10-Minute Energizing Yoga Flow With Lorraine Ladish

This video is part of the 30-Day Couch-to-Fit Challenge designed to help you improve strength, cardio, balance and flexibility. Start the challenge here: aarp.org/CouchToFit

Try this simple, energizing morning yoga flow with fitness expert Lorraine Ladish as a great way to start the day from the comfort of your own home.

Key takeaways

• Boost energy and focus each morning with Lorraine Ladish’s 10-minute uplifting yoga flow.
• Enjoy gentle stretches and empowering poses, suitable for beginners and experienced yogis alike.
• Experience Lorraine’s supportive guidance, promoting flexibility, strength and a positive start to your day.

Summary

Morning yoga flow is one of the most effective ways to boost energy, focus and positivity for the day ahead. Fitness expert Lorraine Ladish guides you through an easy 10-minute energizing yoga flow that welcomes everyone — from beginners to experienced practitioners. With simple movements like goddess squats, warrior 2 and gentle stretches, this routine awakens your body and clears your mind, all from the comfort of your living room. No special equipment needed — just a willingness to move and breathe.

Starting your morning with yoga not only improves flexibility, balance and strength, it also helps set a positive, resilient mindset. Lorraine’s approachable style ensures you can take each movement at your own pace, emphasizing the importance of honoring your body and pausing when needed. Try this energizing morning yoga flow to fill your day with vitality, confidence and inner calm. Ready to take your wellness further? Join the 30-Day Couch-to-Fit Challenge at aarp.org/CouchToFit for a full fitness journey designed around you.

The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Full Transcript:

[0:00:00] AARP’s GET MOVING! Wherever You Are

[0:00:02] 10-MINUTE ENERGIZING MORNING FLOW WITH Fitness Expert Lorraine Ladish

[0:00:06] Lorraine Ladish; Hi, I’m Lorraine Ladish, and today

[0:00:08] we’re going to do a 10-minute simple

[0:00:11] energizing yoga flow.

[0:00:13] This is a great way to start the day from the

[0:00:15] comfort of your own home.

[0:00:17] If you don’t have a yoga mat, that’s fine.

[0:00:21] Just use a woven blanket or a towel

[0:00:24] on a nonskid surface.

[0:00:26] And remember, this flow is for you.

[0:00:29] So please take it at your own pace,

[0:00:31] and keep in mind that you can pause,

[0:00:34] rewind or restart the video at any moment.

[0:00:38] Now, let’s get started.

[0:00:40] We are going to begin with our heels pointing

[0:00:43] in and our toes pointing out, and bringing our

[0:00:47] arms up out and up, and inhaling and exhaling

[0:00:52] through the nose as we gather energy

[0:00:55] at our heart center.

[0:00:56] We’re going to do that twice more,

[0:00:58] but I would love for you to imagine that

[0:01:00] there is a big ball of energy between your hands

[0:01:04] as we bring it down again.

[0:01:06] And it’s like a white light that is filling

[0:01:10] us with prana, with life force, with energy

[0:01:13] this morning, and bringing it

[0:01:15] once again to heart center.

[0:01:18] From here, we’re going to go into a goddess

[0:01:21] squat, so that our knees are going to be

[0:01:24] pointing towards our toes.

[0:01:26] We’re engaging those glutes.

[0:01:28] We’re engaging the core.

[0:01:29] And we’re going to inhale and exhale again,

[0:01:33] inhale and exhale. And imagine that white

[0:01:37] light in a ball, right here, and

[0:01:41] bringing it into our hearts. And the last time,

[0:01:45] just imagine that we are doing it with so many other

[0:01:48] people that are doing this in the

[0:01:50] comfort of their own homes.

[0:01:52] Remember, also, that any time you may straighten

[0:01:56] your legs so that you can keep on going

[0:01:59] if you get a little bit tired.

[0:02:00] And then next one we’re going to squat into

[0:02:03] goddess pose, which is a pose of power, of

[0:02:06] energy, of feeling good and vibrant and powerful.

[0:02:11] We’re just going to pulse it.

[0:02:13] If at any moment you get a little bit tired,

[0:02:16] please know that you may extend your arms.

[0:02:19] And you could also simply be pumping your arms

[0:02:21] right here and feeling that power of a god or a

[0:02:25] goddess, and the energy that is filling

[0:02:28] us and all the space around us.

[0:02:32] So from here, we’re going to go down and back

[0:02:35] up and extend our arms. And we’ll go down again

[0:02:40] and back up, and keep having that image

[0:02:44] of a big ball of energy between your hands.

[0:02:48] Now, we’re going to go into one of my favorite
[0:02:50] poses, which is a power pose. Warrior 2.

[0:02:54] Here, we have the front foot in line with the

[0:02:56] long side of the mat and the back foot in line

[0:02:59] with the short side of the mat. The glutes are

[0:03:02] engaged and the quads are engaged. The core

[0:03:06] is engaged. The neck is relaxed.

[0:03:08] But we are standing strong and energized, and

[0:03:12] again, feeling powerful. And then we can

[0:03:15] take on the world, because we can.

[0:03:18] We can also look towards the front and imagine

[0:03:22] a line of energy going from one hand

[0:03:26] to the other hand, that white light that is

[0:03:29] is going to help us get through the day.

[0:03:33] From here, please remember that you can extend

[0:03:35] one of your legs just to relax once in a while

[0:03:38] before we go back into reverse warrior, and

[0:03:41] reverse warrior can be held right here.

[0:03:44] It can be held here. And we’re going to have

[0:03:47] that same image of a white light coming from the

[0:03:52] tips of our fingers at the top down

[0:03:54] to the bottom. So we’re extending and grounding,

[0:03:58] and extending and grounding, and reaching for our

[0:04:01] dreams, but staying grounded in reality.

[0:04:06] We do not stop breathing, because life is breath.

[0:04:09] So we keep breathing. Remember to extend the front

[0:04:12] leg if you get tired, and then drop into warrior

[0:04:16] 2 again. And then we’re going into extended side

[0:04:19] angle, another power pose.

[0:04:21] So we’re going to make sure that our chest is

[0:04:24] pointing up towards the ceiling, or maybe we’re

[0:04:27] just here. And if we’re here, we’re again

[0:04:31] reaching and reaching, and grounding with the

[0:04:33] foot and remembering always that in yoga,

[0:04:37] we are playing with energy. We’re moving energy.

[0:04:40] So there is no stagnant energy stuck anywhere

[0:04:43] in our bodies, our minds or our spirits.

[0:04:48] From here, we’ll wiggle it out a little bit and

[0:04:51] do the same power pose on the other side.

[0:04:55] So remember, the front foot is in line with the

[0:04:57] long side of the mat, and the back foot is in

[0:05:00] line with the short side of the mat.

[0:05:02] We have our glutes engaged.

[0:05:05] The knee is above the ankle. And once again, with

[0:05:08] the neck relaxed, we are going to power up those

[0:05:12] arms. And remember that we’re moving energy.

[0:05:15] We’re feeling powerful like warriors, because

[0:05:20] we’ve got this. Think of all those other people

[0:05:23] at home in warrior 2 with you right now.

[0:05:27] And that helps remind us that we are a community.

[0:05:30] Now, lifting back into reverse warrior, remember

[0:05:34] again to always extend the front leg when you get

[0:05:36] tired. Maybe you’re here, maybe you’re here.

[0:05:39] If you’re here, you’re reaching up and

[0:05:42] and grounding, and reaching up for your dreams

[0:05:45] and grounding into reality. So we have that

[0:05:48] perfect balance of energies that we need

[0:05:51] to simply get through the day sometimes.

[0:05:54] Back into warrior 2. Remember to give yourself

[0:05:58] a break. Remember to pause, rewind or restart

[0:06:01] at any moment. Now back into side angle.

[0:06:05] We’re pointing our heart to the ceiling.

[0:06:09] And if you are here, that is absolutely perfect.

[0:06:12] If you’re here, it’s great as well. So remember

[0:06:16] that line of energy coming from the tips of your

[0:06:20] fingers down into the soles of your feet, and

[0:06:24] breathing in that prana, that life force, that

[0:06:28] energy, that inner joy that we all really have

[0:06:32] no matter what is going on in the world

[0:06:34] around us. From here, we’ll just wiggle around

[0:06:38] and kind of let go, because yoga is not that

[0:06:41] serious, and smile and remind ourselves

[0:06:45] that as long as we’re moving and breathing,

[0:06:48] everything is the way it should be.

[0:06:51] We’re going to be in tabletop now and

[0:06:55] do some cat-cows, which means that we are

[0:06:58] going to press our hands into the mat, the

[0:07:01] tops of our feet as well, and that could look

[0:07:04] differently for every person.

[0:07:06] And I’m going to curl the spine,

[0:07:10] and then we’re going to arch the spine.

[0:07:13] And while we do this, we’re going to once again

[0:07:17] imagine that line of energy, which is a white

[0:07:20] light, perhaps going from the crown of the head —

[0:07:24] in my case, the crown of my bun — to the sacrum.

[0:07:29] And as we curve the spine, we’re exhaling.

[0:07:34] And then we’re inhaling. And every time you

[0:07:39] inhale,  inhale something that you really

[0:07:43] want, which is possibly peace, being calm,

[0:07:47] feeling strong, any of that is fine.

[0:07:51] Anything that you need to feel right now.

[0:07:55] Now we’re going to stop and stay in tabletop. And

[0:08:00] now we’re going to power up the core, which is

[0:08:03] important when we need to feel strong and

[0:08:06] grounded and filled with energy to get through the day.

[0:08:11] So we will take, in my case, I’m lifting my

[0:08:14] right leg and my toes are pointing

[0:08:17] towards the mat. This is a perfectly great

[0:08:21] place to be. You can stay right here.

[0:08:23] Again, if you’re feeling daring, you’re going to

[0:08:25] extend the other arm, but you may stay here

[0:08:28] if you prefer. And then we’re going to once again

[0:08:31] extend the arm and reach back with the sole.

[0:08:35] So we’re going to play with that line of energy

[0:08:38] that’s coming from the tips of the fingers

[0:08:40] down to the soles of the feet.

[0:08:42] And while we inhale and exhale, once again,

[0:08:45] remind ourselves that we are actually moving

[0:08:49] this energy and we’re firing ourselves up

[0:08:53] to be able to do everything we need to do today.

[0:08:57] Now we go slightly into child’s pose, and that

[0:09:01] could look like this. That’s perfect.

[0:09:05] Or you could be all the way down. It depends on

[0:09:08] how you are feeling and what your body is

[0:09:10] is asking you to do on any given day.

[0:09:14] My body is not the same every day. Sometimes not

[0:09:17] every hour or every minute. So we’re lifting the

[0:09:21] opposite leg. Remember that the feet are

[0:09:23] pointing down. The hip is not open. It’s

[0:09:25] pointing down. This is a great place to stay, and

[0:09:29] the head would be projecting towards a wall

[0:09:33] or whatever you have over there. And if you like

[0:09:36] and feel daring, you can extend the opposite arm.

[0:09:39] And again, feel the same thing. You are reaching

[0:09:43] and extending, and reaching and extending,

[0:09:47] bringing in the navel towards the spine,

[0:09:50] relaxing the neck. At any time, you may bring

[0:09:53] your arm down. But just think of that line of

[0:09:56] energy and how holding poses in yoga help build

[0:10:00] up that energy that we need to simply power up

[0:10:05] and get on with everything that we need to do.

[0:10:09] Sometimes we need to do nothing, and I have

[0:10:12] to remind myself of that as well.

[0:10:15] Last pose. We’re almost there.

[0:10:18] This is boat pose. It’s a favorite of mine,

[0:10:21] because it also helps remind us that we need

[0:10:25] to project our heart up to the ceiling or the sky,

[0:10:29] if we’re outside, and we can stay right here.

[0:10:33] A little more advanced would be lifting the legs

[0:10:36] off of the mat, and if you’re feeling really

[0:10:39] brave, you can extend them. I am going to keep

[0:10:41] them on the mat and extend my arms out in front.

[0:10:45] Make sure that my chest

[0:10:47] is projecting towards the ceiling.

[0:10:50] And then I’m feeling my breath, in and out

[0:10:53] as I pulse. And again, imagine all those other

[0:10:58] other people breathing with me,

[0:11:01] inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling,

[0:11:06] getting energized and excited and powered up

[0:11:11] to face our day.

[0:11:13] OK, so we’re done, but don’t go away yet.

[0:11:18] We are going to sit in an easy pose.

[0:11:20] Now, easy pose is supposed to be easy.

[0:11:22] So it could look like this or maybe your knees are

[0:11:25] a little bit higher up. If you have blocks at

[0:11:28] home, that’s good. If you have pillows,

[0:11:31] anything that you could put under your knees to

[0:11:33] make it a little easier and more comfortable

[0:11:35] for you, that is absolutely, not only acceptable,

[0:11:39] but desirable. So, here is where we calm down

[0:11:44] and we realize, how does that energy feel?

[0:11:50] Do we feel more positive? Are we more awake?

[0:11:54] Are we more joyful than when we started

[0:11:56] to practice? The answer, I hope, is yes.

[0:11:59] So we’re bringing our arms out and up,

[0:12:04] and we’re closing the practice again, gathering

[0:12:07] that energy, heart center, remembering

[0:12:10] that there is this big ball of white light

[0:12:16] that we’re pulling in towards us.

[0:12:18] We can even imagine ourselves

[0:12:20] filled with that white light.

[0:12:23] And not only us. Everybody else’s greatness

[0:12:26] at home is also filled with white light, and that

[0:12:30] white light is connecting us all. From here,

[0:12:34] we’re going to bring our hands to our forehead.

[0:12:39] Remind us to have positive thoughts.

[0:12:43] Then to the lips to remind us to have positive

[0:12:45] communication with those around us. And finally,

[0:12:49] our hearts to remind us to have positive

[0:12:54] feelings towards ourselves and our fellow human

[0:12:58] beings who are doing their yoga practice at home.

[0:13:01] I hope you have an energized and fabulous day.

[0:13:05] And see you soon. Namaste.

[0:13:08] AARP Real Possibilities