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Fitness

Simple Home Yoga Sequence for the Busy Athlete

If you don’t have time to make it to a yoga class, then doing a home yoga practice is your best option, and it will only take you twenty minutes. Here's how to do it.

Julie Rader

Written by Julie Rader Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

Time is one of life’s most valuable resources. I often hear people say, “I’d love to do yoga if I had more time.” But everyone can make time for twenty minutes of yoga. It may involve getting up just a little earlier in the mornings, but it is so worth it.

If you don’t have time to make it to a yoga class, then doing a home yoga practice is your best option. I suggest going to classes when possible or hiring a teacher for a few private yoga sessions and supplementing with a home practice. The instructions from an experienced yoga teacher are important for ensuring proper alignment and to keep you from avoiding poses you don’t like, but need.

Every balanced yoga practice should include a warm-up of the major muscle groups, dynamic movements such as sun or moon salutations, twists, back bends, hip openers, and forward bends. Inversions are also great and complete a balanced practice, but if you’re doing a home practice without wall space you’ll need to be creative.

Below is a sample practice that stretches and strengthens the whole body. I am using the standing wide-leg forward bend and the one-legged hamstring stretch on the back as both the forward bends and inversions in this practice. As I mentioned before it is essential to go to a few classes to get the proper form and prevent injuries.

1. Child’s Pose – If this pose bothers the knees place a blanket where the knees bend to ease the amount of flexion in the knee joint. If the ankles do not feel comfortable here place a rolled up towel at the front of the ankle joint between the top of the foot and the floor.

2. Cat and Cow – Inhale in cow, and exhale in cat dynamically for 5-8 breaths.

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3. Downward Facing Dog – You can bend the knees and lift the hips higher to press the chest back toward the thighs if the back is rounded. You may bend one knee at a time to stretch out the calves. Do this pose for 5 breaths.

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4. Forward Bend – Walk the feet to the top of the mat and grab the elbows to bend forward providing traction for your spine. 5-8 breaths.

5. Roll to Standing – Roll yourself up, bit by bit like a rag doll.

6. Sun Salutations (3-5 rounds)

  • Inhale, lift the arms above the head
  • Exhale, bend forward
  • Inhale, step the right foot back and lower the knee to the ground (keep the left knee at 90 degrees)
  • Exhale, downward facing dog
  • Inhale, shift forward to plank pose
  • Exhale, lower to the belly
  • Inhale, lift the chest into cobra – press firmly through the feet, keep the hips on the ground and bend the elbows
  • Exhale, downward facing dog
  • Inhale, step the right foot forward between the hands and lower the left knee to the ground
  • Exhale, step the left foot to meet the right
  • Inhale, reach the arms overhead and come up to standing
  • Exhale, lower the hands in prayer at the heart

That completes half of a round. Repeat the instructions, stepping the left foot back and bringing the left foot forward to complete one whole round.

7. Extended Side Angle Pose – 8 breaths.

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8. Triangle Pose – 8 breaths.

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9. Standing Wide Leg Forward Bend – Hands interlaced behind the back. 5 breaths.

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10. Lunge Twist – 5 breaths.

11. Bow Pose or Bridge Pose – 8 breaths.

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12. Pigeon Pose or Thread the Needle – 15 breaths each side.

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13. One-Legged Hamstring Stretch on the Back – 10 breaths each leg.

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14. Savasana – Relaxation pose. 3 minutes.

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Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Julie Rader

About Julie Rader

Julie first discovered yoga and meditation as a teenager, using it to enhance sports performance. These tools helped Julie perform at the collegiate level, earning All-American recognition for springboard diving and first team All-Region accolades for soccer. Her passion for developing peak performance lead Julie to a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Union College and master's degree in Exercise Physiology from Northern Arizona University.

To further strengthen her studies, Julie spent 33 days of silence learning Kriya Yoga under Swami Janakananda and traveled to India to meet her guru, Swami Satyananda. She continues to study with Shiva Rea and Sianna Sherman and finds ongoing inspiration from her parents and her husband, Matt.

Julie uses yoga, visualization and yoga nidra (a yogic sleep method) to help professional athletes reach their greatest potential. She has worked with the US Women's Volleyball Team, the US Cycling Team, the USWNT in soccer and a wide range of individual, professional athletes. Julie has served as a lululemon ambassador since 2007, was named as one of "8 Angelenos You Should Know" by LA Confidential Magazine in 2011, has developed two iPhone yoga applications and looks forward to every day as a yoga teacher and, always, student.

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