Begin Your Day With a Ten-Minute Morning Flow

Morning yoga class moving through warrior poses — Our 6:30am sunrise class, halfway through the standing series.

You do not need an hour. You need ten minutes, a patch of floor, and the discipline to move before you check your phone. This is the exact sequence I give beginners who say they "have no time" — five postures, one breath per movement, repeated three times.

The Sequence

1. Standing side stretch (2 minutes)

Feet rooted, fingers interlaced overhead. Lean right for five slow breaths, left for five. Feel the ribs separate; the night compresses us more than we admit.

2. Forward fold with soft knees (2 minutes)

Hinge, don't yank. Nod yes and shake no to release the neck. Let the head hang heavy — the brain enjoys being below the heart for a while.

3. Low lunge, each side (3 minutes)

Right foot forward, left knee down, arms rising. Hip flexors shorten overnight in beds and chairs; this is their morning apology.

4. Downward dog pedalling (2 minutes)

Pedal the feet, bend one knee then the other. Ten breaths. Notice the calves waking up like a slow sunrise.

5. Seated breath count (1 minute)

Sit, close the eyes, count ten exhales. Done. The day can begin, and you have already practised.

Consistency beats intensity the way water beats stone — not by force, but by returning.

Three Rules That Make It Stick

Same corner, same time. Decision fatigue kills morning practice; ritual saves it.
Phone in another room. The feed will wait. Your spine won't.
Never skip twice. Miss a day? Fine. Miss two and the habit starts renegotiating.

When ten minutes feels easy — usually around week three — come and try the full sunrise Hatha class. It is this sequence, grown up.