Yoga strength workout (bodyweight only)

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Yoga strength workout (bodyweight only)

A yoga strength workout you can do at home, or anywhere, using your own bodyweight. All you need is a mat to get in an awesome burn!

Hi friends! How’s the week going? It’s been a CRUSHER over here. The Pilot has been working at 5am this week (yay), so that means the girls snap out of bed and come flying into our room with wild abandon the second he pulls out of the driveway. I may have to use the cereal trick for the rest of the week. PS thank you so much for all of your hilarious comments in my last post! So many good ones.

So today, I’m in a bit of a yoga mood. I go to one yoga class for the first time in 500 years and all of the sudden I’m brainstorming strength combos and have the yoga workout wheels turning. Let’s just roll with this.

Here’s a workout I put together combining some of my favorite strength-building yoga postures. The best part about it: you can do it anywhere. All you need is a mat!

Here’s what the workout looks like:

Yoga strength workout

(Wearing this Zella jumpsuit. It’s SO comfy for barre and yoga, and and sometimes I’ll wear it running errands with and open chambray shirt and slides.)

Form cues and tips:

Warrior 2 to half moon: Come into Warrior 2, relaxing your shoulders and gazing over your front hand. Shift your weight to your front foot to lower into half moon. With control, come back to Warrior 2.

Side plank with tree leg and reach: Start in a side plank (you can modify by lowering your bottom knee to the mat), with your hand stacked under your shoulder and your top leg in a tree pose; just above or below your knee. With your top hand, rotate down towards the mat as you inhale, and exhale to extend your arm back up towards the celling.

Reach

Downdog to plank balance: Start in downdog, pressing into your heels and hips lifted towards the ceiling. Shift your weight forward to come into plank, and lift one arm and the opposite leg off the ground. Release back down and press back to downdog before repeating on the opposite side.

Spinal balance

Chair to eagle: Begin in chair pose with heels together, knees squeezing in, and sitting your hips down and back. Keep your chest lifted and core tight. From here, move into eagle pose, stacking your joints and keeping your chest lifted. Release and come back to chair (try to resistant the temptation to rise!!) before moving into eagle on the opposite side.

Lunge to warrior 3: Start with 5 lunges. Your front knee will stay over your front ankle and exhale and squeeze your booty to rise. From here, move into a Warrior 3 balance, reaching your arms forward and leg straight back. Keep your hips parallel to the floor. Take a deep breath here before coming back to 5 lunges. You’ll do 15 lunges total.

Girl going warrior 3 yoga

Triangle to goddess squat: Inhale in triangle and exhale to come into a goddess squat, with thighs parallel to the floor and knees towards your toes (but not over your toes). Complete 5 of these before holding your goddess squat.

yoga triangle pose outside

Goddess squat pulse: hold your low goddess squat and pulse 20 times, moving up an inch and down an inch. Be sure to keep your chest lifted and core tight.

Chair pose burpees with chatarunga: Complete a traditional burpee, but instead of jumping at the top, you’ll hold a chair pose for 3 deep breaths. Instead of your standard push-up, complete a chatarunga push-up, with arms squeezing in towards your torso. Modify the push-up by keeping your knees in the mat, and hips down in line with your torso.

Bridge with 1 leg: Start on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Extend your leading leg for this side so it’s pressing up over your hips. Exhale to squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the mat. Hold it high, and lower down 2 inches and up 2 inches 20 times total.

Hip raise

*Repeat the entire series leading with the opposite side. Feel free to add in 10 vinyasas in between each side.

Savasana: Final resting pose! Lie on the floor with legs extended and palms up at your sides. Close your eyes, listen to some peaceful music, and breathe for 5-10 minutes.

Please let me know if you give it a try!

Also, please leave any questions that the Pilot and I can answer in an upcoming podcast. We’re recording an episode about marriage/life/parenting soon and I’d love to include some Q&As. Thank you, friends! [Tentative podcast launch date is June 6. WAHOO]

Gina