“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”>
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
>”,”name”:”in-content-cta”,”type”:”link”}}”>Download the app.
This 10-minute morning yoga practice sets the tone for your entire day by being designed with a mix of strengthening, stretching, and balancing to challenge but not deplete you. The short but intense practice relies on mindfulness and breathwork that you can take into any situation you encounter. You’ll begin in Child’s Pose and then moves through spinal movements and corework as well as challenging standing poses before finishing with a short meditation.
10-Minute Morning Yoga to Take on the Week
In many places throughout your 10-minute morning yoga practice, you have the option of making it more or less intense.
Child’s Pose
Let’s begin in Child’s Pose. Bring your big toes together and your knees wide apart so that you’re getting a comfortable stretch along your inner thighs. As you walk your hands out and rest your head on the mat, lift onto your fingertips and keep your elbows off the mat so you can feel the stretch. At the same time, try to press the shoulders and armpits down toward the mat.
As you inhale, feel your rib cage expand from front to back and side to side and see if you can walk those fingertips a little further forward. And then exhale and relax your arms closer to the mat. Use the power of your breath here, in and out through the nose.
Cat-Cow
From Child’s Pose, walk your hands in and bring your knees closer together in Tabletop. Take 3 rounds of Cat and Cow here. As you inhale, lower your belly and lift your gaze.
As you exhale push the floor away from you and broaden through your upper back. Twice more like this.
Continue to do the same thing but as you inhale, lift your right leg, knee, and toes toward the ceiling and as you exhale, round your back to touch your right knee to your nose. Do that twice more. As you bring it in, really engage your core.
Now lift your right leg again. You’re welcome to hang out where you are. If you want to challenge your balance and flexibility, reach back with your left hand and grab your right foot, kicking your foot into your palm to get a little deeper backbend and also stretch your left shoulder. Try to keep your gaze steady on something that’s not moving to help with balance. Breathe here.
Modified Side Plank
With your right leg still lifted, bring your left hand back to the mat, straighten your right leg, and roll onto the inner edge of your right foot. Your right arm extends straight toward the ceiling in a modified Side Plank.
We’re going to do 5 toe taps. Point through your right toes, inhale, and squeeze and lift that leg up. Exhale and tap it down. So do 4 more and keep it lifted on your last one.
Bend your right knee so you can grab your right foot with your right palm. Just like before, see if you can push your foot into your palm to arch through your back a little and stretch through your shoulder. Try to keep your ankle, knee and hip all in one line.
Big breath in here and then release into Tabletop. Take 3 rounds of Cat and Cow adding the leg lifts on the left side and moving into your modified Side Plank on the left side and then come back to Tabletop.
Downward-Facing Dog
From Tabletop, let’s find Downward-Facing Dog. So hands can be a little past your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and lift your hips all the way up and back. Bend your knees as much as you’d like here. Don’t worry about whether or not your heels are touching the mat as it truly doesn’t matter. Instead, focus on lengthening your spine and really stretching out through your arms.
Scorpion Dog
From Down Dog, stretch your right leg toward the ceiling, bend your right knee, and squeeze your heel in toward your glutes to open your hip.
Warrior 2
From Down Dog, step your foot forward to the top of the mat and spin your back heel down almost parallel to the shorter edge of the mat and then really ground through all corners of your back foot. As you bend into your left knee, think of squeezing it open so your knee is aligned toward your second and third toes. Extend your arms straight out, palms down in Warrior 2. Make sure that your back arm doesn’t drop down. You want to have it as high as the shoulder. Keep sinking a little deeper into that front knee.
Triangle Pose
From Warrior 2, straighten your right leg and take that back foot a couple inches forward to shorten your stance before you come into Triangle Pose. Your hips will go back and you can slide your right arm forward and then drop your right hand down as your left arm reaches up. If you need more support in this pose, grab hold of your shin to prop yourself up. Really think of rolling that left shoulder back as if you were leaning against the wall behind you. Push into both feet evenly.
You can work on strengthening your obliques by hovering your bottom hand or pushing your palm into your calf. You can get more of a sidebending stretch if you reach that left arm overhead.
Low Lunge
With your left arm overhead, roll your shoulder down as you look to the mat, bend into that front knee, and come into Low Lunge with your back knee on the mat.
Stay where you are or you can add a quad stretch by reaching your right hand back, bending your left knee, and pulling your heel toward you. Keep moving your hips forward and down.
Carefully release the hold of your back foot and step back to Downward-Facing Dog to set yourself up for the second side of Warrior 2, Triangle, Low Lunge, and Down Dog. From here, if you like, take a vinyasa by moving forward into Plank Pose and lowering all the way onto your stomach. Push into the tops of your feet and push into your palms as you lift your chest in Cobra.
Child’s Pose
Then let’s find Child’s Pose again by pressing back with your hips toward your heels. Keep your arms out in front of you and fold forward here. Relax and take 5 deep breaths in the pose where we began as you close your 10-minute morning yoga practice. Notice if it feels a little different. Again, using this time to ask yourself what your intention for the day is. What’s important to you today and what what you want to focus on.
Seated Meditation
Take a comfortable seat. You can rest your hands on your knees, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths here. Relax your shoulders down, release any tension from your facial muscles through your jaw and neck, really softening and settling. Let yourself feel grounded as you breathe here. Perhaps you refocus or choose your one-word intention for the day. Stay here as long as you can.
About Our Contributor
Kassandra Reinhardt is an Ottawa-based Yin Yoga and vinyasa yoga instructor whose YouTube channel, Yoga With Kassandra, has grown to 2.2 million subscribers and has more than 230 million views. Kassandra recently released her guided yoga journal, My Yoga Journey: A Guided Journal, her daily affirmation card deck, I Radiate Joy,and her book, Year of Yoga.
