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Life is unpredictable. At times, it can feel like there is no way to prepare for the things that happen and hit you out of nowhere. You can’t control everything around you, nor can you control the inevitable fluctuations in your feelings and thoughts throughout the day. But you can cope with the unexpected by turning inward and tending to your body and mind. A daily yoga practice can help you do that.
Developing a daily yoga practice allows you to ground yourself in the present moment, process your feelings, and alleviate tension so you can face whatever challenges you encounter during the day.
A Yoga Sequence for Building a Daily Practice
Want to start a regular yoga practice but have no idea where to start? Try the following sequence. You’ll begin with more restful postures that warm up your body for the engaged poses that follow. Whether you practice this full series of poses every day or pick and choose which postures to take, you’ll start to feel the benefits of practicing yoga regularly.
1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
From hands and knees, take your knees wider than your hips, bring your toes to touch, and reach your hands forward as you allow your hips to sink toward your heels in Child’s Pose.
2. Hero Pose (Virasana)
From kneeling, place a block (or two) between your feet and find a seat on it. (If you experience pain in your knees, slowly come out and move to the next pose.) Take a couple minutes in Hero Pose to find a sense of calm.
3. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)
Come back to hands and knees. Place the block between your thighs and squeeze to engage your thigh and core muscles. Round your spine and gently lift your navel toward your spine in this version of Cat Pose. Relax your neck and let your head hang.
4. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
From Cat Pose, keep the block between your thighs as you tuck your toes, press through your hands, and lift your hips up and back as you transition into Down Dog.
5. Bear Pose
From Down Dog, lift your hips and heels toward the ceiling, bend your knees, and bring your chest toward your thighs. This will intensify the stretch along your back, hamstrings, and side body.
6. Plank
From Bear Pose, keep the block between your thighs and reach your heels back in Plank. Adjust your feet or hands as needed to stack your shoulders over your wrists. Press through your index fingers and thumbs and move your shoulders away from your ears.
7. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Come back into Child’s Pose but keep the block between your thighs and your knees close to one another to help release your back body. If you like, use another block to support your head.
8. Low Lunge to Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana)
From Child’s Pose, come onto hands and knees or Down Dog and step your right foot forward into a Low Lunge. Pause here and sink your hips toward the mat to feel the stretch along the front of your left thigh. Then tuck your back toes, straighten your back leg, and step your back foot forward several inches. Angle your back toes slightly outward and straighten your front leg in Pyramid Pose. Keep your fingertips on the mat or place your hands on blocks. Press through the outer edge of your back foot and draw your front hip toward the wall behind you. Lengthen through your side body.
9. Warrior 1 Pose (Virabhadrasana I)
From Pyramid, bend your front knee. Hold one block between your palms and reach your arms alongside your head in Warrior 1. Release your shoulder blades toward your hips.
Variation: Remain in Warrior 1 and bend your elbows to wrap your biceps alongside your head. Reach your palms toward your shoulder blades. Press into your back foot, using it as your anchor.
10. Mountain Pose with Arms Extended (Urdhva Hastasana)
Keep reaching your arms overhead with the block between your hands as you step your back foot forward alongside your front foot in Urdhva Hastasana. Press down into your big toe mounds.
11. Mountain Pose Variation
Bend your elbows and bring the block in front of you. Push your hands into the block and draw your shoulders down. This activates the muscles around your rib cage and upper back.
12. Chair Pose (Utkatasana), Variation
Bend your knees, reach your hips back, and press your heels into the mat as you extend your arms and the block forward. In this variation of Chair Pose, you are creating as much opposition between your hands and your hips as possible.
13. Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
Place the block outside your left foot and step your right foot back into a warrior stance with your toes angled slightly outward. Press into the outer edge of your back foot. Press your left hand into the block and slide your bottom shoulder blade toward your ears. Press your left arm into your left leg and press your leg into your arm. Reach your right arm straight toward the ceiling or alongside your head. Reach the crown of your head away from your hips in Extended Side Angle Pose.
14. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) With IT Band Stretch
Step your right foot forward alongside your left and step your left foot behind your right, crossing at your ankles. Press equally through both feet as you bend your knees slightly and slowly lower your chest toward your thighs. Place your hands on blocks or the mat.
Uncross your feet, step back to Plank Pose (with or without the block), and come straight back to Down Dog or first lower into Chaturanga and take Upward-Facing Dog.
From Downward-Facing Dog, repeat the sequence beginning with Low Lunge on your other side.
15. Shoulder Opener Stretch
From Downward-Facing Dog, lower your knees to the mat and come all the way onto the mat with your feet hip-distance apart. Bend your elbows in cactus arms and rest your arms on the floor or slide blocks under your elbows to emphasize the stretch across your chest and shoulders.
16. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
You can choose to end your sequence here and take a final Child’s Pose or you can repeat the entire sequence without the block while keeping the sensation of the block. You may notice that what felt like a restriction actually helped you create spaciousness and strength. Try to be as mindful in your alignment as you were when using the block.
This article has been updated. Originally published January 26, 2021.