12-minute power yoga to strengthen your core in all the ways you need

This 12-minute morning power yoga for core strength delivers full-body strengthening and stretching, with an emphasis on strengthening your abs, back and obliques. The short morning yoga routine takes you through a mix of poses that challenge your core strength in different ways, including letting you play with different Plank Pose variations.

It’s definitely a stronger intermediate approach to a yoga practice and a great way to not only get your workout in but also boost your energy. Consider using this exercise to also clarify how you want your day to go by choosing one word that represents what you want to feel and reminding yourself of that during your core strength sequence yoga session.

12 minute morning strength yoga for core strength

No props are needed for this exercise, but you are always welcome to bring them.

Lying QL stretch

Start lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet close to the edges of the mat. Then lower both knees and thighs to the left, as if you were pausing while using the windshield wipers. Stay here or enhance the stretch by crossing your left ankle over your right knee and releasing your knee toward the mat.

You can also reach your right arm across your head so you can stretch through the obliques as well. Rest your left hand on your stomach and feel the rise and fall of your breathing. This is probably your first intentional connection with your breathing today. Stay connected to the rhythm as you linger here.

Cross your ankles, move your knees back to center, and keep your feet wide apart as you perform the stretch on the opposite side, dropping both knees and thighs to the right.

Recumbent bicycle

Lift your shins and feet off the mat and bend your knees so that your shins are parallel to the mat. Push your lower back into the mat. (If this shifts your knees forward toward your chest, reposition your knees over your hips.) You should feel your lower abdominal muscles tighten just by doing this.

Place your fingers behind the back of your head. This is a slow, controlled cycling movement. As you inhale, curl forward and lift your head and shoulders off the mat as you draw your abdomen in. As you exhale, turn to the right and extend your left leg straight out. Try not to move your right knee at all. Inhale and come back to center as you lift higher. Exhale as you turn to the left and straighten your right leg. Inhale and come back to center and continue a few times.

Downward Facing Dog

Find your way to your first downward facing dog of the day. Maybe pull your knees toward your stomach, cross your ankles, and rock forward onto your hands and knees. So your hands are shoulder distance apart, your feet are hip distance apart, then tuck your toes and extend your hips up and back. If your hamstrings and low back are quite tight, you may want to do a very generous bend in your knees.

Downward Facing Dog to Plank

Think of curling and lifting your tailbone towards the sky. Really pull your lower abs in to engage the core before inhaling and undulating forward like a wave, lifting your heels and coming all the way forward into Plank Pose. Push into your fingertips. Exhale and move your hips up and back into Down Dog. Do the same 3 more times, breathing all the way forward into your Pose Pose and exhaling as you go up and back. Repeat that 2 more times.

Plank Toe Tapered

Hold your plank. You are going to lift the right foot off the mat and then tap your toes to the mat and back up again 5 times. So 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stay in Plank as you repeat with the left foot.

Three-legged dog

Return to Downward Facing Dog and reach your right leg toward the sky, bend your knee, open your hip and give yourself a good stretch here.

Low dropout

Step forward with your right foot toward the top of the mat. You don’t swing the leg forward with momentum, but move with control. Lower your back knee to the mat and press your right foot and left knee into the mat as you lift yourself upright into Low Lunge. Keep your gaze forward and lift and extend the lower back. Stay here or press your hands together against your chest and reach them up in a slight backbend. Turn your hands back to the mat.

Half split twist

Straighten your right leg and slide your heel forward as necessary, in half splits. Flex your right foot to pull the top of your foot toward you. Keep your hips above your left knee. Keep your left hand or fingertips on the mat and reach your right arm toward the sky. Try to pull the lower abdomen in. Find a great piece here.

Half splits

Return your right hand to the mat and fold your chest slightly forward into half splits.

Plank pose

Bend your front knee and step back into Plank.

Cobra or upward-facing dog

Slowly lower yourself all the way to the mat and come into Cobra Pose by pressing your hands into the mat to lift your chest (pictured above) or only lower yourself halfway through Chaturanga and then lift yourself into Upward Facing Dog.

Downward Facing Dog

Lift your hips into Down Dog and repeat Three-Legged Dog, Low Lunge, Half Split Twist, Plank and Cobra or Up Dog on the left side. When you come back to Down Dog, stretch it out here.

Variation with side planks

Bring your knees to the mat in Tabletop and prepare for a Side Plank variation by straightening your right leg and keeping your left knee on the mat. Roll onto the inside edge of your right foot and extend your right arm up toward the sky.

Lift your right leg so that your foot is about the same height as your hip. Squeeze your glutes, pull your abdomen toward your spine, and try looking at something that isn’t moving to help keep your balance.

Stay here and tap your toes on the mat, as you did in Plank, for a count of 5.

Or you can lift your left knee off the mat into Side Plank instead. Lift your hips. Breathe here. And then rotate your right arm down and come back to the table top. Repeat on the other side.

Child’s pose

Sink your hips back with your big toes together and your knees apart and lean your chest forward into child’s pose. Slow your breathing to slow your heart rate. Ask yourself again what your one-word intention is today.

Seated silence

Walk your hands inward, lift your chest, and sit in a manner that is comfortable for your hips and lower back. As you bring your practice to a close, really anchor yourself in your one-word intention for the day.

Thank you so much for doing this short power yoga current with me. I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully you will make practicing a short morning yoga practice a habit.