Child’s Pose
1.
Kneel, then take your knees wide and big toes to touch.Walk your hands forward until your forehand rests gently on the ground.Practice deep, steady inhales and exhales for about 3-5 breaths as you let go of distraction and focus on your yoga practice.
2.Cat Pose
Press into your hands to round your upper back, as if a string were pulling the middle of your back to the ceiling.Drop your head and tuck your chin to chest, hugging your belly toward spine.
3.Cow Pose
Lower your belly and lift your chest.Stay grounded through your hands as you broaden your shoulders. Lift your gaze to look forward or up, and hollow out your lower back.Drop your shoulders away from ears.Alternate between cat and cow two or three more times.
4.Downward Facing Dog
Walk your hands forward an inch or two, curl your toes underneath and lift your hips up into downward facing dog.
Your legs can keep a slight bend, but reach your heels toward the floor. Ground down through all your fingers, especially the space between your thumb and first finger, and press through your arms while lifting your hips up and back.
Stay for 3-5 breaths.
5.Forward Fold
Slowly walk your feet toward your hands, and step shoulder-width apart.With a slight bend through your knees, lower the top of your head toward the ground, belly reaching to thighs, and let your hands dangle down to your toes.
Relax your upper body. Try moving your neck around here, exploring how it feels to bend or straighten your knees, acknowledging stiffness or tension in any part of your body.
Stay for a few breaths.
6.Halfway Lift
On an inhale, place hands on your shins and lift your shoulders to be in line with your hips.Breathe here, as your body forms a right angle. Engage your core and open your chest forward. Look down to lengthen the back of your neck, and keep your neck safe.
Exhale to forward fold, and repeat.
7.Tadasana
Swoop your arms up to the sky, standing tall.
Keep equal weight through both of your feet, with strong legs and an active core.
Soften your shoulders away from your ears and extend your fingertips up as your palms face one another.
Your body is one long line of energy: head over shoulders over hips over heels.
Breath for 3-5 counts, close your eyes and set an intention for your day.
8.Side Stretch
Exhale to stretch to one side of your body, keeping weight equal through both feet. Return to center, then stretch to the other side. Engage your abs to protect your low back. Only go far enough to keep your breath easy, and avoiding crunching through either side of your body. Repeat two more times, for a total of three stretches on each side of your body.
9.Mini Backbend
Come back to tadasana for a mini-backbend: bend your elbows to either side of your body at shoulder-height, like a goalpost, and lift your chest and chin up.Keep the front side of your body, quadriceps and core strong.
Draw your shoulders down your back as you open your heart toward the ceiling.
Stay for a breath, then rise back up to standing.
- Plank
From tadasana, fold forward and step back into plank pose. Your hands are shoulder-width wide with feet together.
Stack your shoulders over your elbows over your wrists, and align your hips to your shoulders and heels.
Look down in between your hands and activate your entire body, engaging all your muscles.
Drop to your knees for less sensation, and hold for 3-5 breaths.