A 10-minute wake-up routine, in bed and on the floor

Most condo bedrooms in Manila leave room for a bed, a cabinet and not much else. That is fine. This routine starts under the covers and finishes in the strip of floor beside the bed, the space of one yoga mat. Nothing jumps, nothing thumps, and the neighbours downstairs will never know.

Mornings are a good time to stretch because the body has been still for hours and most of us wake up feeling it. If you would rather join an early class to build on this, you can search for yoga studios near you, many of which run sessions before work.

Here is the routine: five minutes in bed, five on the floor.

Before you start: anything to watch for?

Move slowly: the spine and joints tend to feel stiffest just after waking, so this is not the time for deep stretches. Sit on the edge of the bed for a few breaths before standing if you get light-headed when you get up. If you have a back, hip or knee condition, or you are pregnant, ask your doctor, physiotherapist or OB which parts suit you, and skip anything that hurts.

Part one: in bed (5 minutes)

1. Long reach (1 minute). Lying on your back, reach the arms overhead and point the toes, stretching from fingertips to heels like a yawn. Hold for three breaths, relax, repeat twice.
2. Knees to chest (1 minute). Draw both knees in and hold the shins or the backs of the thighs. Rock gently side to side. Then one knee at a time, five breaths each.
3. Soft twist (1 minute). Knees bent, feet on the mattress, let both knees fall to the right and turn the head to the left. Five breaths, then the other side. A soft mattress makes this gentle.
4. Happy baby (1 minute). Hold the outer feet or the backs of the thighs, knees wide, and let the lower back rest. Happy Baby, held behind the thighs is easier if the feet feel far away.
5. Ankle and wrist circles (1 minute). Lift the feet and circle the ankles ten times each way. Make loose fists and circle the wrists. Then roll to your side and sit up. For more, see the ankle stretches for stiff feet and the wrist stretches for yoga and desk days.

Part two: on the floor (5 minutes)

Before this part, get up, drink a glass of water and walk around for a minute.

6. Cat-Cow (1 minute). On hands and knees beside the bed, breathe in and let the belly drop; breathe out and round the back. Eight slow rounds.
7. Child’s Pose (1 minute). Sit back towards the heels with the knees wide and the forehead on the edge of the mattress or a pillow. Breathe into the back.
8. Low lunge with the bed for support (1 minute). Step one foot forward, back knee on a pillow, one hand on the bed for balance, and ease the hips forward. Five breaths each side.
9. Squat, held at the bed (1 minute). With the feet wide and the toes turned out, lower into a squat holding the bed frame, heels on a folded towel if they lift. This is Garland Pose with a little help. Five breaths. If the inner thighs are the tight part, the gentle inner thigh and groin stretches start from this shape.
10. Standing side stretch (1 minute). Stand tall, reach the arms up and lean gently to each side, then let the arms float down. Finish with three slow breaths.

How can you make it a habit?

Tie it to something you already do. Stretch before you pick up the phone, or while the kettle boils for the floor part. Leave a pillow on the floor at night as a reminder. Five minutes in bed on a bad morning still counts.

If you want more movement on good mornings, a few slow rounds of a gentle Sun Salutation after step 10 add warmth and strength, and the Sun Salutation timer can pace the rounds for you. On days you have more time, the full routine from head to toe, fifteen minutes long is the natural next step.

Which other routines suit the morning?

If you wake up with a stiff neck, add the six gentle neck stretches, done seated on the edge of the bed. If it is your lower back that grumbles, the floor routine for a stiff lower back can replace part one on harder days. And if your evenings are the problem rather than your mornings, the slow practice before bed is its quiet opposite.

Where a morning practice can go next

An early session with a teacher usually begins much like this: slowly, and with the body as it is that morning. From there it often builds into a gentle flow. If you like the idea of starting the day moving with the breath, read about a Vinyasa practice in the morning, shaped to how much energy you have that day.