Try This Easy Yoga Workout to Kick-Start Your New Year

Right on schedule, 2018 has arrived and prompted us to reevaluate our exercise regimen and the general state of our lives. But resolutions don't have to be lofty, impossible-to-attain goals that we'll never keep. The New Year is as good a time as any to take a cue from Larry David and hit the reset button on your fitness routine, whether it's finally getting that gym membership or signing up for that boxing class you've been too scared to try. Because we're only three days in, we tapped Sarah Levey, co-founder of Y7, the cult-favorite hip-hop yoga studio in New York and L.A., whose new book, We Flow Hard: The Y7 Guide to Crafting Your Yoga Practice, is out now from Running Press, for an easy sequence to start off on the right (flexible) note. Baby steps.

1. CHILD’S POSE

Begin in a child’s pose. Keep your toes together, knees spread wide apart, as your chest melts down between your legs. Your arms will stretch out long in front of you. Take a big breath in and a big breath out.

2. TABLETOP

On your next inhale rise up onto your hands and knees, into a tabletop position. Your hands and knees should be firmly planted into the mat, your shoulders directly over your wrists. Your neck will be long and your gaze should be right in front of your fingertips. Suck the belly into the spine, creating a long line of energy with a neutral spine. Stay here for a full breath (inhale and exhale). On an inhale, arch your spine and bring your gaze to the sky for cow pose. 

3. CAT POSE

On your exhale, round your back as you drop your head and look toward your belly button, coming into cat pose. Moving with your breath, begin three rounds of cat and cow warming up the spine. Consider making these movements your own by swiveling the hips or flipping the palms.

4. DOWNWARD-FACING DOG

When you have finished your third full breath, tuck your toes and lift your hips into downward-facing dog. Once you arrive there, spread your fingertips wide, making sure your thumb and first finger are firmly planted in the ground, holding a bit more weight than the rest of the hand. Your biceps should be rotating toward the ears, so the inner part of your elbow is facing the front of the room. Activate the inner thighs as you lift the hips farther toward the sky. Your feet should be hips' width apart and parallel to one another, with toes pointed to the front of the mat as your heels reach toward the ground. If you choose, stay here for a few cycles of breaths.

5. DOWNWARD DOG SPLIT

On an inhale, lift your right leg straight up toward the sky into a downward dog split. 

6. LOW LUNGE

On your exhale step your foot forward into a low lunge, keeping the fingertips on the ground—your foot should land in between your hands. Bring your gaze in front of the fingers as you stay here for a full breath.

7. PYRAMID POSE

When you finish your exhale, begin to tuck your toes, keeping your back leg long as you straighten the front leg as much as you can, coming into pyramid pose. Keep your chest draped over the front leg—your forehead may touch your leg. If you are having trouble or this pose is challenging for you, step your back leg in as much as you need to in order to feel stable and grounded.

8. FORWARD FOLD

Take a big inhale, and as you exhale move from your hips to swan dive your arms down to the mat, coming back into a forward fold. As you inhale, bring your hands to your shins and look up, keeping a flat back, coming into a halfway lift. 

9. MOUNTAIN POSE

Inhale and rise up to mountain pose, hands at your heart center, facing the front of the room. Close your eyes and stay here for a moment, feeling the ground supporting you as you maintain this pose for two full breaths.

10. FORWARD FOLD AND HALFWAY LIFT

Take a big inhale, and as you exhale move from your hips to swan dive your arms down to the mat, coming back into a forward fold. As you inhale, bring your hands to your shins and look up, keeping a flat back, coming into a halfway lift.

11. PLANK POSE

Bring both hands down to the ground and step back to a plank pose. Your shoulders should be directly over your wrists. Extend your heels back and pull up through the thighs, reaching the tailbone back to create one long line with your body. Stay here for three full breaths, firing up the core.

12. CHATURANGA DANDASANA

On your next exhale, keep the elbows close to your sides as you lower halfway down into chaturanga dandasana, also known as staff pose—in this pose, your elbows should be bent to a 90-degree angle.

13. UPWARD-FACING DOG

Inhale, flip the toes, and press the chest forward and up, gliding through to upward-facing dog. Only your hands and the tops of the feet should be on the ground. Your thighs and knees should be active and lifted.

14. DOWNWARD-FACING DOG

On an exhale tuck the toes and lift the hips back to downward facing dog.

Repeat the full sequence on your left side.


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