15-Minute Yoga Flow to Start Your Day Strong

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Sometimes you need help when it comes to energizing and focusing yourself at the start of your day. This 15-minute morning yoga flow does exactly that. The practice integrates vinyasa with strength-based poses to remind you how to ignite your power, build your momentum, and find your focus, even on those days when you’re feeling sluggish.

The somewhat intense practice includes dynamic versions of familiar poses and a core-strengthening transition into whatever version of Side Plank you prefer. But you’re not trying to deplete your energy first thing in the morning. You’re simply trying to connect with and build that power so you can help wake yourself up, even on those mornings when you’re not feeling motivated. Afterward, it helps you slow things down with simple, quieting stretches.

The 15-minute morning yoga practice is also a chance to create some time and space to connect with yourself, ask how you’re feeling, and remind yourself how you want to feel and what you want to focus on throughout your day. This mental check-in can be instrumental before you rush headlong into your schedule. Think of it as an opportunity to set the tone for how you show up not just to your practice but to everything.

15-Minute Morning Yoga Flow to Start Your Day

This yoga flow starts with standing side bends, which are super energizing. Then it takes you through some dynamic variations on Warrior 2 and 3 to help strengthen your quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

Mountain Pose

Start standing at the back of the mat with your feet about hip-distance apart and your palms at your side and facing forward in Mountain Pose (Tadasana). Draw your shoulders down and away from your ears as you ground down into your feet, lengthen through your spine, and reach the top of your head toward the ceiling. Maybe close your eyes here.

Standing Side Bends

Inhale as you extend your arms overhead in Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana).

Then interlace your fingers, and release your thumbs and index fingers. Exhale as you push your hips to the right and lean your upper body to the left in a standing side bend. Inhale as you come back through center and exhale as you lean to the right, pushing your hips to the left. Repeat that once more on each side, inhaling to lift and exhaling to bend. Come back to center.

Standing Backbend

Bend your elbows to create a cactus shape as you inhale and lift throughout your chest and then exhale as you find a slight backbend, squeezing your shoulder blades toward each other. Release back through to standing as you inhale.

Standing Forward Bend

Let’s start to flow. Inhale and reach your arms up and let your palms come together. Exhale and fold forward at the hips in Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana). If you’re feeling tight along your back body, bend your knees.

Standing Half Forward Bend

Inhale and lift halfway with a flat back in Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana). Bring most of your weight into the balls of your feet.

Plank

Exhale to fold forward again. Bend your knees and walk your hands forward into your Plank Pose. Hold your Plank for several breaths or tap your knees to the mat and then lift them three times..

Downward-Facing Dog

Shift your hips up and back into your first Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Breathe here as you create some space through the backs of your legs, through your spine, and through your arms. Relax your neck and maybe peddle it out with your legs.

Scorpion Dog

When you’re ready, reach your right leg toward the ceiling, bend your knee, and squeeze your heel toward your seat to stretch your hip and quads.

High Lunge

Step your right foot forward between your hands and come into a High Lunge with your feet hip-distance apart and your front knee generously bent. Keep your back knee bent and your hips beneath your shoulders. Reach through your arms and lift out of your lower back.

Warrior 3

Bring your hands together at your chest and shift your weight into your right foot. Slowly lift your left knee and draw it toward your chest as you find your balance here.

Lift your knee a little higher and flex through your lifted foot as you reach your leg straight in front of you.

Then sweep it behind you in Warrior 3 (Virabhadrasana III). You can take any arm variation that you’d like here. Stay here or bend your right knee to lower yourself a little toward the mat, almost like a one-legged squat, and then press back up to standing. Bend and straighten here twice more.

Flow

From Warrior 3, bring your left toes to the mat as if you were coming back into a Lunge. Then step back to Plank and slowly lower yourself all the way to the mat. Come into Cobra (Bhujangasana) or Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) and then come back to Downward-Facing Dog in a simple yoga flow.

Walk your hands to the back of the mat, bend your knees generously, and push into your heels as you slowly roll, inch by inch, up to standing. Then do the same thing on the other side, beginning with Plank, Down Dog, Scorpion Dog, High Lunge, Warrior 3, and a flow that takes you into Down Dog.

Start the same flow as last time, moving with your breath as you start standing at the back of the mat, then fold forward, lifting halfway, walking yourself out to Plank, tapping your knees if you like, and then coming back to Down Dog.

Warrior 2

From Down Dog, reach your right leg toward the ceiling, bend your right knee, and open your hip. Step your right foot in between your hands and spin your back heel down. Reach your arms straight out from your shoulders and sink as low as you can in your Warrior 2. Think of squeezing your front knee open to the right. As you inhale, straighten your front leg and bring your hands together at your chest. As you exhale, sink your hips a little lower. Do that twice more.

Extended Side Angle

From Warrior 2, bring your front forearm to your thigh or your fingertips to the mat or a block. Rotate your chest toward the left and try to lean back here in Extended Side Angle.

Side Plank

From Extended Side Angle, bring your left hand to the mat into a lunge and immediately transition into Side Plank by lifting your left heel, rolling onto the outer edge of your left foot, and stepping back and stacking your right foot on your left foot. Squeeze to lift your hips even higher.

Yoga Flow

Take yourself through Plank, Chaturanga, Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog, and then Downward-Facing Dog. See if you can reach your heels a little closer to the mat. Walk your hands to the back of the mat, bend your knees, and roll all the way up. Repeat the same sequence on the left side, inhale. Reach and lift. Fold as you breathe out. Lift halfway flat back. Find your Plank Pose and tap down 3 times. Then come into Down Dog, open your hip, and step forward into a dynamic Warrior 2 followed by Extended Side Angle, Side Plank, and the rest of your yoga flow. Stretch it out one last time here in Down Dog.

Standing Wide-Legged Forward Bend

From Down Dog, walk your hands in, bend your knees generously, and roll all the way up to standing. Turn to face the long side of the mat and widen your feet to take them parallel to the shorter side of the mat. Place your hands on your hips and take an inhale as you really lengthen through the spine. Maintain this space in the spine as you hinge from the hips and fold forward. You can do any arm variation that you’d like here but try to keep your shoulders away from your ears.

If you’d like, you can play with bending your right knee while keeping your left leg straight. And then straighten your right leg and bend your left knee. Come back to center with both legs straight and take one more moment here as you walk your hands straight in front of you and let your head hang.

Reverse Tabletop

From your Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend, toe-heel your feet closer toward one another and take a seat. You’re coming into Reverse Tabletop, so bring your feet in front of you, hip-distance apart and your hands behind you, shoulder-distance apart. Spread your fingertips and all you’re going to do is push down into the mat as you inhale and squeeze your seat to lift your hips, getting some chest opening here. You might feel this in your shoulders but really work on the strength coming from your hamstrings and glutes. Exhale as you come back down.

Stretch

From sitting on the mat, contract your abdominals and slowly lower yourself down onto your back in a controlled fashion. At first your lower back will start to come into contact with the mat, then your mid back, and finally, your upper back. Reach your arms overhead, straighten your legs, and take a big stretch here.

Reclined Twist

Then take a twist before you finish this practice. Bend your right knee, pull your thigh toward your chest, and take it over to the left in a twist. Your right knee is going to go all the way over to the left, and your right arm is going to extend out to the right side. Breathe here.

And then come back through center and switch sides. While you’re here, you may like to choose one word as a focal point for your day, such as patience.

Come back through center, bring both knees toward your belly and give them a big squeeze and maybe rock a little side to side. Linger here and eventually make your way onto one side or rock yourself forward and slowly come to sitting for just a few breaths. Sit up tall and just take a few moments here as you connect with what you just experienced in your yoga flow and with want for your day.

About Our Contributor

Kassandra Reinhardt is an Ottawa-based Yin Yoga and vinyasa yoga instructor whose YouTube channel, Yoga With Kassandra, has grown to 2.2 million subscribers and has more than 230 million views. Kassandra recently released her guided yoga journal, My Yoga Journey: A Guided Journal, her daily affirmation card deck, I Radiate Joy,and her book, Year of Yoga.