Stop, Drop, and Yoga! Here Are 10 Yoga Poses You Can Do Anywhere

691SHARES

Have you heard about the Stop, Drop, and Yoga Challenge? It’s when you call out one of your friends, usually on Instagram, and challenge them to post photos of yoga poses in random places. On a hike, in a grocery store, on top of a building – people tend to get really creative with this one! And it’s beautiful to see the array of yoga poses you can do anywhere!

But which yoga poses can you actually do anywhere? I’m glad you asked. These ten yoga poses don’t require props, mats, or yoga pants, and most don’t even involve putting your hands on the ground.

Here Are 10 Yoga Poses You Can Do Anywhere:

So, you’ve officially been challenged. Let’s play!

1. Tadasana

Tadasana, or Mountain Pose, is a fantastic Stop, Drop, and Yoga option. Aside from making a cool photo in odd places, Mountain Pose helps you calm and ground yourself when life around you gets hectic.

How to Practice Tadasana:

Bring your feet hips-width distance apart
Distribute your weight evenly between both feet
Engage your quads and core
Relax your shoulders away from your ears, and allow your palms to face forward by your hips
Close your eyes and take a deep breath

Taking Mountain Pose Off The Mat and into Your Life

Here’s an Online Video Tutorial of Mountain Pose and Many Other Amazing Yoga Poses You Can Do Anywhere!

Yoga Program

Learning Yoga

With Ashton August & Alec Vishal Rouben

TAKE THIS PROGRAM

Beginner

Check out the YA Classes Learning Yoga program, featuring 30+ foundational yoga poses, many of which can be practiced anywhere – like Mountain Pose! You will learn safe alignment, common variations and accessible modifications, along with key information about each pose in a short and interactive video. Not yet a YA Classes member? Try it out for free for 14 days.

2. Crescent Lunge

Crescent Lunge is an exceptionally powerful pose, and is a fun yoga pose to play with off your mat. It builds strength in your legs and core, while also developing flexibility in your hips.

How to Practice Crescent Lunge:

From Tadasana, take a large step back with your right foot
Bend your left knee to a 90-degree angle, with your knee stacked directly over your ankle
Engage your back quadricep to straighten your back leg
Find strength in your core to support your spine
Lift your arms overhead, palms facing each other

Looking for more yoga tutorials and yoga tips? Check out our full library of Yoga articles here

3. Tree Pose

Balancing provides its own unique challenge, especially when you take these poses off your mat! Tree Pose is great for developing stability and confidence while gently stretching your hips.

Want to improve your balance? Check out these 3 Pro Tips You Need to Stick Balancing Poses

How to Practice Tree Pose:

From Tadasana, bring your right foot to the inside of your left leg (but never pressing against your knee!)
Open your right knee directly out from your right hip to create a figure-4 shape
Engage your core to tuck your pelvis slightly under
Ensure your left hip stays stacked about over your left foot
Option to keep your hands at heart center for stability, lift your arms overhead for a balance challenge, or get really creative with it!

4. Wide-Legged Forward Fold

I love this pose! Wide-Legged Forward Fold gives a lovely stretch in the ankles, hamstrings, hips, and spine. I also love adding this shoulder stretch variation for a nice upper back and shoulder stretch.

How to Practice Wide-Legged Forward Fold:

From Tadasana, take a really big step out to the right with your right foot
Slightly pivot your toes inward and heels outward
Interlace your hands behind your back
Inhale to lift your chest tall, then fold forward on your exhale and allow your fists to fall towards the ground

5. Eagle Arms

Practicing just Eagle Arms, without adding the balance portion, offers an amazing stretch for your shoulders and upper back. Because you’re taking the balance out of this stretch, you can really take it anywhere!

How to Practice Eagle Arms:

Stand grounded in Tadasana, and open your arms out wide like a capital “T”
Bring your right arm under your left to give yourself a hug
Bend your elbows to bring your hands to the sky
Touch your palms to one another
Simultaneously lift your elbows and drop your shoulders

6. Warrior II

This fun and grounded pose is great for building leg and core strength, while stretching your hips and ankles. Stop, Drop, and Yoga Warrior II pose against a busy, bright background (like a city Farmer’s Market) for a really interesting photo.

How to Practice Warrior II:

From Crescent Lunge, pivot your back heel down to the ground
Ensure the arch of your back foot is directly in line with the heel of your front foot
Open your hips and stack your shoulders over your hips
Open your arms out to a capital “T” shape, with your palms face down
Gaze over your front middle finger

7. Standing Camel

Standing Camel is a great pose to practice if you’ve been leaning forward for a long amount of time, like at work or after driving. This pose offers a nice upper back, shoulder, and neck stretch.

How to Practice Standing Camel:

From Tadasana, bring your hands to the tops of your glutes, fingers facing down
Squeeze your elbows toward one another
Press your hips forward as you begin to bend backward and expand your chest
Drop your head and look behind you

8. Standing Twist

Another great pose to practice during a work break, Standing Twist releases built-up tension and energetic negativity. Think of your spine in this pose like wringing out a dish towel.

How to Practice Standing Twist:

From Tadasana, open your arms out like a capital “T”
Keeping your arms like this, twist to your right
Lengthen your spine by lifting the crown of your head toward the sky
Hold and breathe before switching sides

9. Wheel On a Wall

See a wall (or a boulder, or a counter, you get the point) nearby? Try a Wheel Pose! Wheel Pose is a great way to develop flexibility in your spine and shoulders.

This is also a great pose to help create flexibility for full Wheel Pose. Here are 8 other yoga poses to prepare you for Wheel Pose.

How to Practice Wheel On a Wall:

Stand about a foot away, facing away, from a wall
Lift your arms overhead with your wrists flexed and palms facing the sky
Start to lean back with just your upper body, and drop your head to look behind you
Place your palms on the wall behind you
Start to walk your palms down until you feel a stretch that’s perfect for you
To come out, walk your hands back up and then engage your core to come back to standing

10. Handstand

Here it is, the only pose in this series where you have to put your hands on the ground. But, if you’re being challenged to take your yoga off your mat, why not pop up in a Handstand? Handstands are great for developing stability in your core and strength in your arms and shoulders.

How to Practice Handstand:

Walk yourself out to a short Down Dog (as in, your feet close enough to your hands to have both heels on the ground)
Lift your right leg
Shift your shoulders over your wrists
Start to hop, bringing your left knee to your chest and engaging your core to find hang time
Once you are stable, lengthen your left leg to meet your right
Keep your core really strong, and press the ground away from you to activate your shoulders

Want to Learn How to Handstand? Check Out This Online Program

Yoga Program

Handstand School

With Kyle Weiger

TAKE THIS PROGRAM

All Levels

In this YA Classes six-class program, practice a full-body warm-up to safely prepare your body. Then explore three different handstand entries: scissor, tuck, and straddle using wall drills, strengthening techniques and more to get comfortable upside down. Finally, put it all together with a complete handstand workout. Not yet a YA Classes member? Try it out for free for 14 days.

Stop, Drop and Yoga! And remember: Always Have Fun!

Yoga is a really fun and playful practice, but only if you allow it to be. When you challenge yourself (or have someone else challenge you) to Stop, Drop, and Yoga, you get to express your unique creativity with these yoga poses. So, take these ten yoga poses you can do anywhere, have fun and play hard!