Beginner's Yoga - 15-Minute Awakening Practice from Yoga Journal & Jason Crandell

To begin the energizing practice .

Stand at the top of your sticky mat in Taa fold your palms , engage your thighs and deepen your breath .

Inhale , extend your arms up overhead , exhale , bend your knees and forward , bend hands , the shins inhale , stretch forward , exhale , rebind the knees forward , fold , inhale , sweep all the way up , reach through your elbows .

Exhale , release your arms again , inhale , reach the arms up nice and long exhale hinge forward , bend the knees , fold , hands to shins , inhale , lift and lengthen , exhale forward , fold , inhale , rise all the way up , stretch through the elbows .

Exhale , release the arms two more half sun citations , inhale , stretch the arms up , exhale hinge and fold hands to shins inhale , lift halfway up , exhale refold , relax the neck , inhale , rise all the way up .

Reach through your elbows , lift your ribs .

Exhale , release your arms last time .

Inhale , reach the arms up long through your waist .

Exhale forward , fold hands to shins inhale , stretch forward , exhale , refold , open the back of your legs .

Inhale , sweep all the way out , reach through your elbows .

Exhale , release your arms , fold the palms together , thumbs to the breast bone , gaze down take the base of the big toes together and bend your knees into Zina , lower the hips , tuck the tail bone under to lengthen the back scoop the abdominal muscles in continue by lifting the chest and reaching the arms up shoulder with the part palms , face each other .

Take another deep inhalation , reaching through the arms lowering through the hips .

Exhale forward forward , inhale , bend the knees and lift all the way back up into Zina .

Two breaths here , tailbone under knees , bent , abdominal scooped one more deep inhalation , exhale forward , fold , standing forward , bend , inhale , lift the chest , look halfway up .

Exhale , stepped the right foot back into a lunge inhale , press through your back heel , exhale , step back into downward facing dog in down dog used the arms and legs to elongate the spine .

Roll your sitting bones up , press the top of the thighs back and stretch the inner heel bones down to clear the calves .

Take one more deep inhalation , exhale right foot forward between your hands .

Inhale , stretch through the back heel , exhale , step forward , inhale lengthen forward , lift your chest a refold inhale , rise all the way up to standing , reach through your fingertips .

Exhale , release your arms again , inhale , stretch the arms up and engage the thighs .

Exhale forward , bend , inhale , focus on lengthening your back .

Exhale left foot back to a lunch inhale .

Press through your back heel , exhale right foot back into downward facing .

Do take a deep inhalation exhale step your right foot forward between your hands , bring your back , heel bone to the ground in line with your right heel , come all the way up , place your hands on your hips and prepare for warrior two , turn your hips away from the front thigh , bend your front knee and align that front knee with the 2nd and 3rd toe , tuck the tailbone , draw the abdominal muscles in the chest up and extend the arms wide apart as you broaden through the arms and lift your chest .

Gaze softly over your right fingertips .

Challenge yourself to drop the front thigh deeper and engage the back thigh more strongly .

Take one more inhalation .

Then as you exhale , take your right forearm to your right knee , palm up , extend your top arm over your top ear , palm down and feel the elongation of your left side body from your left fingertips to your left toes .

Continue to stay here if it's challenging enough or take your right fingers to the floor on the outside of the foot or to a block gently press your front knee open , re elongate your back leg and turn your chest towards the ceiling one more deep inhalation .

Then staying in the pose , exhale , take your left hand to your left hip and straighten your front knee , transition your bottom hand to your ankle to your shin or to a block , align your chin with your chest , turn the chest open and extend your top arm towards the ceiling , lengthen your right buttock and sitting bone towards your back heel stretch long through your bottom ribs and waist spiral your chest open , take one more inhalation , feeling the expansiveness of the lungs and the steadiness of the legs .

Then exhale , bend your front knee , take your top hand to the floor and step back into down re situate your stride .

So your arms , your spine and your legs feel elongated and your body feels stable .

Relax the neck , let go of unnecessary tension .

As you create more space through all of your joints , draw one more inhalation into the legs , then exhale left foot forward between your hands , pivot and bring your back heel to the ground .

Place your hands on your hips , keep your front knee bent .

So the shin bone is vertical , turn your pelvis gently away from the front thigh and expand your arms out in warrior two , release the front thigh , turn the thigh a little bit further out and charge through your back leg .

Continue to breathe .

Drawing up through your waist through your belly , through your chest .

Move into side angle pose by bending the left elbow , place the left forearm on the left thigh , palm , facing up , stretch the right arm over the right ear , palm down and elongate the right fingertips away from the outer edge of the right foot .

Continue here or if your body is ready for a deeper challenge .

Take your left hand to the floor on the outside of the foot , placed onto a block or fingertips on the floor lengthen through both sides of your ribs , turn your chest , keep that chin in line with the breast bone and stretch through the top elbow .

Take one more deep , satisfying in breath , then transition to triangle pose by straightening the front leg .

Take the hand to the shin bone or keep the hand on a block , reach the top arm up and expand the arms away from each other .

Widening the heart , the lungs and the chest tuck the left sitting bone underneath , you elongate the left side of the back and engage the front thigh .

Take one more deep in breath , feeling long , feeling stable , feeling open , then exhale , bend the front knee , top hand down downward facing dog , two breaths and down dog root down through the base of the index fingers , roll up through the sitting bones and lengthen your calves by grounding the heels towards the floor .

Inhale , rock forward .

A plank pose .

Exhale knees to the floor , bend the elbows , hug him in , inhale , straighten the arms lift the thigh , open the chest , exhale downward facing dog .

In these sequences , you've been bringing your knees to the sticky mat to practice choon and updo as you continue and you strengthen your body over time , you can practice with the legs straight , take one more inhalation , exhale step the left foot forward between your hands .

Inhale , press through your back heel , exhale , step forward , inhale , lengthen your waist , exhale forward , fold , you inhale , rise all the way up to standing completely elongate the body .

Exhale , release the arms last round , inhale , extend the arms up , look up , exhale , fold , drape the thighs , you inhale , extend your spine forward , walk back into downward facing dog , take one inhalation and down dog .

Then as you exhale , rock forward , a plank and lower all the way down to the ground .

For cobra pose , align your fingertips with the center of your chest , hug the elbows in and anchor your pubic bone down to lengthen your lower back , press down through the top of the feet gently down through the hands and lift the front of your chest , your shoulders and your head .

Keep your head and neck in line with your spine .

Keep the elbows hugging in and activate your shoulder blades .

Draw them down away from the ears , press them firmly against your back .

Draw one more in breath , try and breathe into your back body , then exhale slowly lower , bring the forehead to the floor .

Keep the hands where they are , take one slow deep breath , inhaling all the way towards the lower back towards the tailbone .

Draw the elbows in one more round of cobra pose , press the fingertips down , scoop the elbows in , draw the shoulder blades down the back and peel the front body up , slowly .

Lift the chest , keep the head in line with the rest of the spine lengthen that lower back by tucking the tail .

Two more breaths , press the fingertips , hug the elbows , pull the chest forward , then exhale slowly re lower all the way down .

Take one more breath , breathe all the way down into your lower back .

Feel the spine elongate .

Then as you exhale , press onto all fours and back into downward facing .

Do in down dog , combine the activation of the limbs , the length of the spine and the relaxation of the face and mind .

Even though you're working thoroughly , see that the effort is not so intense that you're holding or creating unnecessary tension .

Take one more deep in breath , stretch your thighs back , exhale , bring your knees all the way down to the floor .

Sit back on your heels , torso upright .

Go ahead and take one breath here .

Let the chest rise and the eyes soften and then swing your legs to the side , sit down on your sticky mat and reach your legs forward , extend your arms forward in front of you .

So they're parallel to the floor palms , facing each other , bend your knees , tip toes to the sticky mouth .

Gently draw your lower abdominals in lengthen your waist .

Keep the upright , lift of your chest .

Now , lean slightly back on your sitting bones , lift your shins and with those shins parallel to the floor , feel the engagement of the thighs and the work of the abs take one more deep inhalation .

Then as you exhale bring the feet to the floor , hands to the knees , take a long slow breath , eye soft , one more boat pose a deep abdominal and thigh strengthener .

Lean back , extend the arms forward and lift the shin .

So they're parallel to the ground .

Feel the firmness of the belly , the firmness of the thighs , then keeping the length of the spine and the lift of the chest challenge yourself to extend the legs forward as you extend the legs .

If your lower back collapses or strains , be patient , be persistent , be practical , bend your knees , take one more in breath .

Then as you exhale , slowly , lower the feet , hands to the knees , take a long slow breath to complete this sequence .

You'll practice artemas Andros , slide your left heel in front of your right sitting bone , align your left knee so that it faces straight forward , step the right foot to the outside of the left knee and wrap the left arm around the right knee , right hand behind you lengthen up , feel the echo of the abdominal strengtheners that you just did gently draw the abs in elongate up through the waist and spiral your spine to the right , walk your right hand a little bit further back in order to help open and turn your chest , continue to breathe two slow deep cycles of breath , relaxing the eyes and deepening the pose by sliding the left elbow to the outside of the right knee .

One more calming and breath , lifting your chest , drawing your shoulder blades down , then exhale , release the twist and switch sides , slide your right heel in front of your left sitting bone , right thigh , faces straight forward , left foot to the outside of the right knee , wrap your right arm around your left knee , left fingertips behind you stretch up through both sides of your ribs , gently hug the abdominal muscles in to support the spine and to provide an internal lever of rotation .

Puff the chest up , draw the shoulder blades down and gaze towards your left shoulder .

Keep your chin parallel to the floor and soften your eyes .

Two more breaths gently draw your left hip crease towards the mat and the right side of your back up away from the ground .

One more calming inhalation , exhale , release the twist , sit cross legged and place your hands on your knees .

Though this sequence is brief , it's powerful .

Let the eyes foreclosed , observe the sensation of your body .

You feel the pulse rate slightly up , observe the sensation of the breath , observe it's a little bit more voluminous , observe the mind state and see that it's clear , allow your breath to slow down and settle into the sensations of your body .

Give your mind and body a few moments to cool and integrate your practice .

Then slowly roll down , lie on your back and extend your legs forward into Shiva .

Rotate the arms , turn the palm so that their face up and release the back of the shoulders into the ground .

Please stay in this pose at least 3 to 5 minutes .

This will give your body your energy and your mind enough time to calm , to fall into quietness and to absorb the benefits of your practice .