Find stillness, create momentum.
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Published October 14, 2025 05:07AM
Whether you identify as a morning person or cling to the covers for as long as possible, transitioning from a sleeping state to a waking one requires a significant shift in awareness. Rather than rolling out of bed and groggily—or frantically—jumping into your usual a.m. regimen, pausing to practice morning yoga provides a more mindful transition to the waking world. Consider your yoga mat to be a liminal space between dreamland and reality. Then see how much more promising the day feels post-Savasana.
5 Morning Yoga Routines for a Mindful Wake-Up
Choose the a.m. practice that best suits your current mood or, if it’s a wrong-side-of-the-bed type of morning, choose based on your desired mood.
1. 15-Minute Yin Yoga for Relaxed Mornings
A first-thing mini-yin flow makes for a luxurious morning. Yin yoga is all about sustained holds, although yoga teacher Devi Daly allows that if you’re in a rush, you can opt for for as long—or as little—time in each as you can spare. Practice finding stillness in the discomfort and watch that sense of inner ease permeate your entire day.
2. 10-Minute Morning Yoga + Pilates for Core Strengthening
Yoga with Kassandra’s hybrid of yoga and Pilates invites you to start strong. This all-levels practice welcomes anyone, although Kassandra notes that it is intense, so prepare to breathe into it. Once you’re done, any of the day’s subsequent challenges are certain to feel doable.
3. 12-Minute Yoga to Ease You Into Your Day
This practice from yoga teacher Taylor Lorenz meets you exactly where you are. Invitations to indulge in intuitive movement abound, allowing you to move in exactly the way you need as you align your body, breath, and spirit. Paying special attention to your body as it wakes up also allows you to send breath and energy to any areas that feel particularly tight or stiff.
4. 15-Minute Morning Yoga to Energize Your Day
For those who need an energy boost to kick off the day, yoga teacher Andrea Marcum’s morning flow makes dynamic use of the body. By balancing challenging hold and transitions with moments of stillness, these 15 minutes on your mat can help put you in the right state to step into your routine.
5. 10-Minute Morning Yin for Your Lower Back
If your back feels less-than-amazing first thing in the morning, you’re not alone. Yoga teacher Neeti Narula adjusts her morning flow to suit the body’s specific needs, and created this one to address her lower back. Gentle bends and folds allow your body the space to gently adjust to the whole “being upright” thing.
