30 Minute Workouts: Yoga

Up next in our 30 minute workout series is yoga. To some people, yoga may seem like a foreign concept, but it truly is a good way to stretch and strengthen your muscles as well as relax your mind. We are going to walk you through some of the most common yoga poses, and you can put them together to formulate a 30 minute workout.

Mountain Pose
This is the basic standing pose – you typically start and end each pose in this position. Stand straight up with feet together, relax your shoulders, and keep your arms straight down by your sides. Breathe deeply and hold this pose until relaxed.

Warrior Pose
Spread your feet wide apart and raise your arms to be perpendicular to your body. Turn one foot out at 90 degrees and then lunge toward that foot. Hold this pose while looking out toward the same side as the leg that you are lunging on. Return to center, then repeat pose with opposite side of body.

Deep Forward Fold
Step out so your feet are under your hips. Circle your arms up above your head and then down toward your feet, bending at the hips as your arms move past them. Keep your knees softly bent. Allow gravity to relax your spine as you lean forward.

Tree Pose
Draw one foot up and place the sole against the inner thigh of the opposite leg. If possible, press the heel into the inner groin, with your toes pointing toward the floor. The center of your pelvis should be directly over the left foot. You can hold this pose with your arms straight above your head, or with them straight out in front of you.

Chair Pose
Raise your arms perpendicular to the floor. Bend your knees, trying to take the thighs as nearly parallel to the floor as possible. The knees will project out over the feet, and the torso will lean slightly forward over the thighs until the front torso forms approximately a right angle with the tops of the thighs. Keep the inner thighs parallel to each other and press the heads of the thigh bones down toward the heels.

Throughout the entirety of your workout, make sure you are breathing deeply and are tightening your muscles so that you are making the most of your workout. Especially focus on tightening your abdominal muscles so that you are working on your core strength and balance. There are several other poses and combinations of poses that you can find to put into your routine. Just make sure you are focused and have a quiet place to work out so you can get the most out of your time.