Strengthening, stretching, and setting yourself up to have the best day.
I think we sometimes have an idea that taking 10 minutes to practice yoga isn’t worth the effort because there isn’t enough time. But you actually can accomplish a lot—and in ways that help you approach your day differently. This 10-minute morning yoga practice shows how much of a full-body workout you can get done with only a small time commitment.
You’ll start with some hip-opening, essential spinal movement, and a little core strengthening before you transition into standing poses. Throughout the practice, you’ll focus on sending your breath all the way to your lower belly so you’re not stuck in shallow chest breathing.
After this 10-minute morning yoga practice, notice how even that small amount of moving and breathing make changes in your body and your headspace throughout your day.
10-Minute Morning Yoga for a Full-Body Workout
This short morning yoga practice is an activating full-body workout best suited for intermediate students. No props are required although you’re welcome to use them.
Reclined Bound Angle Pose
You’re going to start lying down on your back in Reclined Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana). All you need to do is bring the soles of your feet together to touch and allow your knees to fall apart. Shrug your shoulders down and away from your ears, open through your chest, and rest your hands on your belly or along your sides, whatever feels most comfortable to you.
You’ll use this first pose to establish connection with your breath, just inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Try to get your inhalation as long as your exhalation. Stay here for a few breaths.
The next time you breathe in, stretch your arms up overhead, straighten your legs, and extend from your fingers to your toes.
Dynamic Bridge Pose
Come into Bridge Pose by bending your knees and bringing your feet flat on the mat about hip-distance apart. Push down through your heels, squeeze through your glutes, and lift your seat off the mat. Hug through your inner thighs so your knees aren’t widening apart. Push down through your shoulder blades and upper arms as you relax your neck. Take a breath here and then slowly ease yourself back to the mat, inch by inch.
Lift your legs and find a 90-degree bend in your knees so your shins are parallel to the mat. Place your hands on your upper thighs, curl your head and shoulders off the mat, and push your palms into your legs and push your legs against your hands. You’ll feel your core turn on pretty much right away.
Squeeze and lift a little higher, and then exhale as you release and come back to Bridge Pose. Do the same thing twice more.
Forearm Cat-Cow
Come to your hands and knees, and instead of doing the traditional Cat and Cow, do these poses on your forearms to target the mid and upper back a little more. So your elbows are underneath your shoulders. As you inhale, lower the belly and lift the gaze as you arch your back in Cow Pose.
And as you exhale, reverse this motion, draw your chin toward your chest, and really broaden through your upper back in Cat Pose. Move in and out of those two poses a few times.
Downward Facing Dog
Take your hands shoulder-distance apart, tuck your toes, and lift your hips up and back in Downward-Facing Dog. You can absolutely keep your knees bent here. Maybe peddle it out by and alternate bending one knee as you try to encourage that heel toward the mat, stretching through the back of your leg, and then switch sides.
Lunge Twist
Lift your right leg toward the sky, bend your right knee, open your hip, and step that right foot forward in between your hands. Keep your left hand to the mat as you move into a twist by reaching your right arm toward the sky, stacking your right shoulder over your left. Stay for an inhale.
Pyramid Pose Variation
Bring your right hand or fingertips to the mat, straighten your right leg, and shift your hips back toward the wall behind you in a variation of Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana) with your back heel lifted. To intensify the stretch along the back of your front leg, flex your front foot.
Low Lunge
Bend your front knee, lower your back knee to the mat, and come into a Low Lunge. To intensify the stretch, reach back with your right hand to pull that left heel toward you for a quad stretch. Try to keep your hips low and facing forward.
Half Splits
Release the back heel if you have it and bring your hands to the mat. Straighten your right leg again, sink your hips back, and bend forward as you keep a flat back in Half Splits. Flex your front foot.
Repeat that same little sequence twice more. So start with your Lunge Twist, then Pyramid Pose Variation, Half Splits. Repeat it again.
Plank Pose
After your last Half Split on your right side, bend your front knee and step back to Plank Pose.
Cobra
Slowly lower yourself all the way down to the mat with your palms alongside your chest. Press down through your hands to lift your chest as much or as little as you want in Cobra.
Downward-Facing Dog
Then come back into Downward Dog. Release your neck here. Just notice how this Down Dog feels different compared to the first time you did it.
Repeat the same sequence on the second side, maybe replacing Cobra with lowering into Chaturanga and coming into Up Dog.
Child’s Pose
Lower your knees to the mat, bring your big toes together, take your knees as wide as you like, press your hips toward your heels, and bring your chest down toward the mat in Child’s Pose. Try to slow your breath.
Sitting in Stillness
Walk your hands in and slowly come to take a seat in any way that’s comfortable to you. Close your eyes and pause here as long as you can. Thank you so much everyone for doing this 10-minute morning yoga practice for a full-body workout with me. I hope you feel more energized and comfortable in your body.
