I know I don’t do as much yoga as I should,” lamented a student to me the other day. As a yoga instructor, I hear that refrain time and time again. No matter how many minutes or hours of asana (yoga poses) one does, often the internal refrain is that one hasn’t done enough. Almost on a daily basis, I listen to people talk about how overworked, stressed out, and just plain old busy they are. If folks get to one yoga class a week, they’re elated. However, there are ways that we can sneak yoga poses into our day without even having a mat under our feet. (I believe that the universe is our mat, anyway, but that’s a topic for another article.) So, what’s a yogi to do? How do we incorporate yoga as we go to work, fix meals, enjoy relationships, and maintain a sense of equanimity in our lives? Can we do it all? Yes!

First of all, it’s important to look realistically at what we believe is necessary for our well-being. Certainly, having a roof over our head, food in our belly, and warm clothing on our body is important. But, we can get so caught up in attending to those basic needs that we ignore our need for companionship (with ourselves as well as others) and for physical activity. Even ten minutes a day of physical yoga can make a big difference in our overall well-being. (This is not to discount the benefits of attending a structured, lengthier yoga class.) May I say here that “yoga” is a broad term that includes such traits as loving-kindness, truthfulness, generosity, and contentment, as well as breath awareness, concentration, and meditation. For the rest of this article, I will speak more specifically about the physical postures that bring strength, flexibility and focus. Underlying these poses, however, is the desire to be in a healthy body that allows us to turn our attention to being kind and aware, rather than being stiff and sore and wishing it weren’t so.

Let’s take a look at how you can bring yoga into your daily life. First and simply, breathe. And, pay attention to your breath. Second, stand up straight. The simple posture Mountain Pose (Tadasana) benefits your internal organs by giving them space in which to work freely, and it can be done almost anywhere. Next time you’re standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for the elevator, stand evenly on your feet and balance your weight over the front edges of your heels. This will align your pelvis, and when you move your buttocks downward and lift your chest upwards, your spirits will be lifted as well. In addition, stretch your arms downward to release your shoulders. From here, you can simply lift those straight arms up above your head as high as you can, interlace your fingers and turn your palms upward. Now you are in a variation of Upward Arms Pose (Parvatasana in Tadasana).

Anytime you’re standing still, you have the opportunity to create space in your body rather than compressing it by slumping. When you’re waiting for the elevator (if you are going up just a few floors, you would walk, of course!) try moving from Mountain Pose into Paschima Baddha Hastasana. Take your arms behind your back and grasp your elbows or forearms to create broadness across your chest. Remember to keep the Mountain Pose action of moving your buttocks downward to keep from simply pushing your abdomen forward.

Still standing in one place? Practice Cow Face Pose with your Arms (Gomukhasana arms). Take one arm behind your back and slide your hand up toward your shoulder blades. Take the other arm upward, turn the palm backward, and take that hand down to meet (or at least wave at) your lower hand. Moving toward a pose is an integral part of doing the pose. Practice, practice, practice—on both sides.

Let’s say, though, that you’re someone who sits still for long periods of time. Maybe you work at a computer or sewing machine or are in a wheelchair. In this case, take a few minutes every hour and do a sitting twist. Sit sideways in your chair if possible. With your feet planted firmly on the floor directly below your knees, inhale and lift your chest. On the exhalation, turn toward the back of the chair and grasp the sides of the chair back in a Simple Chair Twist (Bharadvajasana I variation). After a few breaths, turn the other way and twist to the other side. You can also do this one facing forward in your chair and turning to the side if you have arms on the chair and have something to grasp to help you turn. This works well on an airplane, too, and can help you meet your neighbor!

If you’re still sitting and want to sneak in a pose, place your feet firmly on the floor, below your knees and in line with your frontal hip bones. Place your left ankle on your right knee in a variation of Lotus Pose (Padmasana). Not enough sensation? Keep your chest well lifted and tilt forward from your hips. Ahhh. If you experience knee pain, sit up higher until the knee of the crossed leg is in line with the knee of the other side.

Eventually, regardless of your work or life situation, you are likely to stand up and move around to get some blood moving and muscles working. Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is a mini-inversion that stretches the backs of your legs, lengthens your spine, and stretches your arms. Place your hands on a stable table or desk and walk your feet back until they are three or four feet behind the table. Push your thighs back and your hands down and forward to lengthen your sides and spine. If your hips are over your heels, you are doing a modified Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana). If your back is willing, simply hang forward, hold your elbows, and release your neck and head. This is a helpful way to energize the brain and help you to see a problem or situation in a different light—literally and figuratively! If your hands are still on the desk, step one foot forward under the desk and the other one back so there is a distance of three and a half feet between your feet. Push your hips backward and chest forward to straighten and stretch the legs and spine in a different manner. Now you’re in Intense Side Stretch (Parsvottanasana). Pull the hip of your front leg back and inward to evenly lengthen your sides. Remember to do the other side.

So, when can/will you do these simple yoga poses? Anytime you have a few minutes to breathe and be still: in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil, in a stopped car, in an airport or a hospital, on a hike, at work or at play. As you work compassionately with your body, you have the opportunity to practice acceptance of its imbalances as well as its strengths. You learn to quiet the mind by one-pointed concentration. You learn to be truthful with yourself about your abilities and learn that those abilities change from day to day. Ultimately, you learn to be fully present in your body and to your life, rather than living in the dreamland of past regrets or future imaginings. And all in just a few minutes a day. Isn’t it worth it? Find out for yourself!

Cindy Dollar is the owner of and senior teacher at One Center Yoga in Asheville, NC; visit http://www.onecenteryoga.com. She is also the co-author of Yoga Your Way and enjoys practicing yoga anywhere.

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