Cool yoga poses everyone should do
If you come here regularly or follow me on my social media, you probably know that yoga takes a very big role in my life. But beyond the fancy headstands (and don’t be shy from trying them! check out those inversions for beginners) and strange contortions I sometimes photograph myself into, yoga established itself as a daily practice in my life when I started backpacking through South East Asia and reading books about yoga. Spending long hours in cramped public transport or walking with a heavy backpack for several kilometres ended up taking a toll on my shoulders, back and hips and I found that daily stretching and yoga was the best way to keep my body limber and pain-free. So today is all about some cool yoga poses everyone should do every day.
If you are new to yoga or prefer to be guided, check out my favorite travel yoga videos on YouTube and favourite online yoga course. I’ve listed below some cool yoga poses everyone should do that I find help the most in releasing weary bodies, so they are great after a long day of work or a long day of travelling. If all you have is a few minutes, do a quick warm-up (I do 5 to 10 sun salutations), and hold each of these poses for a minimum of 2 minutes, repeating on both sides when the case applies. And if you have a lot more time in those buses, read my cool yoga poses for two people and get ready to have some fun.
More yoga inpiration:
* Yoga quotes to feed your soul
* The best yoga retreats for 2021
* Thoughts on learning the Ashtanga primary series
*Yoga for beginners: The surya namaskar steps you need to get started
Cool yoga poses everyone should do
1. Seated Forward Bend (paschimottanasana)
High at the top of this must-do yoga poses. Aim for a straight back and legs rather than hunching yourself over to reach your head to your knees – that way you’ll target your hamstrings, glutes and lower back much better. The hinging should come from the hips, so make sure to keep your torso long at all time, reaching the head up and shining the heart forward. You can place a folded towel or pillow under your butt to make it more accessible. If your hands land by your knees, so be it – as long as you feel a stretch in the back of the legs, butt and low back, that’s great.
2. Wide-Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana C)
This is a great must do yoga pose multitasker as it stretches both the inner thighs and shoulders. Step your feet wide apart, clasp your hands at the back (keep the palms together at all time!) and, with a straight back and engaged inner thighs, hinge at the hips folding forward and reaching the hands to the floor behind you. Make sure you don’t round the back.
3. Squat (Malasana)
One of my favourite exercises to do in public while I wait around, ha. It’s especially inconspicuous in Asia, as a lot of people just hang out like this. Squatting stretches your groin, low back, and hips and is also great for digestion. Stand with your feet hip-width apart or wider and your feet slightly out-turned. If keeping your heels to the ground isn’t possible, you can place a rolled-up towel underneath. Squat down with a straight back, placing the elbows in front of the legs and the hands in Anjali mudra to help. To continue stretching the hips, you can also transpose into Baddha Konasana after the squat. Outside of the yoga world, this pose is better known as the butterfly stretch. It really stretches your lower back and hips.
4. Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
Lie on your back with you feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart and close to your butt. Press into your feet, shoulder, and head as you lift the hips and pelvis up. You can roll your shoulders underneath you to increase the opening of the chest and clasp your hands together as depicted. This is a nice stretch for the front body and feels great on the back also.
5. Side Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Any spinal twist is a wonderful release for a tired back, but I love this variation as it works on stretching and opening the hips at the same time. Always make sure you twist from the lower spine up. If you choose my variation, make sure both sit bones are grounded – otherwise, extending the folded leg will make it easier.
6. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
A staple in every yoga practice, ye old down dawg is excellent for shoulder and back pain and is also great at making your upper back more flexible and less likely to store tensions. Proper alignment includes: having your hands shoulder-width apart and feet hip-width apart, reaching upwards with your hips, engaging your core, externally rotating your arms, reaching your shoulders away from your ears and your feet towards the ground – just to name a few! Downward dog is still a huge challenge for me as there are so many things to think about. Such a wonderful stretch in the back body though!
7. Cobra (or Updog) (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
As far as yoga for everyone goes, a great chest opener after being hunched over with a heavy backpack all day, cobra will also release lower back tension and help in strengthening the arms and shoulders. Always make sure to pull your shoulders down and away from your ears and lift from the sternum.
8. Extended Puppy Dog (Uttana Shishosana)
Possibly my favourite yoga pose. Very much like Downward Dog, you will feel a nice long stretch all over the spine, but mostly in the shoulders. Keep your hands active, forehead on the ground, elbows lifted and hips aligned with the knees. If you’re gonna learn cool yoga poses, this one is a must!
9. Pigeon (or Thread the Needle) (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Pigeon (or any of its variations) is a great way to open the hips and psoas. Place the front leg wherever feels comfortable to you and make sure your hips are square to the front. I personally find pigeon very difficult as I have tight hips, so I always do thread the needle beforehand. Both are incredible stretches and should be done daily. I always enter pigeon from Downward Facing Dog for ease.
10. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
Yoga poses everyday and all day! This one is a great stretch for the quads, hips and front body, a low lunge will also help you work on stability and mental focus. Key points include proper front foot alignment (always make sure your knee doesn’t go beyond your foot, i.e. you should always be able to see your toes) and core stability to protect the low back. Try to tilt the pelvis forward to increase the stretch. The arms overhead and slight backbend aren’t necessary, but I do like to multitask on some poses, and this is a great example.
I hope you enjoy these daily yoga poses! What do you think are the most interesting yoga poses?
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I looove the Ginko leggings! And love the fact that it’s made out of recycled plastic, in Canada!
And those are all great yoga asanas, I do a lot of thèse after a long day at work (always walking, never sitting lol)
Oh wow, sooo hard to decide! They are SOO beautiful. I love the lotus ones! Thank you for such a great giveaway!
I like the Hinterland design!
Oh morrocan and lotus are in my heart ❤️
Love love love the flora capris!
I would love a pair of Deer Love leggings. I have a number of tanks from Inner Fire and one pair of Flow leggings that I wear all the time! Love them 🙂
I would like to have the Gingko Leggings 🙂
Yoga is the best. I’m not as good at the asanas as you are but it sure feels good anyway 🙂
Those leggings are beautiful! The Goddess print is my favorite, I think.
Wow element leggings!! Thanks Amélie!
I have the lotus capris and love them! would love to add the Deer Love Capris to my collection!
great article too–you hit on all of my fav poses and Its a great reference–thank you for the info!
Can’t enter the competition but just wanted to say I love all these poses 🙂 The leggings are fierce!
🙂
Love the feather legging ( both Capri and full length)
J’adore le modèle Dusk Capri.
Merci pour les 10 positions. Ça fait du bien au dos !
Bises,
AniC
Love the flora leggings! These are great poses and a good reminder for when I’m on the road.
I really like the look of the flora leggings…really into the colour of them
So helpful!
Love those Dusk leggings!
xo
Deer love, feather and lotus are absolutely beautiful! ?
All great but lové bloom leggings!
Love the aurora or bloom Capri!
Thanks for the stretchy travel tips!
The Hinterland or Lotus are SO neat!! It would be hard to choose between the two. Love them. Just came across your blog and will definitely continue reading. I love finding fellow Canadians!!
Carly
The Aurora Leggings are my favourite, but so hard to choose just one with so many vibrant designs!
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My favourite pattern are the Mandala Leggings! So many cool designs
I like the Hinterland design for my daughter
I love the dusk Capri’s!!
I like the Ginkgo Leggings!
I would absolutely love a pair of the Lotus leggings! So very, very cute for the gym or running errands!
I absolutely love the Bloom leggings
I love Aurora!
Thank you for the giveaway!
I like the Feather Legging. I like the colour, but there were lots of other great styles too!
My favorite pair are the Ginkgo leggings. I really love the Lotus leggings too, though! What a neat company!
The design of the Aurora Capri is definitely my favorite.
gingko leggings are dope
ooh i like the island bliss design.
Wow c’est vraiment beau cette collection! Le bloom legging est mon préféré! J’adore la couleur et le design!
Great post to bookmark to have on hand for my next trip.
Beautiful leggings, love the lotus capri
I love this post! I love that you included instructions and photos 🙂 I can imagine yoga would be great after long hours of travelling.
Is it just me or does every pattern look good as yoga pants?! Going through their instagram I’m loving all the patterns. I think Flora is my favourite, though 🙂
I love the island bliss capri! So cool 🙂
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I’ve been wanting a pair sooooo baddddd! I love the flow and mandala leggings best!
My favorite ones are the Ginkgo! They are so beautiful. Although I looove the colourful ones, I have a tendency to stick to neutral colors for my clothing. Thanks Amélie!
Morrocan dream leggings because i love simple and pure designs. Thanks
oooh, they’re all so pretty! My favorite is the Deer Love 🙂
Fun pants! My favorite is the Lotus Capri.
I like the Dusk Capri
I really like the Feather Legging and Feather Capri. So pretty.
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Their leggings are gorgeous. I’d definitely wear the Gingko ones, but the Aurora leggings are soooo pretty, too. I think I’d have to give them a try 🙂
I love the Lotus Leggings. Thanks for the chance. 🙂
That’s a hard choice! I like the aurora, bloom, flora, and solid black leggings.
I love Auroa
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Way cool
I like the solid black best, then gingko.
I love the Ginkgo Capri!
wow
Wow. That’s a great list. It’s so hard to keep fit while travelling long term. Some of these I’m going to try! 🙂
These are so cool, and Canadian too. Love that they’re made from recycled materials! I like aurora and flow the best, I think, but they’re so bright and colourful, I adore them all!
Geometrica are gorgeous!!!!
I love the4fierce sky capri’s
A little confused since the closing date in the post was yesterday, but the bonus entries on the Gleam are still open for 6 more days?
If it’s still open: Favorite design is the aurora pattern.
Sorry, yes, I extended for a week! 🙂
I LOVE the Louts Capri!!! I just joined a brand new gym and I want to show those off so they can ask me where I got them!! Hope to win!! Thank you for the chance;)
My favourite are the Ginkgo leggings
I like the Gingko or solid blsck!
Very interesting. Seems like to be fit while travelling is hard working. But I love all the poses and would like to try now.
Tough choice, they’re all great patterns! But, Aurora is quite gorgeous. 🙂
Great post, loves these poses. Always feel so great after doing them!
I like the Ginkgo Capris.
Wow! I juste want to give them all my money, right now! They are all just so purty!!!
But if I REALLY had to choose, I would go for either the “Deer Love” (because – deer!!!) or the Dusk. Or the Ginko…
I knowwwwww right!
Deer Love <3
It's my power animal 🙂
Thanks for this! Just wanted to say these are also great for someone like me who spends a lot of time on a PC at work and at home.
Awesome, you’re so welcome!