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free 10-minute morning yoga flow for mental health

Free 10-Minute Morning Yoga Flow by Dionne Monsanto
This free morning yoga routine is designed to wake your body, calm your mind, and set a joyful tone for your day — in under 10 minutes. Created by certified yoga instructor and life transformation coach Dionne C. Monsanto, this beginner-friendly morning yoga flow for mental health guides you through 5 gentle yoga postures you can do from your bed or floor, no equipment needed.
Go through all 5 moves once without rest, then repeat the full sequence one more time. That's it — 10 minutes, 20 reps each, and your body and mind are ready for the day.
 

Flow details:

Duration: Under 10 minutes
Reps: 20 per move
Type: Yoga
Goal: Mental health & energized mornings
Level: Beginner-friendly
Equipment: None — mat optional

Easy Pose yoga posture — seated cross-legged for morning flow by Dionne Monsanto

Move 1: Easy Pose

  1. Start sitting in your bed or on the floor in a comfortable cross-legged position with your eyes closed and hands placed gently on your knees.

  2. Wake up your internal organs by slowly moving your torso in clockwise circles for 10 reps.

  3. Then, repeat in the opposite direction for 10 reps

Side Stretch yoga pose — seated lateral stretch for morning yoga routine

Move 2: Side Stretch

  1. From your original seated position, reach your right arm up and over your head, bringing your left hand beside you for added support.

  2. Reach as far to the left as possible, feeling a stretch through the right side body. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths. Repeat on the opposite side.

Extended Child's Pose yoga posture — lower back stretch in morning flow

Move 3: Extended Child's pose

  1. Sit back on your heels and stretch your arms forward, relaxing your forehead to the ground.

  2. Feel your lower back, hips and waist lengthening as you tap into your deep breathing.

  3. Slowly crawl your hands toward the right, keeping your hips in place. Feel a stretch up the left side body. Hold this for 4 breaths.

  4. Repeat on opposite side.

Downward Dog yoga pose — full body engagement in Dionne Monsanto's morning yoga flow

Move 4: downward dog

  1. Get on your hands and knees and set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Spread your palms and keep your index fingers parallel or slightly turned out. Tuck your toes under.

  2. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor as you push your hips up toward the ceiling and press your shoulders away from your ears.

  3. As you exhale, push your thighs back and press your heels down on the floor.

TIP:

This movement is the first time in this series that you're really starting to engage muscles throughout the body.

Really focus on pulling that lower belly in and pressing into your fingers. To make sure that you're putting pressure throughout the whole hand, slowly lift up the fingers one by one and then press them back down.

Extended Mountain Pose yoga posture — standing grounding pose for morning movement

Move 4: Extended Mountain

  1. Stand with feet hip-width apart.

  2. Lift all 10 toes off the ground, spread them wide, then set them back down.

  3. Engage your quads and draw your navel in.

  4. Reach your hands up toward the sky.

  5. Hold this for 4 to 6 breaths.

Loved this flow?

Explore Dionne's full yoga and dance classes at joyousocean.com/movement, or grab the 101 Ways to Live Life INjoy book to continue your practice.

Dionne C.

Monsanto

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