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Do you only have 10-20 minutes in the morning to get the juices flowing? Try some quick vinyasa yoga flows to wake you up and get you ready for the day. This type of flow, also called vinyasa, goes through a series of sun salutations to build heat (aka sweat) throughout the body.
Not only will practicing yoga first thing in the morning energize you, but the act of strengthening and lengthening your muscles can wake up your digestion system, stretch those dormant muscles from sleep, and boost your mood.
If you’re unsure how to start your own practice, don’t sweat it! Yoga is all about “finding what feels good” as Yoga with Adriene would say. Listen to your body, recite some inspirational quotes or meaningful words to create an affirming yoga vibe, add some essential oils if you’re feeling fancy, then step into mountain pose.
Remember to breathe through the yoga poses, encourage yourself to smile and bring joy into the space. Practice finding the balance between positions that welcome comfort and stillness, and other positions that promote fire sensations within your body.
For beginners, read here for a breakdown of some hot yoga poses to choose from, and a yoga on Youtube guide to enliven you.
Here’s a list of some energetic vinyasa yoga flows to use while traveling or when your short on time.
Fitness tip: If you prefer high intensity or bodyweight workouts see this guide. Here you’ll find hiit workouts and fitness gurus that lead you through sweaty workouts.
Vinyasa yoga and travel
I love practicing yoga first thing in morning. When I’m not traveling, this yoga playlist on Youtube, led by some incredible Black yogis, is my jam. However, when I’m on an adventure away from home, my mornings often get cut in half to make more room for exciting activities like — visiting Chernobyl, jumping off boats in Ibiza, and exploring local festivals in the lively streets of Barcelona.
In fact, the best part about yoga is you can cultivate your own practice anywhere. Whether you’re traveling the train through Europe, backpacking through Asia, or on a safari in Africa (this is a bucket list item for us), yoga travels well.
First off, yoga requires minimal equipment. If you have a mat, great! If you don’t, grab a towel, rug or blanket to use as your mat. In fact, here’s a short list of equipment for yoga that’s travel friendly.
Minimalist yoga equipment list
- Travel yoga mat. These are extremely light weight, pack-able and easy to travel with.
- Microfiber towel. If you prefer a towel to a yoga mat, these towels work great for traveling and can double down as a yoga mat to make practicing yoga on hard surfaces more comfortable
- Yoga pants. Hands-down are one of my favorite pants. They’re great for traveling in and perfect for sweating it out on the mat. Personally I think any pants that serve more than one purpose are excellent to have!
- Sports bra. Don’t forget to pack a sports bra! Yoga sports bras are designed for lower impact and many have cute back straps which can work well with your travel outfit.
- Water bottle. Gotta stay hydrated!
This is just a short list, but for more a detailed list of yoga gadgets, read through the guide to yoga equipment.
Secondly, thanks to Youtube, yoga can be practiced without going to a yoga studio. This makes it easy for beginners and novices alike to practice yoga while traveling or at home, without worrying about how to create a yoga sequence. Just make sure you have internet access and something to stream it on (e.g. phone, tablet, computer, tv). After that, hop on the mat!
Travel tip: Need some travel inspiration for your next trip? Here’s a couple guides you may like — Barcelona, hiking in Yosemite, Malta, and visiting the hot springs in Bulgaria.
Quick vinyasa yoga flows on Youtube
Channel on Youtube: Om Green Wellness
Video length: 15 minutes
Channel on Youtube: Yoga with Adriene
Video Length: 19 minutes
Access video: here
Channel on Youtube: Erica Rascon
Video length: 22 minutes
Access video: here
Tips: This is a hatha yoga sequence but the flow is quite energizing so I included it as well.
Channel on Youtube: Yogaapproved.com
Video length: 20 minutes
Access video: here
Channel on Youtube: Boho Beautiful Yoga
Video length: 20 minutes
Access video: here
Channel on Youtube: Abiola Akanni
Video length: 25 minutes
Access video: here
Free vinyasa flow routine
Here’s a quick vinyasa flow sequence written out so you can practice yoga on the road. Just pack your mat or beach towel, then begin! It’s a yoga flow for beginners, but can easily be modified for advanced yogis by adding more repetitions in.
**Keep in mind, I am not a certified yoga teacher. This is just my quick vinyasa yoga routine I enjoy doing on the road. Always check with you doctor before starting a new workout.
- Recite a mantra for your practice (e.g. peace, love, etc.)
- Mountain pose with arms in prayer position
- Reach up and reach down to touch toes
- Step back to downward dog
- Plank position
- Step right foot forward to low lunge
- Raise arms to warrior one
- Step left foot forward and stay bent for chairpose with arms in prayer position or shoulder height
- Return to mountain pose
- Repeat on other side
- Repeat 5-10 times
Ease into your practice with grace and playfulness to find what your body loves. Pay close attention to how your body moves and send some TLC to any aches and pains you may feel.
Tips for yoga flows for beginners
Equally important is to remember a yoga practice is all about the journey — a journey of forging a powerful mind and body simultaneously. When I first started my yoga practice, it was a coping mechanism for pain management.
However, the more I deepened my practice, the more other benefits of yoga began to surface. (I’ll spare the vivid details about my injury and journey to better health, but you can learn more following this link.) To name a few, here are some of the incredible benefits yoga offers: increased strength and flexibility, improved sleep quality, aids in stress management, and encourages self-care. (source)
Likewise, if you’re a beginner yogi, here are a couple beginner yoga tips and wellness tips to incorporate into your practice that I love to including myself.
- Come as you are fully confident that showing up on your mat is enough
- Listen to your body
- Drink plenty of water before and after your practice
- Keep in mind everyday your body may feel different. Some days you’ll be more flexible, while other days your body may feel tight. This is completely normal. Don’t put pressure on yourself and again listen to your body
- Smile and have fun!
Namaste friends! Hope this inspires you in your yoga journey.
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