15-minute HIIT Yoga Routine for the Best of Both Worlds

Ever find yourself mentally seesawing between workouts?

"Do I wanna run? Do strength? Yoga?"

By the time you finally land on a decision, you're already behind schedule. Your stomach grumbles and you think you missed your window to get in a workout. Indecisiveness wins the day and sends you to the couch where you justify vegging out because it has "veg" in the word––and vegetables are healthy, right?

Fear not! We have a fix for those of you dawdling around on picking a workout for the day––HIIT Yoga. This 15-minute routine combines traditional yoga poses with little bursts of classic HIIT moves in between. You can follow along in the video below and/or scroll further for a preview of some of the moves in the routine.

As always, you can find more great HIIT workouts and yoga classes on the 8fit app.

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HIIT Yoga with Emily McLaughlin

HIIT Yoga poses

Below is a selection of the poses included in our 15-minute HIIT Yoga routine.

Forward fold

1. Start standing, feet hip-width apart 2. Reach arms to ceiling 3. Slight bend through knees, hinge at hips and fold forward 4. Head and arms hang heavy towards floor, holding on to opposite elbows

Downward dog (pedal feet)

1. Start on all fours, toes tucked 2. Lift hips up to ceiling, straightening legs 3. Bend one knee and drop opposite heel 4. Alternate, pedaling feet 5. Repeat for suggested time

Child’s pose

1. Start in all fours 2. Sit bottom back to heels and bring arms down by side, palms facing up 3. Rest foreheads on floor 4. Come back to all fours

Cat/cow stretch

1. Start on all fours and spread fingers wide 2. Draw bellybutton in and tuck through pelvis, rounding the spine 3. Spread shoulder blades away from each other and push away from ground 4. Drop stomach towards ground, tailbone to ceiling and collarbones wide 5. Repeat for suggested time

Panther

1. On the floor, begin with hands underneath shoulders and knees underneath hips 2. Curl toes under feet to lift knees several inches off ground, with back flat and parallel to floor 3. Hold for indicated amount of time, breathe deeply

Panther with shoulder taps

1. On the floor, begin with hands underneath shoulders and knees underneath hips 2. Curl toes under feet to lift knees several inches off ground, with back flat and parallel to floor 3. Tap right hand to left shoulder, left hand to right shoulder

Downward dog to plank

1. Start on all fours, toes tucked 2. Lift hips up to ceiling, straightening legs 3. Keep legs straight and lower hips into full plank 4. Press hands into ground floating hips up to ceiling 5. Repeat for suggested time

Downward dog to mountain climbers

1. Start on all fours, toes tucked 2. Lift hips up to ceiling, straightening legs 3. Keep legs straight and lower hips into full plank 4. Press hands into ground floating hips up to ceiling 5. Return to plank position with hands directly under shoulders, hips lifted, and extend legs with feet together, toes curled under 6. Tense every muscle to keep body in a straight line from head to heels throughout 7. Keep left foot straight out behind pulling right knee in towards chest 8. Place right foot back down behind and pull left knee in towards chest

Glute bridge

1. Lie on back with knees bent and soles of feet on floor 2. Press weight into heels to raise hips 3. Lift hips until body forms a straight line from shoulders, hips to knees and squeeze glutes at the top 4. Lower hips back down to return to start position

Bicycles

1. Lie on back with lower back pressed into the floor, hands placed lightly behind head 2. Roll shoulder blades about 4” off floor, lift bent leg 90º with lower leg straight and parallel to floor 3. Simultaneously rotate upper body and bring right elbow to meet left knee as right leg straightens several inches off the floor 4. With a pedaling motion, repeat on the other side rotating upper body and bring left elbow to right knee as left leg straightens several inches off the floor

Knee to chest

1. Start lying flat on back 2. Bend left knee to chest, pulling deeper with both hands 3. Hold for suggested time 4. Repeat on opposite side

Lying torso twist

1. Start lying flat on back 2. Bend right knee in toward chest, holding with both hands 3. Right arm reaches wide onto mat, 4. Left hand gently pulls right knee over body for a torso twist 5. Repeat on opposite side

Lying head to knees

1. Start lying down on back 2. Hug knees into chest 3. Lift head off floor, nose toward knees and place hands on shins 4. Hold this position for suggested time