To counteract the midday gloom, consider a brief yoga break. It’s a great way to pause and reset your body and mind, said Elena Cheung, a yoga instructor and yoga teacher trainer in Seattle. Yoga can also help offset the effects of prolonged sitting. Before you begin, sit and take a few minutes to reflect on your day so far, noting how you feel. This can help you determine what your body needs from this short session and how vigorously — or not — you want to move.
What You’ll Need — yoga mat and yoga block or thick book
Cat-Cow
Start in a tabletop position with your wrists stacked under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Inhale, release your belly toward the floor and draw your chest forward as you press your palms into the mat for cow pose. Your tailbone will lift toward the ceiling. As you exhale, round your spine, curling your tailbone and drawing your navel toward the ceiling for cat pose. Let your gaze fall toward the ground. Alternate between the two poses five to seven times, moving slowly with your breath.
Downward-Facing Dog
From a tabletop position, tuck your toes and press your palms into the mat, lifting your knees. Keep your arms long and your knees bent as you press your hips up and thighs back. Bring your chest toward your thighs to come into an upside-down V shape. Your heels can hover off the mat or touch the ground. Hold for five to seven breaths.
Rag Doll
Stand at the top of your mat with your feet hip-width apart. Soften your knees slightly and slowly fold your torso over your legs. Cross your arms to clasp your opposite elbows. Gently sway from side to side before settling into stillness. Let your head hang heavy, dropping toward the mat. Take five to seven breaths.
Low Lunge With a Side Bend
Kneel on your mat. Step your right foot forward, stacking your knee over your ankle and your head and torso over your pelvis. Place your right hand on a block on the outside of your right hip. Lift your left arm up toward the ceiling. Keep your chest facing forward as you bend to the right, lengthening through the left side of your body. Hold for five to seven breaths and then switch sides.
You can deepen the stretch by placing your hand on the ground instead of on a block.
Warrior II
Stand facing the long side of the mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel to the edges of the mat. Turn your left toes 90 degrees, so they point toward the front edge of the mat, and angle your right toes in slightly. Raise your arms out to the side, over your legs. Reach through your fingers and lengthen your spine. Bend your left knee, stacking it over your ankle, and press through the outer edge of your back foot. Maintain the position of your front knee so it doesn’t collapse inward. Hold for five to seven breaths.
Press through your feet to straighten your front leg. Turn both feet to come back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Wide-Legged Forward Fold
Stand facing the long side of the mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel to the edges of the mat. Lift up through the inner arches of your feet. Place your hands on your hips and hinge forward, lengthening your torso as you begin to fold over your legs while maintaining a flat back. If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees slightly as you fold.
Place your hands under your shoulders or rest them on blocks. Stay here or, if it feels comfortable, continue to fold forward, walking your hands toward your feet. Hold for five to seven breaths.
To come out of the pose, walk your hands back under your shoulders. Place your hands on your hips, bend your knees slightly and press through your feet to come back to a standing position.
Supine Twist
Lie on your back and stack your knees over your hips in a reverse tabletop position. Allow your bent legs to fall over to the right. Extend your arms out to the side in a T shape. You can take your gaze wherever is comfortable — toward your right fingers, up to the ceiling or toward your left fingers. Hold for five to 10 breaths. Switch sides.
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