10-Minute Morning Yoga to Move Your Body in All the Ways You Need

You expect a lot from your morning yoga practice. You need it to stretch and wake your body and your mind. You definitely want it to move your back and hips in all the essential ways that release tension. And you might also want a more active element, including some strengthening and balancing. Yet you don’t want to overdo the intensity. After all, you just got out of bed. This 10-minute morning yoga routine helps you do all of the above.

During the practice, you’ll target your hips, challenge your balance, try some dynamic versions of familiar poses, and target all of the essential movements of the spine—flexion, extension, twisting, and side bending.

And you can do all of that in just 10 minutes.

10-Minute Morning Yoga to Move Your Body

During your practice, you’ll also have a chance to think about your intention for your day—just a single word that captures how you want to feel or how you want the day to go—before you rush headlong into your morning.

There are no props required although you’re welcome to keep a block or two within reach.

Cat-Cow

Begin on hands and knees with your palms underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. As you inhale, lower your belly, lift your gaze, and arch your back in Cow Pose.

As you exhale, reverse this motion as you push the mat away, round your back, contract your core, and release your head in Cat Pose. Take a few more rounds, going at your own rhythm. So inhale and take a little backbend, and as you exhale, round and stretch everything along the back body.

Balancing Tabletop or Bird Dog

Come back to your hands and knees. Inhale as you reach your left leg up and back and reach your right arm forward alongside your head. Draw your lower belly in and squeeze through your glutes. This is Balancing Tabletop or Bird Dog Pose. As you exhale, bring your elbow and knee together beneath you.

Repeat a couple more times. So inhale and lengthen, exhale and round. Then bring your hand and knee back to the mat. Repeat this a few times.

Lunge

Step your left foot forward in between your hands at the top of the mat, tuck your back toes under, and lift your back knee. You might rock your hips back and forth and roll your shoulders back to intensify the stretch.

Warrior 2

Spin your back heel flat so it’s parallel to the shorter edge of your mat. Push both feet into the mat and lift yourself up with your shoulders over your hips and arms reaching out, palms facing down, in Warrior 2. Push into both feet equally.

Reverse Warrior

Reverse your warrior by bringing your right hand down to your back thigh and reaching your left arm overhead in a big side body stretch.

Three-Legged Dog

Bring both hands back down to frame your front foot and reach your left leg all the way toward the ceiling. Bend your left knee and stretch your hip.

Downward-Facing Dog

Lower your foot to the mat, bend your knees as much as you’d like, and find your first Downward-Facing Dog. You can wag the tail a little to stretch and try to get comfortable in the pose.

Lower your knees to the mat and set yourself up for the same sequence on the second side, taking yourself through Balancing Tabletop, Lunge, Warrior 2, Reverse Warrior, and Three-Legged Dog.

Plank Pose

Come forward into Plank Pose with your shoulders over your wrists.

Cobra Pose

Lower onto your belly, push your hands into the mat, and inhale as you lift your upper body as much or as little off the mat as feels comfortable in Cobra Pose. Draw your elbows toward each other behind you. Exhale as you release your forehead to the mat.

Child’s Pose

Sink back into Child’s Pose by bringing your big toes together and sinking your hips toward your heels. Take your knees as wide as you would like and lean your forehead toward the mat. Stay here for at least 5 breaths.

While you pause here, you might want to ask yourself what your intention is for the day ahead. You can choose one word. Whatever you want to feel throughout the hours ahead.

Seated Pigeon Pose

Walk your hands back in, take a seat, and swing your legs straight in front of you. Find a seated Pigeon Pose by bending your right knee and bringing your right ankle to the top of your left knee. Choose how much you want to bend your left knee and bring your left foot toward you. The closer you bring it toward you, the more intensely you’ll feel this stretch through the right glute and hip. Keep your chest lifted so you’re not rounding or slouching. Maybe you rock a little side to side, if that feels good.

Seated Twist

Straighten your left leg and rest it on the mat. Plant your right foot down on the mat to the outside of your left thigh. Wrap your left arm around your right leg and sit tall. Then twist your chest toward the right and bring your right hand or fingertips to the mat behind you, sliding your shoulder blades down your back, in a Seated Twist. You want to rotate from the mid back and upward.

Release and face forward, uncross your legs, and shake it out. Then repeat your Seated Pigeon and Twist on the other side. Uncross your legs, shake it out, and come to take a seat in any way that’s comfortable to you.

Closing

Come to sit or kneel on the mat. Close your eyes if you like, and remind yourself of the word you chose. And simply pause here for as long as you can. Maybe you check in with yourself and see how you feel. And you can continue to check in throughout the day as you remind yourself of your word. Thank you for doing this very short 10-minute morning yoga routine and practice. Hopefully you feel better in your body.

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