Happy Hour Yoga: Do This Feel Good Flow to Kickstart Your Weekend

Jump into the weekend with this fast-paced, energizing yoga sequence!

Downward Facing Dog

Begin on all fours, then walk your hands up a bit, curl your toes under, and lift your hips up to the sky, straightening your arms and pressing into your palms. Hold for 10 breaths.

Mountain Pose

From Downward Facing Dog, either walk or lightly hop your feet up to meet your hands. Roll your body up to stand, bringing your feet hips width apart. Draw your shoulders down and away from your ears. Hold for five breaths.

Chair Pose

Begin to bend your knees and sit your hips down. Keep your ankles, knees, and hips all in line. Extend your arms out and up, keeping them in line with your shoulders. If one of your knees is bending too far ahead, ease out of the posture a bit to keep everything nice and even. Hold for four breaths.

Plank Pose

From Chair Pose, come all the way down into a Standing Forward Fold, then bring your palms down to the mat. Either walk or step your feet back, coming onto your toes. Your body should be one long straight line from crown to tailbone. Engage your core and inner thighs. Don’t let your hips dip down! Another option is to drop the knees for a modified plank. Hold for four breaths.

Cobra

From Plank Pose, lower all the way down to the mat, either in one straight line (through Chatarunga Dandasana) or by lowering your knees, then chest, then chin. Untuck your toes and walk your fingertips back in line with your chest. Use your back muscles to lift your head, shoulders, and chest up and away from the mat. Keep your elbows tucked into your body. Tuck your chin slightly to keep the back of your neck long. Hold for three breaths.

Downward Facing Dog

Lower yourself all the way back down to the mat, push up onto all fours, then bring your hips up to the sky. Hold Downward Facing Dog for five breaths.

Warrior 1

Step your right foot forward between your hands and bend your right knee, aligning it over your ankle and tracking it toward your pinky toe. Spin your back foot out, pointing your back toes up toward the upper left corner of the mat. Align your heels. Face your body toward the front of your mat. Reach your hands out to come up, pointing your fingers up toward the sky, biceps parallel with your ears. Relax your shoulders. Hold for five breaths.

Warrior 2

Adjust your feet so your front heel is now aligned with your back arch. Turn your body so you’re now facing the long edge of your mat. Reach your arms out side to side, extending through the tips of your fingers. Gaze out past your front hand. Hold for five breaths.

Triangle

Straighten your front leg without hyperextending your knee. Reach your front fingertips forward as far as you can while bumping your hips back. When you’ve reached your edge, tip your fingertips down toward your shin, the mat, or a yoga block. Reach your top hand toward the sky. Stack your shoulders. Hold for five breaths.

Extended Side Angle

Re-bend your front knee and bring your front forearm to your thigh. Keep extending through your top hand. Hold for five breaths.

High Lunge

Lift your body back up into Warrior II. Spin your back foot so you are now on your toes. Extend your arms up. Hold for five breaths

Warrior III

Get ready for takeoff! Lift your back foot and bring your back leg and your torso parallel over the mat. Keep your toes pointing down. Extend your arms straight out in front of you. Create a straight line with your body, from the heel of your back foot to the crown of your head. Hold for five breaths. (To modify, bring your hands down to the mat or a yoga block). Hold for five breaths.

Mountain Pose

Bring your back foot up to meet your front foot and stand tall.

Repeat on the other side!

Cool down

Cobblers Pose

Come to a seat and bring the soles of your feet together, encouraging your outer legs toward the mat. Hold for eight breaths.

Seated Forward Fold

Extend your legs out long in front of you, keeping them hips width apart. Flex your feet. Inhale to bring your arms out and up overhead. As you exhale, reach out through your fingertips as far as you can and then surrender into your forward fold. Hold for eight breaths.

Savasana

Lie flat on your back, extend your legs out long, and rest your arms by your sides. Namaste!