It’s late, you’re stressed, you’re exhausted, you don’t have much time. Do some yoga to relax and stretch. It’s good for your muscles, it’ll help your flexibility, and help you sleep. It can be done in a dorm room (aka barely any space) and requires no equipment.
1. Cat
You should feel your shoulder blades stretching. Hold for 30 seconds.
2. Cow
You should feel your abdominals stretching. Hold for 30 seconds.
3. Repeat Cat and Cow twice
4. Downward Facing Dog
From Cow, slowly shift into Downward Dog. Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and you aim to flatten your heels to the ground. Hold for a minute.
5. Standing Forward Fold
From Downward Dog, walk your hands towards your feet while putting your heels on the ground. Hold for a minute. Switch from leaning left, right and center periodically.
6. Roll up
From Downward Dog, flatten your feet, slowly roll up to a standing pose. Let your arms hang loosely. Stop and hold for 30 seconds when your hands are at your ankles, middle of your shin, knee, thigh, and then finally roll all the way up.
7. Sun Stretch
After the Roll Up, your hands will be at your side. Raise them up to the sky, link your fingers together and stretch up. Hold for 3 breaths. On your final exhale, lower your arms. Repeat until you feel like you’re done.
Personally, I like to use a yoga mat, but it’s not necessary. It takes about 10 minutes and it’ll help you sleep. Make sure to focus on your breathing while you do any kind of yoga, but especially when you're using it to relax. It made me feel better too!
