Yoga exercises to tone your body and tame your mind, roll out the yoga mat and try this perfect yoga workout at home
By Andrew Taber
Om Alone: At-Home Yoga Workout
Mountain Pose (tadasana)
Stand with your arms hanging straight at your sides, feet together in tadasana (mountain pose). Close your eyes and take five to 10 slow breaths. Inhale and bring your palms together overhead.
Standing Forward Bend (uttanasana)
Exhale and bend forward at the hips, placing your fingertips or, if possible, your palms on the floor in uttanasana (standing forward bend).
Four-limbed Staff Pose (chaturanga dandasana)Inhale and step your feet back into plank position, then exhale and bend your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor in chaturanga dandasana (four-limbed staff pose).
Upward-facing Dog (urdva mukha svanasana)Inhale and push your chest forward while pressing the tops of your feet into the floor and straightening your arms in urdva mukha svanasana (upward-facing dog).
Downward-Facing Dog (adho mukha svanasana)
Tilt your head back. Exhale and use your arms and abs to lift your hips toward the ceiling until you're in adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog).
Try to push your heels toward the floor. Hold for three breaths. Step forward to return to uttanasana, the standing forward bend position. Inhale and come back to standing, sweeping your arms up over your head and pressing your palms together. Exhale, bringing your hands down into anjali mudra (prayer pose).
Warrior II (virabhadrassana II)
Perform a sixth Sun Salutation sequence. But after downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands. Turn your left foot parallel to the end of the mat. Inhale and rise to standing with your legs straight and your arms extended out to the sides at shoulder height. Gaze over your right hand. Exhale and, with your hips facing the side of your mat, bend your right knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Take five breaths. To exit the posture, place your hands on either side of your right foot and return to downward-facing dog. Next, step your left foot between your hands and repeat the sequence. That's 1 rep. Do 2.
Form Fix To maintain your alignment, tuck in your tailbone slightly and imagine that your pelvis and torso are being pressed between two plates of glass.
Extended Side Angle (utthita parsvakonasana)From downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands and return to warrior II. On an exhalation, lower the right side of your torso to your right thigh and place your right palm or fingertips on the floor on the outside of your right foot. Inhaling, extend your left hand over your left ear. Turn your gaze toward your left armpit and feel the stretch extending in a straight line from your left heel to the fingertips of your left hand. Take five breaths. To exit the posture, return to warrior II for a breath. Place your hands on the floor on either side of your right foot and move into downward-facing dog. Next, step your left foot between your hands and repeat the sequence. That's 1 rep. Do 2.
Form Fix Extend your spine so that there's space between your torso and your thigh while you keep your hips facing forward.
Squat (malasana)
Stand with your legs hip-width apart. On an inhalation, raise your arms above your head and press your palms together. Drop your tailbone, exhale, and, with your knees splayed, lower your hips as far as possible, trying not to let your heels come off the floor. Lower your hands, keeping your palms together, until they're in front of your chest in prayer pose. Take one deep breath in and out, then inhale and return to standing, raising your arms (palms still together) overhead. Repeat five times.
Form Fix If you have trouble keeping your heels on the floor, widen your stance and turn your toes outward to ease the tension on your Achilles tendons.
Crane (bakasana)
From the bottom of the squat position, place your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Rise onto the balls of your feet until your knees and shins tuck into your armpits. Drawing your abs in toward your spine, shift your weight forward until your feet leave the ground and your upper arms are supporting your knees. Round your back and hold the pose for up to five breaths. Keep your neck in line with your spine. Exit by easing your feet back to the ground. Transition into downward-facing dog for five breaths.
Form Fix If you can't hold the balance, tilt your weight on and off the tips of your toes until you're ready to lift off into the full posture.
Rotated Side Angle (parivritta parsvakonaasana)From downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands. Lower your left knee to the ground and raise your torso. Place your right hand on the small of your back. Inhale and lift your left arm to the ceiling.
Rotated Side Angle (parivritta parsvakonaasana) Cont'd
On an exhalation, twist your torso to the right so that your left elbow is outside your right knee. Bring your palms together and look up. Stay here for five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
Form Fix To open your chest, draw your shoulder blades in toward your spine and down toward your hips.
Bow (dhanurasana)
Lie on your stomach and bend your knees, bringing your feet toward your buttocks. Reach back and grab the outsides of your ankles and draw your knees toward each other. Inhale and lift your feet toward the ceiling and your thighs and chest away from the floor. Take three to five breaths and then gently release the posture.
Form Fix To maintain the alignment, do not let your knees splay wider than your hips.
Abdominal Sequence (urdhva-prasarita-padasan)
Lie on your back with your legs extended and together and your arms at your sides, palms down. Inhale and stretch your arms up and over your head, so they're extended on the floor behind you.
Abdominal Sequence (urdhva-prasarita-padasan) Cont'd
With a long and controlled exhalation, simultaneously bring your arms up and over until they're at your sides and raise your straight legs to 90 degrees. Inhaling deeply, slowly raise your arms back over your head once more as you lower your legs to the floor. On your next exhalation, lower your arms back to your sides. Repeat this sequence eight times.
Form Fix If your back arches when you lower your legs, bend your knees to ease the strain.
Plow (halasana)Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms down. Take three breaths. Exhale, push your palms into the floor, rock your legs up over your head, and touch your toes to the floor behind you (place palms on the small of your back for extra support) Take five to 10 breaths. Slowly roll out of the posture, one vertebra at a time, until you're lying flat on your back again.
Form Fix Relax your throat and lift your chin away from your chest so your neck doesn't bear the weight of this posture.
Fish (matsyasana)Lying on your back, inhale and slide your hands, palms down, just below the base of your spine. Then inhale, pressing your elbows into the floor, and lift your head and chest off the floor. Exhale and relax your neck backward, resting the crown of your head on the floor. Take five to 10 breaths and then inhale out of the posture: Tuck your chin toward your chest before returning to the starting position
Form Fix If your neck feels compressed, place a blanket under it.
Corpse (savasana)Lie flat on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arms at your sides, palms up. Focus on relaxing every muscle, from your toes to your tongue. Remain in this position for five to 10 minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll onto your right side; lie in a fetal position for a few breaths. Place your palms on the floor and slowly push yourself up into a seated position.
Form Fix Let your mind relax but remain present (in other words, don't fall asleep).
Om Alone: At-Home Yoga Workout
Mountain Pose (tadasana)
Stand with your arms hanging straight at your sides, feet together in tadasana (mountain pose). Close your eyes and take five to 10 slow breaths. Inhale and bring your palms together overhead.
Standing Forward Bend (uttanasana)
Exhale and bend forward at the hips, placing your fingertips or, if possible, your palms on the floor in uttanasana (standing forward bend).
Four-limbed Staff Pose (chaturanga dandasana)Inhale and step your feet back into plank position, then exhale and bend your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor in chaturanga dandasana (four-limbed staff pose).
Upward-facing Dog (urdva mukha svanasana)Inhale and push your chest forward while pressing the tops of your feet into the floor and straightening your arms in urdva mukha svanasana (upward-facing dog).
Downward-Facing Dog (adho mukha svanasana)
Tilt your head back. Exhale and use your arms and abs to lift your hips toward the ceiling until you're in adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog).
Try to push your heels toward the floor. Hold for three breaths. Step forward to return to uttanasana, the standing forward bend position. Inhale and come back to standing, sweeping your arms up over your head and pressing your palms together. Exhale, bringing your hands down into anjali mudra (prayer pose).
Warrior II (virabhadrassana II)
Perform a sixth Sun Salutation sequence. But after downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands. Turn your left foot parallel to the end of the mat. Inhale and rise to standing with your legs straight and your arms extended out to the sides at shoulder height. Gaze over your right hand. Exhale and, with your hips facing the side of your mat, bend your right knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Take five breaths. To exit the posture, place your hands on either side of your right foot and return to downward-facing dog. Next, step your left foot between your hands and repeat the sequence. That's 1 rep. Do 2.
Form Fix To maintain your alignment, tuck in your tailbone slightly and imagine that your pelvis and torso are being pressed between two plates of glass.
Extended Side Angle (utthita parsvakonasana)From downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands and return to warrior II. On an exhalation, lower the right side of your torso to your right thigh and place your right palm or fingertips on the floor on the outside of your right foot. Inhaling, extend your left hand over your left ear. Turn your gaze toward your left armpit and feel the stretch extending in a straight line from your left heel to the fingertips of your left hand. Take five breaths. To exit the posture, return to warrior II for a breath. Place your hands on the floor on either side of your right foot and move into downward-facing dog. Next, step your left foot between your hands and repeat the sequence. That's 1 rep. Do 2.
Form Fix Extend your spine so that there's space between your torso and your thigh while you keep your hips facing forward.
Squat (malasana)
Stand with your legs hip-width apart. On an inhalation, raise your arms above your head and press your palms together. Drop your tailbone, exhale, and, with your knees splayed, lower your hips as far as possible, trying not to let your heels come off the floor. Lower your hands, keeping your palms together, until they're in front of your chest in prayer pose. Take one deep breath in and out, then inhale and return to standing, raising your arms (palms still together) overhead. Repeat five times.
Form Fix If you have trouble keeping your heels on the floor, widen your stance and turn your toes outward to ease the tension on your Achilles tendons.
Crane (bakasana)
From the bottom of the squat position, place your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Rise onto the balls of your feet until your knees and shins tuck into your armpits. Drawing your abs in toward your spine, shift your weight forward until your feet leave the ground and your upper arms are supporting your knees. Round your back and hold the pose for up to five breaths. Keep your neck in line with your spine. Exit by easing your feet back to the ground. Transition into downward-facing dog for five breaths.
Form Fix If you can't hold the balance, tilt your weight on and off the tips of your toes until you're ready to lift off into the full posture.
Rotated Side Angle (parivritta parsvakonaasana)From downward-facing dog, step your right foot between your hands. Lower your left knee to the ground and raise your torso. Place your right hand on the small of your back. Inhale and lift your left arm to the ceiling.
Rotated Side Angle (parivritta parsvakonaasana) Cont'd
On an exhalation, twist your torso to the right so that your left elbow is outside your right knee. Bring your palms together and look up. Stay here for five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
Form Fix To open your chest, draw your shoulder blades in toward your spine and down toward your hips.
Bow (dhanurasana)
Lie on your stomach and bend your knees, bringing your feet toward your buttocks. Reach back and grab the outsides of your ankles and draw your knees toward each other. Inhale and lift your feet toward the ceiling and your thighs and chest away from the floor. Take three to five breaths and then gently release the posture.
Form Fix To maintain the alignment, do not let your knees splay wider than your hips.
Abdominal Sequence (urdhva-prasarita-padasan)
Lie on your back with your legs extended and together and your arms at your sides, palms down. Inhale and stretch your arms up and over your head, so they're extended on the floor behind you.
Abdominal Sequence (urdhva-prasarita-padasan) Cont'd
With a long and controlled exhalation, simultaneously bring your arms up and over until they're at your sides and raise your straight legs to 90 degrees. Inhaling deeply, slowly raise your arms back over your head once more as you lower your legs to the floor. On your next exhalation, lower your arms back to your sides. Repeat this sequence eight times.
Form Fix If your back arches when you lower your legs, bend your knees to ease the strain.
Plow (halasana)Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms down. Take three breaths. Exhale, push your palms into the floor, rock your legs up over your head, and touch your toes to the floor behind you (place palms on the small of your back for extra support) Take five to 10 breaths. Slowly roll out of the posture, one vertebra at a time, until you're lying flat on your back again.
Form Fix Relax your throat and lift your chin away from your chest so your neck doesn't bear the weight of this posture.
Fish (matsyasana)Lying on your back, inhale and slide your hands, palms down, just below the base of your spine. Then inhale, pressing your elbows into the floor, and lift your head and chest off the floor. Exhale and relax your neck backward, resting the crown of your head on the floor. Take five to 10 breaths and then inhale out of the posture: Tuck your chin toward your chest before returning to the starting position
Form Fix If your neck feels compressed, place a blanket under it.
Corpse (savasana)Lie flat on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arms at your sides, palms up. Focus on relaxing every muscle, from your toes to your tongue. Remain in this position for five to 10 minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll onto your right side; lie in a fetal position for a few breaths. Place your palms on the floor and slowly push yourself up into a seated position.
Form Fix Let your mind relax but remain present (in other words, don't fall asleep).
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