Daily 10-Minute Yoga For Strength, Tone, And Balance
You'd be surprised to know that in many yoga traditions, people practiced a few postures at home every morning for ten minutes to give their bodies a small daily dose of strengthening, toning, and balancing, akin to taking a daily vitamin or supplement. Below you'll find a sweet little sequence you can use at home to achieve the same.
Locust Pose: This pose will strengthen and tone your entire body from your head to your toes. The trick is to squeeze your whole body when you lift and to keep breathing deeply into your rib cage. Lengthen the back of your neck, so you aren't cranking your head back. Bonus: if you have slipped or bulging discs in your low back or sciatic nerve pain in your legs, this posture can help. Do this one in the morning for optimal digestion throughout the day. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat four times, two minutes total.
Bird Dog: This pose is a lot like a plank but so much easier to get right. Lift your opposite leg and arm. Activate your back leg and push through your back heel. Lengthen the back of your neck. Draw your navel to your spine. Breathe into your ribs. Repeat on the opposite side. Hold for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat three times, three minutes total.
Triangle Pose: Your oblique muscles live around your waistline. This pose taps into those muscles. Squeeze your thighs, so your kneecaps lift. Make sure to keep your spine long. Try not to balance on your lower hand. Use your core muscles instead. Pull your navel to your spine. Breathe into your ribs. Repeat on the opposite side. Hold for 30 seconds on each side, one minute total.
Warrior Two: This one is the ultimate strengthening, toning, and confidence-building pose to prepare you for your day. Align your front knee over or behind your front heel. Press your front knee open toward the outside of your mat. Pull your shoulder blades together on your back. Gaze over your front hand. Draw your navel to your spine and breathe into your rib cage. Hold for 30 seconds on each side, one minute total.
Tree Pose: Get your day started feeling grounded and full of resolve. Press your standing foot into the floor, making sure NOT to lock out your knee joint. Activate your standing leg, so you are engaging your quad and your gluts. You should feel a "lifting" action in your standing leg. Press the foot of your lifted leg into your standing leg so you can feel the midline of your body. Lengthen your spine. Breathe into your ribs. Hold for 60 seconds on each side, two minutes total.
"Must do" alert: Use your last minute to lie down on your back on your yoga mat. Close your eyes and follow your breath in through your nose and out through your nose. Ending your yoga practice this way - with a moment of meditation to focus your mind and rest your body - strengthens the connection between your body and your mind, so you feel integrated going into your day.
Last Tip: This routine is best done first thing in the morning so you can enjoy the results throughout your day. Get up, brush your teeth, drink a full eight-ounce glass of room temperature water, and do your 10-minute yoga practice in a quiet space where you won't be interrupted. Make these 10-minutes your "me" time.
