New to yoga? Some of the poses might seem a little strange. But the more you do them, the more natural they’ll start to feel. Here, San Diego teacher Tiffany V. demonstrates some easy yoga poses you can incorporate into your daily life!
What do you do during TV commercials? In the car on your commute? While stirring the pot on the stove?
Yoga might seem like an odd answer to those questions, but these tasks offer a nice set-up for easy yoga poses and the chance to turn mundane moments into opportunities to gain strength, flexibility, and balance. These six poses offer a nice well-rounded yoga practice that can be incorporated into your daily routine:
Seated Forward Fold while you tie your shoes! [Hamstring Stretch]
- Sit on the ground and extend your feet (with untied shoes on) out in front of you
- Bend your knees as much as you need to grab hold of your laces
- Inhale — sit up straight and pull your laces long and taut toward you; Loop them
- Exhale — bend forward, pull your laces tight toward your shoes while straightening your legs, drawing your chest toward your thighs; finish the bow (your laces act as a strap!)
- Slowly rise up one vertebra at a time to stack your shoulders over your hips
- Repeat with other foot
Tree while you stir the pot on the stove! (or anytime you are standing still with a countertop or supportive structure close by) [One-Legged Balance]
- Stand facing the stove
- Grab onto the handle of the oven with your inactive hand for safety and stability
- Root one foot down into the ground
- Open up the opposite knee and place the soul of your foot to the inside of the ankle, calf, or thigh of your standing leg
- Press the ground away with your standing foot to engage your calf and thigh
- Squeeze your glutes to lift up away from the ground
- Engage your core to support your spine
- Extend your spine long and tall through the crown of your head
- Balance for desired time, then switch sides (Practice being ambidextrous with your stirring hand while you’re at it!)
Frog while you garden! (or any other activity low to the ground) [Groin & Hip Stretch]
- Step your feet out wider than hips-width distance with your toes pointing out and heels in and flat on the ground
- Sit your hips down between your knees
- Stretch your spine and neck tall away from the ground to lift up out of the pelvis
- Press your inactive arm into your inner thigh to open up your knees to deepen the stretch, then switch sides (Practice being ambidextrous with your gardening hand while you’re at it!)
Core while you drive! (or ride or sit) [Ab, Arm, & Lower Back Strengthener]
- Tilt the back of your seat down to so you aren’t able to lean on it for support
- Sit up with a really tall spine
- Stretch your arms out in front of you and grab onto the wheel to engage your arm muscles
- Roll your shoulders down your back
- Engage your core to support your lower back by pulling your belly up and in
- Hold and breathe — challenge yourself to hold for a whole song, then relax for a song, and repeat
Figure 4 while you dine! (or any time you’re seated in a chair) [Hip Opener]
- Sit up with a tall spine in your chair
- Plant one of your feet firmly on the ground
- Cross your opposite foot over your other leg and rest your ankle onto your thigh right above your knee so that your shin is parallel to your torso
- Use your free hand to press your lifted knee down toward the ground to find sensation and deepen the stretch
- Keep your long tall spine and tilt your chest forward, leaning into the stretch while you take a bite to add even more depth
- Hold for 1-3 minutes and then switch sides (Practice being ambidextrous with your feeding hand while you’re at it!)
Baby Seal while you watch TV! (or anytime you’re lying around!) [Spine & Lower Back Strengthener]
- Lie on your stomach with your legs together back behind you
- Draw your elbows directly underneath your shoulders and press your elbows, forearms, and palms firmly down into the ground
- Lift your chest off the ground while lifting up and out of your lower back
- Roll your shoulders back and slightly bend backward
- Extend the crown of your head high to stretch through your neck, keeping it long and strong as an extension of your spine
- To go deeper, press into your palms, straighten your arms, and lift your chest, ribs, and abs higher away from the ground
- Hold for 1-3 commercials, then rest with one ear down, arms down by your sides and toes in, heels out. Repeat 3 times.
A few extra minutes a day is all it takes to have your own yoga practice at home! Double the functionality of your routine by adding these easy yoga poses wherever they may fit. Try them out; with a little practice you will be doing them naturally before you know it!
Tiffany V. teaches meditation, reiki, and yoga in San Diego, CA. She completing the 200-hour RYT training at CorePower Yoga. Learn more about Tiffany here!
Suzy S.