20-Minute Yoga Flow to Help You Sloooow Down

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We’ve all been there. Our motivation is zapped but we know we’d feel better if only we came to our mat. After all, movement is medicine. The following 20-minute yoga practice keeps your body close to the ground to almost trick the mind into thinking it’s resting since it doesn’t require standing up or anything vigorous. However, this quick 20-minute yoga flow still strengthens and stretches most major muscle groups and cultivates a mellow mood and limber spirit.

20-Minute Yoga Flow to Help You Slow Down

The following sequence of poses is designed to be practiced with one movement per breath although to slow it down even more, you can stay for as many breaths as you would like in each pose. There are no props required in your 20-minute yoga flow although you’re welcome to use whatever helps you feel more comfortable.

Child’s Pose

Come onto your hands and knees, take your knees wide, and sit back toward your heels your arms extended forward in Child’s Pose (Balasana). Inhale as you reach your fingertips toward the top of the mat. Exhale as you let your body sink toward your heels. Constrict the back of the throat to create the breath sounds known as ujjayi breath. Stay here for 5 breath cycles or until you feel more centered.

Cat – Cow

From Child’s Pose, rock forward to your hands and knees in Tabletop.

Inhale as you tilt your pelvis, roll your shoulders down and away from your ears, and arch your back in Cow (Bitilasana).

Exhale as you tuck your tailbone and round your spine in Cat (Marjaryasana). Take 3 rounds.

Come back to a neutral position and begin to make circles with your hips, first clockwise and then counterclockwise. Begin circling your shoulders at the same time to create a figure 8 with your body. Trace the bottom of the 8 with your hips and the top of the 8 with your shoulders. It might help to close your eyes to connect your mind and body and release any self-consciousness. Do this for at least 20 to 30 seconds. Reverse your circles.

Cobra Pose

Come back to center and plant your hands about 5 inches closer to the top of the mat. Shift your hips forward and hug your elbows toward your ribs as you lower yourself all the down to the mat and onto your belly.

With your fingertips beneath your shoulders, inhale as you press down through your palms to lift your chest off the mat in Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana). Stay here for a couple rounds of breath.

On your next exhale, come all the way down to the mat, stacking your hands and resting your forehead on top. Sway your hips from side to side, letting go of any tension.

Again, bring your fingertips beneath your shoulders, lift your chest, and maybe straighten your arms for a more intense backbend if you’re feeling ready for it. Stay here for a couple rounds of breath, and exhale as you come back down to the earth.

Downward Facing Dog

Inhale from lying on the mat and lift yourself up, tuck your back toes, and exhale lift your hips into Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Focus on creating an inverted V-shape by lifting your hips high. Your heels don’t need to touch the mat, but you can lengthen the back of each leg by walking your dog or bending one knee at a time as you reach the opposite heel toward the mat. Stay here for at least 5 cycles of breath or, if you can practice for longer than a 20-minute yoga flow, as long as you’d like

Plank

On your next inhale, shift forward to your Plank Pose (Phalakasana). Exhale press down the hands firmly and remove any spaces between the hands and the surface of the mat. Inhale  shoot the crown of the head toward the front.

Sphinx

As you exhale, lower your knees to the mat, untuck your back toes, bend your elbows, and hug them in toward your ribs as you lower all the way down onto your belly. Come onto your elbows as you inhale and lift your chest in Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana).

Scorpion Twist

From Sphinx, bring your forehead down to your stacked hands and windshield wiper your legs from left to right.

From here, lift your head an inch or two from the mat and cactus your arms, bending your elbows at approximately 90-degree angles. Bring your feet together so your big toes touch. Plant your right palm down on the mat and come onto your left fingertips. Inhale and lift your left leg and as you exhale step your left foot behind you on the floor or hover your left leg above the floor, keeping your inner right shoulder down to the mat. You should feel the right thigh roll toward the right side of the mat. Take 3 to 5 cycles of breath here.

As you exhale, come back to center. Plant your left palm down, bring your feet together, and come onto your right fingertips. Inhale as you lift your right leg, exhale as you take it behind you. Bring your right foot to the ground or hover it. This time, you should feel the left thigh roll toward the left side of the mat. Take 3 to 5 cycles of breath.

Thread the Needle

As you inhale, plant your right palm back down to the earth, lift yourself up to tabletop position, and exhale all the air out.

Inhale lift your left arm toward the ceiling in a twist. As you exhale, thread your left arm underneath your right arm, landing your outer left shoulder on the mat. Inhale as you reach your right fingertips toward the top of the mat and exhale as you put a little more pressure on your outer left shoulder. Stay here or lift your right foot and bring it across toward the right side of the mat, hip height, to create more pressure on the outer left shoulder. Continue to focus on the breath and the sensations of the body. Once again, stay for 3 to 5 cycles of breath.

As you inhale, plant your right palm back down to the earth, lift yourself to Tabletop, and exhale all the air out. Repeat on the other side and hold again for 3 to 5 cycles of breath. Return to Tabletop.

Morning Stretch

Swing your legs in front of you so that you can come to a seat and then come all the way down to your back. Inhale, lengthen your legs and lengthen your arms alongside your head. Reach your fingers and toes in opposite directions.

As you exhale, hug your knees toward the chest, bring your forehead to your knees, curl and lift your shoulders off the mat. Do this 3 times. Inhales lengthen the body from fingertips to toes, exhales curl the forehead to knees as you hug them toward the chest.

Reclined Twist

Bring the soles of your feet back down to the earth. With your feet together, lower your knees over to the left side, stretching your right arm straight out from your shoulder in a T position or you can bend your elbows in a cactus position. You can look over the right shoulder if that feels good for your neck or you can simply close your eyes in your Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana). Option to close your eyes if that feels good, reconnecting with the sensations of your body and maybe slowing your breath even more. Stay here for 3 to 5 cycles of breath or, if you can practice longer than a 20-minute yoga flow, stay here longer.

Inhale, your knees back to center. Exhale and bring your knees over to the right side and repeat the stretch on this side. Hold for 3 to 5 cycles of breath.

Bridge Pose

Bring your knees back to center as you inhale and, as you exhale, bring your feet to the mat and  arms to your sides. Inhale your hips up in Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana).

You can interlace your hands behind you if you choose. Tuck your shoulders beneath you and as you inhale, lift your hips higher, pressing down through your heels. Stay with the hips lifted for at least two cycles of breath. When you exhale, release the hands and lower your vertebra, one at a time, to the mat for 3, 2, and 1.

Reclined Figure 4

Bring your feet together. Inhale and lift your right foot and then cross your right ankle over your left knee, creating a figure 4. You can press your right thigh with your right hand to open your right hip or, if you want more sensation, lift your left foot, interlace your hands behind the hamstring or reach for your shin and bring that leg closer to your body. Stay here for at least 5 cycles of breath or longer if you’d like.

Release both feet down to the earth and repeat on the other side.

Happy Baby

Release both of your feet to the mat. On your next inhale, bring your legs straight up toward the sky and point and flex your toes. On your next exhale, bend your knees, grab hold of the inside or outside of your feet or ankles in Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana). Your lower back, shoulders, and head should all remain touching the surface of the mat as you bring your legs and feet closer to the body. You can sway yourself from side to side to massage the lower back.

Savasana

Lengthen both legs toward the top of the mat and get ready for your final pose, your resting pose, Savasana. Let’s take 3 cleansing breaths: inhale through your nose and exhale as you open your mouth. Repeat that two more times: inhale through the nose, exhale, open the mouth. One last time, inhale through the nose, exhale, let it out. Savasana. Stay here as long as you’d like following your 20-minute yoga flow to bring more peace and stillness in your day.

Photographed at Yoga Flow SF (Ocean Avenue location).