Simple WAYS TO INCORPORATE YOGA Into Your Daily Routine

Maybe the closest you get to yoga is wearing a comfy pair of yoga pants, or if you're like I used to be, perhaps you think your temperament isn't quite Zen enough for it, but the myriad of health benefits this ancient practice offers are difficult to ignore.

- Charlene Bazarian

The good news is whether your health goals aim to increase your flexibility, sleep more restfully, improve your balance, reduce stress and inflammation or even ease arthritis symptoms and back pain, adding yoga to your daily routine can quite literally put you in the right position to accomplish them.

The better news is incorporating more yoga into your days is easy with tips for even a beginner curated from yoga professionals.

7 Yoga Experts on How to Incorporate Yoga into Your Daily Routine

01 Mandy Enright, MS, RDN, RYT:

Use your surroundings as props to help sneak in some stretches in your day. Your chair, desk, walls, and anything else that surrounds you during your workday can all serve as helpful props to do some stretches. Even if you sit a lot during your workday, you can do a wide variety of stretches right from your chair including twists, neck/shoulder rolls, figure 4 hip openers, and even take a forward bend to get some fresh blood to the brain. You can use your desk to do stretches in the wrists, shoulders, legs, and even hip openers, or use a wall to help get some deeper stretches or to help do some balancing poses. You don't need to hold those poses a long time but staying in them for at least 10 deep breaths can help you reset and get great benefits.

Do restorative yoga or meditation at bedtime. A lot of people think of yoga involving movement and postures, but practicing gentle forms of yoga can be extremely beneficial, especially as we wind down in our day. I'm a huge fan of habit stacking: the practice of adding a new habit onto something you're already doing. Since you're going to bed anyway, why not consider heading towards bed a little earlier and doing some gentle yoga like restorative yoga, breathing exercises, or even listening to a meditation as soon as you get into bed? You'll create calmness in the body and mind, which will help you to get a better night's sleep.