Published October 28, 2026 05:15PM
As a hairdresser, I spend much of my day in the salon on my feet, folding forward over clients and holding my arms up. By the end of a busy day, my feet and lower back tend to ache, and I notice tension in my shoulders and neck. Sometimes my mind is racing and I need to take a second to settle my thoughts. Before I even leave the salon, I take a few moments to move, breathe, and reconnect with myself. I find so much ease in my body and mind when I give myself that pause before heading home.
This yoga sequence is for anyone who’s been working on their feet all day and wants to experience some relief. You can practice right where you are, even if you’re still at work, without changing or needing a mat or props.
This practice focuses on movements of your spine in all directions along with some deep intentional breaths and time to ground, pause, and surrender. I hope it helps you to find connection so you can feel refreshed and ready for the next task at hand.
15-Minute Yoga for After You’ve Been Standing All Day
You don’t even need a yoga mat to practice this standing sequence, which is designed to be practiced anywhere. Although if you have a mat, by all means, feel free to unroll it.
Centering with Hands to Heart (Samasthiti)
Start with your hands at your heart in Samasthiti. If it’s available to you, close your eyes. Be aware of the sensation the breath begins to make. Relax your shoulders and exhale slowly. Take 5 slow, deep breaths here, counting the exhalation. Try to make each breath out slower than the one before.
Slowly begin to blink your eyes open. If you’d like to set an intention for your practice, you can do it now.
Pogo Hops
Bring your hands back to heart center. Inhale your arms up, exhale bring your hands by your sides, and start pogo hopping up and down. Then begin to hop a little forward and a little backward several times, and then side to side. Then come back to center.
Chair Pose
Inhale, bend your knees, send your hips down and back, and reach your arms toward the sky in Chair Pose (Utkatasana). Keep breathing through your nose.
Standing With Hands to Heart
Pause, close your eyes, and bring your hands to your heart.
Release your hands by your sides and let your breath return to its natural state in Mountain Pose (Tadasana).
Reach your arms up toward the sky in Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana). Bring equal weight to both feet and lift through your arches. Option to bring your gaze up. Breathe in and out through your nose.
Rag Doll
Exhale forward fold. Hinge from your hips and reach for the earth or the backs of your ankles in Rag Doll or Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana).
Halfway Lift
Inhale halfway lift and make a flat back in Halfway Lift (Ardha Uttanasana). Let your shoulder blades move away from your ears. Stay here for a couple breaths. Engage your glutes and your core.
Rag Doll
Fold forward again and heel-toe your feet apart, grab opposite elbows if you want, and slow down your exhalations in Rag Doll. Option to dangle or, if your arms are crossed, switch the crossing as you sway side to side. Continue to breathe in and out through your nose.
Release your hands to the earth, heel-toe your feet together to touch, drive your weight into your heels, and bend your knees a lot as you roll up to standing.
Halfway Lift
Come back to Halfway Lift with a flat back and return to your breath.
Crescent Lunge
Exhale as you come into Low Lunge on the right as you step your right foot back. Inhale as you reach your arms overhead in Crescent Lunge. Bring special awareness to squeezing your glutes, spreading the toes on your back foot, and keeping your front knee bent. Reconnect with your breath and keep your shoulders relaxed.
Side Bend
Inhale and then exhale as you side bend toward the right. You can grab your right wrist with your left hand or you can let your hands fall by your sides. Keep the length in your spine as you continue to expand into the right side of your rib cage with your inhalations. Ground into the earth with each breath out.
Crescent Lunge Twist
Inhale back to center. Exhale big twist toward the left with your arms in a T shape. Keep your front knee bent. Gaze over your left shoulder and breathe in this shape. Keep your spine long. Inhale to lengthen and keep your exhalations slow and controlled, never forced.
Option to add neck movement. Inhale look forward to your front thumb. Exhale look back. Do this for 3 breaths
Inhale back to Crescent Lunge.
Rag Doll
Exhale as you step your back foot forward to meet your front foot and come back to Rag Doll. Grab opposite elbows if you like and sway. Option to take open-mouth exhalations.
Then repeat the sequence on the other side, starting with Halfway Lift, followed by Low Lunge with your left foot back, Crescent Lunge,Side Bend, Crescent Lunge Twist, and Rag Doll.
Samasthiti
Release your Rag Doll and slowly roll up to standing. Bring your hands to your chest or flat on your heart. Pause and observe your breath and how your energy feels at this point. Allow your breath to slow all the way down before you move into the next pose.
Yogi Squat
I recommend using a wall for this next posture if that’s an option for you. Bring your back against the wall. Bend your knees, bring your elbows to the inside of your knees, keep your back flat and your spine tall and proud in a Yogi Squat (Malasana). Try to bring both feet flat on the ground. Take slow deep breaths.
The wall helps makes it a more restorative version that makes it easier to release the tension you’ve accumulated all day. Let the wall and/or the earth support your entire weight. Tune into your breath and if you can, close your eyes here and stay here for as long as time allows. Recommit to a tall spine every once in a while. Breathe in and out through your nose.
Take your time to come out of the pose and help yourself up with your hands.
Samasthiti
One more time, stand with your hands at your heart. One more time to close your eyes and take 3 long, slow exhales. Slowly blink your eyes open. Thank you for sharing your practice with me. Bye for now.
