An Equipment-Free 20-Minute Power Yoga Workout

An Equipment-Free 20-Minute Power Yoga Workout
This fun and challenging power yoga workout can be done anywhere (by anyone), in approximately 20 minutes, using just your bodyweight. It’s a total body toner, and it helps improve balance and flexibility! Greetings friends! If you’ve been following me on Instagram or Snapchat, then you know that I’m going on week five of my overseas study-cation. While it was easy to stay on top of my exercise routine while I was in Italy (the beautiful Genova boardwalk provided easy motivation for my morning runs), it’s become increasingly difficult to get in a sweat sesh here in Spain. The sweltering heat of Seville made running outdoors out of the question and the lack of a gym at our hotel or even an open space for jumping rope/HIIT left me at a loss as to what to do for a workout. Luckily, I had one more workout idea up my sleeve. During my time at the Propel Co:Labs Pop-Up I came up with a fun, effective Power Yoga Workout that can be done anywhere, with absolutely no equipment and minimal space. This workout is based on static yoga poses, but instead uses dynamic movements to keep your energy and heart rate up. It’s a type of “cardi-yoga” workout. The sequence works for all fitness levels. Yoga newbies: you can find modifications included in the descriptions below the more advanced poses. This power yoga workout targets pretty much every muscle in the bod: the quads, hamstrings, inner thighs (adductors), glutes, calves, shoulders, triceps, and the entire abdominal core, including your lower back. It’s also a great way to improve your balance — something often overlooked in many fitness routines. One of the first things you learn as a personal trainer is that achieving balance is paramount to avoiding injuries and muscle imbalances. Lastly, it helps increase flexibility. It’s yoga, so, obvi. Just when I thought I was out of options yesterday morning, I remembered this and got a great pre-croissant workout going right in the comfort of my hotel room. If you’re traveling (or simply not in the mood to schlep to the yoga studio), try this for a challenging, but convenient, workout. Directions: Complete each exercise in the circuit, back to back, then repeat the whole circuit once or twice more. Two rounds of the circuit should take about 20 minutes. Start in Warrior 2 Pose with your front leg bent at a 90-degree angle, back leg straight, arms spread wide to the side, and gaze out past your front hand. Pulse for 10 reps, straightening and re-bending your front leg. Transition to Star Pose so that both feet are turned out and you are facing forward. Raise arms overhead. Pulse for 10 reps, bending at the knees and dropping your butt to create a 90-degree angle. Make sure to keep your chest up. Transition to Warrior 2 Pose on the other side. Repeat step one, pulsing for 10 reps. Repeat the entire series once more. 2. Tree-to-3 Start in Tree Pose, balancing on one leg, with your hands in prayer at your heart center. Transition to Warrior 3 by hinging at the waist, keeping the back flat while you bring your chest toward the ground and kick the lifted leg straight back behind you. Slowly, lift your chest and return to Tree Pose. Repeat on the same leg for 10 reps without touching the ground if possible. Then switch legs for 10 reps on the other leg. Modification: Between Tree Pose and Warrior 3, bring the lifted leg back to the ground to regain balance. Hinge forward first (keeping your back flat), then lift the back leg as high as you can without losing balance. 3. Chataranga Knee Taps Start in Downward Dog with your back flat and legs as straight as possible, heels pressing toward the ground. Hinge forward to a High Plank, keeping your back flat and abs and glutes engaged. Hands should be directly below the armpits. Chataranga by bending at the elbows and lowering halfway to the ground, keeping your arms tucked to the side of your body. At the bottom of your Chataranga, lift one leg and bring your knee to your elbow. Place the leg back down, push back up into High Plank, and press back into Downward Dog. Repeat for 10 reps, alternating legs for the knee taps. Modification: Skip the knee tap and/or drop the knees before the Chataranga push-up. 4. Side Plank Side Crunch Start in Side Plank with your feet stacked one on top of the other and your bottom hand supporting your weight, in line with your armpit. Raise the top leg and bring your knee to your elbow. Return to starting position. Repeat for 10 reps on each side. Modification: Drop the bottom knee to the ground. 5. Boat Crunch Start in Boat Pose with your knees bent, or keep your legs straight for more of a challenge. Straighten and lower the legs as you lean back, bringing your body parallel to the ground, but keeping the feet and shoulders lifted. Use your abdominals to crunch back up into Boat Pose. Repeat for 20 reps. Modification: Place your hands on the ground behind you and use them to assist with the crunch. Repeat the whole series two to three times. Fashion credit: Koral Emulate Legging // Carbon 38 Isotone Tank // Carbon 38 Ion Sports Bra Take this workout with you by printing the graphic below or saving it to your phone! P.S. Don’t forget to refuel your electrolytes post-sweat sesh. Propel offers a great hydration option with their new tasty calorie-free flavored waters. Fyi, their water is the only on the market with enough electrolytes to replace what you lose during a workout. Weigh In: How do you stay active while traveling? Will you try this Power Yoga Workout? What’s your favorite power yoga pose? *This post is sponsored by Propel but all opinions are my own. Original article and pictures take http://liveanddiet.com/2016/06/an-equipment-free-20-minute-power-yoga-workout.html site