15-Minute Morning Yoga to Stretch and Strengthen Everything

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The 15-minute morning yoga practice is designed to be energy boosting with an equal emphasis on stretching and strengthening. The full-body flow focuses on building balance as well as core strength and definitely includes some challenges. And then you’ll finish with some mat stretches.

You’ll begin the practice standing for a boost of energy right away. The poses include an emphasis on building hip flexor strength. We often talk about stretching the hip flexors, because they can be quite tight if you sit at a desk a lot, but I also often find that they are often weak, so we also want to build stability and strength in these muscles.

The sequence may also remind you of the strengthening in everyday poses, such as Downward-Facing Dog, which is often referred to as a resting pose but requires considerable engagement.

15-Minute Morning Yoga for Stretching and Strengthening

No props are required for this practice although you’re welcome to work with them.

Mountain Pose

And we’re going to start standing at the top of the mat. Before you start strength building, just find your foundation in Mountain Pose (Tadasana). So with your feet are hip-width apart or wider, push down through all four corners of both feet, lift the quads, reach down with your tailbone, engage your lower belly, roll your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together, and lift the crown of your head so you feel a little lift.

Close your eyes here and take a few deep breaths, finding your center of gravity.

Standing Side Stretch

The next time you inhale, circle and reach your arms all the way up and grab hold of your right wrist with your left hand. You’re going to lean over into a crescent side bend by pushing into your right hip and leaning your upper body over to the left. Then lift and come back through center with the strength off your obliques and then switch sides. So grab  hold of your left wrist and really think of pulling and finding even more length along your left arm and side body by pushing your left hip out.

Cactus Stretch

Come all the way back up and through to center and take a cactus shape with your arms. So bend your elbows at about a 90-degree angle and really exaggerate the squeezing of your shoulder blades behind you as you lift through your chest in a little backbend here. Keep your elbows at the same height as your shoulders and then release.

Rag Doll

Bend your knees generously and fold forward into Rag Doll. You can hold on to your elbows or your upper arms and maybe sway side to side here, finding some length through the back of your legs, length through the spine, relaxing your neck, letting your head be heavy.

Chair Pose

Start to build a little heat in your body and keep your feet hip-width apart, bend into your knees, and sink your hips down as your arms reach alongside your head in Chair Pose (Utkatasana). So your hips are leaning back and most of your body weight is in your heels as opposed to your toes. Keep your knees pointing directly over your second and third toes.

Sink down a tiny bit deeper and then let’s press to standing and release.

Standing Hip Flexor-Strengthening

Bring your hands to your hips, lean your body weight into your right foot, and lift your left knee, flexing your foot and pointing your toes while keeping your hips at the same height. Then let your foot come back down, nice and slow, with control. This engages your hip flexors. Then lift your left knee again, flex your left foot and stretch it forward, then bend and release. Do that 3 more times on this side, flex and reach. You don’t need to go super high. Focus more on maintaining stability and balance as you keep your core engaged.

High Lunge

Step your left foot back so your feet are hip-width apart in High Lunge as if you’re on train tracks as opposed to close together on a tight rope. Bend into your back knee so you’re stretching deeply through the thigh and hip flexors you just worked. Reach your arms up and bend even more into your front knee.

Inhale to find length and, as you exhale, tilt forward and reach your arms back as nothing changes in your legs. Inhale as you come all the way back up. Exhale as you tilt forward and reach. Do that twice more. On the last one, hold here and bring your hands to your hips.

Triangle Pose

Straighten your front leg, bring your back heel down to the mat so you have your back foot roughly parallel to the short side of the mat, and come into Triangle Pose (Trikonasana). So your hips move back, your chest leans forward, and slide your right hand down your leg to your shin while opening your chest toward the long side of the mat. Try to stack your left shoulder over your right as you push evenly into both feet.

Maybe your left arm reaches upward. Think of rolling your left shoulder back. And you don’t need to look up if that feels uncomfortable for your neck. You can keep your gaze straight head or down.

Plank

Look down toward the mat, bend into your front knee, and find your flow by framing your front foot with both hands and inhaling as you step back to Plank Pose.

Cobra

Exhale as you lower all the way to your belly and take a light backbend in Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana), pushing into the tops of your feet and your hands.

Downward-Facing Dog

Then find your first Downward Dog. Feel free to bend your knees as much as you need. Maybe peddling out your feet, so alternating bending one knee and straightening the opposite leg. A lot of teachers call Downward Dog a resting pose. But there is so much happening here. It’s a full-body strengthener.

Keep lifting your hips up and back. Take another deep breath and walk your feet forward to the top of the mat, transitioning into your rag doll fold. So give yourself a moment, you might just keep your arms down and dangling. Then repeat the poses on the other side, starting with Chair Pose and ending in Downward-Facing Dog. Give yourself a breath or two here to stretch and lengthen through your spine.

Three-Legged Dog to Modified Side Plank

Lift your right leg, bend your right knee, and open your hip. Really push into your left heel and see if you can get your right knee even higher.

Shift forward to Plank Pose and tap your right knee to your right shoulder. Inhale and come back to Three-Legged Dog and stretch your leg up and back.

Take your right knee toward your left elbow. Inhale and reach up and back.

This time, take your right knee to your nose and then lower your knee and shin to the mat and stay stable on this right hand as you roll to the inner edge of your back left foot in a modified Side Plank (Vasisthasana) with your right knee down. Reach your left arm up, really working on stability here.

Cat-Cow

Bring your left hand down and find Tabletop. Instead of taking a flow, take a few rounds of Cat and Cow with your palms under your shoulders, knees under your hips. As you inhale, lower your belly and lift your gaze in Cow (Bitilasana).

As you exhale, round your back and contract your core in Cat (Marjaryasana). Take a few more like this.

Come back to Downward-Facing Dog and repeat Three-Legged Dog to Side Plank on the other side.

Child’s Pose

Following your Side Plank, instead of Cat and Cow, let’s release into a wide-legged Child’s Pose (Balasasana) with your big toes together, knees as wide as you would like, and press your hips back toward your heels.

Slow down your breath and feel the heat you’ve created through these strengthening and stabilizing poses. Take 3 more breaths here.

Rabbit

Walk your hands in and bring your knees toward one another and bring your hands to your heels as you keep your forehead on the mat. Lift your hips up so you’re gently coming more onto the crown of your head but without placing a lot of weight on your head or neck in Rabbit Pose. Keep hold of your heels for a stretch along your back.

Release and come to take any seat that is comfortable for you. Sit up tall, close your eyes, and take a little scan through your body. Notice what feels different, what feels more activated and engaged, and what feels more open.

Thank you for doing this strength-building morning practice and I hope you feel the difference in your day.