Navigation

[Video] Rise and shine with our 12-minute beginners yoga routine

Nadina Moutou's profile picture
Health Advisor at Bupa UK
15 July 2024
Next review due July 2027

Thinking about trying yoga for the first time? Or perhaps you want to take a little time out from the stresses of the day ahead? This relaxing follow along yoga routine is the perfect way to start your day, and only takes 12 minutes. All you will need is a mat or towel, and some floor space.

Video yoga routine

The short morning video routine is based on hatha yoga. Unlike other more dynamic types of yoga, hatha yoga is practised at a slow, calm, pace. This makes it a great option for beginners. It takes you through a series of poses. These poses combine stretching, strength and relaxation with breathing techniques.

Yoga routine poses

The routine also aims to introduce you to the main relaxation techniques and poses used in other yoga styles. Here’s a list of the typical yoga poses that you will follow along to.

  • Prayer pose
  • Forward bend
  • Flat back
  • Plank
  • Cobra
  • Upward facing dog
  • Downward facing dog
  • Warrior poses
  • Child’s pose
  • Cat cow
  • Spinal rotation
  • Happy baby
  • Savasana

 

woman stretching in a yoga pose

 

Health benefits of yoga

Whether it’s improving your mood or strengthening your muscles, there’s plenty of evidence that yoga is good for your mind and your body.

The physical benefits of yoga include improving balance, flexibility, strength and posture, especially for people aged 60 and over.

There’s growing evidence to show that regular yoga practice may also help to prevent:

  • headaches
  • lower back pain
  • heart disease
  • high blood pressure

Mentally, yoga can promote relaxation, improve your mood and help relieve stress. It has even been used to help people with depression and anxiety. But there aren’t many studies looking at how effective this is.

How often should I do a yoga routine?

Yoga, and especially hatha yoga, is usually performed for 15 to 60 minutes, and can be done as often as you want.

Practicing yoga at least twice a week helps to strengthen all your major muscles. This counts towards UK guidelines that recommend strengthening exercises at least twice a week.

 

woman stretching in a yoga pose

 

Practicing yoga safely

Talk to your GP before practicing yoga If you’re pregnant, have high blood pressure or an injury that affects your mobility.

It’s also important to practice yoga within your own comfortable range. You can easily change the intensity of your poses and positions to fit your own needs and range of movement.

If you’re looking for more ways to do a mini-yoga session at your desk, why not give our five-minute chair yoga routine a go?


Are you interested in learning more about your health? Discover more about our range of health assessments.

Nadina Moutou's profile picture
Nadina Moutou
Health Advisor at Bupa UK

 

Co-author

Marcella McEvoy, Senior Health Content Editor at Bupa UK

    • Catherine Woodyard. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. International Journal of Yoga. 2011 Jul-Dec; 4(2): 49–54. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.85485
    • Domingues RB. Modern postural yoga as a mental health promoting tool: a systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2018;31:248-255. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.03.002
    • Yoga: What You Need To Know. National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health. www.nih.gov, accessed July 2021
    • Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis and Rheumatology. 2020;72(2):220-233
    • The effects of a 6-month moderate-intensity Hatha yoga-based training program on health-related fitness in middle-aged sedentary women: a randomized controlled study. Randomized Controlled Trial J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2020 Aug;60(8):1148-1158. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.20.10549-8
    • Sabrina Youkhana et al. Yoga-based exercise improves balance and mobility in people aged 60 and over: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing, Volume 45, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 21–29. doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afv175
    • Dennis Anheyer et al. Yoga for treating headaches: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2020;35(3):846-854. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05413-9
    • Low back pain and sciatica: summary of NICE guidance. BMJ 2017. www.bmj.com, published 06 January 2017
    • Yoga for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Volume 57, March 2021, 102643. doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102643
    • Cramer H, Lauche R, Klose P, et al. Yoga for improving health-related quality of life, mental health and cancer-related symptoms in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017;(1):CD010802. doi: 0.1002/14651858.CD010802.pub2
    • Domingues RB. Modern postural yoga as a mental health promoting tool: a systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2018;31:248-255. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.03.002
    • Wang F, Szabo A. Effects of yoga on stress among healthy adults: a systematic review. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2020;26(4):AT6214
    • Anheyer D, Klose P, Lauch. Hatha yoga for acute, chronic and/or treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2018; 13(10): e0204925. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204925
    • Stefan G. Hofmann et al. Effect of Hatha Yoga on Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis. J Evid Based Med. 2016 Aug; 9(3): 116–124. Published online 2016 May 20. doi: 10.1111/jebm.12204
    • Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report. GOV UK. www.gov.uk, published 9 September 2019
    • Kathryn Curtis et al. Systematic Review of Yoga for Pregnant Women: Current Status and Future Directions. August 2012. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012(1):715942. doi:10.1155/2012/715942
    • Kwon R, Kasper K, London S, et al. A systematic review: the effects of yoga on pregnancy. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 2020;250:171-177. doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.03.044
    • Holger Cramer,Adverse et al. Events Associated with Yoga: A Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series. PLoS One. 2013; 8(10): e75515. Published online 2013 Oct 16. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075515

About our health information

At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. This is because we believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and wellbeing.

Our information has been awarded the PIF TICK for trustworthy health information. It also follows the principles of the The Information Standard.

The Patient Information Forum tick

Learn more about our editorial team and principles >

Did you find our advice helpful?

We’d love to hear what you think. Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our healthy lifestyle articles.

Content is loading