Think about it? What is the one thing you do every morning that sets up your day for success? Is it a healthy breakfast? Mindful journaling? A walk? Exercise? Yoga, meditation?
For me, I’m usually good to go with a good cup of coffee, my favorite breathing exercise, and a couple of sun salutations. I’m more of an evening meditator so morning meditation isn’t that essential to me. Surprising, I know.
But whatever it may be, how you start your morning makes a huge difference in how your day unfolds.
The thing is, in this busy day and age, we don’t always have the time. We roll-out of bed, head-out the door, and pick-up whatever breakfast we can get at the local coffee shop.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can keep it super simple and get what we need in a matter of minutes.
This 10-minute morning “wake-up flow” has pretty much everything you need to get your yoga fix, connect with your breath, set your intentions, and get out the door.
In a matter of 10-minutes, you’ll move your spine in all different directions, you’ll strengthen your arms, core, and legs, you’ll move with the breath, and you’ll set intentions.
How’s that for a quick morning?
Your “Morning Wake-Up Flow Class” video is right down below. But first, let’s take a look at some of the key poses and why they’re some of the best poses to start your day.
Cat & Cow
The Cat/Cow combo is included in almost every yoga sequence.
Why?
Because they’re both great for warming up the spine while connecting with our natural rhythm of the breath.
As you flow through Cat/Cow, lengthen the movement by lengthening the breath. You can do this by adding a pause at the top of the inhale and emptying out the exhale completely.
Downward Facing Dog
Downdog is a great pose to wake up the legs in the morning. It’s also a mild inversion so it’s calming yet energizing. Not only that, but it’s a great arm and shoulder strengthener.
From tabletop, tuck the toes under and walk your hands a little bit forward of the shoulders. Begin to lift the knees a few inches and slowly, very slowly (this will add a little bit of a core strengthener), start to lift the hips up and back towards where the wall meets the ceiling behind you.
Keep the feet active and the heels aligned with the second and third toe (i.e. centered). Reach the heels down towards the mat (they don’t need to touch the ground, btw).
Draw the navel in towards the spine to create length along the torso. Relax the head and neck.
Low Crescent Lunge
Low crescent lunge helps to open the front of the thighs and hip flexors. These are some of the areas that tend to get tight with all the sitting, standing, and walking we do every day. There is also a slight backbend. Because of these, LCL is a great morning pose.
From downward facing dog, reach your right leg up and back behind you on the inhale.
On the exhale, step the foot forward between the hands.
Lower the back knee to the floor and crawl your hands on top of your thighs. If you’re ok with the balance here, you can reach both arms up towards the ceiling.
From here, instead of shifting the hips forward and dumping into your low back, keep the hips back a little and engage your abdominals and lift the frontal hip bones up.
To exit, lower your hand back down to frame your front foot. Go back to downdog.
Low Lunge Twist
Twists are heat building and energizing. This twist variation is also a mild chest and shoulder opener in addition to the hamstring strengthening and hip flexor stretch.
From low crescent lunge, lift the back knee and place your left hand flat on a block or tent your fingers. Reach the opposite arm up towards the ceiling.
Plank Pose
Plank pose is a total body strengthener. Seriously! It strengthens:
- The wrists
- Arms
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Abs (upper and lower)
- Legs and feet
So what else can I say? Great morning pose done alone or in any yoga sequence.
From downdog, lift the heels very high and begin to roll the torso forward until you stack the shoulders directly over the wrists.
Once here, keep everything engaged. Flex your feet. Keep the thighs active. Draw the navel in. Push the ground away and hug the arms in as if you had a giant beach ball between them. Keep the gaze slightly forward to keep the neck neutral.
Cobra
Cobra makes a great morning pose as it opens the chest and strengthens the upper back. It’s also a good stretch for the abdominals and hip flexors.
From plank pose, lower all the way down to the ground. Keep your hands a little bit behind the shoulders with the elbows pointing back. Draw the shoulder back and away from the ears and widen the chest. On an inhale, lift the chest as you press the tops of the feet into the ground while keeping the legs active.
Tadasana / Intention Setting
Mountain pose is great for grounding the body and mind. It makes us feel connected to the earth while creating a sense of stability and steadiness.
Stand with your feet parallel. Either toes touching and heels separated, or feet hip distance apart. Keet the feet active. A good way to activate the feet is to lift the toes off the ground. Keep the legs active and draw the navel in. Keep your arms down by the sides with your palms facing forward. This helps to open the chest slightly. Reach the crown of the head up.
In other words, stand tall and proud 🙂
Close your eyes and set your intention for the day.
Ask yourself, how do I want to feel at the end of today? What is the one thing I want to accomplish today? Why did I get out of bed?
Happy healthy and productive day!!!
You deserve it!!
Add a 10-minute meditation to your morning practice.
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