Yoga Sequence Quickies For A Breezy Sunday Afternoon Unwind

Everyone needs a good quickie from time to time, *wink-wink. Whether you had an adventurous weekend or an upcoming deadline; a quickie can put you in the right headspace. Quick sessions are also good for guiding you into a longer practice. (Perfect for if you’ve been MEANING to get back into a regular practice.) However, if you only want to spend fifteen minutes or even five that’s cool, too! In fact, if you have ever wondered if five minutes of yoga is enough, the answer is it is. Five minutes is plenty of time to open your hips and take some seriously deep breaths; unifying your body and mind.

With only five minutes of diaphragm breathing, you can do a lot of good for your body. Most of us breathe without thinking and that results in (usually) shallower breaths. Think about when you are panicked, what’s your breath like? Is it shallow and rapid? Shallow breathing will induce anxiety and panic. When you don’t use full lung capacity you leave the lower part of your lungs less oxygenated, resulting in anxiety. Havard Health describes how chest breathing can leave you feeling short of air, and the ramifications are feelings of anxiety. 

There are numerous other benefits of breathing deeply throughout your quickie sequence. According to the Times of India that includes:

• A release of endorphins that act as a natural pain-killer. 

• The removal of toxins with the help of the upward and downward movement of your diaphragm. 

• Better posture. Less back pain. 

• Deeper breaths mean more oxygen and more energy. 

So yes, five minutes of the controlled, deep breathing yoga calls for, can do a lot for you.  

Recenter And Loosen Up, Quickly

Sequence Number One is from Yoga With Candace. You can find detailed explanations with accompanying tranquil beach photos on her blog at https://www.yogabycandace.com. What we really love about this sequence is the transition from a child’s pose into a table-top savasana, flawlessly flowing into a nice elongated reach-back. By grabbing hold of your ankle and lifting up through your chest, you are greeted with a much-needed stretch throughout the core and quads. A spine-tingling, full-body stretch really gets us going. 

Candace’s Unwind (Quickie) Yoga Sequence

 

1. Hero’s Pose

2. Child’s Pose 

3. Reach Back (Right Leg)

4. Downward Dog 

5. Chaturanga

6. Upward Dog

7. Reach Back (Left Leg) 

8. Childs Pose

Pinterest is great, especially for finding a good quickie-hookup if you know what to look for. We picked up a nine-asana long, morning routine (from the Wellness Reset Coach, Samantha) and added in some basic asanas to help keep the transitions smooth. You can find more on WellnessResetCoach.com. Our fav asana from this sequence is the garland pose (a squatting asana) at the end of the sequence. By this point in the sequence, you should warmed-up enough to open those hips up nice and wide. 

 

Open Your Hips and Heart

 

1. Standing Side Bend ( L ) 

2. Forward fold

3. Half-forward fold 

4. Standing Side Bend ( R ) 

5. Forward Fold

6. Downward Dog

7. Cow 

8. Cat

9. Downward Dog

10. Upward Facing Dog 

11. Downward Dog

12. High Lunge ( L )

13. Pigeon Pose ( L )

14. High Lunge ( R )

15. Pigeon Pose ( R )

16. Garland Pose 

17. Reclined Spinal Twist ( L )  

18. Savasana

19. Reclined Spinal Twist ( R ) 

20. Savasana

This next sequence is a little more vigorous. Blogger and yogi, The Healthy Maven gives you just eight poses that will leave you feeling lighter on your feet. 

The Healthy Maven’s Eight Poses For Digestion

1. Child’s Pose

2. Forward Fold 

3. Twisting Chair

4. Dancing Warrior

5. Yogi squat

6. Supine Spinal Twist 

7. Bridge Pose

Pairing the twisting chair with the supine spinal twist sounds so heavenly. We had to make this last (and the best) quickie featured. The Twisting Chair, also known as Utkatasana (OOT-Kuh-TAHS-uh-nuh), is such a great move. You’re opening up your heart space and pairing it with deep breathing so you bring yourself back to a state of embodiment.