10-minute yoga to strengthen your entire upper body

When you think about building upper body strength, your mind may immediately come up with a list of embarrassing “shoulds.” As in, “I should learn how to lift weights” or “I should be able to hold a board without shaking too much.” But upper body strength isn’t something you need to think about in such “all-or-nothing” terms.

Instead of measuring your progress against an arbitrary standard, focus instead on how you can work on improving your upper body strength. You– Not the other way around. (No gym membership or geeky personal trainer required.)

Maybe you want to hold your own on the pickleball court, quickly lift your luggage into the overhead bin with confidence, or take your grandchildren without a struggle. Strong shoulders and arms can help with this. And you can build this strength on your yoga mat by practicing poses you already know how to do. All it takes is a 10-minute routine that easily fits into your day.

10-minute yoga to strengthen the upper body

The following yoga poses strengthen and stretch the upper back, shoulders and arms. All you need is a mat or other supportive surface to practice on for a few minutes.

1. Crocodile pose

Lie on your stomach with your feet about the width of the mat. Place your hands on top of each other with the palms facing down. Place your forehead on the back of your top hand and release your weight onto the mat in alligator pose. Take a few deep breaths.

2. Variation in the position of the locusts

From Crocodile Pose, place your palms on the mat on either side of your rib cage. Point your elbows toward the wall behind you and press your upper arms toward your midline. Look at the ground a few inches in front of you. Press the tops of your feet into the mat (your knees may rise off the mat). Raise your palms one inch above the mat and pause in this position Locust situation Difference for a few breaths.

Then lift the tops of your feet off the mat and bring your arms back toward your feet, palms facing down. Stop here for a few breaths.

Keeping your left arm in place, extend your right arm toward the wall in front of you. Stop here, then switch weapons. Repeat several times on each side. Then release into crocodile pose.

3. Broken wing variation

Draw your left arm in a cactus position. Press your right hand into the mat to help you slowly roll onto your left hip. Bend your knees and place them on top of each other. Place the left side of your head on the mat. Keep your right fingertips pressing into the mat for balance. Pause for a few breaths here.

Straighten your legs, roll them over your stomach, and repeat on the other side. End in crocodile pose.

4. Locust elevators

From crocodile pose, lift your feet off the mat. Then lift your chest and arms off the mat, keeping your hands stacked and pressing the top hand to your forehead in Locust Pose. Pause here, then at the same time, slowly lower your legs, chest and arms to the mat. Repeat 1-2 more movements from Locust Pose. Then return to crocodile pose.

5. The child’s position is different

From Crocodile Pose, press your palms into the mat, tuck your toes, and move your hips back toward your heels in a motion Child’s position disparity. Press your elbows into the mat as you bend them and bring your hands together behind your neck. Stop here for a few breaths.

6. COBRA pull-ups

From child’s pose, lower your forearms and palms to the mat in front of you. In one smooth motion, move your hips forward, then lie on your stomach, lifting your chest slightly as you extend your legs straight behind you in cobra pose. Take a breath here. Push into your forearms and return your hips to child’s pose, extending your arms forward. Repeat the cobra pull-ups two more times, ending in child’s pose.

7. Upward-facing dog

From Child’s Pose, move your hips forward, get onto your stomach, and lift your chest slightly (as you did in the Cobra exercise). Then press into your hands and the tops of your feet until you lift your knees off the mat Upward-facing dog. Pause for a few breaths, then return to crocodile pose.

8. Cobra elevators

From Crocodile Pose, bend your arms and press your fingertips into the mat so that they are shoulder-width apart. Lift your chest slightly and press the tops of your feet into the mat Snake pose disparity. Then slowly return your chest to the mat. Repeat the cobra lift 2-3 more times. End in crocodile pose.

9. Shoulder rolls

Come into a comfortable sitting position. Move your shoulders in a circular motion in one direction several times, then switch directions.