So you’ve gotten into yoga. Great! Yoga is a great way to work some exercise into your day, and an especially good routine to get into when you’re working in a limited space like a dorm room. Not everyone can go to the gym, and sometimes you just want to work out in the comfort of your own home.

Now that you’ve done a little bit of yoga, introduced yourself to the concept, what is the next step you should take on your journey? Well, it’s a simple one. You’re going to make your routines harder to match your skill level.

Luckily, the world of yoga is pretty never-ending. There are plenty of routines and styles for you to get involved in so you’ll never run out of things to do. But get excited, because at the intermediate level you now have more poses and routines to implement into your exercise.

Here we have an intermediate yoga routine detailed step by step for you, along with some must-haves for all yoga buffs just in case you haven’t gotten these supplies for yourself yet. 

• A yoga mat
• A water bottle
• What is intermediate yoga?
• Things you should know
• The routine breakdown
  

A yoga mat

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, for yoga, you’re definitely going to need a yoga mat. It’s just one of the integral items needed for a proper yoga experience, especially for someone who has gotten into the practice.

You can get yoga mats at all kinds of places, in all kinds of styles, hence the wonders of the internet. You can go with a neutral color, a simple solid color, a bold pink, or purple.

You can also get yoga mats with all kinds of designs on them. You don’t have to be limited to one color, you can get them in multiple colors with different kinds of patterning. Or you can get ones with art designs on them. 

OCM has a number of selections for you in all of the styles mentioned above, there should be something there that tickles your fancy. 

A water bottle

For anyone that’s ever done a yoga routine before knows just how fast you can get fatigued. Yoga isn’t always the “relaxing” and “lowkey” exercise that it’s often painted out to be. 

It’s meant to work all the muscles in your body and will push you to your limits if you haven’t done it before.

So it’s very important to have some fresh and cool water on hand. It’s important every time you exercise, yoga or not, but make sure that you have water with you in your own bottle when doing your dorm yoga exercises.

Water bottles like the yoga mats come in all different kinds of colors, shapes, and sizes. You can get them plain or you can get one you can spot across the room. But you also want to make sure that your water bottle keeps your drink at your desired temperature.

For working out that’s going to be cool. OCM’s water bottles can keep your drink cold for up to 25 hours, and if you want to have a hot drink, warm for 12 hours. 

What is intermediate yoga?

Intermediate yoga is for those ready to take a step up from the beginner’s yoga journey. These poses are meant to challenge you but aren’t supposed to put so much strain on your body.

The whole idea of yoga is to play the long game. You work in increments, and make sure that you’ve obtained the skills in the novice level before you move up to a higher one.

You build on the skills you’ve mastered and add to them with different poses, or extend your time doing the exercises. 

You’ve also by now have gotten better at the meditative and breathing sides of yoga, which are just as important as the physical aspects of it. Mind and body, you can’t have one without the other when you get deep into a yoga routine. 

For intermediate yoga, you’re going to be combining both even further, an enhancement to your journey, and hopefully, you’ll only progress even further in your skills set. 

Things you should know

As a refresher here are some basic things you should keep in mind when practicing your yoga routine. They’re important rules to follow, and if you’ve already gotten into a repetitive yoga routine you should be doing these things already.

But it’s always good to be reminded!

Breathing is just as important: Your breathing exercises that you go through while conducting the routine are as important as the physical motions of your routine. It helps with your core strength and you have to be doing it while exercising. 

Don’t do your yoga on a full stomach: As stated above, yoga isn’t a light kind of exercise. It can become intense very quickly, and having a full stomach will only make your experience unpleasant. To avoid queasiness or bloat, try to do your yoga routine in the morning or late at night after all your major meals. 

If you’re having trouble go into Child’s Pose: It’s not a sign of weakness to admit that you need a break. Trying out new routines can be challenging, and sometimes you just need a break. So don’t be embarrassed if you need to take a brief respite in child’s pose, whether you’re in your dorm room or a yoga class. 

The routine breakdown

We’ll be going through one intermediate yoga routine with you. This is just a routine you can start out with. Later on, you can add more to your exercise time. 

Or if this routine isn’t to your liking feel free to like another one, no harm or foul. Meanwhile, let’s get into it!

Seated meditation

Start this intermediate yoga routine with a seated meditation pose. In this pose, you’ll spend a brief time before moving into harder poses meditating. 

If you haven’t practiced much meditating yet, this is a good time to get into it at the intermediate level. It’s calming, you’re inventorying all the feeling, all the energy in your body, and loosening yourself out before you move into the bigger stuff.

Sit up straight, with your legs crossed and your hands rested palms up, outwards from your body, and rested on your knees. Do your breathing, and when you feel ready move into the next pose. 

Marichi’s Pose

In this pose, you’re going to shift so that your butt is flat on the mat and your legs are extended outwards. When you’re ready then bring your left leg upwards. Or you can start with your knees hugged to your chest and letting one leg down.

Twist your torso so that your right arm is braced against your raised knee. And with your, the other arm extended onto the floor then push against your knee to stretch out your core.

While doing so remember to keep your leg as straight as possible. Keep twisting your body and breathing. Then once you’re done repeat the motion but with the opposite leg.

Head-to-knee forward bend

Coming out of the previous position now you should return to a sitting position. But instead of raising your knees to your chest, you are going to be putting one leg out and one leg to the side.

When you put your right leg to the side make sure it’s curved so that your foot is reaching back in to touch the thigh of your left leg. And with your left leg straightened reach out so that your right arm is out and touching the mat.

Slowly, lean forward with your head, shoulders, and torso. Make sure to do your timed breathing while exercising. You can stay in this pose in total, doing both sides, for about ten minutes. 

Revolved head-to-knee pose

In this pose, you’re going to shift so that you’re sitting parallel to the yoga mat. Then stretch your left leg outwards in a long stretch and stretch out your right one. Then tug your right leg back in along your body with your foot near your hips.

Lean down so that your right arm and elbow are resting against the meat parallel with your body. Then stretch your other arm far above your head and lean over your straightened leg. Hold that position and breathe.

Then when you’re ready, shift out of that position and move to do the same with your legs and arms switched. 

Pigeon pose

Now, one of the more exciting and difficult poses. In pigeon pose, you’re going to go back to the sitting position you were in earlier. Move so that one of your legs is stretched out behind you. The other should be in front of your body and close to your hips.

With the help of your hand if you need it, reach back to grab from your extended foot. Lift your foot to meet your hand and hold your foot as you stretch. Keep this position for ten measured breaths and then release. Do the other side.

Remember that if you need a break you can always shift again into a child’s pose for a while. 

Cow face pose

Cow face pose is a position that will help you re-center all of the energy in your body. Sit back on your butt and then cross one of your legs on the other so that they’re crossed and stretching out the opposite of one another. Kind of like a pretzel.

With your arms stretched out at your sides on the floor, fingertips to the mat. And stretch outward so that you feel the strain. Breathe and hold.

You can then return to child’s pose and repeat the whole routine for as long as you need in your exercise. Congrats! You’ve now added some new intermediate moves to your repertoire, and are on another great step in your yoga journey.