Tired of hitting the snooze button? It’s time to transform your mornings with a quick and effective yoga practice. In just five minutes, you can awaken your body, boost your energy, and set a positive tone for the day.

Research suggests that incorporating morning movement can improve mood, focus, and overall well-being. Yoga is the perfect way to gently ease into your day and prepare both your mind and body for what lies ahead.

Let’s explore a simple yet powerful yoga routine to help you make the most of your mornings.

5-Minute Morning Yoga Routine

1. Child’s Pose

• Begin in a kneeling position. Bring your big toes together and separate your knees, leaving space for your belly. 
• Walk your hands forward and lower your torso to rest between your thighs. Draw your hips back towards your heels as your arms reach forward. Feel your spine lengthen from your tailbone to the crown of your head. 
• If you experience any discomfort in your shoulders, try a variation with your arms resting down by your sides instead.

2. Downward Facing Dog

• From Child’s Pose, reach your hands forward a couple more inches, spreading your fingers. Tuck your toes and begin to lift your hips.
• Exhale and slowly straighten your legs. Broaden your shoulder blades and grip your yoga mat with your fingertips.
• Keep your ears in between your upper arm bones to maintain the alignment of your head, neck, and spine. 
• If the stretch in your hamstrings is too intense for first thing in the morning, modify your Downward Facing Dog by bending the knees slightly. This modification will help create more length in your spine. 

3. Upward Facing Dog

• From Downward Dog, round forward to plank position (top of a pushup). Untuck your toes, placing the tops of your feet on the floor.
• Engage your quads and glutes as you drop your hips towards the floor. Squeeze the legs together, keeping the thighs lifted.
• Widen your collarbones and draw your chest forward. Create length in the spine by reaching the crown of the head up and forward. Press into your mat firmly with your hands and draw the shoulders away from the ears.
• Pull your belly in and up to activate the deepest muscles of your core to avoid lower back compression.
• Stay in Upward Facing Dog for a few breaths as you feel your lungs expand. To exit the pose, tuck your toes and use the strength of your arms, shoulders, and abdominals to push back to Downward Dog. 

4. Low Lunge

• From Downward Facing Dog, swing your right leg between your arms and plant your right foot in between your hands. 
• Untuck your back toes and place the top of the left foot on your mat. Gently lower your left knee to your mat.
• Square off your hips by pulling your right hip back and left hip forward. Allow your hips to sink toward the floor as you bend into your right knee. For safe alignment, be sure that the front knee stays pointing in the same direction as the toes (straight forward). 
• Inhale and reach your arms overhead. As you exhale, add a gentle backbend by lifting your head to the sky. Hold your low lunge for a few breaths, deepening with each exhale. 
• To exit the posture, plant your hands on either side of your front foot, and step the leg back Downward Facing the Dog. Switch legs to repeat Low Lunge on the second side (stepping the left foot forward). 

5. Lotus Pose

• Begin in an easy seated position with the legs crossed. Sit tall and lengthen the spine by reaching the crown of the head toward the sky. Feel your sitting bones rooted to the ground beneath you.
• Take ahold of the right shin and draw it towards your torso. Place your right foot in the crease of the left hip. Lift the left leg in the same manner and cross it over the right leg, placing the left foot in the crease of the right hip. 
• Widen the collarbones and draw the shoulders away from the ears. Place each hand mid-thigh, palms up to receive energy, or palms down to feel grounded. 
• Stay in quiet contemplation in your Lotus Pose, breathing with the intention for at least one minute. When you’re ready to exit, uncross your legs slowly and gently, being mindful of the knee joints. 

The Last Word

Whether you’re an experienced yogi, just becoming interested in yoga, or into another type of fitness, there are numerous physical benefits to beginning your day with movement.

And when you start your day with a bit of yoga, it can set a positive tone for the rest of your day mentally and emotionally as well. 

So before you reach for your coffee, see what five minutes on your yoga mat can do! 

I hope you enjoy this five-minute morning yoga routine.