This morning yoga sequence is a 15-minute routine to wake the body gently: a few breaths lying down, cat-cow, downward dog, two easy sun salutations, a lunge and a standing balance, and a short seated pause. It is a newly designed educational sequence by YogaVacation. There is no traditional “morning sequence”; many yoga schools simply recommend practising in the morning, and the sun salutation is the classic morning practice in several of them.
How the sequence is built
After sleep the spine and hips are often stiff, so the routine starts on the floor with small movements, rises through hands-and-knees to standing, and only then adds the larger movements of the sun salutation. It ends with a balance to wake up attention and a minute of sitting still. Use the beginner sun salutation (knees down, cobra, stepping) for the two rounds; if you already know it, the 12-position sun salutation works as well.
The routine, step by step
On the floor (about 3 minutes). Lie on your back with the knees bent and the hands on the belly, and breathe easily for a minute, letting each exhalation grow a little longer. Then hug both knees to the chest and rock gently from side to side for about five breaths; this wakes up the lower back without asking much of it.
Hands and knees (about 3 minutes). Roll to one side and come to cat-cow: inhale to arch, exhale to round, six to eight times. Tuck the toes and lift into downward dog, bending one knee and then the other to “pedal” the feet for about five breaths. Walk the feet to the hands, hang in a soft-kneed forward fold for three breaths and roll up slowly, head last.
Standing (about 7 minutes). From mountain pose, do two rounds of the beginner sun salutation, the first leading with the right leg and the second with the left. Then take a low lunge on each side for three to five breaths, and finish standing with tree pose on each side, the foot on the calf or inner thigh, never on the knee.
Seated (about 2 minutes). Sit cross-legged on a cushion, or on a chair, and rest with the eyes closed or soft. Notice the breath and how the body feels compared with when you started.
What the traditions say about practicing in the morning
Two classic manuals agree that morning is a good time, and are honest about why it can feel hard. In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar writes that the best time to practice is early in the morning or late in the evening; in the morning the body is stiff and poses do not come easily, but the mind is fresh, and regular practice overcomes the stiffness. He also suggests that morning practice helps you work better during the day. The Bihar School’s Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha says the stomach should be empty for asanas, at least three or four hours after food, and notes that this is one reason early morning practice is recommended. The Bihar book also asks you to breathe through the nose and never to use force or strain. That is why this routine starts small and slow, and why a glass of water and a light breakfast are best kept for afterward.
How the counting and sides work
Moving steps follow the breath (inhale to lift or arch, exhale to fold or round), five to eight times. Held steps stay three to five breaths. Do two rounds of the sun salutation: the first leading with the right leg, the second with the left. Lunges and the balance are done on the right, then the left. These counts are our suggestion.
How to practise it safely
- Move more slowly than you would later in the day; the first round should feel like a stretch, not a workout.
- Low blood pressure or morning dizziness: come up from forward folds slowly, head last.
- Wrist pain: forearms instead of hands in tabletop, and fists or blocks in downward dog.
- Back problems, pregnancy or recent surgery: ask a qualified teacher or health professional first.
This sequence has not yet been reviewed by a qualified teacher.
Easier alternatives
Stay standing with the gentle standing sun salutation, or sit with the chair yoga sequence. For the end of the day, see bedtime yoga.
