Yoga Warm-Up: Breath-Linked Flows

This section has 15 warm-up flows. Each one is a round of five poses linked by the breath: you move from pose to pose on an inhale or an exhale and repeat the round several times. These flows get your body ready for the main practice, or stand in for it on a busy day.

Five are beginner level, nine intermediate and one advanced. Newcomers will feel at home in Gentle Wave; for a lively morning there's Morning Boost, after hours at a desk Shoulders & Chest, and in the evening Evening Spiral, which stays on the floor from start to finish.

Single joint-mobility exercises are gathered in the Warm-Up pose group, and the classic Sun Salutation has a page of its own.

• Big Round The classic round: standing — arm support — belly-down — standing · Intermediate
• Gentle Wave No strength peaks — a beginner-friendly start · Beginner
• Twist Round Squat, strength, backbend, rotation, and fold · Intermediate
• Hip Opening Flexion, extension, abduction, and rotation of the hips · Beginner
• Five-Level Strength All five levels of the body in a single round · Intermediate
• Evening Spiral A calm round to end the day: folds and gentle twists on the floor, no standing up, finishing seated · Beginner
• Advanced Round Strength vinyasa: Crow Pose, an arm-supported backbend, and Standing Splits · Advanced
• Equilibrium Tree Pose and Boat Pose: two balances, each with a prep and a counterpose · Intermediate
• Side Line Side stretches on three levels: standing, arm support, seated · Intermediate
• Shoulders & Chest An office upper-body reset: thoracic opening and shoulder mobility, almost no load on the wrists · Beginner
• Warrior's Path Warrior strength across three body levels: the warrior is one step, not the whole round · Intermediate
• Back Line Stretch and strength for the back of the body on five levels, from a standing fold to Bridge Pose · Beginner
• Morning Boost Upright, squat, and backbend — an energizing wake-up with no weight on the hands · Intermediate
• Core Focus Core in every plane — Boat Pose, Locust Pose, and twists with no load on the wrists · Intermediate
• Heart Opener Two backbends with different mechanics — Camel Pose from the knees and Upward-Facing Dog from the floor — with active counterposes: a stretch and a forward fold · Intermediate