Low-Energy Day: restorative yoga on the floor

14 min Beginner 12 poses voice-guided in the app subscription

A practice entirely on the floor, for when the day has worn you out

A program for days when work or a commute has drained you and an active practice is out of the question. All 12 poses are done seated, on all fours or lying down, so you never have to stand up.

The level is beginner and the pace is slow, and most of the time goes to two resting poses: Legs-Up-the-Wall and the final Savasana. In the app, this program comes with voice guidance and a timer in the subscription. If you have glaucoma, uncontrolled hypertension or your period, swap the wall pose for lying quietly on your back. During pregnancy, some poses need to be modified or skipped.

  1. Easy Pose Easy Pose 1
  2. Neck Warm-Up Neck Warm-Up 2
  3. Shoulder Rolls Shoulder Rolls 3
  4. Cat-Cow Cat-Cow 4
  5. Hare Pose Hare Pose 5
  6. Thread the Needle Thread the Needle 6
  7. Cobra Flow Cobra Flow 7
  8. Crocodile Pose Crocodile Pose 8
  9. Bridge Flow Bridge Flow 9
  10. Knees-to-Chest Pose Knees-to-Chest Pose 10
  11. Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose 11
  12. Relaxation Pose Relaxation Pose 12

Why this order

Easy Pose at the start is there so you can sit down and even out your breathing. Neck Warm-Up and Shoulder Rolls ease stiffness from sitting, and Cat-Cow gently moves the spine. Hare Pose and its twisting variation, Thread the Needle, bring your head below your heart and stretch the shoulders.

Cobra Flow livens up the back a little, and Crocodile Pose right after it lets you rest on your belly. Bridge Flow and Knees-to-Chest work with the lower back while you lie face up. You end with about two minutes in Legs-Up-the-Wall and almost four minutes of Savasana.

Cautions

  • Knee discomfort — sit on a prop (Easy Pose)
  • Acute neck pain (Neck Warm-Up)
  • Dizziness (Neck Warm-Up)
  • Acute back pain (Cat-Cow)
  • Wrist injuries — practice on your fists (Cat-Cow)
  • Knee injuries (Hare Pose)
  • Pregnancy — widen your knees (Hare Pose)
  • Shoulder and neck injuries (Thread the Needle)
  • Pregnancy (Thread the Needle, Cobra Flow)
  • Lumbar disc herniation (Cobra Flow)
  • Pregnancy from the second trimester onward — the pose is done lying on the belly (Crocodile Pose)
  • Neck injuries (Bridge Flow)
  • Flare-up of lower back pain (Bridge Flow)
  • Pregnancy from the second trimester onward — take your knees wider than your belly or skip the pose (Knees-to-Chest Pose)
  • Menstruation (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
  • Glaucoma (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)

This site is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, check with a qualified professional before practicing.