If yoga poses that challenge you to find your balance on one leg are something you simply cannot get enough of in class, this 15-minute sequence is designed for you. It’s a standing yoga balance routine that builds stability by taking you through a series of poses including Warrior 3, Dancer, Eagle, and Tree.

Although the poses themselves are not entirely unexpected, they become more challenging because they’re linked together vinyasa-style, one after the other, without giving your body much of a break. So not only do you get to practice your balance and your focus, you become more adept at each in ways that translate into you feeling more stable in your everyday life. Here’s how.

15-Minute Yoga for Balance

The following practice begins standing to immediately build some heat. You can take some of your fave warm-up moves prior to starting if you prefer.

Mountain Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

You’re actually going to start standing at the top of the mat. Toe-heel your feet together so your big toes are touching and your heels are about an inch or so apart in Mountain.

Dynamic Chair Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Bend your knees and sink your hips back into Chair Pose. Your tailbone is lengthening down, your lower belly is drawing inward, and you’re shifting your weight back into your heels as opposed to  the balls of your feet. As you inhale, reach your arms toward the sky, and as you exhale, bring both arms along with you as you twist over toward the right.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Keep your knees together as you sweep your arms back. Inhale as you lift your arms back to center, exhale as you sweep them over to the left. Do that once more on each side. Inhale up, exhale right. Inhale up and center, exhale over to the left. Come back to Chair with your arms up.   

Standing Forward Bend

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Exhale as you fold forward over your legs and start to straighten your legs in a Standing Forward Bend.

Halfway Lift

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Inhale as you lift halfway while keeping a flat back.

Revolved Runner’s Lunge

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Release your palms or fingertips to the mat. Keep your right leg as it is and step your left foot back into Runner’s Lunge so the back knee stays off the mat. As you inhale, lift through the heart and find an easy twist by bringing your left palm flat on the mat and reach your right arm up.  

Revolved High Lunge

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Working on your balance, push down into your right big toe. Stay firm through your legs and  keep your arms and chest as they are as you come up onto your left fingertips before coming up into your High Lunge with a twist by keeping long through your arms.

Stay here or if you’d like an additional balancing challenge, reach your right hand behind you and bring it to your left thigh. Then reach your left arm upward in a side stretch. 

Tree Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Turn to face forward and bring your hands to the front of your heart. Shift your weight into your right foot and bring your left foot somewhere along the inner right leg, whether the ankle, shin, or thigh in Tree Pose. Feel your right thigh push against your left foot as you squeeze everything toward the midline.

Warrior 3

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Keep your hands at your chest, float your left knee straight in front of you, and lift it a little higher. Find your Warrior 3 by extending your left leg straight back and leaning your chest forward. Try to rotate your left hip down slightly by squeezing the left glutes. Find your steadiness here.

High Lunge

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

As you exhale, bend your right knee and step your left foot back into High Lunge. Inhale as you reach your arms overhead and maybe you bring your palms together to touch.

Plank Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Exhale as you bring your hands to the mat and step back to Plank Pose and lower all the way to the mat.

Cobra Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Press your hands into the mat and lift your chest in Cobra Pose.

Downward-Facing Dog

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Lift your hips up and back into Downward-Facing Dog. Your hamstrings might be a little tight, so you can keep a bend in your knees or peddle your feet and maybe sway the hips a little. Stay here as long as you like.

Standing Forward Bend

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Look toward the top of the mat and take as many steps as you need to find a Standing Forward Bend or Rag Doll with your feet hip-distance apart. Bend the knees, hold onto the elbows, and maybe sway from side to side, shaking your head.

Release your fingertips to the floor, bend your knees a lot, push into your heels to roll all the way up to standing, inch by inch. Bring your big toes together, heels about an inch or so apart, and repeat the following poses on the left side: Chair, Standing Forward Bend, Halfway Lift, Revolved Runner‘s Lunge, Revolved High Lunge, Tree, Warrior 3, High Lunge, Plank, Cobra, and Downward-Facing Dog.  

Dancer Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

From Down Dog, walk your feet to meet your hands. Bend your knees generously, shift your weight into your right foot, and bend your left knee to bring your left heel behind you. Reach your left hand behind you and catch hold of the inner edge of your left foot. Stand up nice and tall, keep that left knee hugging in toward your right knee, and reach your right arm in front of you. Kick your left foot into your left palm to lift your back knee slightly in Dancer Pose. You can lean your chest slightly forward although notice how I’m not dipping all the way down to the mat. Keep your chest lifted and remind yourself that wobbling is totally fine. Falling out of the pose is also perfectly okay! It is a very challenging shape. Take one more deep breath here. Keep balancing on your right leg.

Eagle Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Cross your left thigh over the right one into Eagle Pose. Maybe you loop your toes behind your calf or rest it on the mat outside your other foot. Bend your elbows in front of you and wrap your left arm under your right. Then bend both knees, sink a little deeper, and breathe here. Slowly unwind and switch sides.

Downward-Facing Dog

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Then unwind your legs and step back to Down Dog, where you can lengthen through the hamstrings.

Reclined Twist

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Lower your knees to the mat, come onto your back, and draw your knees toward your belly, giving them a big squeeze. Maybe you rock a little side to side here, massaging the low back. Bring your arms straight out from the shoulders into a T. Then shift your hips a little toward the right before letting both knees come down toward the left in a Reclined Twist. Take a few breaths here. Try to ground your right shoulder to the mat. Then come back through center and repeat on the other side.

Savasana

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Come into your final resting pose in Savasana and let yourself be still for at least 10 or so breaths, allowing this to be an opportunity to check in and notice what feels different now as opposed to when you stepped onto your mat. Let your body fully release.

When you’re ready, begin to lengthen your breath and make some subtle movements. Maybe take a great big stretch from the fingertips all the way down to your toes. And then slowly roll onto one side and take a seat. Sitting up nice and tall, close your eyes, take a big breath by inhaling through your nose and exhaling out your mouth. Thank you so much for doing this  balancing sequence with me. Leave a comment below and let me know how it went for you. Thank you so much for tuning in.