Stretch & Yoga
Gentle poses and simple stretches for the moments when your body feels braced and your mind feels full. Move slowly, breathe naturally, and let comfort set the pace.
Start where you are.
A softer practice
These practices are invitations, not tests. Choose a comfortable range, keep your movements unhurried, and return to the breath whenever your attention wanders.
Notice your feet, your seat, and the surface holding you.
Let your exhale be easy and a little longer when it feels natural.
Leave the pose before you have to force your way out of it.
The practice library
Use one pose on its own or move through all three as a gentle eight-minute sequence. Never push through sharp pain, numbness, or dizziness.
Your stretch practice
Open each photo, try the movement, and mark it done when you finish.
0 of 3 complete
2 minutes
Make a little more room around the ribs and shoulders before you ask the day to move faster.
How to move
2 minutes
A slow cat–cow rhythm to loosen the spine and give your attention one simple place to land.
How to move
3 minutes
A quiet place to lower the volume. Add a cushion under your chest if that helps you settle.
How to move
Same guide, new shapes
These next twenty poses use the same visual guide in a new shape each time. They are numbered after the three practices above so you can move through the full library in your own order.
Press through your feet and lift your hips only as high as feels easy. Keep the back of your neck long.
Breathe for 3–5 rounds
Kneel tall and reach your chest upward before leaning back. Keep hands on your low back or heels — there is no need to drop far.
Stay for 3 slow breaths
Ground through both feet, turn the back heel down, and reach up without lifting your shoulders.
3 breaths per side
Press the tops of your feet down and lift through your chest while keeping the elbows soft. Use a low cobra instead if your lower back asks for less.
2–3 breaths
Open the arms wide, bend the front knee toward the toes, and let the gaze rest over the front hand.
3 breaths per side
Stand near a wall, hold one foot behind you, and reach the opposite arm forward. Keep the standing knee soft and make the shape small.
2–3 breaths per side
Step one foot forward and fold over the long line of your front leg. Keep your spine lengthening rather than forcing the reach.
3 breaths per side
Press the floor away and send the hips up and back. Bend the knees generously so your back can stay long.
3–5 breaths
Use a wall or chair as needed while you hinge forward and reach one leg back. Keep the hips level only as much as balance allows.
2 breaths per side
Place hands behind you, press through your palms and feet, and lift the chest gently. Keep the lift modest and the neck relaxed.
2–3 breaths
Choose a comfortable cross-legged seat first; only fold into lotus if your knees and hips allow it without pressure. Let the spine rise naturally.
1–2 minutes
An advanced inversion for experienced practitioners — support the upper back, keep weight out of the neck, and choose legs-up-the-wall instead if unsure.
Skip if unfamiliar
From hands and knees, soften the belly and widen across the collarbones as you inhale. Keep the movement gentle through the spine.
5 slow rounds
Send the hips toward the heels and fold forward, arms long or resting by your sides. Widen the knees or use a cushion to make room.
5–8 breaths
Press the floor away and round through the upper back as you exhale. Let the head follow the spine instead of dropping it.
5 slow rounds
Lie on your belly, bend the knees, and reach back only as far as you can keep the breath smooth. Hold the ankles or simply practice the shape without gripping.
2–3 breaths
Send the hips back as if reaching for a chair, keep weight toward the heels, and lift through the chest. Use a wall for support.
3 breaths
Step wide, turn one foot out, and lengthen over the front leg before reaching down. Keep the top arm lifted only if the neck stays easy.
3 breaths per side
Make one long line from shoulders to heels, press the floor away, and keep the ribs gently contained. Lower the knees whenever you need.
2–3 breaths
Kneel with the tops of the feet down and sit back only as far as comfortable. Rest hands on thighs and let the breath settle.
1–2 minutes
Chakra balancing asanas
Move through the chart as an invitation, not a checklist. Choose the shapes that feel supportive, use the same avatar as your guide, and keep your breath comfortable throughout.
Grounding & steadiness
Tadasana
Stand with both feet grounded and let your spine lengthen without stiffening. Feel the floor support you.
5 slow breaths
Vrikshasana
Use a wall if helpful and place the lifted foot at the calf or ankle, never the knee. Keep your gaze steady.
3 breaths per side
Virabhadrasana I
Ground through the back heel, bend the front knee comfortably, and reach upward with a relaxed jaw.
3 breaths per side
Balasana
Fold toward your heels with the knees as wide as feels kind. Let the forehead rest on a cushion if needed.
5–8 easy breaths
Ease & fluidity
Utkata Konasana
Take a wide stance, turn the toes out, and bend only as deeply as your knees feel comfortable.
3–5 breaths
Trikonasana
Lengthen over the front leg before reaching down. Use a block or keep the lower hand higher for space.
3 breaths per side
Anjaneyasana
Place the front foot under the knee and lower the back knee to a cushion. Keep the lift easy through the chest.
3 breaths per side
Paschimottanasana
Fold from the hips with the knees softly bent. Let the spine lengthen rather than pulling yourself deeper.
5 slow breaths
Steady energy
Navasana
Lift through the chest and keep the knees bent as long as you need. Lower the feet when the breath gets strained.
2–3 breaths
Phalakasana
Press the floor away and keep one long line from shoulders to heels. Drop the knees for a supported version.
2–3 breaths
Virabhadrasana II
Open across the arms and bend the front knee toward the toes. Keep the shoulders stacked over the hips.
3 breaths per side
Bhujangasana
Keep the lift small enough that your lower back stays comfortable. Draw the shoulders away from the ears.
2–3 breaths
Openness & care
Ustrasana
Kneel tall and lift through the chest before leaning back. Keep hands on your low back if that feels steadier.
3 slow breaths
Urdhva Dhanurasana
This is an advanced backbend. Warm up first, keep the breath smooth, and choose bridge pose instead when unsure.
Advanced — choose gently
Gomukhasana
Sit tall and let the knees stack only as far as your hips allow. Add a cushion under the seat to create room.
3 breaths per side
Setu Bandhasana
Press through both feet and lift the hips modestly. Keep the back of the neck long and the knees tracking forward.
3–5 breaths
Space & expression
Halasana
An advanced inversion: keep weight out of the neck and use a supported legs-up variation if this is unfamiliar.
Advanced — skip if unsure
Sarvangasana
Practice only with experience and support under the upper back. Never turn the head or load the neck.
Advanced — choose legs-up-the-wall
Matsyasana
Create a gentle lift through the chest without forcing the throat. Keep the back of the head light or use support.
2–3 breaths
Simhasana
Sit in a comfortable kneeling seat, relax the face, and let the breath out slowly. Keep the expression playful, never strained.
2–3 gentle rounds
Focus & perspective
Sukhasana
Sit on a cushion with the legs comfortably crossed. Let the hands rest and give your gaze a soft landing.
1–2 minutes
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Press the floor away and send the hips up and back. Bend the knees so the spine can stay long.
3–5 breaths
Ardha Chandrasana
Use a wall or block as you open one hip and reach upward. Keep the standing knee soft and the shape small.
2 breaths per side
Balasana
Return to a forward fold with the breath slow and the shoulders heavy. Widen the knees or support the chest as needed.
5–8 easy breaths
Stillness & rest
Sirsasana
An advanced inversion for experienced practitioners only. Keep weight in the forearms and choose child’s pose instead when unsure.
Advanced — skip if unfamiliar
Padmasana
Choose a comfortable cross-legged seat first. Move toward lotus only when both knees and hips feel completely free.
1–2 minutes
Savasana
Lie down with the arms and legs easy, or rest in any position that lets you feel supported. Let the breath happen naturally.
2–5 minutes
Dhyana asana
Find a steady seat with the spine comfortable and the hands at rest. Notice the quiet space between each breath.
1–3 minutes
An eight-minute flow
When you want a little more support, let the practices follow one another. There is no finish line — only a slower way back to the present.
Start the sequence1 minute
Sit tall and let your breath become easy.
2 minutes
Move through the seated side stretch.
2 minutes
Let the tabletop wave follow your breath.
3 minutes
Settle into supported child’s pose.
Keep it kind
Use a wall, chair, or cushion whenever it makes a position feel more supported. A smaller shape with steady breathing is still a full practice.
Keep this page nearby for the next busy morning, long desk day, or quiet evening when you need a softer place to land.