Yes… you read that correctly, shower yoga. Which honestly is not as crazy as it sounds, and can be incredibly relaxing- not to mention a great way to conserve time in the mornings.
I’m not sure about you, but one of my worst habits is not leaving my bed in the morning. I might be awake at 8am, but the next thing I know it’s 8:46 and I still haven’t moved and I need to leave my house by 9am.
Perhaps being stuck in your bed isn’t your issue, but getting your kids ready, yourself ready, your pets ready- whoever ready, and you find you’ve run out of time to have a relaxing and productive morning.
Which is why I am personally a huge advocate for shower yoga. When I don’t stretch in the morning I’m tense for the entire day, and when I sit in my car or at a desk for long periods of time my back begins to ache and it sets the tone for my entire day.
However, as stated above, I hardly seem to have time in the morning to get ready, make breakfast, shower AND do yoga. It just isn’t a feasible combination when I’ve got to be somewhere early in the morning.
So by combining your shower and your yoga – voila! An extra 20-30 minutes of your morning is freed up, and your body feels even better while stretching because the hot water helps your body to relax. (Just make sure you don't get shampoo in your eyes...)
Here are my 6 favorite yoga shower poses:
Forward Bend:
Begin with your feet together, standing straight up, arms at your sides. Then breathe in deep and exhale, while slowly rolling your body down until your torso is parallel with your legs. Hang at a comfortable position, wherever your body naturally stops you and let your arms dangle down in front of you.
Continue to breathe deeply in the position, every couple of deep breaths your body should naturally stretch a little bit more and you’ll feel yourself lengthening, your fingers getting closer to your toes. Do this for as long as you need, regardless if your hands ever make it to your toes or not. That isn’t the important part of this stretch, straightening out your body and spine is.
Frog Pose:
Rise from the forward bend and take a deep breath. Stand straight with your feet wider than your hips, and slowly go down like you're doing a squat, then place your hands on the bottom of your shower, with your arms on the insides of both knees. You might want to do this pose with your back to the water so you aren't distracted by the water hitting your face, and so that the warm water can help to loosen up your hips and back.
Clasped Neck Stretch:
Rise out of frog position and stand straight with your legs a little wider than your hips. Lock your fingers together and place your palms on the back of your head and gently press downward on your head, letting your chin go down towards your chest. Turn your face away from the water and let the hot water gently hit the base of your neck.
Standing Side Stretch:
Begin by standing straight. Leave one arm hanging down your side and reach the other over your head as you lean in the direction of your hanging arm. Repeat on both sides.
Back Bend:
Begin by standing straight, and lace your fingers together and stretch out your arms straight behind you keeping them close to your lower back. Arch your head back towards your hands, giving your neck and chest a good stretch as well.
Heart Opener:
From the back bend, separate your hands and spread them out behind you. This move combined with the back bend will give your back a much fuller stretch!
Have any other yoga moves you love to practice in the shower? Share in the comments below!
![]() | Sky Andersen holds down the role of blog writer at Yoga Accessories. Currently studying Public Relations at Virginia Commonwealth University, she writes for many different publications and is passionate about all things photography, travel and of course- yoga. |