5 minute morning yoga routine
This is a 5 minute morning yoga stretch routine meant to help you ease into your day. It targets the hips and spine and is incredibly easy. For best results, these stretches should be done consistently, on a daily basis.
Seated Toe Touch
This move is super simple and you probably already know where it’s going, but we’ve added some extra components to really dig into your lower back muscles, as well as neck and shoulder muscles.
While sitting, put your legs in front of you as straight as you possibly can. Many people can’t fully straighten their legs, so don’t even feel bad about that. You gotta start somewhere.
Lean forward and reach for those toes while keeping your legs as straight as you initially had them. Don’t compromise straight legs for reach. Don’t let your knees bend outwards.
NOW… This is where the burn really comes in. You’re going to lower your chin to your chest. Lower your head slowly, but as far as you can. You might feel a very intense burn in your lower back, shoulder blades, basically your entire spine. Hold it. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Move your neck around gently. Do this until you feel good about it. Don’t be a quitter. The more it hurts, the more you need it.
Cross-Over Toe Touch
Another super basic move, but let’s go. Still sitting, spread your legs as wide as you can. Take a moment to lean forward, rotate your waist around gently, come back to sitting upright. Now, take your left hand and reach towards your right foot. If you can grab it, great. If not, that’s why we’re here. Bring it back up to an upright position. Now do the opposite: right hand to left foot. Dig into it. Look for the burn. We’re looking for weak spots in your armor. Alternate sides until you feel like you could break into a dance.
Head-to-Knee Toe Touch
This one is a personal favorite. Still sitting, still got your legs spread as wide as you can, spine nice and long in an upright position. Get that spine nice and long. If you did the previous two moves, you should be feeling pretty loose, which is going to come in handy with this move. Take your left hand, put it in the air, as high as it will go and reach over, bending at your waist, and grab for your right foot. If you need to bend your left leg for more mobility, go ahead and tuck it in. You might reach for your left knee using your right hand to get a deeper twist. You’ll feel this one in your ribs and shoulder blades, and maybe even your hips. Alternate. Bend your right leg, reach for left foot with your right hand and your right knee with your left hand. Alternate a few more times.
I like to go between cross-over toe touches and head-to-knee toe touches a few times before calling it good.
Then end it with a butterfly pose, legs still spread, bring the soles of your feet together, lean forward as far as you can, breathing through the pose.
Don’t forget to breathe deeply during this routine. This is meant to be a 5 minute morning yoga stretch. It is an easy stretch to decompress your spine after a long night and lightly energize you for the morning. This is a great stretch for runners, as it really targets the hamstrings.