A 15-minute stretching routine from head to toe

Some days nothing in particular hurts, but everything feels a little stuck. A full body stretch is for those days: fifteen minutes that move every major joint once, from the neck down to the ankles, and finish with a short rest.

The routine uses the shapes most teachers lean on with beginners. If you have never done yoga, it is a gentle first taste, and the guide to private yoga for complete beginners explains how a teacher can watch how you move and adapt it to you. If you are heading to a group class instead, read about what happens in your first yoga class.

You need a mat or a rug, a cushion and about fifteen minutes. Wear something you can move in.

Before you start: is this safe for you?

For most people, yes. Move slowly, breathe normally and stop anything that hurts. A stretch should feel broad and mild. Sharp, pinching or tingling sensations mean come out. If you have an injury, a joint or back condition, high blood pressure that is not controlled, or you are pregnant, ask your doctor, physiotherapist or OB before you start.

How long should you hold each stretch?

Most shapes below are held for five slow breaths, about 30 seconds, on each side. The moving parts, like Cat-Cow, are done in slow rounds. Keep the breath steady through the nose if you can. If you find yourself holding your breath, ease off.

The routine: 15 minutes, head to toe

1. Stand and breathe (1 minute). Stand tall in Mountain Pose, feet hip-width apart. Let the arms hang. Take five slow breaths, letting the shoulders drop on each out-breath.
2. Neck (1 minute). Tilt the right ear towards the right shoulder for three breaths, then the left. Turn the head slowly to look over each shoulder.
3. Shoulders and chest (1 minute). Roll the shoulders back five times. Interlace the fingers behind you, or hold a towel, and draw the hands down to widen the chest for five breaths.
4. Side stretch (1 minute). Reach both arms up, hold the left wrist with the right hand and lean gently to the right. Five breaths, then the other side.
5. Standing forward fold (1 minute). Bend the knees generously and fold from the hips. Hold the elbows and sway a little. Roll up slowly, head last.
6. Cat-Cow (1 minute). Come to hands and knees. Breathing in, let the belly drop and look forward; breathing out, round the back. Eight slow rounds.
7. Thread the needle (1 minute). Slide the right arm under the left and rest the right shoulder down. Five breaths, then the other side.
8. Downward Dog (1 minute). Lift the hips up and back with the knees bent, pedalling the heels. Rest in Child’s Pose if the wrists or shoulders tire.
9. Low lunge (2 minutes). Step the right foot forward, lower the left knee onto a cushion and ease the hips forward. Five breaths, then the other side.
10. Seated forward fold (1 minute). Sit on a cushion with the legs out and the knees bent, and fold forward from the hips.
11. Reclined twist (1 minute). Lie on your back, knees bent, and let them fall to the right with the arms wide. Five breaths each side.
12. Figure four (1 minute). Still on your back, cross the right ankle over the left knee. Five breaths each side.
13. Rest (2 minutes). Lie flat or with a cushion under the knees in a supported Savasana. Let the breath go. Then roll to the side and sit up slowly.

Which parts can you shorten?

On a busy day, steps 1, 3, 6, 9 and 13 make a five-minute version. On a slow evening, stay longer in the floor shapes; Reclined Butterfly with cushions under the knees is a lovely extra before the rest.

Where can you go deeper on one area?

Each part of this routine has a longer page of its own. For the top of the body, see the gentle neck routine for screen days and the stretches for shoulders after long laptop hours. For the arms and chest, try the arm stretches from shoulders to wrists, the overhead tricep stretch and its variations and the doorway chest stretches for rounded shoulders. For the spine, the upper back stretches between the shoulder blades and the back stretches from neck to tailbone expand steps 6 to 8. For the backs of the legs, the hamstring stretches with hold times go further. If you would rather move first thing, the morning routine you can start in bed is shorter and gentler. For the names and steps of each pose, the list of yoga poses for beginners links every one.

How a teacher builds on this

A teacher will often start with something very like this routine, then watch how each part moves. A stiff upper back gets more time; a pair of tight hips gets props. Over a few sessions, the routine becomes yours: the shapes that suit your body, in an order you can remember and keep doing at home.