Yoga flow strength workout

Yoga flow strength workout

Hi friends! Hope you’re having a wonderful morning. Today, I have another all-new workout for ya: yoga strength! It’s a bodyweight workout you can do at home to increase strength, balance and flexibility.

Yoga Flow

When I get in at-home workouts, they very often look something like this. I’ll roll out my yoga mat, flow some of my favorite poses together, and add strength variations. It gives me an awesome burn in a short amount of time, plus it challenges my balance, core stabilization, and increases flexibility. My hip flexors and hamstrings get soooooo tight during the day, and it feels amazing to strength while also focusing on building strength. The best part: you don’t need any equipment! Just grab a yoga mat and a little motivation.

Here’s the workout: (as always, talk with a doctor before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and modify as needed!)

At-Home Yoga Strength Workout:

Total Body Yoga Strength

Exercise tips and form cues:

1. Leg raise to warrior 3: start standing, and using your core, bent one knee up to hip heights. As you tilt forward, keep your back straight as you extend the same leg behind you. Flex your foot and keep your hips parallel to the floor. Exhale to rise up to standing, bringing your knee back up to hip height. Complete all 10 reps on the same side.

2. Eagle squat: take the same knee that’s raised, and bring it up and over into eagle pose. Keeping your spine as straight as possible, bend down into an eagle squat, and exhale to press up. Complete all 10 reps on the same side.

3. Crescent lunges: step your lifted leg back so you come into a crescent lunge. Keep your shoulders down, arms extended, and straighten the back leg as much as possible. Keep the front knee bent, and stacked right over your front ankle. Inhale to bend your back knee towards the floor, and exhale to straighten and press back up. Complete all 10 reps on the same side.

4. Warrior 2 lifts: rotate your back heel so that your toes are angled (45 degrees) and your entire foot is pressing into the floor. Keep your front knee stacked over your front ankle, with a deep bend in your front knee. Reach your arms out to the side and relax your shoulders. As you exhale, straighten your front leg and reach your arms up overhead. Inhale to lower back down to Warrior 2. Complete 10 reps.

5. Goddess squats: rotate your body to the side, so you come into a pile squat. Try to bring your thighs close to parallel to the floor, keeping your chest lifted, core engaged, and knees pointing towards your toes (but not extending PAST your toes). As you exhale, straighten your legs (squeeze your glutes and inner thighs), reaching your arms up overhead. Inhale to sink back down to your squat. Complete 10 reps.

6. Chatarunga push-ups: step back into a plank position, so your body is a straight line, from your head to your ankles. If you need to modify, drop down onto your knees but keep your hips down in line with your body. Squeeze your elbows in, and bring your chest down so your elbows hug into your torso (stop them in line with your torso). Exhale to squeeze your chest and press up. That’s one rep.

7. Downdog to beast: press back into downward-facing dog, lifting your hips, letting your heels move towards the floor, and gently pressing your chest towards your thighs. Start to move forward, so your shoulders are above your wrists, and drop your knees towards the ground, keeping your core engaged. Exhale to press back to down dog. Complete 10 reps.

8. Spinal balance and pulse: come onto hands and knees (hands under your shoulders and knees under your hip bones). Extend one arm and the opposite leg, keeping your hips parallel to the floor. Flex your foot and gentling pulse your heel up towards the ceiling (or sky!). Squeeze your glute to lift your leg and keep your core engaged. Complete 20 pulses, making sure to take even breaths the whole time.

9. Side plank toe tap: rotate to a side plank (modify: keep your bottom knee on the ground). From here, either complete hip lifts or extend your top leg and exhale to bring it up and tap with your top hand. Complete 10 reps.

10. Single leg raise and bridge: come onto your back, and keep your up back pressing into the ground and bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor. Exhale to press your hips up, squeezing your glutes. You can complete single leg hip lifts, or do these with both feet on the mat. After your hip lifts, hold bridge pose for 1 minute, taking deep breaths.

Rest in child’s pose and complete the series one more time, leading with the opposite leg.

Bonus: end the workout with 5 minutes of meditation.

In the workout pics above, I’m wearing some of my favorite new gear by GapFit from Gap Factory.

Confession: I sometimes use new workout clothes to motivate myself.

There are worse things, right??

GapFit by Gap Factory

I especially love clothes that are high in performance and function, while also being stylish and versatile for different types of workouts.

I’m loving the high neck tank (it’s super stretchy and soft),

high neck tank

and the reflective leggings, which are especially awesome for early morning or nighttime runs. The detail on the sides shines brightly at night and add a unique element to the classic fit.

I love that the leggings are made of soft technical fabric that doesn’t get super sweaty, and it’s also not see-through (<— necessary).

So tell me friends: if you have 20 minutes to work out at home, what do you usually do?

Yoga friends: where do you usually practice or take class? I’m definitely living up as many cacti-surrounded practices as I can.

xoxo

Gina

Original article and pictures take fitnessista.com site