Core Yoga Slow-Flow Sequence

Mindful movement practices like yoga and Pilates allow you to incorporate flexibility, core work and body awareness into your current client programming. Core yoga is a practice that blends the precision, control and core-strengthening benefits of Pilates with the mindful and meditative benefits of yoga.

Try this core yoga slow-flow sequence and share it with your clients!

Pick Up

From a hands and knees position, exhale and compress your belly without changing the shape of your spine, then lift your knees off the ground just a few inches. Hold for three to five breaths.

• Regression: Roll up the mat under the base of your hands if you have wrist discomfort.
• Progression: Straighten and then bend your knees a few times for dynamic stabilization.

Down Dog

From Pick Up, on an exhale, slowly send your hips back to your heels without losing your neutral spine position, then press your legs straight, sending your hips up and back, creating a long line from tailbone to wrists. Hold for three to five breaths.

• Regression: Maintain a bend in your knees if your back tends toward rounding.
• Progression: Press your legs straight with your heels toward the ground.

Plank

From Down Dog, inhale and rock forward into a plank, shoulders over wrists, heels over toes, a long line through your body. Maintain your neutral spine while you push the ground away through all 10 fingers.

• Regression: Bring your knees to the ground.
• Progression: Hold for three to five breaths.

Half Push-Up

On an exhale, rock forward to lower halfway down. Hug your elbows slightly toward your sides. Keep your shoulders slightly above your elbows. Try to maintain your neutral spine.

• Regression: Bring your knees to the ground.
• Progression: Hold for three to five breaths.

Cobra

From Half Push-Up, lower all the way onto the ground. Point your toes. Lift your knee caps. Anchor your glutes. Zip your belly. Press into your hands to lift your chest just until your elbows are bent to 90 degrees. Send your shoulders down, draw your chest forward, and lengthen the front and back of your neck.

• Regression: Baby Cobra. Lift only a few inches off the ground.
• Progression: Hands-Free Cobra. Lift your hands off the ground.

Down Dog

From Cobra, exhale and press back to Down Dog. Then either bring your knees to the ground and swing your heels to your sides or step/hop to a cross-legged position and come to sitting.

Boat

Sit with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground and hands behind your knees. Exhale. Compress your belly and lean back just off the sit bones with your spine long and take one foot at a time off the ground to bring both legs up with your knees bent and toes at eyebrow height. Hold for three to five breaths.

• Regression: Keep your feet on the ground. Focus on leaning back and maintaining length in your spine.
• Progression: Take your hands from behind your knees and extend your arms. For more intensity, extend your legs.

After Boat Pose, swing your heels to your side or roll over crossed ankles and return to Pick Up.

Repeat this sequence three to five times.

Interested in learning more about core yoga? Check out this online course and access 20-plus free yoga sequences on Yogatrinity.com.