You’re a 20-minute workout away from mindfulness.
Our fave exercise instructor, Ryan Cooper, has brought us workouts big and small — from a 37-minute-long, full-body routine to a far more compact flow that will get your heart rate up in just two minutes. How’s that for variety? But Cooper’s philosophy is that you’ve got to slow down as often as you speed up: That’s why he integrates practices like breathing exercises into his wellness program.
This week, Cooper is advising us to tap into our minds along with our bodies for this 20-minute yoga flow. Cooper counsels us to start simple: He opens the video with a pose that will help you work on grounding yourself. “Feel the soles of the feet, the crown of the head…just find your center,” he says. We feel more grounded already!
After some centering breaths, you’ll begin some gentle movement that slowly intensifies. For instance, you’ll eventually end up in a heat-generating plank pose so that you can feel a slight burn. But you’ll also work on balance — like when you carefully move into a modified warrior one pose (which may sound familiar if you’ve taken a beginner’s yoga class before) that challenges you to lunge as you hold yourself upright, your hands above your head.
Because yoga calls for you to practice each move on both sides of your body (e.g. if you balance on one leg, you can expect to balance on the opposite leg shortly), you’ll be able to settle into the repetition. On the other hand, because Cooper cycles in new poses, you won’t get bored. Talk about the best of both worlds.
You’ll end the sequence on your back, with your arms and legs spread out. This is Savasana, which translates to “corpse pose” and you shouldn’t skip it. While it looks overly simple, it’s important to give your body rest. After your hard work, you definitely deserve it.
Appreciate Cooper’s careful balance of process and goal-oriented exercise? Cooper is cutting a deal for Katie Couric Media readers: Using the promo code KCM50, you can get 50 percent off Cooper’s fitness packages. That includes more yoga tutorials, meditation guidance, strength training workouts, nutritional advice, and — at some levels — one-on-one training that includes the personalization you need. And this treasure trove of wellness is just a click away.
