Rise and shine, yogis! Wake up with more vitality and your morning routine

Good morning, beautiful souls!

As experienced yoga teachers, there is nothing we like more than being able to begin our day with a conscious breath and a conscious movement. And just like us, you realize how the manner in which you take your day usually dictates the rest of your day. That is why today we are indulging in the transformational energy of morning yoga to get energized and clear.

Wake up and feel fresh and ready to face any challenge that comes your way. It is not a dream; it is a possible reality when having a morning workout routine in yoga.

Why Morning Yoga? The Unbeatable Benefits

You may be considering, however, that you are not a morning person! or I barely have time to take a coffee! Trust us, we hear you. Yet the magic of normal yoga is in the fact that it will give you that time back and even more. Here is the reason why it really is a game-changer:

• The natural way to boost energy levels: no more caffeine crash. Morning yoga is a mild exercise that makes your body awake, allows more blood to circulate, and activates your nervous system, providing you with natural lasting energy throughout the day. It is an awesome means of fighting morning fatigue.
• Sharpens Mental Acuity and Concentration: In the hectic lifestyle that we live, our brains may become crowded even before we get out of bed. The morning yoga to clear the mind makes you forget the rat race that is going on in your mind and get to the present moment. This heightened concentration will do you no harm in your work or in your relations, or even in the peace of being.
• Relieves Stress and Anxiety: Mindful breathing and movement at the beginning of the day are potent stress relievers. Through tapping into your parasympathetic nervous system, morning yoga will be able to relax your mind and body and precondition the calm atmosphere before the busyness of everyday life strikes.
• Enhances Flexibility and Strength: Daily morning yoga will enhance your range of motion and strength of the core. Although a brief practice may not yield significant results in the long run, daily movement becomes less challenging.
• Develops Consciousness: Yoga is a practice of consciousness. By making a habit of moving and taking in breaths first thing in the morning, you develop a feeling of being conscious and can carry this feeling with you all day long and therefore be more present and less reactive.
• Enhances Proper Posture: We sit at desks or on phones most of the time. Morning yoga routines usually contain exercises that work on your back and core and improve your posture, as well as reverse these habits.

How to make your ideal morning yoga flow.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff! To enjoy the fruits, you need not wait for an hour-long practice. Even 15-20 minutes of pure morning yoga among beginners can have a significant impact. The key is consistency.

This is an easy but highly practical morning yoga practice that you can do immediately. Always bear in mind to listen to your body and move with your breath.

1. Awakening Breath (Pranayama): 2 minutes.

Begin sitting relaxed, maybe on a cushion or a folded blanket, in an upright posture. Close your eyes.

• Deep Abdominal Breathing: Put one hand on the belly and one hand on the chest. Breathe in deeply using your nose, and your belly will swell first, then your ribs, and then your chest. Breathe out at a slow rate through your nose, emptying your chest, then ribs, then belly. Repeat 5-10 times. This relaxes your nervous system and makes your body ready to move.
• Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath): (Optional, only for those who are used to it) Deep breathing is followed by a deep exhale from the nose, with force and speed, pulling the navel at the spine. The inhale is passive. It is an animated and undulating breath method, excellent in giving strength.

2. Gentle Warm-up – 3 minutes

Cat-Cow Flow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana): Get on your hands and knees, with the wrists under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.

• Breath and Exhale, round your spine, suck in the belly button, and bring your chin towards the chest (Cat Pose).
• Repeat 5-8 rounds and breathe with it. This is a warm-up of the spine and the core, which is essential in the morning.
• Thread the Needle (Urdhva Mukha Pasasana): Starting on hands and knees, inhale the right arm, and reach up towards the sky. Breathe out, bring your right arm underneath your left armpit, and this will be resting on your right shoulder and the temple. Hips should be piled atop knees. Breathe 3-5 times on this side and then on the other. A gorgeous workout on the shoulders and the upper back.

3. Energizing Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)—5-7 minutes.

This traditional chain is marvelous in generating heat and circulating energy all over the body. Walk purposefully and take a breath.

• Mountain Pose (Tadasana): Stand on the highest point of your mat, with your feet a distance that is half of your hips and your arms close to your body. Stamp your feet, raise your crown. Take a deep breath.
• Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute): Breathing in, continue to raise your arms above your head, with the palms facing each other or maybe apart by a shoulder.
• Uttanasana (Forward Fold): Breathe out, bend at the hips, bend forward, and place hands on the mat or shins. Release your neck.
• Ardha Uttanasana (Halfway Lift): Exhale, stand up halfway, straighten the spine, and look ahead.
• Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose): Breathe out, use your hands, and move back or jump to a high plank, lowering down and bringing your elbows close to your sides. (Novices may be dropped on their knees first).
• Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog): Breathe in with the hands and the top of your feet, and raise the chest and thighs off the ground. Gaze forward or slightly up.
• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog): Exhale, and draw your hips deep in the air, back, and up. Squeeze between your fingers, and stretch your back. Look down to the belly button or thighs. Pedal out your feet if needed. Hold for 5 breaths.
• Walk or Jump Forward: Breathe in and look between your hands; walk or tramp your feet to your hands.
• Ardha Uttanasana (Halfway Lift): Breathe in, straighten your spine.
• Uttanasana (Forward Fold): breathe out, bend forward.
• Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute): Breathe in, lift hands high, and stand straight.
• Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Releasing breath, either place hands in the center of the heart or on the sides.

Flow 3-5 times, breathing fluidly. This will indeed get your morning energy going!

4. Grounding and Opening—5 minutes.

• Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana): Raise your right foot forward in between your hands. Drop your left knee to the mat. Breathe in, and extend your arms above your head, or leave them at the center of the heart. Bend forward into your hips, stretching in your left hip flexor. Breathe 5 times on one side and the other side. It is wonderful to loosen the hips, which are usually stiff after sleep.
• Seated Spinal Twist (variation of Ardha Matsyendrasana): Sit in a position with straight legs. Bend the right knee, and bring the right foot out of the left thigh. Keep the leg on the left straight or lift it with the foot close to the right hip. Breathe in, clasp your left arm around your right knee, and put your right hand behind your back. Exhale, twist sagaciously to the right, with eyes over your right shoulder. Breathe 5 times, and then alternate sides. Spirals are good for cleansing and energizing the digestive system, which makes the morning clear.

5. Savasana (Corpse Pose)—2-3 minutes.

Lay on your back with your palms up and your arms a little distance from your body. Let your feet fall open. Close your eyes. You should also allow your body to have a full relaxation that will help you appreciate the benefits of whatever you are practicing. This will be the key to combining the good of the yoga and actually beginning your day on the right foot.

Going Beyond Practicing: Rishikesh and Beyond.

Though we can do this practice anywhere, we cannot help mentioning the fact that Rishikesh is an incredible place full of energy, and it is called the Yoga Capital of the World. There is a spiritual serenity in the very air, and the noise of the Ganges running down in the background gives an atmosphere like nothing you can ever experience to deepen your practice. Numerous of our students who have been in Rishikesh also keep boasting about their daily morning practices of yoga being even deeper there.

You can be exercising in the quiet setting of Rishikesh or in the comfort of your home; the point is always the same: to reach yourself and be able to tap into your inner strength.

Your Path to Higher Energy and Cognition Starts Now.

The practice of morning yoga is a formidable form of self-care. It is not merely about the stretching of your body, but it is about feeding your mind, relaxing your spirit, and getting a positive intention towards your whole day. You need to be able to wake up feeling refreshed and bright and set to go out and interact with the world with an open heart and a clear mind.

Then pack your mat tomorrow morning. Take the very first conscious breath. And wake up to a refreshed and alert day, all because of the beautiful yoga practice.

Namaste, and happy flowing!