWBRIDGE YOGA 