Start the new year full of energy with this brilliant and practical energising yoga flow by Hannah Barrett, a yoga teacher and author of new book Yoga Happy. Happiness is but a yoga flow away…
Illustrations by Eleanor Hardiman
The study of yoga is a lifelong process; even when I started my teacher training, I found myself locked in many negative thoughts. I cared too much about what others thought of me in class, worried they’d think I wasn’t ‘good’ at yoga (in reality other people’s attention was purely focused on themselves).
The more I learned in training, the more I learned about myself, and one day I realised my usual thought patterns had changed and I no longer cared what anyone else in class thought about me or my practice. If I wanted to be in child’s pose while others were practising handstands, I was fine with that. It was incredibly freeing.
Yoga isn’t a magic pill or a quick fix, but it can help you find strength and calm in the chaos of life. Whatever you are struggling with, yoga can help you build strength to face those battles. Yoga has helped literally millions of people to move on from where they are, a little bit at a time.
There is no fixed end point – I’m on a constant learning curve and will forever be a student. Yoga is a real lifeline and the resilience it gives me helps me see that it’s OK when things are not perfect 100 per cent of the time.
I hope this energising yoga flow provides you with the building blocks for getting in touch with your body and mind, and that it becomes a resource for you to turn to again and again. The beauty of yoga is that it will grow and stretch with you. Best yet, none of what you will find here requires much more space than that which your body already fills.
Put your glutes first!
From all the time you spend sitting, your glutes are lengthened and not used – which can result in them forgetting to fire or turn off easily. Your glutes are vital for stabilising your pelvis, so – as strange as it sounds – put your brain in your glutes, which will help build those connections between the muscle and the brain (it’s called brain mapping).
Common places the glutes snooze in this sequence are warrior II (notice if the front knee collapses in), low lunge (the back glute helps open the hip), cobra pose, bridge pose and chair pose (make sure the ribs draw in as they love to flare).
10-15 minute energising yoga flow
This is my favourite 10- to 15-min flow for when I need energy and designed to be accessible to those new to yoga. The sequence introduces key yoga postures to help you build strength, mobility and flexibility.
Each pose is held for five deep, grounding breaths but if that feels too difficult, cut the breaths down until you are more familiar with the flow and postures.
1. SEATED SIDE STRETCH
Repeat 3 times on both sides.
2. SEATED TWIST
Hold for 3 breaths on each side.
3. CAT/COW
Inhale into cow pose and exhale into cat pose. Repeat 3 times.
4. PLANK
Inhale into plank and hold for 5 breaths. This pose is difficult, so please drop the knees if needed; be mindful that your lower back doesn’t collapse.
5. DOWNWARD FACING DOG
Exhale, lifting the hips into downward-facing dog. Hold for 5 breaths.
6. MOUNTAIN POSE
Step the feet forward and inhale, lifting into mountain pose for 5 breaths.
7. CHAIR POSE
Inhale, sweeping into chair pose for 5 breaths.
8. FORWARD FOLD
Exhale as you hinge forward into forward fold and hold for 5 breaths.
9. LOW LUNGE
Step the left foot back and inhale the arms high into low lunge for 5 breaths.
10. WARRIOR III
Lean your weight forward, lifting into warrior III for 5 breaths. In this pose, the opposite hip to the grounded foot loves to open. Draw the hip down to square the hips.
11. WARRIOR II
Exhale as you slowly lower the foot, turning the body to the left side of the mat for warrior II for 5 breaths.
12. DOWNWARD-FACING DOG
Move into downward-facing dog, then step the left foot forward and repeat 9, 10 and 11 on the other side.
13. COBRA
Exhale as you lower onto the belly. Inhale to lift into cobra and hold for 5 breaths.
14. CHILD’S POSE
Sit the hips back into child’s pose for 3 breaths.
15. BRIDGE
Gently roll onto your back and as you exhale, lift into bridge pose for 5 breaths. In this pose, push down through the feet, lengthen the tailbone and engage the glutes fully ensuring that your pelvis doesn’t tip forward, making the lower back overarch. You want to have a neutral spine.
16. SUPINE TWIST
Exhale as you hug the right knee into your chest then slowly lower it to the left side. Hold for 5 breaths and repeat on the other side.
17. SAVASANA
Stay here for 1 min or more.
Yoga Happy by Hannah Barrett is out on 27 January and is available to pre-order now.
