1. Downward Dog: Reach down towards your toes. Then walk your legs back and your arms forward so that your body looks like an upward facing V. Try to make your heels touch the ground and feel a stretch in your shoulders and calves.
2. Upward Dog: Lie on your stomach. Then place your palms on the ground approximately aligned with your shoulders and lift your chest upward while arching your back to feel a stretch.
3. Warrior One and Two: Lunge forward with one leg. Turn your back foot so that the heel of your front foot is in line with the arch of your back foot. Bend your front knee, making sure that your knee does not bend farther out than your ankle. Feel the stretch in your upper legs. Reach both arms forward and parallel to the ground.
4. Plank: From downward dog, move your body forward so that your shoulders are almost directly above your wrists. Hold this position in order to strengthen the shoulders, arms, and core.
5. Child’s Pose: Rest on your knees on the ground. Stretch your hands out in front of you and rest your forehead on the ground. Reach out as far as you can with your fingers and feel a great stretch across your back.
Start with these simple moves and work up to more complex ones. Combining physical movement with mental relaxation exercises can make you feel better on a day to day basis!