10 Minute Morning Yoga Workout for Flexibility and Energy

We all need that morning energizer.

But rather than reach for the caffeine, why not try the world’s oldest workout?

This 10-minute morning yoga workout for flexibility will:

• Engage your muscles
• Loosen joints
• Relieve tension
• Calm your mind
• Wake you up!

Best of all, its powerful effects will sustain you all day long.

Benefits of a Morning Yoga Workout

Performing a morning yoga workout while many are hitting the snooze button, will give you greater confidence and self-worth.

It will also encourage healthy habits for the remainder of your day.

What’s more, this ‘me’ time allows you to focus on your goals for the day ahead.

See also: 10 Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress

Stronger Immunity and Greater Energy

This morning yoga workout provides a shot in the arm to your immune system.

It rallies your internal troops – the body’s white blood cells.

In addition, your energy levels will soar but your stress levels will drop…making you feel calmer.

Weight Loss

A morning yoga workout is one way to shift those pounds.

If you’re desk-bound all day, the food you eat for breakfast and lunch will no longer be stored as fat.

Rather, those a.m. calories will be used for energy and to replenish your body.

Related: 11 Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

Why is Being Flexible Important?

Ever sustained an injury by performing an everyday task?  Something as mundane as bending over and picking up a pen?

This is because stiff, tight muscles make you far more prone to injuries from sudden movements.

Supports Functional Movement

The good news is that increased flexibility can guard against mishaps by supporting functional movement.

No more tweaked knee joints or sprained back from picking up junior or carrying those heavy shopping bags.

Increased flexibility has many other hidden benefits besides injury prevention.

Combats Back Pain

Back pain affects most of us at some point.

In fact, more than half of Americans who suffer from back pain spend their workday sitting.

Tight hip, thigh and hamstring muscles from inactivity can trigger back pain or worsen an existing condition.

But stretching these areas through regular morning yoga is a sure-fire way to halt the majority of lumber complaints.

View: 7 Best Yoga Poses for Lower Back Pain (And How I Avoided the Scalpel)

Improves Heart and Circulatory Health

A suppler body can even ward off cardiovascular disease.

As yoga stretches your muscles, it also stretches the blood vessels within those muscles…which strengthens your cardiovascular system.

There’s many other benefits of yoga – some of which may surprise you.

Here’s your 10-minute morning yoga workout for flexibility and energy

1. Child’s Pose

The child’s pose is commonly used to finish yoga workouts.

So why start a morning yoga workout with the child’s pose?

Simple – it’s easy to get out of bed, knowing that you’re going to start with the child pose.

The child’s pose will effectively stretch your hips, thighs and ankles and back.

1. Come to the mat and kneel with your knees about hip width. Gently lower your chest to your things and your forehead (third eye) to the mat.

Beginner Tip: sitting on a cushion or yoga block will make this pose a little easier.

2. As you lower your forehead to come to rest upon the mat, slide your hands rearwards towards your feet, with your palms facing up.

3. Take long, slow, deep breaths, feeling your back broaden. Let go of all your stress and feel your body becoming heavy.

4. Continue for roughly 20-30 seconds and then rise back up.

5. A variation of this pose involves stretching your arms out in front of you with your palms facing down on the mat.

2. Cat Cow Pose

The Cat Cow Pose is great for opening up the spine, stretching your tummy muscles and helps to align breathe with body.

It not only offers relief from an existing lower back pain but will also increase the flexibility of your neck and shoulder.

1. It’s important to begin with the correct posture: shoulders directly over wrists, and hips over knees.

2. On your inhale, drop your navel towards the mat, take your shoulders back, open up across your chest and gaze up towards the sky.

3. As you exhale, begin to arch your spine, draw your rib cage in, lengthen your tail bone towards the ground and drop your head.

4. Inhale back to Cow, Exhale back to Cat.

Top Tip: Use your toes by pressing them into the matt for Cow.  Release them for the Cat by pressing the tops of your feet down into the mat.

Read: 8 Yoga Poses for Depression

3. Downward Facing Dog

From your Up-Cat pose, we’re now going to transition into Downward Facing Dog – ideal for decompressing the spine after a night lying in bed and stretching your hamstrings, calves and Achilles tendon.

1. Ensure that your toes are still tucked under.  Keeping your knees slightly bent, lift your hips towards the sky.

2. Engage your thigh muscles to straighten your legs and draw your heels down to the floor.

Beginner’s Tip: To make this easier, try ‘walking the heels’ one-by-one to straighten your legs.  Otherwise, it’s okay to keep your knees bent and focus and lengthening your spine.

3. Refine your pose by making sure your wrists are parallel to the front of your mat, spread your fingers and press down with your knuckles into the mat. As you do so, draw up through your palms to create a cupping action, a technique known as Hasta Bandha.

4. Don’t hunch your shoulders but roll them away from your ears and relax your head and neck.

Note: Rather than hold this pose static, continue to walk your heels and create some fluidity within your pose.

4. Rag Doll Pose

This pose is a variation of the forward fold which helps to intensify the stretch in your upper back.

It also compliments the Cat Cow pose as it lengthens your hamstrings and calves.

1. From Downward Facing Dog, walk your feet towards the edge of your mat.  Space your feet wide so the outside edges of your feet are close to the sides of your mat.

2. Gently clasp your elbows and keeping your knees bent, relax your neck and allow your head to hang heavy. Allow gravity to exert its gentle pull as you sway from side to side.

3. Remain in this pose for as long as is comfortable before we transition into our next pose…

5. Cobra Pose

The Cobra Pose is perfect for opening up your chest, shoulders, and abdomen as well as relieving stiffness in your lower back.

1. You can come into this pose from a plank position.  Exhale and slowly lower yourself down to the mat.

Beginner’s Tip: Your fingertips should be in line with the front of your shoulder and the tops of your toes pressed into the mat.

2. Roll your shoulder back and gently press your elbows into your torso. Inhale and press down with your hands and at the same time, send your chest forward and skywards.

3. Lift your chest without using your arm strength into a low cobra position at first by engaging your lower back and butt muscles. Hold for 5 -6 seconds and then lower yourself back to the mat.

4. Pressing down with your pelvis, tops of the feet and thighs and now more so with your palms, continue rising your chest even further. Even in the highest position, don’t straighten your arms as this pushes your shoulders forward and diverts the stretch away from your chest. Rather, keep your elbows tucked into your sides and shoulders back.

5. Hold for 5 or 6 breathes and then very slowly lower your torso back to the mat.

6. Low Lunge

The low lunge is one of the best yoga poses for stretching tight psoas muscles and relieving tension in your thighs and hamstrings.

1. From either Downward Facing Dog or the Cobra Pose, exhale and step your right foot between your hands. Ensure your right knee is stacked over your right heel.

2. Lower your left knee to the floor and slide your left foot back feeling the stretch in your quads and groin.

3. Sweep your arms outwards and upwards until they’re perpendicular to the ground whilst lifting your torso upright.

4. Direct your gaze upwards, tilting your head back but be careful you don’t crank the back of your neck. Stretch your fingers towards the ceiling and hold for 5 – 6 deep, controlled breathes.

5. To release the pose, exhale and lower your chest back to your right thigh. Repeat on the other side.

See also: 10 Yoga Poses for Flexibility

7. Triangle Pose

The triangle pose will provide a mild twisting stretch whilst strengthening your leg muscles.

1. Stand with your feet roughly 3 feet apart with your right foot pointing out at 90 degrees, left foot at roughly 45 degrees. Keep your pelvis and chest pointing forwards.

2. Inhale and raise your arms upwards so they’re parallel to the ground. Lengthen your right arm by sending your hips to the left, exhale and bring your right hand down to hold your right shin.

3. As you bend, make sure you pivot from the hips and without collapsing your waist which should be kept as straight as possible.

4. Tuck your tailbone in, lift your heart up, and raise your left arm towards the sky. Slowly tilt your head to the left so your gaze settles on your right thumb.

5. Breathe deeply and hold the pose as long as you feel comfortable and then release. Now make sure you perform the pose on the opposite side of your body.

8. Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

The Half Lord of the Fishes Pose continues the spinal stretch begun with the Triangle Pose.

The gentle compression provided by the rotation, aids digestion, eliminates waste and massages your internal organs. 

Great if you suffer from digestive issues.

1. From a seated position, bend at your knees bringing your feet onto the mat, then slip your left foot under your right leg so you’re resting the outside of your left thigh on the floor.

2. Step your right foot over your left thigh, exhale and gently twist towards the right. Place your left upper arm across your right thigh close to the knee, and your left hand firmly on the mat behind you.

3. Pull your abdomen into your right thigh. Continue the twist by turning your gaze to the right.

In Conclusion

Consistency is key!

If you want to see fast results, practice this morning yoga workout daily.

You’ll quickly notice an increase in your flexibility and energy.

But why stop there?

Yoga can serve as many purposes as you want it to.  There are poses for every conceivable ailment.

Introducing: Yoga Burn for Women

If you’re really serious about improving your health with yoga and want a simple yoga strategy you can use in the comfort of your own home, then I highly recommend Zoe Bray-Cotton’s Yoga Burn for Women.

Yoga Burn for Women promises to help you:

• Shape and tone
• De-stress and relieve tension
• Manage your weight
• Gain flexibility
• Boost immunity and
• Generally become more happy and healthy

In fact, Zoe is so sure that you’ll love the results from Yoga Burn for Women that she offers a full, 60-day, no-questions-asked money back guarantee in the unlikely event that you’re not delighted with your results.

Not only do you get this RISK FREE money back guarantee, but if you act now, you’ll receive Zoe’s Limited Time Price Offer and access to her weekly BONUS videos designed to improve your overall experience and results with Yoga Burn for Women.

In this program, you’ll learn the secret to Yoga Burn for Women’s success – a technique known as Dynamic Sequencing.

This strategy forces your body to adapt, giving you a more shapely, feminine body that looks great.

What’s more, Yoga Burn for Women is designed exclusively for women from any walk of life who want to lose weight and get in shape, without trekking to the gym and spending countless hours performing fruitless cardio.

The program is specifically tailored to suit women of all fitness levels from the very new to advanced yoga students.

You’ll also learn how to optimize each pose to take advantage of your very own fitness levels.

Check out Yoga Burn for Women here!

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