As a yoga instructor, I ultimately strive for my students to develop a personal practice of their own. By doing so, they will feel free to explore their personal variations of the poses based on their body mechanics and creativity.

A personal practice doesn't have to be an entire hour long: Even a short ten to fifteen minute sequence is a great start. But when developing one, where do you even begin? Here are a few very basic poses to get it started:

Standing Side Stretch:

Stand tall, grounding your feet. Inhale to sweep your arms over head, lengthening through your spine. Exhale, drop your left hand to your left side and your right arm off to the left against your right ear, forming a C-shaped curve with your spine. Repeat on the opposite side. Hold each side for three full breaths.

Tree (Vrksasana):

Inhale to stand tall, grounding through your left foot. Exhale and raise your right knee up. Press either the heel of your right foot against your left ankle or the bottom of your right foot above or below your knee along where the inseam of your pants would be, spinning your right hip open and out to the right side. Hold for three to five breaths.

Awkward Chair (Utkatasana):

Place your feet hips distance apart, feet parallel to one another. Inhale and exhale, sitting your hips back, knees coming toward directly over the heels. Place your weight in the middle of your heels, being sure not to grip with your toes. Bring your hands to your hips, in a prayer position at the center of your chest or stretching long against your ears. Relax your shoulders back and down. Take three to five rounds of breath.

Om Shanti Om,

Ashlee