Jonathan Van Ness’ Stress-Busting Yoga Flow Will Make You Say “Yaaas” to Rolling Out Your Mat
"Yoga is so much about breathing. It's linking movement with breath, and [it] doesn't have to be fancy moves set to an Ariana Grande song." —Jonathan Van Ness
"Yoga started as something I did to take care of my outside and stay in shape, but I realized it helped my insides too—more. It keeps me calm," Van Ness tells me. "Yoga is so much about breathing. It's linking movement with breath, and [it] doesn't have to be fancy moves set to an Ariana Grande song." To start feeling those inner benefits, you'll first need to set the scene. "Make a gorgeous pot of tea to get into the mind-set," JVN, who just partnered up with Lipton and particularly loves the brand's Stress Less herbal supplement, says. Once your steaming mug is within reaching distance of your mat, you're ready to flow.
Try this stress-busting yoga flow from Jonathan Van Ness
1. Start seated
"Do a ground series. It might not be flashy, but it can help you ground down," he says. Start in a seated posture with your legs either criss-crossed or folded underneath. Stay still with a "tall spine for 30 seconds," he says.
2. Spinal twist
From your seated posture, take a spinal twist on each side "to get your gorgeous juices going."
3. Hip opener
Next, move into double pigeon by remaining upright, and stacking your right ankle over your left knee and you left ankle under your right knee. Then switch sides. "If that's ouchy on your hips, then thread the needle," he advises. To do so, start in child's pose, then weave one arm underneath your body, extending the other arm straight out in front of you. Repeat on the opposite side.
"When you slow down, its good for busting stress. A quick flow might get you sweaty, but it won't necessarily calm your mind," concludes the asana-lover.
This post was originally published on October 26, 2018; updated on July 31, 2020.
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