Whether you wake up from a night of fitful sleep or are ready to crawl into bed after a tiring day, resetting your mind can help you refocus your energy. You'll be able to move on from that rough night or day and get to sleep or tackle your tasks with a fresher outlook. Use this 10-minute yoga flow to clear your headspace at any time of day.
Start by Warming Up: 3 Minutes
Before you get deep into the flow, you must prepare yourself for it. Warming up mobilises your joints and improves your blood flow, which can lessen the chance of injury.
Give yourself a few minutes to get limber by moving through some sun salutations and cat-cows. Begin with the cat-cow stretch in tabletop pose, lowering to your hands and knees and arching and rounding your back with your breath for five rounds.
Then, move through three sun salutations to get your blood flowing and improve your flexibility. This sequence also has the benefit of reducing stress by centring your focus.
Get Into the Deep Stretches: 6 Minutes
Now that you've readied your body, you can perform some of the larger elements of your flow without risking strain. You'll spend the most time on these because they are the heavy-hitters that work your body and brain. They can reduce stress and help you sleep better, as well as alleviate back pain.
Supported Fish and Bridge
Start with the supported fish pose by lying on your back. Try to lift your ribcage as far as possible while keeping your head on the floor. You can place blocks under your head and shoulder blades to make this a bit easier.
Let your chest open and your legs and arms rest comfortably for at least 30 seconds to release tension, raise your energy and calm your mind. Push this stretch further by flowing into a supported bridge.
Return to your back, then lift your hips while keeping your shoulders on the ground and hold here. You can also use a tall block under your lower back to support yourself. The supported bridge is ideal for a reset because it increases circulation and oxygen delivery to your brain and creates a chin lock that helps restore clarity and introspection.
Head-to-Knee Forward Bend
Move into a head-to-knee forward bend by sitting and pressing the sole of one of your feet into the opposite leg. Inhale while you raise your arms straight above your head, then exhale as you fold at your hips.
Lengthen your spine and rest your hands on the floor for a couple of minutes. This fold can help soothe your nervous system so you can rein in your stress levels.
Low Lunges
For the next minute, each hip with a low lunge. Step one of your legs forward and the other back while lowering with your breath as far as you can.
Try to create at least a 90-degree angle with your front leg while raising your arms straight above your head. While this pose has some great physical benefits like strengthening your hips and quadriceps, it's also representative of confidence, success and effort, uplifting your energy.
Tree Pose
Take a couple of minutes to hold a tree pose, which can help quiet your racing thoughts. Lift one foot off the ground and place it on your ankle, calf or thigh, avoiding pressing so you don't fall over. Place your hands in a comfortable position and hold for a minute on each side.
Cool Down: 1 Minute
To round out your resetting flow, rest for a minute in corpse pose, simply lying on the floor and releasing all the tension in your body. Doing so allows you to reap the benefits of your previous movements while letting go of physical attachments, enabling you to enter a deep state of relaxation. This pose can enhance your concentration and sleep while reducing your anxiety, relieving stress and improving your mental clarity.
10 Minutes Is All You Need to Refocus Your Mind
When life feels hectic, it can seem like you don't have time for anything that nourishes you. However, you can find 10 minutes in your morning or evening to give your mind a reset. It's short enough to feel manageable in the busiest of schedules but significant enough to give your brain the space it needs. The next time you need a refresh, try this simple yoga flow.
All you need for this flow is a little space and a mat worth showing up to. The Amp Flow Yoga Mat offers the cushioning and grip to move through each pose with confidence, supportive enough for bridge and low lunges, stable enough for tree pose.
For the supported fish and bridge, a cork yoga block, or our Yoga bolster gives you the lift you need under your shoulder blades or lower back, making both poses more accessible and more restorative.
And for corpse pose at the end, a lavender eye pillow placed gently over the eyes can deepen the stillness, the gentle weight and scent signal to your nervous system that it is safe to let go. Explore the full Amp collection for everything you need to support a consistent home practice.