10-Minute Morning Yoga for Full-Body Stretching + Strengthening

Before you jet off to morning Masters swim or throw on a pair of running shoes, take a minute (or 10) to stretch out and get your day started right. This 10-minute morning yoga flow is a short yet fairly challenging sequence of poses that includes a balance of stretching, strengthening, breathing, and balancing. There’s a special emphasis on getting into the hips, with unexpected movements in familiar poses to increase your range of motion and challenge your stability.

This short sequence takes you through a large number of poses in a short amount of time, including both floor work and standing poses. You can also use this time to set the tone for the day ahead of you by choosing a word that is your intention for the day. Like this morning yoga practice, your intention can be short and sweet.

10-Minute Morning Yoga to Wake Up

This short, all-levels, 10-minute morning yoga for hips practice is suitable for anyone of any experience level. There are no props required for this class although you’re welcome to keep them within reach if you like.

Hip Circles

Let’s begin on hands and knees. Spread your fingertips wide, push, into your fingertips and knuckles, and start to circle your hips to bring a little motion to your lower body and get into the hips.

Breathe in and out through your nose. Every time you bring your weight forward, you might feel a little stretch through your forearms and wrists. Eventually, reverse and circle the other way.

Bird-Dog Variation of Cat-Cow

Come back to neutral hands and knees. You’re going to go through the usual Cat-Cow but with some additional movement of the arms and legs. As you exhale, round your back in Cat Pose and bring your right elbow and left knee toward each other. As you inhale, extend your right arm straight in front of you and reach your left leg behind you as you arch your back slightly in a version of Cow Pose known as Bird Dog.

Repeat several times. So inhale as you round your back and draw everything inward, and exhale as you stretch it out. Let yourself really exaggerate that motion.

Next time your arm and leg are straight, lower your right fingertips and your left toes to the mat as you remain extended. Find a flat back by drawing the lower belly toward the spine. Then inhale as you squeeze and lift the arm and the leg back up, and then exhale as you lower them back down.

This is a much harder movement than it might seem. It’s very hard to keep our spine nice and straight and to just isolate that left arm and right leg. The challenge here is to keep a flat back, which works to stabilize your shoulders and hips. Repeat this a few times.

Low Lunge

Step your left foot forward between your hands and untuck your back foot. Push down through your front knee and the top of your back foot to lift yourself up in Low Lunge. Try to stretch through the waist, out of the lower back.

Low Lunge Twist

Come into a twist by bringing your right hand down to the mat or a block and reaching your left arm up. Tuck your back toes under and lift your back knee off the mat.

Downward-Facing Dog

Bring your left hand back to the mat. Step back to Downward-Facing Dog and take any movement that feels good. Feel free to bend your knees generously, maybe peddle out your legs, turn your head a little side to side, and try to get long through your arms as you stretch through your chest.

Bring your knees to the mat and repeat the variations of Cat, Cow, and Bird Dog on the other side.

Scorpion Dog

Reach your right leg toward the ceiling, bend your right knee, and open that hip nice and wide.

High Lunge

Step your right foot between your hands and come into High Lunge with your feet hip-distance apart. As you inhale, find some lift through your chest and length along your back. As you exhale, tilt your upper body forward and reach your arms back. Nothing changes in your legs.

Then inhale as you lift your upper body. Exhale as you tilt forward and reach your arms back. Do one more like this.

Tree Pose

Bring your hands together at your chest and step your left foot forward into Tree Pose. So you’re  balancing on your right leg and bringing your left foot somewhere along your right thigh, calf, or ankle. Take slow and steady breaths here. Think of sliding your shoulders down away from Your ears and reaching the crown of your head up.

Chair Pose

Slowly bring your left foot to the mat, your big toes together and heels apart, and bend your knees as you sink down into Chair Pose. If it’s more comfortable, you can take your feet hip-distance apart.

Standing Forward Bend

Start to straighten your legs as you bend forward in Standing Forward Bend.

Downward-Facing Dog

Step back to Downward-Facing Dog. Stay here or come forward to Plank, lower all the way to the mat and lift your chest in Cobra, and then release back into Downward-Facing Dog.

Repeat that sequence of poses on the other side, beginning with Scorpion Dog through High Lunge, Tree, Chair, Standing Forward Bend, and Downward Dog.

Child’s Pose

Bring your knees to the mat, press your hips back toward your heels, and let your forehead and chest relax down toward the mat in Child’s Pose. Stay here as long as you like.

Bound Angle Pose

Lift your upper body and take your legs in front of you. Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall apart. As you lean slightly forward in Bound Angle Pose, let it be a passive forward bend, especially in the mornings when your body feels a little more stiff. So let your back round and try not to push or pull your upper body forward as you let gravity take you into the pose. There’s no need for any expectations as to how your pose looks.

Stay here for several breaths, in and out through the nose. Maybe you start to ask yourself what your intention is for your day. I usually like to choose one word that I can focus on and come back again.

Seated Pigeon Pose or Figure 4

Walk your hands back toward you and slowly roll yourself up to sitting. Bend your knees and cross your right ankle over the top of your left knee as you take your hands behind you for support in Seated Pigeon or Figure 4. Think of lifting tall through your chest. Maybe you rock a little bit side to side.

Seated Twist

Slide your left leg all the way out straight. Step your right foot over your left leg and plant it on the mat alongside your left thigh or knee. Inhale as you sit tall and lift up. Exhale as you bring your left arm around your right knee, squeeze it in, and take your right fingertips to the mat behind you as you turn your chest toward the right. Breathe here as you stay lifted without slouching or rounding your back.

Slowly unwind and repeat Seated Pigeon and Twist on the other side.

Closing

Release the pose and take a seat, however comfortable it is for you. Close your eyes, lift tall through the spine, and breathe here. Maybe you focus on your one-word intention for the day, repeating it to yourself a few times and getting really clear on how you want to feel.

Thank you so much for doing this very short 10-minute morning yoga for hips practice with me.