The five minutes yogi - Cindy Lee

A complete yoga practice involves the following: forward bending, twisting, backward bending, side bending, inverting, breath awareness, resting and meditation. This can be accomplished in five minutes. Once you do this yoga program a few times, I can almost guarantee that it will be less difficult to find a spare five minutes than it was before. If you still don’t think you have five minutes, just pick one of the things on the list above, and do that for five breaths. (Hey, you can even do the last two in bed!) Then later in the day, do another one. By the end of the day you will have done a complete yoga program. Who knows? Maybe those five breaths will evolve into ten breaths, which is about one minute, and then that minute will turn into five. Only time will tell.

Begin your five-minute yoga session by sitting comfortably, either on a cushion or even two, or on a chair. Close your eyes and take five full breaths, in and out, through your nose. Watch the path of the breath as it goes all the way down to your groin, and then back up and out of your nostrils.

1. Downward Dog. This pose will strengthen your arms and legs, lengthen your spine and relieve tightness in the back of your legs, shoulders and neck. Even though it is not a full headstand, your head is still lower than your hips, so the pose can be considered an inversion.

2. Hand-walking meditation into forward bend. Slowly, sensuously, walk your hands back to your feet from Downward Dog. It’s fine to bend your knees at any point. Notice how your weight shifts from four supports to just two. When you get all the way to the back of your mat hold onto your elbows to help the spine pour out of the legs even more.

3. Standing Cat and Standing Cow (forward and backward bends). Place your hands just above your knees and roll up halfway. On the inhale, drop your spine, lift your sitting bones and your chest. On the exhale, reverse the curve, lifting your navel up as you drop your head and tuck your pelvis. Repeat this at least five times.

4. Walking meditation. After your last spinal curve, round all the way up to standing. Hug your left thumb with your left fingers, and then wrap your right hand around that. Place your hands just below your navel, and rest your gaze on the floor about six feet in front of you. Slowly walk to the front of your mat or practice space. Let the texture of your feet on the floor wake you up.

5. Reverse Warrior. Step your feet about four feet apart. Turn your right toes out and your left toes in slightly. Bend your right leg and extend your arms out. Slide your left hand down your left thigh and reach your right arm up into Reverse Warrior.

6. Dancer Pose. You can do this with your leg lower than in this photograph, and you can also do it with your extended arm on a chair or on the wall.

7. Standing Twist with knee bent. You can also do this with one hand on a chair or on the wall.

Do poses five through seven for three to five breaths, and then do them on the other side. After you’re through, lay down on your back, close your eyes and rest for thirty to sixty seconds.https://www.lionsroar.com/the-five-minute-yogi/