Yoga for Focus to Help You Lock In

Concentrating is hard. Between endless to-do lists, buzzing devices, and a collective admission of brain fog, turning your attention to one task can be more challenging than any of us would like to admit. Fortunately, practicing yoga for focus is a mini magic trick that encourages your mind, body, and breath to come together and experience the present moment.

This strong, heat-building yoga flow centers your attention through one-legged balancing poses and purposeful movement. When you anchor your intention, you can cultivate inner steadiness and a powerful sense of forward momentum that you’ll take with you off the mat.

Yoga for Focus, Willpower, and Determination

This short and spicy yoga for focus flow calls for one block or block-like prop, such as a short stack of sturdy books.

Child’s Pose

Begin in Child’s Pose. Bring your big toes together to touch and your knees wide toward the sides of your mat. Allow the weight of your hips to sink back toward your heels as you extend your fingertips forward. Rest your forehead on the mat and stay here for 1 minute.

Cow Pose

Press into your palms and lift up into hands and knees before moving into Cow Pose. Inhale, lift your chest, arch your back, and lower your belly.

Cat Pose

With your next exhalation, round your back and tuck your chin toward your chest in Cat Pose. Repeat this cycle of poses 5 times with the pace of your own breath.

Downward-Facing Dog

When you are ready, move from hips and knees into Downward-Facing Dog by pressing your hands into the mat and lifting your hips up and back. Bend your knees or pedal out through your feet if that feels better than stillness. Stay here for 4-5 cycles of breath.

Standing Forward Bend

Step toward the top of your mat and release forward as you exhale to come into a Standing Forward Bend.

Halfway Lift

Inhale as you slide your hands up your shins to find a flat back in Halfway Lift. Exhale as you dive back into a Standing Forward Bend.

Upward Salute

Inhale, sweeping your arms overhead and toward the sky in Upward Salute.

Mountain Pose

With an exhalation, bring your hands to heart center in Mountain Pose.

Standing Forward Bend

Inhale and reach your hands to the sky in Upward Salute before diving back into a Standing Forward Bend with your exhalation.

Halfway Lift

Inhale, Halfway Lift.

Downward-Facing Dog

With your exhalation, step back into Downward-Facing Dog. Stay here and breathe, or opt to flow.

Plank Pose

Inhale, shifting your weight forward in Plank Pose.

Chaturanga

Lower down through knees or toes to Chaturanga on an exhalation.

Cobra Pose

Inhale, pressing up through your palms to a Cobra Pose of any height.

Downward-Facing Dog

Exhale, lifting up and back into Downward-Facing Dog.

Hop or step to the top of your mat. Inhale, Halfway Lift, exhale to Standing-Forward Bend. Inhale, sweeping arms up to Upward Salute.

Stork Squats

Rather than exhaling to Mountain Pose, keep your arms raised high, steepling your fingers. Lift your left knee and draw it into toward your chest before stepping your left foot behind your right leg and past the right edge of your mat.

Bend your knees, then straighten both legs as you side bend over toward the right.

Warrior 3

Come back to upright and slowly lift your left knee in front of you before sending your leg straight behind you, pressing your heel back in space in Warrior 3 with your arms extended in front of you. Stay here for 2 cycles of breath.

High Lunge

Lightly lower your left foot to the mat and bend your right knee in High Lunge. Release your steeple grip and bring both arms overhead.

Twisting High Lunge

Exhale and twist toward the right, opening your arms wide and stretching through your fingertips.

Warrior 3

Come back through center, finding your steeple grip. Lift your left leg back in Warrior 3. Stay here for 2 cycles of breath.

Eagle Pose

Bring your left leg forward, bending and lifting your knee before crossing it over your right leg in Eagle Pose. Bend your arms in front of you, bringing your left arm under your right. Sit deep here. Stay here for 3 cycles of breath.

Squat

Untwist, lifting your arms toward the sky. Lower your left foot to the mat in a wide stance, angle your toes outward, and lower down into a Squat. Stay here for 3 cycles of breath.

Twisting Standing Forward Bend

Bring your hands to the mat and lift your hips high, heel-toeing your feet to hip-width distance in Standing Forward Bend. Place your left hand or fingertips under your face and take a deep bend in your left knee, reaching your right arm toward the sky as your open toward the right.

Exhale and step back into Downward-Facing Dog. Stay here or take a vinyasa before repeating Stork Squats through Twisting Standing Forward Bend on the opposite side, ending in Mountain Pose.

Upward Salute

Inhale, sweep your arms up and overhead.

Mountain Pose

Exhale, bring your hands together at heart center.

Sweep your arms back up, hinging at the hips as you fold forward into Standing Forwards Bend.

Inhale, Halfway Lift.

Downward-Facing Dog

With an exhale, step back to Downward-Facing Dog. This is your final opportunity for a vinyasa, so enjoy or remain in Down Dog.

Plank Pose

Shift your weight forward into Plank Pose. Stay here for 3 cycles of breath.

Bridge Pose

Bring your knees to the mat and gently flip yourself over onto your back, knees bent and feet flat on your mat. Bring your heels close toward your bum before lifting your hips toward the sky in Bridge Pose.

If you’d like, walk your shoulder blades closer together and interlace your hands beneath your body.

Knees to Chest

Release your hands and softly lower. Hug your knees to your chest and take a little sway from side to side.

Supported Bridge Pose

Release your feet back to your mat. Find your block with one hand and lift your hips back to the sky, sliding the prop beneath your sacrum for Supported Bridge Pose.

Supported Dead Bug Pose

Remain in Supported Bridge Pose, or reach your arms and legs to the sky in Supported Dead Bug. Stay here for 8 cycles of breath.

Savasana

As softly as you can, lower your legs and hips, remove the prop, and come into Savasana. Stay here for as long as you’d like.

Closing

When you’re ready, take a full body stretch, extending through your fingers and toes. Roll onto your right side in fetal position and press up into a comfortable seated position. Bring your hands together at heart center, bow your head so that your third eye meets your fingertips, and thank yourself for practicing yoga for focus—but most importantly, for yourself.