Do these 5 yoga poses every day for better health and happiness!

Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise for busy people, as it fits easily into your day. Remember that you don’t have to do an hour long yoga workout every time! Throw a quick yoga stretch in several times throughout the day to energize your body and mind, and ward off stress and tension. Then try to get out your mat (or go to a class, if that’s your thing) and do a longer yoga session at least a few times per week.

However, there are a few poses that yogis swear by, and you should try to do at least these 5 every day if at all possible.

These functional poses can be done by anyone, and they help to improve balance and flexibility, stretch, strengthen, and tone your muscles, and relieve stress.

Here are 5 yoga poses that Jason Crandell from Yoga Journal recommends you do daily:

1. Downward-Facing Dog

(Adho Mukha Svanasana)

“Downward-Facing Dog helps you elongate your back, hamstrings, and calves,” Crandell says. “It also develops greater strength and conditioning in the arms and shoulders. You’re getting the benefits of a mild inversion since the pelvis is over the heart and the heart is over the brain. Down Dog is an accessible, semi-inverted state that helps you focus your attention.”

Practice:
This pose is an excellent start to your home practice because it’s a good all-around warming up posture. Hold for 5–10 breaths.

2. Low Lunge

(Anjaneyasana)

“Most people who are sitting at desk for long periods of time are going to have excessive tension in the front of their hips, hip flexors, and quadriceps,” Crandell says. “Anjaney helps relieve that excess tension by stretching these areas.”

Practice:
Try Anjaney early in your sequence help unravel and release some of your chronic tension.

3. Warrior II

(Virabhadrasana II)

“Warrior II is a strong pose that is foundational for many others such as Side Angle, Half Moon and Triangle,” Crandell says. “You get to the medial side of the leg, or the inseam. It brings attention to and strengthens the quadriceps and arms. When you strengthen the legs, that increases flexibility in the hip joint.”

Practice:
Try Warrior II after a few other warm-up poses but before Side Angle, Half Moon, and Triangle. This is a whole-body pose that helps you develop physical awareness and generate heat.

4. Triangle

(Trikonasana)

“Triangle adds more hamstring and inner leg opening,” Crandell says. “It also provides a mild side bend and twist. I like that triangle includes a bit of everything. It’s one pose that checks a lot of different boxes. It’s accessible but sophisticated.”

Practice:
Try Triangle after Warrior II for a smooth transition since you don’t have to change the position of your feet.

5. Warrior I

(Virabhadrasana I)

“Warrior I strengthens the legs, opens the hips, lengthens the hip flexors and adductors. The pose builds stamina,” Crandell says. “All of the standing poses are highly focusing for the mind because they are demanding. Demanding postures tend to require our full attention.”

Practice:

The lunge and two standing poses that come earlier help to prepare the hips for Warrior I. Warrior I is harder than Warrior II and Triangle for most people. And Warrior I helps prepare the shoulders for the Handstand and Wheel to come.

Find pictures + 5 more daily yoga poses at YogaJournal.com…