Build full-body strength and boost your flexibility in 14 minutes with these five yoga moves

Fitting an hour-long yoga practice into your busy day can be a difficult task. But this 14-minute flow from yoga teacher and mindfulness coach Esther de Costa can easily be done in your lunch break or incorporated into your morning routine. 

De Costa designs her short yoga workouts (like this one) to be functional, stretching and strengthening muscles that we use in our every day lives. The quick routine will target your arms, lower-body and core, while also giving your flexibility a boost. 

How to do Esther's workout

To do the workout, perform the five moves with your right leg planted on the floor, then switch sides and keep your left leg down. Move slowly through each exercise at first, to make sure you're performing each one correctly, and keep your core engaged throughout.

Benefits of this workout

This is a yoga-inspired strength workout, so it offers all the regular benefits of yoga but it will build your muscles, too. 

"Adding strength and functional moves into my practice not only makes my body feel good but it also really helps to calm my busy mind," de Costa writes in her Instagram post.

Regular yoga sessions like this one can improve your mobility, flexibility and balance. They can also strengthen your core muscles, which play a vital role in everyday movements like bending down to tie your shoes and putting away your shopping.

De Costa estimates that this sequence will take you 14 minutes, but if you have time to spare at the end you could follow the session with a few beginner-friendly yoga stretches. Or if you want more of a challenge, try this yoga for leg strength routine. 

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