10-Minute Morning Yoga to Build Strength in All the Ways You Need

This 10-minute morning yoga class is one of my more popular practices. It’s a strength-based yoga practice that not only focuses on helping you build strength but also challenges you to find your body-brain connection. Essentially, it helps you become strong not only in your movements but in your mind. And you can practice it any time of day that you have time.

What makes this yoga for strength practice more challenging than a lot of yoga practices is that it does require a little coordination in some of the movements and transitions. So there’s a useful mind-body challenge there that can help prepare you  for any situation that you encounter in your day.

A 10-minute morning yoga class is a also a chance for you to think about what you want for the day ahead. If you’ve practiced with me before, you know I’m a fan of selecting a single word for yourself that you can remind yourself of if things become challenging throughout the day. You’ll end your yoga for strength practice sitting still and focusing on this word. Consider it a different kind of strength.

10-Minute Morning Yoga for Strength

My cat Daisy and I are going to take you through this short 10-minute morning yoga for strength class that’s an intermediate level flow. No props are required although you’re welcome to use them.

Reclining Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose

Start lying down on your back with the soles of your feet together and your knees apart in a Reclining Butterfly or Reclining Bound Angle Pose. I like to reach my arms overhead so I’m also stretching my shoulders and upper back a little.

Take a few deep breaths here, in and out through the nose. You’ll be practicing your core strength, but right now, allow your belly to be relaxed and soft. Feel how the inhale inflates the lower part of the stomach and then let it fully deflate as you exhale, as if you’re dropping your belly button toward your spine. See if there’s one word that comes to mind as your intention for the day.

Windshield Wipers

Lift your knees, place your feet at each edge of the mat, and lower your knees from side to side in a windshield wiper motion. As you bring your knees through center, think of pushing into your lower back before shifting your knees to the other side. Do that a few times.

The next time you have your knees over to the right, hold them here. Maybe you hang out here or, if you’d like, cross your right ankle over the top of your left knee and reach your left arm overhead to intensify the hip stretch and get into the obliques with a big side body stretch.

Uncross your legs and repeat the same thing on the other side.

Bridge Pose

Bring your knees all the way back through to center and walk your feet a little closer together so they’re hip-distance apart. Rest your arms by your sides, palms facing down. Then press through your heels as you lift your seat into Bridge Pose. Hug in a little through the inner thighs and push down into your big toes so you’re not letting your knees splay open to the sides. Stay here for several breaths.

Low Boat Pose

Bring your knees toward your chest and stack them over your hips in a reverse tabletop shape. Lift your head and shoulders off of the mat, reach your arms straight ahead, and pull your belly button toward your spine.

Stay here or straighten your legs and hover them at around eye level in Low Boat Pose. Breathe here.

Bend your knees once again, grab hold of the backs of your thighs, and rock yourself up to a seated position or simply find your way to sitting on the mat.

Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose

Come into a seated position with the soles of your feet together in the passive forward fold Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose. So you’re allowing your spine to round and letting your head and neck release. You’re not pushing, you’re not pulling, you’re just letting gravity pretty much do all of the work here in this gentle stretch for the spine.

Cat-Cow

Come to hands and knees for a few rounds of Cat and Cow. So place your palms under your shoulders, knees underneath your hips, and spread your fingertips wide. As you inhale, lower your bell and  lift your gaze as you arch your back in Cow Pose.

As you exhale, round your back and release your neck in Cat Pose. Keep going here, in and out through those poses, moving with your breath.

Plank Taps

Come back to a neutral tabletop position and inch yourself a little closer to the front of the mat. From here, tuck your left toes and pull your right knee toward your belly as you round your back.

Reach your right leg straight back and hover it off the mat. Then lift your left knee. Slowly draw your right knee toward your right shoulder, and then reach your right leg straight behind you. Bring your left knee down.

Then repeat that a few times. You’re really utilizing core strength here so that we’re not rushing from one movement to the other, especially when that knee comes back down to the floor. Last one, inhale to reach plank, exhale, inhale to reach exhale, squeeze it down.

Three-Legged Dog

Lift your hips up and back into Downward-Facing Dog and immediately lift into Three-Legged Dog with your right leg stretching behind you. Bend your right knee and let your foot fall behind you to open up your hip. Think of squeezing your heel toward your seat.

Low Lunge

Step your right foot forward in between your hands to the top of the mat. Your back knee comes down to the mat in a Low Lunge. Reach the tailbone down, draw the lower belly in and up, and if you’d like, add a little backbend by bringing your palms together overhead and shifting your gaze upward.

Humble Warrior Variation

Make sure your back toes are curled under, then lean your chest forward, interlace your hands behind your lower back, and think of lifting your knuckles away from the tailbone. Keep your gaze steady as you lift your left knee off the mat and come into a High Lunge. Then dive forward and down with your fingers interlaced and your knuckles reaching toward the ceiling in a High Lunge version of Humble Warrior with your back heel lifted.

Challenge your balance a little here by shifting your gaze and looking past the thumbs. Think of almost pushing your palms together so there’s a little bit of pressure. Stay strong in your legs. If you need more support, let your chest rest on your front thigh.

Plank

Find Plank Pose by bringing your palms down to the mat and stepping your right foot back in Plank Pose.

Baby Cobra

Lower yourself all the way to your belly. Point your toes back, press through the tops of your feet, and inhale as you lift your hands and chest off the mat in Baby Cobra Pose. You want to anchor into the hip bones. Exhale as you lower. Repeat that twice more.

Child’s Pose

Push yourself back into a wide-legged Child’s Pose with your big toes together, knees apart, forehead resting on the mat. Settle in, relax your body, and slow your breath.

Then repeat Plank Taps, Low Lunge, Humble Warrior, Plank, Baby Cobra, and Child’s Pose, starting on your left side.

Seated Twist

Walk your hands back toward you and take a seat. Sit up tall, bring your left hand to your right knee, and take your right fingertips to the mat behind you. Think of first lifting up and then rotating, pulling that right shoulder back, and not rounding or slouching. Breathe here. Then release and switch to the other side.

Sitting in Stillness

Come back to center, close your eyes, and maybe roll your shoulders a few times. If you choose, bring your palms together at heart center and bring your intention to mind.

Thank you so much everyone for doing this short but strong 10-minute morning yoga for strength class with me. Hopefully it helped give you a little boost of energy.