Monday is a mind-swirling blur. Tuesday sees a spike in stress levels, and Wednesday requires a Herculean effort just to get out the door. With a schedule as packed as yours, how can you create some bona fide breathing room?

The answer lies in slow, restorative yoga poses that you can do in just 5 to 10 minutes a day. "When you stay in a pose without exerting muscular effort, the fascia and ligaments, or connective tissues of your body, get a rare chance to stretch," explains Noel Schroeder, a Boston-area yoga teacher and co-creator of the DVD "Notice Your Experience." Stretching these supportive tissues also opens pathways of vital energy (known as "nadis" in the yogic tradition, or meridians in Chinese medicine) that run throughout the body. 

Schroeder designed the following pose-a-day yoga plan as a powerful antidote to life's daily stressors. Use it to ease into your day or to undo tension in the evening -- or both.

You can see next week's deadlines and responsibilities building up like a wave about to crest.

Take a few moments of silence to coil your energy before you dive into another week. This pose helps ward off the Monday-morning blues, inviting energy into your body and mind.

Supported Fish
What It Does
Stretches the shoulders, neck, and chest; improves posture and deepens breathing, countering a forward hunch. Opens the heart and the throat chakras, bolstering courage and encouraging authentic expression.

How to Do It
Roll up a thin blanket and lie on your back, resting your shoulder blades on the blanket. If your head doesn't comfortably reach the floor, place another blanket or small pillow underneath.

Let your breath rise and fall naturally, and stay here for 3 to 5 minutes, or as long as you like.

One minute, you're enjoying your Sunday coffee, lounging on the sofa. The next, it's Monday morning and your alarm's going off. The weekend has come to a screeching halt, but the transition doesn't have to feel like whiplash. This posture helps you greet your week head on, with a clearer, calmer perspective.

Seal Pose
What It Does
Stretches the belly and aids digestion, restores the curve in the lower back, helps protect the spine from long hours of sitting. 

How to Do It
Lie on your stomach with your legs and feet relaxed. Then, reaching your arms forward along the floor, straighten them just enough to lift your torso into a gentle backbend.

Do not strain or force; this should be a very passive and subtle stretch. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, then release. Repeat for 1 to 5 minutes.

You can feel the stress mounting. Remember to take things slowly and stay loose as you find your rhythm. Use this gentle stretch to help undo back and leg tension and keep you grounded and steady.

Supported Seated Forward Bend
What It Does
Stretches hamstrings and inner thighs, releases tension along the spine. Quiets the mind and promotes focus, stimulates the sixth chakra, which activates intuition and wisdom.

How to Do It
Sit on a cushion on the floor with your legs extended on either side of a chair. Fold forward at the hips and rest your forehead and arms on the seat of the chair. Take deep, slow breaths through your nose and hold for 3 to 5 minutes.

If a midweek slump has left you out of steam, get back on track by carving out a moment of calm. This easy reclining pose does just that, with an ultra-relaxing stretch that helps you get out of your head.

Supported Goddess
What It Does
Releases tight hips, stretching the groin muscles; connects you to the grounding energy of the root chakra, located at the base of your spine.

How to Do It
Lie on your back with the bottoms of your feet touching and knees splayed to the sides, resting on pillows or rolled blankets. Feel your spine on the floor.

Place your palms on your belly or rest your arms out to the sides, palms up. Let your belly slowly rise and fall with each breath. Remain here for 3 to 5 minutes, or however long you like.

What if I don't get this done in time? Why hasn't she called? Worries have been accumulating -- and they're cluttering your head. Left unchecked, even the tiniest stressors will inhibit your best ideas from coming through.

Treat yourself to a few moments of stillness with this pose, and watch your inspiration re-emerge.

Supported Pigeon
What It Does
Opens the hips and groin, lets go of stress and pent-up emotions, quiets the mind, and promotes emotional release.

How to Do It
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, swing your left leg around, extending it straight out behind you, tops of the feet and toes against the floor. Fold forward at the hips.

For added support, put a folded blanket or pillow under the right hip. Rest your forehead on a cushion or blanket and relax into the pose for 2 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the other leg.

As another hectic workweek slows to a close, it's time to downshift -- and ramp up your self-care.

Friday's pose quiets your mind and nervous system, restoring your inner resources so that you can fully enjoy the weekend ahead.

Supported Child's Pose
What It Does
Releases the muscles in the back, gently opens the hips, boosts your energy.

How to Do It
Sit back on your heels with your legs folded under you and the tops of your feet on the floor. Open the knees wide and bend forward at the hips.

Rest your forehead (or your chest) on a pillow or blanket and keep your arms slightly bent. If your buttocks don't reach your heels, place a blanket under your thighs. Relax and breathe deeply for 3 to 5 minutes.

The sun's out and the day's wide open. Savor your Saturday by twisting away any residual tension in your back. It's a delicious way to wake up -- or even wind down after running around town.

Supported Reclined Twist
What It Does
Helps the whole body (hips, spine, digestive system, nervous system, shoulders, chest, etc.) unwind. Promotes digestion and detoxification.

How to Do It
Lie on your back, dropping your left knee across your body to rest on a pillow or blanket. Shift your hips right to avoid over-twisting the lower back.

Rest your arms, elbows soft, on the floor over your head. Turn your head in whichever direction feels most comfortable and breathe into this gentle stretch for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.