The yoga sequences below are designed to help relieve the pressure you’re feeling in your head and heart, and that’s locked up inside your body. They are simple, slow, and low-stress, and are designed to feel like an exhilarating and relaxing deep sigh.
Warm-Up Yoga Sequence
Spinal roll down
Forward fold with dead hang
Garland pose (or child’s pose)
Spinal roll up
Do this sequence as many times as you want until your back and hips feel warm and flexible. Pay attention to how the first round feels. Notice how it gets better in the second round, the third, and so on.
Visualize each of your spinal vertebrae rolling up one at a time, like a string of pearls. Focus on moving each one independently of its neighbors.
In the forward fold, let your head, shoulders, and arms hang down like they’re dead weight. This will help you feel a sensation of traction within your spine.
If you cannot do garland pose, do child’s pose instead. In child’s pose, emphasize the length of your spine by reaching the arms very far forward and sending the hips very far back.
Lunge Sequence (front of hip)
Upright reaching lunge
Low lunge
In the upright version of the lunge, stretch your arm out to the side as high as you can while keeping your body upright. You may choose to lean away from the downward leg to add more length to the stretch in the front hip.
The low lunge is a gentle yoga pose in which you bring your arms to the inside of the forward leg and can drop down even lower by bending your arms. You may even be able to take your elbows to the floor.
Stay in each lunge for as long as you want, then repeat the sequence on the other side.
Frog Sequence (inside of hip)
Frog pose
Wide child’s pose
Start in frog pose by placing your elbows on the floor, then spreading your knees, ankles, and toes wide apart. You can put a pillow under each knee for comfort if you’re on a hard floor. Lightly press into your elbows to tilt your hips and tailbone backward. Frog pose can start to feel intense quickly, so come out of it when you need a break.
Sit with your knees bent and the bottoms of your feet together, then lean forward and reach your arms out in front of you.
Repeat this sequence as many times as you like.
Pigeon sequence (side of hips)
Half lotus
Pigeon/Extended pigeon
Do not be upset if your half lotus or pigeon pose does not look as good as the ones you see on Pinterest. You are doing the best you can with the body you have today and that is good enough. Focus on how the pose feels and let go of any tension in your hips and breath.
To do Half Lotus, stack your ankle on top of the opposite knee, or for a slightly easier option (depending on how your hips and knees feel), take your ankle to the opposite calf. If you can’t manage Half Lotus, simply sit cross-legged with one leg folded in front of the other.
Keep your leg extended behind you as you sink down into pigeon pose, with your kneecap and all five toenails Anchoring to the floor. You can remain upright, or fold down to your elbows or bring your forehead to the floor.
Sink down into the stretch slowly, letting gravity do the work. Repeat on the other side.
Seated bends sequence (lower back, side of trunk)
Head to knee forward bend
Seated side bend
The text is suggesting that you pretend that your head is trying to touch your knee, even though it doesn’t have to actually make contact.
The seated side bend may be a little difficult at first, but with practice, it will become easier. Instead of leaning to the side, try to curl your trunk over in a C shape. Pay attention to how your body is supported by the muscles and connective tissue in your side trunk and see if you can’t bend a little further each time.
You can go between these two postures as much as you want, and don’t forget to do both sides. See how one side feels compared to the other.
Spinal twist sequence
Spinal curls
Supine twist
There are 33 bones in your spine, 17 of which are in the part of your back that is able to move and bend. The final sequence is designed to give you the flexibility in your spine that you are born with.
Are you able to curl your spine in and out while imagining all 5 of your lumbar vertebrae and all 12 of your thoracic vertebrae moving one at a time? Check to see where you get stuck and if that stickiness begins to loosen up with each curl. Try doing several rounds of curls before moving onto the twist.
To do this pose, bring your knees up to your chest and then let them fall to one side while keeping your shoulders down. The weight of your legs will help you twist your spine. Switch sides when it feels good.
7 Best Yoga with Adriene Flows to Practice at Home
Adriene Mishler is an American actress and yoga trainer who started a Youtube channel in 2012 called “Yoga With Adriene.” The channel has over 9 million subscribers who have had life-changing experiences thanks to her yoga routines.
Yoga with Adriene flows for beginners
Although it may be challenging to start with a daily yoga ritual, it is beneficial to start with a few basic poses.
Intro to Yoga poses for beginners by Yoga with Adriene are designed to be easy to follow while still delivering an energizing workout. These exercises can help refresh your mind and body, as well as get your body accustomed to beginner yoga stretches.
To get started with yoga, all you need to do is practice 10-minute flows at home every day. Adriene has beginner-friendly yoga flows that you can follow along with.
Adriene recommends the following beginner yoga poses for your daily routine:
Anjali Mudra: Helps improve flexibility in the limbs, relieves stress, and boosts mental clarity
Downward dog: Best yoga pose for strengthening the upper body and reducing backaches
Volcano pose: A good choice for releasing pain from limbs and enhancing the body’s balance
Spinal flex: Perfect beginner yoga stretch to get rid of persistent back pain and boost spine mobility
Forward fold: Deals with anxiety, relieves muscle tension, and targets abs
Mountain pose: Works on improving spine position and reduces the risk of posture misalignment
Yoga with Adriene poses for weight loss
If you want to lose weight, Adriene’s yoga flow for weight loss is perfect for you.
Adriene’s weight loss yoga poses help you gradually lose fat from all over your body, including your belly, thighs, biceps, and love handles.
Within a few months you will have a more pronounced curve to your body!
Here are the yoga exercises for weight loss:
Half splits: Burns off fat from your glutes, hamstrings, and inner thighs and increases lower limb flexibility
Triangle pose: Elongates the spine, shapes up the belly and chest muscles, and improves joint movement
Plank: One of the best abs yoga workouts for weight loss by Adriene to get rid of tummy fat, boost metabolism, and get abs
Cobra: Prevents fat from accumulating in the stomach, strengthens the spine, and shapes the abs
Child’s pose: The perfect detox exercise that relieves stress from the body and releases happy hormones for better fat processing
Yoga flows with Adriene for lower back
If you suffer from extreme back pain that interrupts your sleep, you may often wake up with a backache that makes it difficult to perform daily activities.
Adriene is back with more yoga flows, this time for lower back pain relief. She carefully walks through a number of sequences targeting alignment and posture, perfect for those who sit for long hours during the day. Other poses included aim to improve flexibility and alleviate any tension buildup.
Here are some of the best yoga stretches recommended by Adriene to relieve lower back pain.
Upward facing dog: Besides expanding the chest, it helps strengthen the back muscles
Pigeon pose: Useful for stretching the glutes, hamstrings, and releasing lower backaches
Cat cow pose: A remarkable yoga stretch exercise that enhances core balance and encourages spine alignment
Supine twist: Boosts blood circulation to organs and relieves painful spots from the abdomen and lower back
Child’s pose: Relaxes the spine, benefits the posture and eases discomfort from the body after a tiring day
Deep stretch workout yoga with Adriene
This yoga sequence is perfect for a physically active morning and alleviating stiff joints after you wake up, especially during winters.
If you often struggle with backaches, digestive issues, fatigue, or mental stress, try doing some deep stretch yoga flows with Adriene. These flows are simple enough for beginners and can help improve your health.
Include the following yoga stretches in your total body workout:
Mountain pose: A thorough exercise to improve spine alignment, straighten the back, and relieve stiffness in the knees, thighs, and feet
Plank: Best yoga pose for increased core balance, preventing various diseases, and shedding off extra weight by activating metabolism
Downward facing dog pose: Encourages blood circulation to organs, strengthens leg and foot muscles, and gets rid of pain from the upper body
Chair pose: Builds body balance by working on the core, opens up the chest, and releases tension knots from the main muscles such as shoulders, neck, and hips
Bound angle pose: Excellent yoga stretch for the lower body parts such as glutes and legs, and ideal for menopause symptoms relief through hormone balance
Yoga flow with Adriene for runners
Yoga poses help build stamina and relieve aches following a long run.
This yoga flow is designed to target the tight muscles in the lower body regions, helping you feel increased mobility. This yoga sequence is also helpful in getting you into a calm and stress-free state of mind to enjoy maximum benefits post-run.
Let’s go through the sequence:
Runner’s lunge: Works on releasing pressure points and chronic pain from the lower body including thighs, ankles, shins, and knees
Standing forward bend pose: Good yoga flow pose to get rid of tightened knees and hamstrings and open up the glutes and claves
Volcano pose: Expands chest muscles, helps stretch the limbs after a tiring jog, and improves mood
Spinal flexion: Strengthens the abdominal muscles, increases spinal flexibility, and relieves tension knots from the sides
Pyramid pose: Besides stretching hamstrings, legs, and spine, this pose boosts digestion and builds stamina
Yoga with Adriene for neck and shoulders pain
If you sit or text for extended periods of time, you will probably experience tension knots in your shoulders and neck, which can cause serious muscle stiffness and pain. This can make it difficult to move your head and affect your productivity.
But don’t worry.
This yoga flow targets the tense muscles in the upper back that can cause neck and shoulder pain, helping you to move more freely after sitting at a desk all day or sleeping in an improper position.
Check out the following yoga sequence for neck and shoulders shared by Adriene:
Ear to Shoulder rolls: Eases pressure points that develop in the neck and tightens the shoulder blades
Star pose: A remarkable yoga exercise to alleviate tense muscles and improve blood circulation to stiff parts
Seated forward bend pose: Relaxes the mind and body, elongates the neck and spine, and opens up the shoulder muscles
Wide leg forward bend pose: Useful for strengthening the legs, knees, and ankles while getting rid of neck and backaches
Crossbody shoulder stretch pose: Expands muscles in the chest and shoulders, boosts flexibility and extends your range of movement
30-Day yoga with Adriene flows for breathing
Improving your mindfulness is the best way to create more joy, happiness, and relaxation in your life.
If you are mindful, you will attract positive energy and feel better. Meditating regularly can help reduce the amount of stress you feel and help you find inner peace.
Adriene’s 30-day breathing yoga flow is a great way to start your day, even if you’re a beginner. These exercises can be done at home in the morning to help you achieve mental clarity and peace before you start your day.
Although the 30-day breathing yoga sequence with Adriene could be challenging, it has numerous benefits that improve your wellbeing. These yoga poses can enhance your lung capacity and help you breathe more freely. They’re also useful in expanding the chest and abs.
