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Not long after I began sharing yoga practices on YouTube, students began asking for specific forms of practices. To my surprise, what gave the impression of 90 percent of the requests were for 10-minute morning yoga sequences. Clearly, people understood how much of an effect even a bit of yoga can have on their day.

Yes, making time for a fast 10-minute morning yoga session can assist you to work out any aches and kinks you may have amassed throughout the night. Consider it as a part of your routine, identical to brushing your teeth. But morning yoga is greater than simply moving your spine, stretching your muscles, and caring in your joints.

Taking even a number of minutes for yourself reminds you to place your needs first. As a mindfulness practice, yoga is a option to hold a mirror to yourself and dive deeper into your emotional body so you may ask, how am I feeling? Where am I feeling really vibrant and good? Where could I exploit a bit of more care?

It also creates space so that you can select an intention related to how you would like to feel. What type of day do you would like to have? What are you looking forward to experiencing? Use your intention as an anchoring point that you would be able to come back to during your yoga practice and throughout your day, including if you’re waiting in traffic, sitting in meetings, or caring for your kids. Keep coming back to it. When needed, ask how else are you able to take care of yourself today?

A ten-Minute Morning Yoga Practice for a Full-Body Stretch

It’s amazing how just a bit of yoga could make such a giant difference. I hope the next 10-minute morning yoga practice helps you’re feeling higher prepared to tackle the day ahead.

Neck Stretch

Begin in a snug seated position, whatever that appears like for you. Sit up tall through your spine, drop your shoulders away out of your ears, and begin together with your chin parallel to the ground. Drop your left ear toward your left shoulder, stretching through the precise side of your neck. Let your head be heavy. In the event you’d wish to go further, you may crawl your right fingertips away from you and out to the side. Take 3-5 breaths here, softening your jaw and connecting to your breath. Release and lift your head back to center. Switch sides as you drop your right ear toward your right shoulder.

Come back to center and lengthen through your spine. Set your intention for the day ahead.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Cat-Cow

From seated, come to your hands and knees to a Tabletop position together with your knees underneath your hips. Spread your fingertips wide together with your middle and index fingers pointing toward the highest of the mat. As you inhale, drop your belly and lift your gaze in Cow Pose.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Exhale and round your spine, bringing your chin to your chest in Cat. Take 3 more rounds of Cat and Cow.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Thread the Needle With Gate Pose Variation

From Tabletop, extend your right leg straight out to the side so your ankle, knee, and hip are multi functional line. Press all 4 corners of your right foot against the ground. Reach your left arm toward the sky after which exhale and thread your left arm underneath you, bringing your left shoulder and your ear to the mat. If it’s inside grabbing distance, you may catch hold of your right big toe together with your left peace fingers. Your right hand can push into the mat, you may come onto your fingertips, or you may bend your right elbow and produce your right hand behind you against your low back for a pleasant spinal rotation. Attempt to calm down your neck. This Thread the Needle with a Gate Pose variation is one among my favorite things to do very first thing within the morning.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Side Body Stretch

From Thread the Needle, push your right hand into the mat and reach your left arm toward the sky again before lowering it to the mat. Sweep your right leg behind you and cross your right foot over your left foot, taking it so far as you may to the left. Attempt to look over your left shoulder and take a side body stretch.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Lizard Pose

From Side Body Stretch, bring your right leg straight behind you and step your right foot forward beside  the periphery of your right hand in Lizard Pose. Lower your back knee to the mat. Pad your left knee and place blocks beneath your palms if that’s more comfortable. Give attention to lifting your heart and dropping your hips.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Low Lunge Twist

From Lizard, tuck your back toes, lift your back knee off the mat, and keep your left hand planted on the mat as you reach your right arm up. Look up provided that it’s comfortable. Push into your left big left toe so that you’re not rolling to the periphery of your back foot. Inhale into your twist.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Downward-Facing Dog

From Low Lunge Twist, exhale as you bring your right hand right down to the mat and lift your hips into your first Downward-Facing Dog. Very first thing within the morning, it’d feel higher to have your feet wider than  hip-width distance apart. Peddle your feet, bending one leg and straightening the opposite while drawing your low belly toward your low back. Gently shake your head and do away with any kinks in your neck. Take deep breaths, out and in, through your nose.

Bring your knees back to the mat in Tabletop. And find your Thread the Needle and Gate Pose on the opposite side. Proceed with Side Body Stretch, Lizard, Low Lunge Twist, and Down Dog.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Standing Forward Bend

From Down Dog, walk your hands to the back of the mat and take a rag doll fold as you come into Standing Forward Bend. Your knees can bend generously and you may let your belly rest against your thighs, possibly holding onto opposite elbows and swaying a bit of side to side. This will be helpful in case your hamstrings are super tight very first thing within the morning.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Squat

Out of your forward bend, bring your fingertips to the mat. Turn your toes barely out, bend your knees, drop your hips, and are available right into a Squat. Bring your hands together at your heart, using your elbows to push your knees a bit of wider. Lengthen through your spine.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Plank Pose

Release your palms to the mat.  Walk your hands forward and straighten your legs to return into Plank Pose. Draw your shoulder blades down your back. Inhale and exhale into your lower belly and stay strong through your core.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Sphinx Pose

From Plank, lower yourself to the mat, come onto your forearms, and point your toes straight back as you come into Sphinx Pose. Bring your elbows barely in front of your shoulders, p ush your upper arms back, and squeeze your shoulder blades together to lift your chest a bit of higher. Take a giant breath into the guts and exhale to release.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Child’s Pose

From Sphinx Pose, press your hips back into Child’s Pose. Bring your big toes together and your knees as wide as you prefer to. Walk your hands forward and fold your chest toward the mat. Take 5 deep breaths.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Comfortable Seat

From Child’s Pose, walk your hands toward your chest and produce your knees together. Take a snug seat, either kneeling or sitting cross-legged, and shut your eyes.

From this space of clarity, notice how you’re feeling now versus if you first got here onto your mat originally of your 10-minute morning yoga practice. Scan your body, your thoughts, and your feelings. Let that be a baseline that you simply come back to throughout your day.

About Our Contributor

Kassandra Reinhardt is an Ottawa-based Yin Yoga and vinyasa yoga instructor whose YouTube channel has grown to 2.2 million subscribers and has greater than 230 million views. Kassandra recently released her guided yoga journal, My Yoga Journey: A Guided Journal, her day by day affirmation card deck, I Radiate Joy, and her book, 12 months of Yoga.