Do you end your work day feeling depleted? Like you’ve got no energy to go on with the rest of your day? Instead of slouching on to the couch to binge watch, try these 7 poses instead.
These are a bit more intermediate in nature, and will awaken the full body but particularly the hips and low back after a day spent sitting.
- Deer Pose Variation – Start sitting facing towards the short edge of your mat. Bring the right shin parallel to the top of the mat. Bring the left shin parallel to the long edge of the mat. Align your ankles with knees and knees with the hips. Reach the left arm out to the side and bring right arm down to your side. As you exhale twist and contract towards the right knee. Inhale to open up, moving in the other direction. Do a few rounds like this. Then when turning towards the right knee, fold down for several more breaths.
2. Heron Pose – Bring the left knee in so the thigh is parallel to the long edge of the mat. With the foot outside of the glute. Bend your right knee, drawing the thigh in. Lift up tall. Try to clasp the right foot and lift it up. Can keep a bend in the right knee. Keep the chest lifting up, no slouching or rounding.
Repeat 1 and 2 on other side.
3. Floating Table Top – Come to hands and knees. Walk the hands a couple inches ahead. Tuck the toes and lift your knees to hover. Draw the low belly in. Straighten the legs to come forward to plank, pressing back into the heels. Bend the knees to come back to floating table. Then lift the hips up and back to downward dog. Move through a couple of times.
4. Lunge Series – From downward dog, step the right foot between the hands. Tuck the back toes, press into the feet to lift up. Raising the arms overhead in high lunge. Bring the fingers back to the mat and straighten the right leg any amount. Folding towards the front leg, while pressing the back heel down.
Repeat on other leg.
5. Puppy Pose – Step back to table top. Walk the hands out in front of you, lowering the forehead down. Focus in on the upper back. Pulling the low belly in to flatten out the back. Press just the shoulders and chest towards the floor.
6. Locust Pose – Slide forward on to the belly, with the legs reaching back behind you. Interlace the fingers behind your back. Roll the shoulders back. Keep the neck long. Start to lift the upper body off the mat. Maybe the legs as well. Keep the hands lifted off the tailbone.
7. Camel Variation – Push up, and sit back on the heels. Swing the right arm up and over, and bring left fingers down behind you. Pushing and lifting the hips up. Come back to center. Then take to other side with next breath. Moving side to side a few times.
These 7 poses come from a 30 minute Afternoon Yoga Flow I shared on my channels.
Kassandra
