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Bite-Sized “Yoga Snacks” (5-20 minutes)

By anneewalshanneewalsh     on Jun 1, 2021     No Commment     

This collection of short and sweet practices began with quick “yoga snacks” for Girls Leading Our World, Inc., and now includes a mix of options appropriate for teens, tweens, or yogis and yoginis of just about any age and stage! Feel free to use chairs or other props to adapt and get the most from these quick “yoga breaks.” You can view these individually here or navigate to Vimeo for the full showcase.

Recorded for Girls Leading Our World, Inc. as part of a Teen Yoga series, this video introduces different ways to do Sun Salutations.
From Table flow through 3-leg Dog to a Cat-like Plank, bringing knee to nose, peek at Forearm Plank and Dolphin. Then rest after all your good core work or move on with your day!
Cop a squat (adapt as needed) to open hips, thighs, groins, and ankles, tone abdominal muscles, improve balance, and assist with elimination, concentration, circulation, even childbirth!
Open & enliven chest, shoulders, heart and lungs as you swim arms wide and give/receive great big air hugs. It’s remarkable how a few rounds of full body breathing can reset the tone of your day.
Take 5 to “rest & digest.” Whether morning, midday, or evening, use reclined lunges to help “process” all your day may bring and make room for what your evening has to offer.
If you’ve been on your feet too long or your back needs a break, prop your legs up the wall or at a chair in a supported inversion. A strap around your legs facilitates even deeper release.
Feeling down? LIFT your spirits by taking flight with Warrior III (Airplane) and Crow/Crane! Have a pillow/blanket/crashpad handy and be ready to laugh if you wobble or fall, it’s all part of the fun.
Enjoy a “bite-sized” variation of Surya Namaskar C, a sun salutation with lunges, and a supported side plank variation for core strength and nice side body opening.
Turn that frown upside down! At day’s end (or anytime you need!), try a calming, wide-leg fold to turn inward, clear out backs of legs, open hips, ease low back, and bring blood flow back to your heart and overworked brain.
Start with Seated Crescent & Summit to stretch side body, ope lymphatic channels, and support immune function. Extend that good love to your spine as you move through Sun Breaths, Cat/Cow and Down Dog, either at your chair or on the ground.
Feeling a little stiff? Take a few minutes to free your joints with simple rotations to open ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and wrists. Release your neck as you drop your ears to each side and play with a little tapping to encourage your tight spots to let go.
This “balance test” comes from a Yoga for Teens series but can be fun for yogis and yoginis of all ages! Give it a try and have FUN learning to balance on one limb.
Salute the Sun with this 5-minute Surya Namaskar B variation
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From seated twists move through Down Dog, Mountain, and Crescent to open side body. Return to the mat for Turned Child & Puppy Pose, then rest, meditate, or move on with your day.
Your spine is your lifeline! Keep it supple and strong by taking less than 10 minutes to move it in all directions with forward, back, and lateral side-bending, twists/rotations, and extension.
Warm up with modified Sun Sun Salutes, a standing Star, Warrior II, and Triangle, then balance in Half-Moon & Tree, open side body with Crescent, and find ease in a Supported Chair.
When you feel anxious or worried, try some mindful movement! Move through Mountain, Warrior I, II, & III, Eagle, Crescent Lunge and add a Twist.
If you’re feeling exhausted but need to twist out tension at the end of a long day, follow this supported twist with a symmetrical forward fold, (see the neighboring Supported Child pose video).
Recorded for Girls Leading Our World, Inc., as part of my Teen Yoga series, this sequence can be fun for yogis and yoginis of any age who need a little pick-me-up. Enjoy!
Give back, hips, head, and neck some TLC with a deeply internalizing Supported Child pose. Find the support you need to feel held and take rest in this comforting restorative posture.
Fighting “tech neck” after too much time hunched over a desk/device or working in the kitchen/yard? Try opening heart, lungs, chest with a lovely restorative pose that will help you take a deeper breath and relax your aching head and neck.
Do/don’t use your desk chair for support in Triangle & Peaceful Warrior, and a belt/strap/scarf to open tight shoulders with a Bound Forward Fold. Relax with Child options and a Reclined Twist, then give yourself a power nap or move on with your day!
Unwind tension with a seated “Divine Grind,” either on your mat or at a chair. Reset your spine with simple rotations, connected with the flow of your breath, followed by a nice forward fold to open your back and hips and encourage a deeper inhale and exhale.
This gentle practice is dedicated to GLOW: Girls Leading Our World, Inc., and inspired by Tarisha Clark’s “I Am” cards and India Arie’s album WORTHY.

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