This 10-minute morning yoga class is one of my most popular exercises. It is a strength-based yoga practice that not only focuses on helping build strength, but also challenges you to find the connection between body and brain. Essentially, it helps you become strong not only in your movements, but also in your mind. And you can practice it at any time of the day if you have time.
What makes this strength training yoga more challenging than many yoga practices is that it requires a bit of coordination with some movements and transitions. So there’s a useful mind-body challenge that can help you prepare for any situation you encounter during the day.
A 10-minute yoga class in the morning is also a chance to think about what you want for the day ahead. If you’ve practiced with me before, you know that I advocate choosing a single word for yourself that you can remind yourself of when things get challenging during the day. You end your strength training yoga sitting still and concentrating on this word. Think of it as a different kind of power.
10 minute morning yoga for strength
My cat Daisy and I will take you through this short 10-minute morning yoga for intermediate level strength training. No props are required, although you are welcome to use them.
Reclining Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose
Start lying on your back with the soles of your feet together and your knees apart in a supine butterfly or supine bound corner pose. I like to reach my arms above my head, so I also stretch my shoulders and upper back a bit.
Take a few deep breaths here, in and out through the nose. You are exercising your core strength, but now allow your abdomen to be relaxed and soft. Feel the inhalation inflating the lower part of the stomach and then deflating it completely as you exhale, as if you were lowering your navel toward your spine. See if one word comes to mind as your intention for the day.
Windshield wipers
Lift your knees, place your feet on each edge of the mat and lower your knees back and forth in a windshield wiper motion. As you bring your knees through the center, remember to push into your lower back before moving your knees to the other side. Do that a few times.
The next time you hold your knees to the right, hold them here. Perhaps you can hang out here or, if you prefer, cross your right ankle over the top of your left knee and reach your left arm above your head to intensify the hip extension and come into the obliques with a big side body extension.
Cross your legs and repeat the same on the other side.
Bridge pose
Bring your knees all the way back to center and walk your feet a little closer together so that they are hip-distance apart. Rest your arms at your sides, palms facing down. Then press through your heels as you raise your chair into Bridge Pose. Hug a little through the inner thighs and press down into your big toes so that your knees are not open to the sides. Stay here for several breaths.
Low boat position
Bring your knees to your chest and stack them over your hips in an inverted tabletop shape. Lift your head and shoulders off the mat, reach your arms straight forward and pull your belly button toward your spine.
Stay here or straighten your legs and move them to eye level in Low Boat Pose. Breathe here.
Bend your knees again, grab the backs of your thighs and rock yourself up into a sitting position or simply make your way to sitting on the mat.
Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose
Come into a sitting position with the soles of your feet together in the Passive Forward Folding Butterfly or Bound Corner Pose. So you let your spine round and let go of your head and neck. You don’t push, you don’t pull, you let gravity do pretty much all the work here in this gentle spinal stretch.
Cat-cow
Get on your hands and knees for a few rounds of Cat and Cow. So place your palms under your shoulders, your knees under your hips and spread your fingertips wide. As you inhale, lower your bell and raise your gaze as you arch your back into Cow Pose.
As you exhale, round your back and release your neck into Cat Pose. Continue here, moving in and out through those poses, moving with your breath.
Shelf cranes
Return to a neutral tabletop position and sit slightly closer to the front of the mat. From here, tuck your left toes in and pull your right knee toward your stomach as you turn your back.
Reach your right leg straight back and float it off the mat. Then lift your left knee. Slowly pull your right knee towards 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 using core strength here so we’re not rushing from one movement to the next, especially when that knee comes back to the ground. Finally, inhale to reach the plank, exhale, inhale to exhale, squeeze down.
Three-legged dog
Lift your hips up and back into Downward Facing Dog and immediately lift into Three-Legged Dog as your right leg extends behind you. Bend your right knee and drop your foot behind you to open your hip. Remember to press your heel toward your seat.
Low dropout
Step your right foot forward between your hands toward the top of the mat. With a Low Lunge, your back knee comes to the mat. Reach the tailbone down, pulling the lower abdomen in and up, and if you like, add a little backbend by bringing your palms together above your head and directing your gaze upward.
Modest warrior variation
Make sure your back toes are curled under, then lean your chest forward, place your hands behind your lower back and think about lifting your knuckles away from the tailbone. Keep your gaze steady as you lift your left knee off the mat and into a High Lunge. Then lunge forward and down with your fingers interlaced and your knuckles reaching toward the ceiling into a High Lunge version of Humble Warrior with your back heel raised.
Challenge your balance a bit here by shifting your gaze and looking beyond the thumbs. Remember to press your palms almost together to create a little pressure. Stay strong in your legs. If you need more support, rest your chest on your front thigh.
Plank
Find Plank Pose by bringing your palms to the mat and stepping your right foot back into Plank Pose.
Baby cobra
Lower yourself all the way to your stomach. Point your toes back, press through the tops of your feet and inhale as you lift your hands and chest off the mat into Baby Cobra Pose. You want to anchor in the hip bones. Exhale as you go down. Repeat that two more times.
Child’s pose
Push yourself back into a wide-legged child’s pose with your big toes together, knees apart and forehead on the mat. Calm down, relax your body and slow your breathing.
Then repeat Plank Taps, Low Lunge, Humble Warrior, Plank, Baby Cobra and Child’s Pose, starting on your left side.
Seated twist
Walk with your hands towards you and sit down. Sit up straight, bring your left hand to your right knee and bring your right fingertips to the mat behind you. Remember to lift first and then rotate, pulling the right shoulder back and not rotating or slouching. Breathe here. Then let go and go to the other side.
Sit in silence
Come back to center, close your eyes and maybe roll your shoulders a few times. If you choose, bring your palms together at the heart center and bring your intention to mind.
Thank you so much everyone for doing this short but powerful 10 minute morning yoga for strength class with me. Hopefully it gave you a little energy.
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