This 5-Minute Yoga Flow Can Help You Slow Down

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It can feel hard to slow down in a world that seems to constantly emphasize speeding up. More! Faster! Stronger! These are the messages we get in the workplace, at school, and at seemingly every turn. Even in our yoga when we practice the fast-paced power flows that have become so common.

The good news is that, as yoga practitioners, we tend to be more well-versed in the necessity of rest, given that a portion of our practice is dedicated to that concept. (Gratitude for Savasana, am I right?)

We need rest and recovery. This is a biological fact. Even though it might feel challenging to slow down, what we want and what we need are often two different things. It’s up to you, and you alone, to do an honest check in with yourself, with your body, and with your heart and ask, What do you need from me today? 

And if the answer is slower movement and more rest, it’s up to you to honor that. When practiced with intention, even a quick 5-minute yoga flow in the form of fluid, thoughtful stretches can lead to a more restful state.

A 5-Minute Yoga Practice to Help You Slow Down

A restful practice doesn’t need to be still. Sometimes a supremely productive option is to allow yourself to move slowly and intentionally. Even the most easeful of practices can focus on back strength and flexibility as it’s vital to the health and comfort of our bodies, especially as we age. Including IT band stretches is also essential as this overlooked part of the body tends to tighten with a lot of sitting and cause tension and unease.

Tented Fingers

Begin flat on your belly with your forehead on the ground and your feet as wide as your mat or wider. Tent your fingers on the outer edges of your mat slightly in front of your shoulders.

Cobra Pose

With an inhalation, slowly peel your chest and belly off of the mat by pressing your tented fingertips into the mat. As you lift yourself up to your version of Cobra Pose, press through the tops of your feet and send the weight to the pinky toe side of each foot, allowing your inner thighs to draw away from one another. Breathe into any amount of backbend that’s comfortable for you.

Half Frog Pose

Keep your left leg long behind you as you bend your right knee out to the side and flex your right foot in Half Frog Pose. Keep your right foot flexed as you slowly lower your upper body down to the mat, forehead arriving last.

Half Frog Cobra Pose

Use an inhalation to lift your chest and stomach from the mat again in Half Frog Cobra Pose. Keep the bend in your right knee and the flex in your right foot. Feel free to keep your elbows as bent as you need here and lift your chest only as much as is comfortable for you today.

Exhale and lower down to the mat with control, allowing your spine to ride the wave of your breath. Keep your legs exactly as they are.

Half Frog Sphinx Pose

Place your palms and forearms flat on the mat in front of you with your elbows slightly in front of your shoulders. With an inhalation, press into your forearms to lift your chest into Half Frog Sphinx Pose. Actively draw your elbows back toward your toes as you send your heart forward.

Thread the Needle Pose

With an exhalation, use Thread The Needle as a transition to Supine Twist. Come onto your right hand as you slide your left arm underneath you, resting on your left shoulder and side of your face.

Supine Twist

At the bottom of your exhalation, fully unwind into a Supine Twist by opening your right arm out to the left and letting your right shoulder lower toward the mat. Rest on your left hip while keeping your left knee bent. Gaze skyward or over toward your right hand. Pause here for a breath in, spreading your wingspan while making sure both shoulders are evenly grounded.

Half Happy Baby Pose

Exhale into Single Leg Happy Baby Pose by rolling flat onto your back as you unravel your right leg, guiding your bent right leg outside of your right ribs, bringing your right foot skyward, and keeping your left leg as straight as possible. Reach your right fingers for your right big toe, your calf, or your thigh.

Supine Cow Face Pose

Bend both knees toward your chest. Cross your right knee over your left, allowing your heels to hang toward opposite hips. Place your hands on the outer edges of your feet as if you’re holding onto bike handlebars, knuckles toward the back of your mat. For more intensity, lift your heels away from your hips with your hands.

Stay here a breath, exploring depth in the hips by keeping your heels lifted as you draw your feet toward your shoulder. Make sure your low back and shoulders continue to press firmly into the mat.

Supine Eagle Pose

With an inhalation, set up for Supine Eagle Twist. Unwind your arms and reach them straight out to the side with your palms facing skyward as you eagle wrap your right leg over your left. You can instead cross the right knee over the left, rather than hooking the toes around the calf.

Supine Eagle Twist

On your exhalation, take Supine Eagle Twist to the right by allowing your wound legs to drift heavily toward the right side as you keep both shoulders grounded. Complete the twist by looking to the left.

With your inhalation, move back through the center while keeping your eagle legs.

Counter Twist

Take a Counter Twist to the left with your next inhalation with eagle legs compressing together. Look to the right to complete the twist all the way up through the cervical spine.

Pause here as you inhale and fill up your belly and get expansive in your chest.

Supine Twist

As you exhale, take a Supine Twist on the left by simply unwinding your left leg and extending it straight, keeping your right knee bent over to the left side, letting go of the entirety of the breath in order to twist a little more deeply.

Tented Half Frog

With your next inhalation, unwind by rolling toward your left side and tenting your right hand just in front of your left shoulder. As you exhale, keep your right knee bent and fully unwind onto your belly, sliding your left arm out from underneath you, and tenting your left fingers on the outer left side of the mat. Keep your gaze down so the back of your neck is long.

Half Frog Cobra Pose

Use the length of your inhale to unfurl the spine into extension by pressing into your fingertips to elevate your chest. Press into both feet while squeezing the glutes to protect the low back. Allow your gaze to lift skyward at the top of the breath.

As you exhale, lower down and extend your right leg long and wide behind you, keeping your hands as they are.

Cobra Pose

With your next inhalation, ride the entirety of the breath to slither open and upwards through the chest to Cobra Pose. Notice the difference of sensation here. Notice the difference in the right and left side of the body here as you pause and breathe at the top.

Tented Fingers

Exhale and lower to your belly.

Repeat on the second side.