This 10-minute morning yoga routine delivers the full-body movement your body wants at the start of your day along with the focus that your mind needs. It includes some seated stretches, a kneeling version of Wild Thing, standing poses, even some unexpected transitions and dynamic takes on postures. And it’s quick and simple enough that you can practice it every morning.

Rather than going straight into the poses at the beginning, we take a moment to pause and set an intention for the day. You’ll repeat that phrase to yourself at times throughout the intention-setting morning yoga practice to help set you up for the day ahead. The card I pulled at random from my “I Radiate Joy” deck is, “My thoughts, words, and actions are aligned with my values.” Let that help ground you through your practice and the hours following it.

Let’s start by taking a seat.

10-Minute Morning Yoga Routine for Intention Setting

Seated Intention Setting + Shoulder Circles

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Find a comfortable position, whether sitting cross-legged or kneeling. Then roll your shoulders back, close your eyes, and place one hand on your lower belly and the other hand over your heart. Take some deep breaths in and out through your nose, relaxing through your facial muscles. As you breathe, feel it through both palms as you expand across your chest and belly.

Take 5 more breaths right here and internally repeat the affirmation a few times. “My thoughts, words, and actions are aligned with my values.”

Open your eyes, bring your hands to your knees, and start to trace some circles with your shoulders. You’re trying to open up a little through the lower back and hips by keeping your sit bones anchored into the mat. Take 2 more circles in the same direction.

Instead of going the opposite direction right away, continue with the next pose.

Seated Side Body Stretch

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Extend your right leg straight out to the side. As you inhale, reach your left arm up and overhead in a big side body stretch.

Baby Wild Thing

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Then plant your left hand behind you on the mat and the next time you inhale, reach your right arm overhead into Baby Wild Thing.

You’re going to flow in and out of those two poses. So inhale and take a side body stretch as you reach your arm alongside your head, and then reach it back and lift into Baby Wild Thing. Do that twice more, trying to create some space and length through both sides of your waist.

Change the crossing of your legs, so you have the other shin on top, and make some Seated Shoulder Circles in the other direction. Then start with a Seated Side Body Stretch, plant your hand down, and lift your hips into Baby Wild Thing. Do 3 more like this on this side, breathing in and out, as you stretch it out. You might notice a difference in the range of motion from one side to the other. That’s completely normal.

Knee to Nose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Bring yourself to hands and knees, palms underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips. Inch yourself toward the top of your mat and then straighten your right leg behind you and push through your right heel, so you’re stretching through your calf and ankle. Think of drawing the lower belly in, flattening through your lower back, and rocking your weight slightly forward.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Push into the ball of your right foot to steady yourself, tuck your left knee, and draw it toward your nose as you round your back and contract your core.

Three-Legged Dog

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Then lift your left leg up and back into Three-Legged Dog. Bend your left knee, open your hip, and feel the stretch along the front of your left thigh. Push down through your right heel to steady yourself.

High Lunge

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Step your left foot forward to the top of the mat in between your hands and keep your back knee lifted off of the mat. Push down through your feet as you lift your chest and arms into High Lunge. Your feet are hip distance apart, which will help a lot with your balance as you lift yourself.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Bend your elbows in a cactus shape, squeeze your shoulder blades behind you, and lift your elbows so they’re at shoulder height. Maybe you find a little backbend here as you lift through your chest and shift your gaze upward. Keep that generous bend in your front knee. Then release the backbend and straighten your arms alongside your head in your High Lunge.

Warrior 2

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)
Reach your arms straight out from your shoulders, hands reaching toward the front and back of the mat, as you spin your back foot parallel to the short edge of the mat. Bend into your left knee and squeeze it open. Stack your shoulders directly over your hips so you’re not leaning forward.

Reverse Warrior

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Reverse your right arm down and reach your left arm up in Reverse Warrior. Lean into another big side body stretch here.

Plank Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Inhale as you circle your hands back to the mat to frame your front foot and step back to Plank Pose.

Cobra

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Exhale as you lower all the way to your stomach and lift your chest a little or a lot into the backbend known as Cobra.

Child’s Pose

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Press your hips back toward your heels and release your forehead to the mat in Child’s Pose. Relax through your arms, upper back, neck, and shoulders. Take 5 slow breaths here as you repeat to yourself, “My thoughts, words, and actions are aligned with my values.”

Come back to hands and knees toward the front of the mat and repeat Knee to Nose, Three-Legged Dog, High Lunge, Warrior 2, Reverse Warrior, Plank, Cobra, and Child’s Pose.

Closing

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Walk your hands in, lift yourself up, and take a seat, however feels comfortable for you. Sit up nice and tall, close your eyes, and notice how you feel now as opposed to when you first stepped onto your mat. Then consider how you can put that affirmation into action today.

Thank you so much, everyone, for doing this 10-minute morning yoga routine for intention setting with me. I hope this helps you feel grounded while also being energized and ready for the day ahead.