In this post, I will be showing you the best morning yoga routine to help you wake up and get your day started feeling strong and full of energy!
You may see all these women on social media doing impressive yoga poses on the sides of mountains and think to yourself well I can’t do that…
The good thing is you don’t have to.
Yes, there are a lot of people out there who practice yoga a lot and are very good. They practice in beautiful worldly places. But that’s not mandatory, whatsoever.
The beautiful thing about yoga is that anyone can do it and you can do it pretty much anywhere.
All you really need is a yoga mat.. or not even.
Really, you can do it on whatever ground surface you want as long as you’re comfortable.
Most people use mats because there are poses on your knees and a mat makes them more comfortable.
But honestly, you can make anything work as long as you’re comfortable.
That’s the great thing about yoga, all you really need is yourself.
This post is all about The Best Morning Yoga Routine to Start Your Day.
The Benefits Of Morning Yoga
Yoga has so many wonderful benefits and doing a morning yoga routine is no exception.
If you’ve ever looked into how to start your day off right or how to be more productive in the mornings a lot of information will come up.
One thing that you can always find is to get more physical activity and get moving your body.
So, when you practice your yoga flow in the morning not only do you get all the benefits yoga provides but you get them first thing after you wake up.
Morning Yoga Increases Flexibility
Morning yoga increases flexibility substantially. During sleep, our muscles and joints can become stiff due to the lack of movement. That’s why you might be familiar with the urge to stretch right when you wake up.
Your body wants to get the blood flowing throughout your body. Doing yoga after you wake up allows you to get in lots of stretching and slow controlled movement which is great for blood flow through your muscles and joints.
Morning Yoga Improves Mental Health
Morning yoga can help improve mental health in many ways. Yoga encourages us to relax, slow down our breathing, and focus on the present. It helps us put away any stress or mental chatter that might have been running around our brains.
Yoga encourages our bodies to shift from the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) to our parasympathetic system (focused on relaxation).
It helps to create a place of calm for the beginning moments of your day, and this will then hopefully continue into the rest of your day.
Morning Yoga Improves Digestion
It is believed that yoga can improve digestion because it promotes relaxation and stress reduction.
The physical movement helps to improve circulation through the digestive tract which can then help speed up digestion.
The movement can also ease any uncomfortable stomach issues like bloating, gas, and constipation.
Morning Yoga Improves Productivity
By doing your yoga practice in the morning it can help improve your productivity and your ability to learn.
A morning yoga routine does this because you’re creating good blood circulation throughout your body and to your brain, and we need blood to the brain to help us think clearly and articulate situations properly.
Morning yoga also helps encourage alertness because we are physically using our bodies and muscles to move which creates more energy.
Sleep Can Improve With Morning Yoga
Doing morning yoga can help improve your sleep because it can help strengthen your circadian rhythm.
It does this because morning yoga encourages you to wake up and get your day started right away. It encourages you to wake up early and get your body moving.
Physical activity done earlier in the day helps to make your body tired once it starts to get dark and promotes sleep time. By practicing this morning yoga routine you’ll start sleeping better.
The Best Morning Yoga Routine
1. Seated Neck Rotations
Start seated in whichever position is most comfortable. I usually start sitting on my shins. Starting with your head straight, look down, and then slowly rotate your head from one side to the other. Repeat 5-6 times each way.
2. Cat/Cow
Transition from seated to tabletop position and then start by bringing your belly button to the ground and extend your neck towards the sky for Cow pose.
Once you’ve held that for a second exhale and slowly move into Cat Pose. Pretend there is a string pulling your belly button towards the sky and let your neck relax down towards the ground.
3. Cat/Cow Circles
From there, you’re going to rotate your spine in circles by starting in the cow position and then moving in a circular motion into the cat position. Make sure to rotate your neck as well.
Do this a few times one way and then switch and rotate in the opposite direction.
4. Downward Dog
From the tabletop position extend your knees and bring your hips up so you’re in a triangle shape.
Keeping your palms flat on the ground, try and also keep your feet flat on the ground.
If your hamstrings are too tight then you can bend your knees slightly or bend your ankles so your heels are slightly off the ground.
The goal is to work towards having flat feet.
If you keep both feet flat you can do a little movement by lifting one heel off the ground and then the other to focus on stretching one side at a time.
Breathe and hold for as long as feels comfortable to you. I usually do 15-30 seconds.
5. Plank Pose
Now you’re going to move into plank pose. Start by lowering your hips towards the ground and coming into a straight body plank with your elbows straight.
Hold for a couple of seconds and focus on your inhale and exhale.
6. Cobra Pose
From the Plank Pose, you’re going to lower yourself all the way down to the ground. Then push through your hands to bring your chest and upper body off the ground. Opening through your chest and feeling a nice stretch in the back.
With the cobra pose, keep your thighs and legs on the ground.
7. Plank Pose
After the Cobra pose, push yourself back up into the plank for a couple of seconds, and take an inhale and exhale.
8. Downward Dog
Then flow right up from the plank into a downward dog again.
Here you can take a few breaths and focus on feeling a good stretch.
During downward dog remember to relax your neck between your arms, not looking towards the sky or back between your legs. Keep your neck in line with your arms.
9. Forward Fold
From downward dog walk or jump both feet up in-between your hands so you’re standing touching the ground with your hands if possible.
Here you can use a block if you can’t bring your hands all the way to the ground.
Hold for a few seconds.
10. Halfway Lift
Now move into the Halfway Lift from the Forward Fold.
You can do this by either simply coming up on your fingertips and straightening your back slightly, or you can bring your hands up to the middle of your shins. Again, straightening the back slightly.
11. Mountain Pose
From there you are going to slowly roll your body all the way up until you’re standing straight. Bring your arms up beside you overhead. Looking between your hands, breathe and hold for a few seconds.
12. Chair Pose
Now you’re going to come into chair pose. Bend your knees slightly like you’re going to sit back into a chair and keep your arms straight overhead.
Hold for a few seconds and focus on breathing. Your thighs may begin to get warm in this pose, and that’s okay.
If you can only hold it for a couple of seconds that’s alright. Do what you can!
13. Forward Fold
After Chair Pose come back down into a Forward Fold. Keep your hands on the ground or on a block if you need to. Take a second and let your legs relax here.
14. Plank
From the Forward fold you’re going to walk or jump both your legs back into Plank Pose, keep your arms straight, and hold for a couple of seconds. Keep breathing.
15. Downward Dog
Move into Downward Dog again, bringing your hips towards the sky and taking a few seconds to relax and catch your breath.
16. 3-Legged Dog
While in Downward Dog, start by bringing one leg up and back. Square off the hips so they face the ground. Keep the lifted leg activated, and lift it from the inner thigh. Try to align your leg with your upper body the best you can. Remember do what you can, any leg lift is great!
17. Warrior 1
From 3-Legged Dog, keeping the leg in the air up off the ground, come into plank variation position bringing the leg in the air all the way through and place your foot between your hands.
Catch your balance and when ready straighten your upper body and bring your arms above your head. Keep your back leg strong and supported and bend the front knee to 90 degrees if possible.
18. Warrior 2
From Warrior 1, move into Warrior 2. Whichever leg is upfront on your mat you are going to bring that arm out in front of you and bring the opposite back behind you, keeping them in line with your body.
Have your palms face the ground, and look forward. Hold for a few seconds and take a couple of deep breaths.
19. Reverse Warrior
Next, you’re going to windmill your front arm up and over your head until your fingers are pointed towards the back and try to reach your back arm to your back thigh. Again, go as far as you’re able.
20. Extended Side Angle
From there, you’re going to bring your front arm back towards the front of your body and place it on the ground beside your front leg.
Bring your back arm up towards the sky and point your fingers. Try to keep your front leg at a 90-degree angle if possible.
21. Pigeon Pose
Next, you’re going into pigeon pose. You’re going to bring the arm that was pointed toward the sky down, so both hands are on the ground.
Lift the front foot off the ground and bring that knee forward towards the same side wrist. Extend the opposite leg back and lower the hips towards the ground.
The front shin can be parallel to the front of the mat or angled towards the opposite wrist depending on flexibility.
For this pose, you can either stay upright or fold forward over the front leg for a deeper stretch.
22. Downward Dog
From the pigeon pose bring the leg that was parallel on the ground up, and move into the plank, and then back into the downward dog.
23. Childs Pose
Finally, we’re going to finish off with Childs Pose. Come down into tabletop position and then bend at your hips until you’re sitting on your heels.
Extend your arms out in front of you and focus on breathing.
Repeat poses number 5-23 focusing on using the opposite side when you get to the 3-Legged Dog Pose.
This morning yoga routine will take anywhere between 20-30 minutes depending on how long you hold each pose.
Try it out for yourself, see what tempo you like best, and enjoy the flow!
How to Add Morning Yoga to Your Routine
Now that you’ve got this morning yoga routine to follow along with, it’s time to make it a habit.
Honestly, it’s all about just showing up and doing it. Even on the days when you don’t want to.
You need to remember the why behind it and always keep that in your mind.
Because let’s be honest, getting up and jumping right into movement can be hard, especially if you must wake up even earlier to fit it into your schedule.
However, remember how good you feel during your morning yoga routine and afterward, and remind yourself of that feeling.
And if some days you don’t make it, that’s alright, healthy habits take time to build, and all you can do is keep showing up for yourself.
Now that you have this wonderful morning yoga routine to practice you can start it today!
Roll out your mat and get moving.
Remember it’s all about doing what feels right for you, so go at your own pace, and enjoy the process.
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