5
Child’s Pose — Balasana — to Help You Relax and Unwind
Child's Pose for Relaxation
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From Downward-Facing Dog, simply bend your knees and lower your butt to your heels as you bring your chest toward the floor over your knees. Lower your shoulders and head to the floor. Place your arms along your sides, palms down, or you can support your head by folding your arms under your forehead. Breathe and relax for as long as you need to.

 “Child’s Pose is one of the most healing yoga poses, and it’s my favorite of them all,” says Cullis. “It awakens the connection between the breath and body and sends calming energy through all the muscles. It’s an opportunity to get grounded, go inward, and to come out of your busy mind and into your body by awakening your breath from the inside out.” Child’s Pose is a great way to take a break and relax during your yoga practice, or anytime you feel tired or overwhelmed.

6
Baby Pigeon Pose to Open Up Your Hips
Baby Pigeon Pose for Hip Flexibility
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From all fours, move your right knee forward between your hands. As though you were doing a lunge, slowly straighten your left leg behind you, keeping the knee and top of the foot on the floor. Now rotate the right knee toward the right wrist and bring it down to the floor with your right calf flat on the floor and your right foot resting under your left groin. Lower your upper body over the bent leg, either all the way to the floor or resting on your elbows. Slowly inhale and exhale five times. Before you change sides, push back on your left leg to stretch the calf muscles. Repeat with your left leg bent and right leg extended.

This pose is a favorite for runners because it boosts hip flexibility and also releases the glutes and low back, Lawrence says. “If you run, lift weights, do CrossFit, or Spin, you must do this stretch to keep strong and flexible and enhance your performance,” she says. It may be challenging at first, but you’ll learn to love this pose, Lawrence promises.

7
Mountain Pose — Tadasana — to Improve Your Posture
Standing Mountain Pose for Relaxation
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Stand still, with your chest open and broad and your hands at your sides, and feel your feet on the floor and the sensations in your legs and back. Then analyze your posture in front of a mirror. Lawrence makes her athletes hold long pencils in each hand as they stand. “I tell them to look down at the pencils and, like a compass, see how they point. Are they the same? Does one point straight and the other point to three on the clock?”

This pose will show if you have any imbalances in your shoulders and give you clues about what you need to work on. If one pencil is very turned in, so is your shoulder.

8
Legs-up-the-Wall Pose — Viparita Karani — to Restore and Revitalize
A women doing  Viparita Karani pose
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This is a great ending pose for beginners and those experienced at yoga alike. Lie on the floor with your butt right up against a wall. “Walk” your legs straight up the wall so that your body is in an L shape with your torso flat on the floor and perpendicular to the wall. You may want to place a rolled-up blanket under your lower back for support; keep your elbows out to the sides on the floor for additional support. Flex toes to feel a stretch in the backs of your legs. Breathe deeply and hold the position for as long as you like. To release, bring your knees to your chest and roll over to your side.