15 Minutes Yoga Sequence

You have little time but want to keep up your practice?
We have a good suggestion for you!

The yoga practice that we propose lasts 15 to 20 minutes, which allows you to do it, even with a daily life full of commitments and activities.

You will see how the fact of organizing yourself and making yourself available for your 15 to 20 minutes practice, changes the quality of your day to day, your mood and, above all, your ability to achieve the different objectives you set yourself.

What is the best time for this practice? This is the mother of all questions, and the answer is simple. It’s the time of day when you have 15 to 20 minutes to do it.

If you want to practice, pay attention to your mental complimeter, which will come up with countless excuses for the 20 minutes of yoga practice not to materialize.

Stay determined and establish your routine and discipline to practice at times that are convenient for you.

Points to bear in mind:

1. Keep your mind focused on the breath.
2. Always maintain conscious, slow and deep nasal breathing.
3. The movement always follows your breath and not the other way around.
4. Methodically adjust the body according to your physical characteristics, and your current condition.
5. Use the stiky-mat and the necessary materials (foam board, belt and bolster) for the practice to be effective.

 

NOTE: This yoga sequence is structured for students with experience in the practice of yoga. If you have any doubts or questions, consult your teacher or get in touch with us before starting to practice.

Previous advice when you are going to practice:

1. For each exercise and posture, we indicate the number of times to be performed and/or the number of breaths.
2. Keep your breath slow and deep, in Ujjayi (see our article on Ujjayi on the blog), the movement of the body always following the breath without changing it.
3. Whenever you find it difficult to execute a posture, adopt the simplest variant or use the material as suggested.
4. Use a stiky-mat on a non-slip surface (floor), and without any dangerous object or furniture nearby that could condition your practice, or put you in danger if you fall or leave the limit of the stiky-mat. Always keep your safety in mind.
5. We will describe each exercise and posture, and then the variants and the use of material when they exist.

 

For the execution of this sequence, make sure you have the following material that you will use:

• Sticky mat
• Yoga foam plaque
• Belt
• Bolster

 

We also remind you that you must not have eaten 2 hours before starting your practice.

1- Marjariasaana I and II with abdominal suction

 

 

 

 

 

 

* see our previous articles and Youtube videos, sobre a expansion of the chest with empty lungs and the Uddhyana bandha.

Starting posture: palms of the hands, knees and insteps on the floor shoulder-width apart. Arms and thighs vertical, torso parallel to the floor. If you don’t have any impediment in the articulation of the wrists, rotate the fingers of the hands towards the knees.

1. Inhale, press the floor with the palms of the hands and the instep of the feet and rotate the coccyx towards the ceiling, concave lumbar area. Roll the shoulders back bringing the inner edge of the shoulder blades together, arms straight. Inner area of ​​the elbows, the chest and face in front, highlights the neck from the shoulders – full lungs – Marjariasana I.
2. Exhale, back up (convex spine), head between arms with no tension in the neck – empty lungs – Marjariasana II. Perform the expansion of the chest with empty lungs, if you master it.

 

• Repeat the exercise 5 times.

2- Chachanka Bujangásana I and II with dip

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Perform the transition from Chachanka Bujangásana I to Chachanka Bujangásana II, with diving.
• If your arms are still not strong enough, do the pass by moving your body further away from the ground.
• Initial posture: Insteps and knees on the floor at hip width, buttocks supported on heels, torso and arms stretched out in front, palms on the floor at shoulder width, fingers well apart and stretched out. Forehead on the floor.

 

1. Exhale face forward. Keeping your elbows close to your torso, inhale and glide with your chest and chin close to your hands. Stretch your arms and legs, contract your buttocks and bring your pelvic area to your wrists. Chest and face forward expanding the chest – Chachanka Bujangásana II, full lungs.
2. Exhale, bend your arms, chin on the floor in front of your hands, elbows next to your torso, stretch your arms leading your buttocks back to your heels, flexing your legs. Forehead on the floor, lungs empty – Chachanka Bujangásana I.

 

• Repeat the exercise 5 times.

3 – Variant of Adho-mukha / Urdhva-Mukha

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Starting position- Adho-Mukha:
• From marjariasana I support the balls of the toes on the floor, and raising the knees, straighten the legs (make this adjustment according to your condition), coccyx to the ceiling, heels to the floor, passing into adho-mukha.

 

1. From adho – mukha feet hip-width apart, lift heels, instep vertical, look straight ahead, exhale. Inhale, bring the pelvic area to the wrists without flexing the arms or legs, contract the buttocks, rotate the shoulders backwards expanding the chest – Urdhva – Mukha. Face forward.
   * If you feel discomfort in the lumbar area, support your knees on the floor.
2. Exhale, return to Adho – Mukha keeping the heels directed towards the ceiling and the insteps vertical, rotate the pelvis.

 

• Repeat the exercise 5 times.

4 – Preparations for Hanumanásana

* Material needed: Bolster or foam yoga board

right side

4.a – Preparatory Hanumanasana

1. From adho-mukha, place your right foot on the ground next to your right hand. Place the bolster (or yoga foam plaque) under your left knee (see photo) and rest your knee against it. Keeps the balls of the toes of the left foot on the floor. Make sure your feet are lined up by their hips and your right tibia perpendicular to the floor.
2. Hands on hips, thumbs on coccyx, torso upright and face forward. Without misaligning the hips and keeping the abdominal area under control, the torso well stretched vertically (don’t arch your back making the lumbar area concave!), move the pelvis forward and downwards.

 

• Hold this action for 5 to 10 deep breaths..

 

4.b – Preparatory Hanumanasana with arms in Urdhva Baddhanguliyásana

From the previous posture, inhale and stretch your arms in front parallel to the floor. Interlace the fingers of the hands with the right pinky underneath the left, and exhale, rotate the palms of the hands forward, stretching the arms. Inhale and stretch your arms upwards, lining them up by your ears, palms facing the ceiling.

• Maintain the action of stretching the arms upwards and moving the pelvis downwards for 5 deep breaths.

• Adho-mukha (as a pass to the left side)
• From the previous posture, place the hands on the floor on either side of the right foot, lift the left knee off the bolster or plaque, place the right foot back, returning to adho-mukha.
• Take 1 to 2 deep breaths and switch sides.

Left side

• Repeat the sequence of the 3 postures for the left side, in the same way.

5 – Variant of Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

* Material needed: Bolster or yoga foam plaque

* Initial precaution: if you have problems or hernias in the lumbar and/or dorsal area, first consult your teacher before performing this pose.

Lado direito

1. Adjust yourself back to the same starting posture for Preparatory Hanumanasana 1 that you performed earlier.
2. Inhale and bring palms together in front of chest, elbows sideways at shoulder height.
3. Exhale and place your left elbow on the outside of your right thigh, behind your knee. Rotate your chest to the wall on your right side and align your chin with your sternum.
4. Keep your feet and legs steady, both hips parallel to the floor and in line. Use the action of the arms and hands to rotate and open the center of the chest to the right side, twisting the spine.
5. Keep the right knee in line with the right hip and perpendicular to the ankle, resisting pressure from the left elbow. With your right hand, push your left hand downwards to move the abdominal area away from the right thigh, thus preventing the trunk from collapsing onto this thigh, and allowing you to rotate your shoulders backwards and downwards, expanding your chest.

• Remain in the pose for 5 to 10 deep breaths.
• Adho-mukha (as a passage to the left side) – perform this asana again as a passage between the right and left side, as you did in the previous sequence.

 

Left side

• Repeat the sequence of the 2 postures for the left side, in the same way.

6 – Dandasana and variant of Dandasana

*This is the basic posture of sitting postures – see our previous article on sitting postures.

*Material required: Yoga foam plaque

6.a – Dandásana

1. Sit down and stretch your legs out in front of you, together.
2. Fingertips on the floor on either side of the hips.
3. Fits the lumbar area smoothly concave.

 

• If the lumbar area is not concave, and it falls backwards – as you can see in the photo – place the yoga foam plaque under the buttocks and semi-bent knees, at an angle that allows you to stretch the torso vertically, placing the lumbar area gently concave.

 

4. Now keep your legs active, knees and toes towards the ceiling.
5. Become aware of how you place your ischia (buttock bones) and perineum on the floor. From that conscious support, keep the lumbar area concave, and at the same time adjust the action of the lower abdominal area (space between the navel and the pubic bone) gently backwards and upwards. Without losing the previous action, verticalize your back by stretching the top of your head towards the ceiling.
6. Rotate inner edge of shoulder blades toward spine by expanding chest, elbows back. Inhale, exhale chin to sternum performing Jalandhara Bandha (see our previous article on Bandhas). Passive face.

* If you have cervical problems or neck tension, face forward (as you can see in the photo).

• Remain in the pose for 5 deep breaths.

 

6.b – Variant – Dandasana with arms in Urdhva Baddhanguliyásana

1. From the previous posture, inhale and verticalize your head, exhale, stretch your arms in front parallel to the floor. Inhale and interlace your fingers with the right pinky underneath the left. Exhale, rotate your palms forward.
2. Inhale, stretch your arms upwards as in the 2nd preparation for Hanumanasana that you performed earlier. Feel the stretch on both sides of your torso. Keep your face forward. Make sure your elbows are straight.

 

• Stay in the pose for 5 deep breaths.
• Switch now, adjusting the left little finger under the right and repeat 5 more breaths.

 

7 – Variant of Supta Padangusthásana – right leg / left leg

*Material needed: Belt

1. Lie in a supine position (lying on your back on the floor), feet together.
2. Bend your legs and place the soles of your feet on the floor, feet hip-width apart.
3. Keep both buttocks and lower back well supported on the floor.
4. Bend your right leg and pass the belt loop around your right heel, gripping it with your hands on either side of your leg.
5. Keep your elbows on the floor against your side ribs, shoulders flat on the floor, and stretch the back of your neck.
6. Inhale keeping your leg bent, when exhaling let the belt slide in your hands (so you don’t lift your elbows off the floor) and stretch your right leg forward and upwards (as you can see in the photo). If the leg does not reach the vertical it does not matter.
7. Keep traction on your hands on the belt by actively stretching the back of your right leg (active knee) as far as your flexibility allows, but don’t force it by trying to pull the leg closer to you, as you could injure yourself.
8. If you force leg extension, you will feel pain and lift your buttocks off the ground, also misaligning your hips, distorting the exercise.

 

• Stay in the pose feeling the stretch in the back of your leg, taking 10 deep breaths..
• Switch legs and repeat the pose with your left leg.

 

8 – Preparatory for Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

*Required material: Belt

• Additional Precautions for Neck Problems: Carefully read the final instructions before performing the pose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Lie back in a supine position with your legs bent as in the previous position, feet hip-width apart, heels about 1 palm apart from your buttocks. If your flexibility in the shoulder joint does not allow you to adjust your arms and hands, as you can see in the final photo, place the belt stretched out on the floor between your buttocks and your feet.
2. With your arms alongside your body and your palms on the floor, now contract your buttocks by lifting them off the floor, actively pushing your pelvic area upwards. Bring your palms together behind your back, interlock your fingers, and roll your shoulders down and inward, expanding your chest.
3. If you must use the belt, hold the belt on either side of your hips with your hands, palms facing down. Now rotate the palms upwards with external rotation of the arms, and again adjust the shoulders further down and inwards, activating the entire spine, abdominal area upwards and sternum towards the chin – concave back.
4. During the stay in the posture, keep the active pressure of the soles of the feet on the ground, the contraction of the glutes, the muscles on one side and the other of the spine active “pushing” the centre of the chest towards the chin, hands, and arms stretched pressing the ground. Do not push your head to the floor, passive face.- Remain in the posture for 10 deep breaths..
5. To come out of the pose, untwine the fingers of the hands or remove the belt to the right or left side, and gradually and slowly settle the dorsal, lumbar and sacred areas on the floor. “Pull” the navel down towards the floor, and keeping the knees and feet hip-width apart, bring both knees simultaneously to the chest, hugging the legs. Take a few deep breaths, relaxing your lumbar and dorsal area.

 

* Alternative if you have cervical problems or the back of your neck is very tense: adjust 2 to 3 blankets and the stiky-mat over them as we mentioned in our article on care when performing inverted postures on your shoulders, and rest your head on the floor off the stiky-mat and blankets, and shoulders over these just as if you were going to do sarvangásana.

Then use the belt in your hands as mentioned above, and perform the entire adjustment for Setu Bandha Sarvangásana in the same way. Your neck is thus safeguarded.

9 – Savásana

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Necessary material: Bolster (if you have discomfort in the lumbar area)

1. Adjust yourself into a supine position again, and if your lower back feels uncomfortable, place the transverse bolster under your knees.
2. Feet hip-width apart, legs relaxed on the floor or on top of the bolster, rotate your tailbone towards the ceiling and relax your lower back on the floor.
3. Rotate your shoulders slightly downwards and inwards and spread your arms out on the floor, 2 to 3 palms away from your body, palms facing the ceiling.
4. Stretch the back of the neck, tucking the chin slightly towards the chest, and relax the entire face by closing the eyes. Release the whole body towards the floor.

• Remain calm and take 15 to 20 deep, slow, conscious breaths into the center of your chest.
• Remain motionless in Savasana for a few more moments, becoming aware of the effects of yoga practice on your body and mind.
• Then come back slowly, without rushing, moving your arms, legs and stretching your whole body more revitalized and relaxed, in a good mood!

 

We wish you the best yoga practices!