15-Minute Yoga to Calm Your Chaotic Mind

When life feels chaotic and your mind is spinning, a short yoga flow can help you slow down, breathe, and come back to your center. Rather than the nonstop twists and turns of some sequences, this practice helps you find your rhythm by taking your body through simple, repetitive movement, which offers your mind a place to find stillness.

With its various iterations of the classic Sun Salutation A and B, this fluid practice grounds your energy and clears mental clutter. These sequences of poses are among my favorite ways to move through a vinyasa class, as they allow you to focus on the feeling and depth of the breath rather than the depth or intensity of the actual poses.

This practice isn’t about perfection—it’s about finding your calm through motion within free spaces in tight schedules when your mind won’t stop racing. It’s crafted to help you reset simply and quickly, so you can move forward once again with ease

Simple Yoga Practice for Chaotic Days

In keeping with the theme of simplicity, there are no props needed for this practice—just you, you yoga mat, and your breath.

Mountain Pose

Set your feet about hip’s-width distance apart and stand tall in Mountain Pose. Roll your shoulders back and down, palms facing forward. Take one full breath here at the beginning of your Half Sun Salutation.

Upward Salute

With your next inhalation, reach your arms over your head in Upward Salute.

Standing Forward Bend

On your exhalation, fold forward in Standing Forward Bend. Gently bend your knees for comfort and to allow all 10 fingertips to touch the mat. Let your neck release.

Halfway Lift

Inhale, slide your hands up to the top of your shins, and press into your palms to straighten your back in Halfway Lift.

Standing Forward Bend

Exhale, fold forward.

Upward Salute

On your next inhalation, sweep your arms up toward the sky in Upward Salute.

Mountain Pose

Exhale, bringing your hands together at heart center in Mountain Pose.

Repeat this series of movements 4 times with the pace of your own breath.

Upward Salute

Now, for some Sun Salutation A.

Inhale, arms reach up.

Standing Forward Bend

Exhale, fold forward.

Halfway Lift

Inhale, halfway lift.

Plank Pose

With your next exhalation, plant your palms and step back to Plank Pose.

Chaturanga

And continue to exhale, lowering down to your belly through Chaturanga.

Cobra Pose

Inhale, pressing into your palms and lifting your head and chest into Cobra Pose.

Downward-Facing Dog

Exhale back to your first Downward-Facing Dog of your practice. Peddle your feet out and when you come to stillness, enjoy 5 full breaths here.

Standing Forward Bend

When you’re ready, walk, hop, or jump to the front of your mat.

Inhale, halfway lift.

Exhale, forward fold.

Inhale, reach your arms all the way up toward the sky in Upward Salute.

Let your exhalation take you back to Mountain Pose.

Repeat this series of movements for Sun Salutation A 4 times at the pace of your own breath.

Mountain Pose

With your last inhalation of this series, return to Mountain Pose.

Now, it’s time for Sun Salutation B.

Chair Pose

Exhale, move into Chair Pose. Bend your knees and shift your tailbone back as if you were sitting in a chair. Sweep your arms forward and alongside your ears. You should be able to see all 10 toes. Stay here for 4 cycles of breath.

Standing Forward Bend

Take a deep breath in, and exhale to Standing Forward Bend.

Halfway Lift

Inhale, halfway lift.

Plank Pose

With your exhalation, step back to Plank Pose.

Move through a vinyasa flow, including Chaturanga, Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog, exhaling back to Downward-Facing Dog. You are welcome to skip the flows and step straight back to Down Dog if you’d like.

High Lunge

Lift your right leg to the sky on an inhalation, and with an exhalation step forward into a Low Lunge. When you’re ready, move your arms up into High Lunge. Take 3 breaths here.

With your next inhalation move through a vinyasa or step straight back to Downward-Facing Dog.

High Lunge

Lift your left leg to the sky on an inhalation, and with an exhalation step forward into a Low Lunge. When you’re ready, move your arms up into High Lunge. Take 3 breaths here.

Downward-Facing Dog

With your next inhalation move through a vinyasa or step straight back to Downward-Facing Dog.

From Downward-Facing Dog, walk, hop, or jump to the front of your mat. Inhale, Halfway Lift. Exhale, forward fold. Inhale, reach your arms all the way up to the sky in Upward Salute, and let your exhalation take you back to Mountain Pose.

Repeat this series of movements (Sun Salutation B), making sure to practice High Lunge on both sides, 2 more times.

Closing

When you’re ready, come to a comfortable seat or lie flat on your back in Savasana. Enjoy 3-5 minutes of stillness, honoring yourself for showing up on your mat today.