Silver Linings: 10 minutes of Standing Yoga

Flickr image under CC license by Go Interactive Wellness

If you need a little pick-me-up, or you want to be nice to your body after sitting behind your computer for more than an entire day and get some stretching, this post is for you!

You can brighten up your afternoon dip, evening lull or morning/bedtime ritual with some simple standing yoga routines. 

As much as I like squeezing in a short yoga routine on the days when I don’t work out, it is the standing yoga that I find the most powerful tool in my kit.

Ten minutes is almost nothing. It’s the time you can spend on the internet, watching kitten pictures, or the time hanging around by the coffee machine and catching up with a colleague.

You can, for example, use these 10 minutes in between Pomodoro sessions.

Why precisely standing yoga?

Standing yoga has the following advantages:
– you don’t need a yoga mat
– you don’t need a clean floor (my alternative because I don’t have a mat)
– you don’t need much space
– you can do this in your regular clothes (heels not recommended)
– you can do this pretty much everywhere: in your office, in your room, outside…
– 10 minutes is enough to bring your awareness to your body
– 10 minutes is enough to refresh and reframe
– it’s super easy
– you can simply watch YouTube tutorials on your computer or phone
– you need to focus on your breathing
– for the balancing poses: you need to concentrate very well not to fall over

Do you feel like trying it out?

Here’s a few tutorials you can follow to get started: