20-Minute Morning Power Yoga to Start Your Day Strong

Some mornings you probably prefer to slowly stretch out any tightness or soreness. But then there are mornings when you need more intensity. This 20-minute power yoga class delivers on those days by taking you through challenging poses that get your heart rate up, deliver core work, and help you feel energized and ready to take on whatever comes.

You’ll start off with core work, then work your legs and shoulders in standing poses, and also take yourself through a full-body stretch.  There’s lots of variations of core work in this power yoga practice. At the beginning, the focus is more on the lower abdominals, then you work more on the obliques, and later the focus is on the higher abdominals. Throughout the practice, you’ll build heat, strength, and power in your body that you can channel into the rest of your day.

Even though it’s a short home power yoga practice, there’s no need to rush. Take your time and slow your breath as you move through the poses. Consider it a chance to set the vibe for your day ahead.

20-Minute Morning Power Yoga to Start Your Day Strong

 

This home power yoga practice is suited for intermediate students although beginners can definitely follow along and modify or skip certain poses. No props are required although you’re welcome to use them anytime to support yourself.

Reclined Bound Angle Pose

You’re going to start lying down on your back in Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) with the soles of your feet together and your knees apart. I like to reach my arms overhead and start to open the shoulders. Simply linger here.

Consider choosing one word that captures how you want to feel and come back to it throughout your power yoga practice and your day. Then take about 5 more deep breaths here.

Butterfly Crunches

Create a little more space between the soles of your feet so they’re not touching. Then interlace your hands behind the back of your head and engage the core. As you inhale, hold here. As you exhale, lift your head and shoulders off the floor in a crunch.

Inhale bring your knees together. Exhale hold the crunch and bring your knees apart. Then inhale as you open your knees and lower your upper back and head all the way down.

So exhale lift. Inhale squeeze your knees together. Exhale hold the lift and open your knees. Inhale lower down. Repeat a few more times. Last one. So curl your head and shoulders up, squeeze through the inner thighs, open them back up, and release down.

Half Boat Variation

Push your lower back into the mat, keep your knees bent, and float your shins so they’re parallel to the mat. You’ll feel your abdominals engage.

As you inhale, lift your head and shoulders off the mat and then hold here. Straighten your right leg and let it hover a few inches off the mat.

Bring your right knee in as you remain lifted off the mat. And then switch sides. So lengthen through your left leg and then bring it back in and lower all the way back. You’re going to feel this one. Take one more on each side.

Bridge Pose

Relax your arms by your sides. Bring your feet hip-width distance apart, push into your heels, and lift your hips and back into Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). Press into your big toes and squeeze through your inner thighs as you hold here.

Then exhale and release as you roll all the way back down.

One-Legged Bridge Pose

Cross your right ankle over your left knee and find One-Legged Bridge Pose by lifting your hips. Even though you’re pushing your left hip up, you’re trying to press your left knee down and relax your shoulders and your neck. Notice how one hip wants to dip lower than the other and try to keep them at the same height. You’re challenging your balance here. Keep pushing into your left heel. Squeeze your glutes, lift a little higher, and then slowly lower yourself down.

Half Happy Baby Pose

Bring your left foot to the mat and take Half Happy Baby Pose (Arda Ananda Balasana). So hold onto your right foot with your right hand and keep your elbow to the inside of your leg as you push your right thigh out and also drag your knee down toward the mat. I like to let my left thigh flop over to the side to provide a little counterweight. Feel your breath go all the way down into your low belly.

Then release and cross your left ankle over your right thigh and repeat the series of stretches on the other side, including One-Legged Bridge and Half Happy Baby.

Cat and Cow

Rock yourself up or roll onto one side and come to hands and knees with your palms under your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Take Cat and Cow here, getting any aches and pains out of the spine. As you inhale, lower your belly and lift your gaze here in Cow Pose.

Then reverse this motion by pushing into your fingertips, rounding your back, and really feeling your head drop in Cat Pose. No need to rush through these motions here. Really feel your upper, mid, and lower back as you move through these shapes.

Downward-Facing Dog

You might need to walk your hands a couple inches past your shoulders before tucking your toes under and lifting your hips up and back into Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Take whatever movements feel good for you here.

Downward Dog Knee to Nose

Inhale as you reach your right leg toward the sky and exhale as you stoke that fire and shift your shoulders over your wrists and tap your right knee toward your nose.

Inhale as you stretch it up and back. Exhale as you crunch and try to close the gap between your belly and your thigh. Inhale as you lift. Exhale as you squeeze it in.

Low Lunge

Take yourself back into Three-Legged Dog and look past your hands as you exhale and step your right foot through. Let your back knee come down to the mat in Low Lunge (Anjanayasana). Push into your front foot as you lift out of your lower back and reach your arms alongside your head. Be mindful of the curve in your lower back and lengthen your tailbone down. Engage your abdominals and keep your belly strong as you stretch into the left hip flexors.

Side Plank

Tuck your back toes under, lift your left knee off the mat, and pivot onto the outer edge of your left foot as you step your right foot back into Side Plank (Vasisthasana). You’re stacking your left leg over your right leg and your left shoulder over your right shoulder. You can stack your right foot over your left foot or stagger them on the mat. Look wherever feels comfortable for your neck.

Hug your inner thighs together and pay attention to your hips. Notice if that right hip is rolling back. We don’t want our pelvis to be facing up towards the ceiling. Keep everything facing toward the long side of the mat. Feel that heat build.

Chaturanga Dandasana

Look down to the mat, bring your right hand down as you bring your toes to the mat, and lower half into Chaturanga Dandasana.

Upward-Facing Dog

Inhale as you lift your chest in Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana).

Downward-Facing Dog

Exhale as you lift your hips up and back into Downward Dog. Let your head be heavy.

Repeat on your second side, starting with Three-Legged Dog and bringing your knee to your nose several times. Then step your left foot in between your hands in Low Lunge and, as gracefully as you can, find your Side Plank and then find Plank, Chaturanga, Upward-Facing Dog, and then find your way into Downward Dog.

Standing Forward Bend

Walk your feet forward to the top of the mat, taking as many little steps as you need. Then find your rag doll fold. Don’t worry about having straight legs here. You can keep some bend in your knees as you let yourself dangle. As you pause here, think back to your intention this morning.

Chair Pose

Release your fingers to the mat, bend your knees a little more, and toe-heel your feet closer to one another so your big toes are touching and your heels are about an inch or so apart. Keep your hips at this height as you lift your chest and arms into Chair Pose (Utkatasana). Rock your weight back into your heels, sink down even lower, and hug your inner thighs toward one another, building a little more heat. We’re not staying here forever, I promise you.

Boat Pose

Keep this strength in your legs as you bring your hands together at your chest and sink your hips all the way down to the mat and then lift your legs in Boat Pose (Navasana). This is, to me, one of the hardest poses in yoga, at least for my body. You can always bend your knees and hold onto the backs of your thighs.

Or you can straighten your legs. You’re trying to eliminate rounding in the back so roll your shoulders back and lift your chest high. You can even reach your arms overhead although that’s too much for me right now.

Staff Pose

Release your legs to the mat, straight in front of you, in Staff Pose (Dandasana). So you’re finding length through your legs as well as through your spine.

Seated Twist Variation

Let’s find a seated twist variation of Half Lord of the Fishes (Matsyendrasana). As you bend your right knee, cross that right foot over your left thigh and make sure all four corners of your foot are grounded here. As you inhale, find some length. As you exhale, maintain this length even as you twist toward the right, taking your right hand behind you on the mat and hooking your left elbow over your right thigh. No slouching and no rounding forward. With each exhale, maybe you can twist a little more. Keep pushing through your right big toe to keep that foot grounded.

Then switch sides so your right leg is straight. Inhale and exhale here. The more you’re able to draw your navel back, the more you’ll find yourself able to twist.

Half Hero Pose

Uncross your leg, bend your right knee, and bring the front of your shin to the mat with both thighs together. See if you can get the top of your right foot flat to the mat behind you in Half Hero Pose. Sometimes it helps if you yourself off the mat, lengthen through your tailbone under before setting yourself back down. You can stay upright or you might lean back on your forearms. You want to feel a nice stretch along the front of your right thigh and hip. If it’s uncomfortable for your knee, then come out and skip this.

And then let’s come on up, carefully switching sides. Right leg is straight, bend into your left knee. So again, I’m trying to get the top of that foot flat on my mat with your shins parallel to the longer edges of the mat, lift, tuck under before setting your hips down, and then begin to lower. You’ll probably find that one side feels a lot easier than the other. Breathe here.

Seated Wide-Legged Forward Bend Variation

Last pose. As you bend into your knees, grab hold of your big toes with your two peace fingers. Then bring your feet back out and widen your knees. Tilt your weight back onto your tailbone and try to hover here as you balance with your legs lifted off the mat in this version of Upavistha Konasana. You might see if the legs can open as you relax your shoulders down. Try to push your chest forward, just like in Boat Pose, as you relax your hip flexors. Big stretch here.

Seated Meditation

Then take a seat in any way that is comfortable for you. Lengthen your spine and roll your shoulders down and away from your ears. Rest your hands on your thighs or bring them together at your chest in anjali mudra. Slowly inhale through your nose and then exhale out your mouth as you release this practice and anything else that’s occupying your mind. Repeat your intention that you set earlier today, that one word that captures how you want to feel, and pause here for as long as you can. Thank you for trying this home power yoga practice before starting your day.

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