20-Minute Yoga to Help You Through Challenging Times

I feel like whenever I read the news lately, I need to meditate or practice yoga twice as long as usual.

The social and political climate of the world can feel divisive and overwhelming. Even though it’s challenging, the situation can teach us to accept what we cannot change and instead focus on our response. 

Yoga can help with that response, which can look like being present as we use mindful movement and breathwork to return to a place of inner safety. This can help us come back to a more nurturing and rejuvenating space so we can reenter the world with a renewed spirit.

When we keep returning to our practice, our bodies, our breath, our movement, we empower ourselves to foster a stronger connection with our communities and contribute to a society that’s fueled by compassion and not suffering, abundant loving kindness and not anxiety.

When I come back to that space, it’s easier for me to practice the yogic principle of brahmacharya, translated as restraint or moderation, as I engage with the news. It’s one of many ways the practice helps us learn how to flow through the challenges that life sometimes presents us.

20-Minute Chair Yoga to Help You Through Challenging Times

Sometimes yoga is breath, sometimes it’s poses. When we do it consciously, it has the same effect. During the following practice, honor your ability, as I’m honoring mine, by adapting the practice to your body’s needs. Be gentle and compassionate with yourself.

Centering

We’re going to start by noticing how we feel. Close your eyes if it feels comfortable for you. Let’s take a moment to notice how our body is breathing at this present moment. You don’t need to change your breathing pattern. I suggest that you observe, come to that place of being the watcher or the observer. Notice how your breathing slows down as you start to observe.

Neck Stretches

We’re going to synchronize breath and movement by sitting up straight and tall in Mountain Pose. Inhale, raise your chin and head until it’s comfortable for you.

Exhale, bring your chin toward the chest and gaze to the floor. Let’s do that one more time. Come back to center.

Inhale, gaze over your right shoulder, long and soft. Exhale, gently turn and gaze over your left shoulder. Beautiful. Repeat that one more time. Bring your body back to center.

Sit up straight and tall. Imagine that there is a paintbrush on your nose. At your own pace, start drawing circles. I would love for you to be curious about your range of motion and how you feel while you move consciously. And you can play around. You can draw a huge circle or a tiny one. Don’t forget to breathe. If you get dizzy, come back to center. Don’t forget to draw circles in both directions. You want to have an embodied experience, which is more about how you feel and less about how the movement looks.

Arm Circles

Sit up straight and tall in Mountain Pose. Inhale, raise your arms any amount. Exhale, extend your arms straight out from your shoulders. Imagine you have a paint brush in each hand and you’re going to draw circles. Of course, you can do that with one arm at a time if it feels more comfortable. Try 3 times in each direction. Play around.

As you release, give your arms a little shake.

Fire Exit Arms

Our next mindful movement synchronized with the breath, it’s going to be what I like to call it fire exit arms, which is we’re going to ground ourselves through our sitting bones and raise our arms. Take a deep inhalation here through the nose as you press your heels against the floor and then exhale as you push your hands as far as you can toward the wall. Let’s do that 2 more times.

Give your arms a little shake. Let’s take a moment here to notice how we feel after this little flow. Invite the silence in. Let’s take a breath here. Inhale through the nose, exhale long and soft through the mouth.

Downward-Facing Dog

We’re going to get into a flow of Downward-Facing Dog, Chaturanga, and Cobra in variations for the chair.

Open your hands, spread your fingers, and place them on your knees as you pull your knees toward your hip sockets. That’s a variation of Downward-Facing Dog. Stay here and breathe.

Chaturanga

Then place your hands on your thighs and come, bending from the hips and elbows, as far as is comfortable for you in Chaturanga. Gaze forward and take a breath as you press your feet against the floor.

Cobra

Hold onto each side of your chair frame as you draw your shoulder blades down your back, broaden across your chest, and gaze toward the sky in the backbend known as Cobra Pose. Exhale as you come back to center.

Okay, so the flow is inhale Downward-Facing Dog, exhale Chaturanga, inhale Cobra, exhale back to center. And then repeat for a total of 3 times at your own pace. If synchronizing the breath and movement is not comfortable for you, focus on the movements. If the movements aren’t comfortable, stay sitting upright and focus on the breathing. You don’t need to move to practice here. You just need to be conscious in your body.

Give your arms a little shake.

Seated Twist

Now you’re going to twist the spine. So sit up straight and tall one more time. Ground yourself through your sitting bones and raise your arms any amount as you inhale. Your right hand goes on the outside of your left knee. As you take a very gentle exhale through the mouth, your left hand goes to the back of the chair and your gaze goes toward the left side. Hold it here and now. To spice things up a little, we’re going to inhale and gaze over our right shoulder. And exhale as you bring your head and body back to center. Feel the stretch.

And we’ll do that one more time on the other side.

Warrior 2

If it’s available to you, cross your right ankle over your left leg and release your arms parallel to your body. Ground through your left foot or your sitting bones. Inhale, raise your arms any amount. Exhale, extend your arms, palms facing down, as you soften your shoulders and gaze to the right in Warrior 2. Hold it there as you inhale and exhale.

Reverse Warrior

Inhale as you lower your left arm and hold the chair frame and, at the same time, raise your right hand as far as is comfortable overhead in Reverse Warrior. Gaze toward your right hand as you soften your shoulders. Exhale, long and soft, and then release.

Now flow through Warrior 2 and Reverse Warrior on the opposite side.

Self Love Hug

Open your arms wide, palms facing forward, and as you inhale, give yourself a lovely hug. Hold it here. When you’re ready, exhale, open your arms wide, and now change your arms so the opposite one is on top.

Once you’re here, you can whisper to yourself, I am strong, I am capable. I am resilient.

Open your arms again and release.

Savasana

I would love for your to return to that place of safety in your body. Soften your shoulders, have a soft gaze at the floor in front of you, and maybe you repeat to myself, whatever situation you’re facing or the world is facing right now is all temporary, but my growth is permanent. I can do hard things. I embrace this season of struggle. I’ve got the tools, I’ve got the love. I’ve got the resilience. I can come back to this place of abundance inside of me at any time. I have the strength to face anything. I am loved. I am strong. I am enough.

I invite you to raise the corners of your mouth and take a breath. Thank you for practicing with me today. It was lovely.