Forget the weights, this 30-minute yoga routine is all you need to build flexibility and strengthen your core. Designed by Move With Nicole, this routine is suitable for beginners and advanced yogis alike. All you need is one of the best yoga mats for home workouts and 30 minutes of your time.
The routine starts with a gentle breathing exercise to bring your attention to your body and shift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system. This shift from fight-or-flight to calm and relaxed state is essential for reducing stress and anxiety.
The routine then moves through a series of popular yoga poses designed to build mobile shoulders and hips while stretching tight muscle groups like the hamstrings, back, chest, and shoulders. Unlike faster-paced vinyasa or Rocket styles of yoga practice, this flow class slows things down so that you can move into each muscle group with care and attention.
The benefits of yoga are abundant. Regular practice engages the whole body, including all the major muscle groups, and some styles of yoga can build muscle, strengthen bones and ligaments, improve core stability and strength, and boost balance, coordination, and overall stability.
For many people, 30 minutes of yoga is enough to improve their mood and reduce stress, but consistency is what breeds results in the long term. We recommend adding yoga into your exercise routine more regularly, even once a week, to reap the benefits.
The routine pays special attention to the lower back and spine throughout, but don't worry if you don't look like Nicole during any of these postures. Flexibility takes months to develop, so give each posture a go and take rest where you need it.
During the core exercises toward the end, focus on lengthening your spine and sitting tall, breathing as you move. Brace your stomach and imagine someone pulling a string from the crown of your head to help you stay tall without hunching your shoulders.
The only exercise we don’t recommend for beginners is the wheel pose, one of the last postures of the session. Nicole first guides you into glute bridges, so if you don’t have experience with wheels or have a tight back, we recommend sticking to bridges to begin with, which are a popular wheel-prep exercise.
But most importantly, be kind to yourself during this short yoga routine and don’t punish yourself if you struggle with any poses. Yoga is less about the ego and more about feeling good within your body. So roll out your mat and find your zen.