15-Minute Yoga for Beginners You Can Do at Home

Still sitting, inhale as you lift up tall. Exhale as you let your right fingertips come down to the mat out to your right side. Your left arm will reach up and overhead in a big side body stretch. Press your left shoulder down, push into that left hip to keep it on the mat, and let your head be heavy. You’re not tensing through the neck or jaw.

Then lift all the way back up through center and do the same thing on the other side.

Tabletop

Come onto your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Keep your back straight, as if you’re trying to draw your navel toward your spine.

Balancing Tabletop

Still in Tabletop, inch yourself toward the top of the mat. Spread your fingertips wide and press your hands into the mat. Shift more of your weight forward, into your hands, and then extend your right leg straight back, keeping the ball of your foot on the mat as you push through your right heel for a calf stretch.

Keep your right leg straight behind you, draw your lower belly in, and lift your right leg behind you at about hip height. Just work on lifting and balancing that right leg. Squeeze through your glutes to lift your leg a little higher.

Gate Pose

From Balancing Tabletop, sweep your right leg straight out to the side and lower your foot to the floor in line with your knee and hips. Go ahead and lift yourself upright, kneeling on your left knee. Your left arm reaches up and over into a side bend known as Gate Pose. Let your right hand slide your right leg. Breathe here as you feel the side stretch.

Lift yourself back upright.

Low Lunge

Step your right foot forward toward the top of the mat. Keep your right knee bent as you lift your arms alongside your head. Think of reaching your tailbone straight down, drawing your lower belly in, and lifting out of the lower back in Low Lunge.

Stay here or bring your hands together and lean back slightly in a backbend. If this feels too intense this morning, simply keep your gaze directly forward with your arms shoulder width distance apart. Teachers will give options in yoga, but doesn’t mean you have to take them. Take one more breath here.

Half Splits

As you exhale, bring your hands to either side of your front foot. Start to straighten your right leg any amount as you come onto your fingertips in Half Splits. Don’t feel like it has to actually completely straighten. Notice how the back of that right leg is feeling.

You can do this with your hands on the mat or your hands on your hips. Either way, maintain lots of length through your spine rather than rounding your back. You can lean your chest forward or you can stay upright. Stay here for several breaths.

Downward-Facing Dog

Bend your front knee, tuck your back toes under, and step your right foot back alongside your left foot. So your hands are about shoulder-distance apart. Your feet are hip-distance apart. This is Downward-Facing Dog.

Spread your fingers wide and keep pressing your hands into the mat. Think of lengthening and reaching through your arms. At the same time, lift your hips high.

You might bend one knee and straighten the opposite leg, and then switch legs, as if you’re pedaling. Take one last big breath here.

Bring your knees to the mat in Tabletop. Repeat these poses on your left side, starting with Balancing Tabletop and then Gate Pose, Low Lunge, Half Splits, and Downward-Facing Dog.

Standing Forward Bend

From Downward-Facing Dog, start to walk your hands back toward your feet. You can bend your knees as much as you’d like here and widen your feet a little closer toward the edges of the mat so you have a wider stance. You’re in a Standing Forward Bend sometimes known as Rag Doll. You can bend your knees a lot if your hamstrings or lower back feel tight.

Let your head be heavy. Maybe you hold onto opposite elbows and sway a little side to side. Maybe you turn your head side to side, as if you’re shaking your head no, to release tension in your neck and shoulders.

Windshield Wipers

Bring your hands or fingertips back to the mat and find your way to sitting on the mat with your legs in front of you. Bend your knees and bring your feet on the mat. Bring your hands behind you, palms pressing into the mat, and lean back slightly as you lower your knees from side to side in a windshield wiper motion. Really actively push your knees toward the floor so you’re getting a nice stretch along the sides of your hips. At the same time, stay lifted through the chest. Do this a few times.

Seated Pigeon Pose

Still sitting and leaning slightly back, cross your right ankle over your left knee. Then slide your left foot straight back, as close to you as is comfortable for your right hip. The closer your left foot is to you, the more intense the stretch. You can havel a lot of space between your chest and your leg, as long as you’re feeling some kind of stretch in your right hip. That’s all we’re really trying to do. This is a seated variation of Pigeon Pose.

You can push your hands into the mat to lift yourself up so you’re sitting straighter. I like to rock my knees a little side to side, so that I’m really getting into my right hip and glutes. Stay here for a few breaths.

Seated Twist

Straighten your left leg again and rest it on the mat. Step your right foot onto the mat outside your left thigh. Hug your right knee toward you with your left arm. Sit straight and tall.

Then twist toward the right with your upper body. Your right hand goes behind your right hip and press your hand or fingertips onto the mat. Pull your right shoulder toward the wall behind you in a Seated Twist. Exhale to release. Stay here for a few breaths.

Do those two poses on the other side, starting with your Seated Pigeon Pose and then Seated Twist.

Baby Cobra

Slide your way forward onto your stomach, lowering down and bringing your legs behind you and your palms on the mat alongside your rib cage. Adjust your feet hip-distance apart or wider. Push into the tops of your feet, push into your hip bones, and as you inhale, lift your hands and chest off the mat in Cobra Pose. As you exhale, lower down to the mat. Do that twice more. So inhale as you lift your upper body. Exhale as you lower.

Last one. Inhale, squeeze and lift up and this time hold where you are, bring your hands to the floor. And can you lift yourself up just a little bit more, keep the elbows bent and hugging in toward you. Then exhale and release.

Child’s Pose

Bring your hands beneath your shoulders, press your palms into the mat, and shift your body back into Child’s Pose by bring your hips back toward your heels and stretching your arms in front of you, forehead to the mat in Child’s Pose.

Typically Savasana is the last pose of class, in which you lie on the mat, although in these short morning classes, I don’t include that so you don’t fall back asleep. So stay here for several breaths.

Closing

When you’re ready, come to take a seat in any way that is comfortable for you. Close your eyes. Take a few moments here as you rest your hands on your lap.  or maybe bring your hands together at the front of your heart. And it can be a nice idea to set the intention for your day by choosing a word that you connect with, something that captures how you want your day to go, what you want to focus on, how you want to feel, just a simple one word to anchor your intention that you’re focusing on.

Thank you for practicing this 15-minute yoga for beginners class and I hope you try another yoga class soon.