Do you have time for a quick morning yoga session?
Practicing yoga as soon as you wake up is not only energizing, it can also be an enlightening experience. Even if you are not taking a yoga class, you can start a yoga practice at home. Most of the time, there is no equipment needed besides a yoga mat.
If you have a little time to spare in the morning, a 10-minute yoga routine can work wonders.
As a warm-up for your day, yoga sessions help you feel centered and prepared physically and emotionally. You do not even need a yoga teacher to get the most out of practice, for there are many yoga videos and yoga challenges online to help you out.
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Morning Yoga Poses
Out of all of the possible poses for a morning routine, the following are easy to pick up and low energy for early mornings. They are not the only poses you can do. How you arrange your morning yoga routine is ultimately up to you.
Child’s Pose
The child’s pose is relaxing and beneficial. A resting asana, the hips, back, ankles, and thighs get a gentle stretch that can also help with back pain.
- Start by kneeling on the floor, big toes touching as you sit on your heels and knees as wide as your hips.
- Exhaling, lean forward, and resting your belly on your thighs, root your forehead on the ground. Relax your face, and find a comfortable spot to rest your forehead.
- There are a few ways you can position your arms. Commonly, either stretched in front of you or along your back and thighs, with both palms facing upward, is a comfortable way to rest.
- You can stay in this pose as long as you like.
Downward Facing Dog
Downward Facing Dog, or Down Dog, is an incredibly common and useful pose. It provides a great calves and hamstrings stretch, along with full-body strengthening. It can also be a great resting pose once you feel comfortable with it.
- Begin on all fours in a tabletop position, lining your hips with your knees and shoulders with your wrists.
- Spreading your fingers, point the middle one forward, and move your hands slightly forward.
- Curl your toes under and push into your hands to straighten your legs and lift your hips.
- Rotate your upper arms outward, broaden your collarbone, let your head hang, and pull back your shoulder blades.
- Move the weight from your arms back to your quads. Rotating your thighs inward, sink your heel, and keep your tail high. Do not force your feet to touch the ground, especially if it hurts.
- Come out of this pose by resting your knees on the floor and returning to tabletop position.
Low Lunge
Along with your core, low lunge stretches the quads, glutes, and hips. It also helps with balance and concentration, ideal for any morning yoga sequence.
- While in downward facing dog position, step your right foot forward between your hands and lower your left knee to the floor.
- Keeping your hips low and level, inhale and engage the lower belly to lift away from your chest as you sweep your arms towards the sky, framing your ears.
- Keep your gaze forward or look up to your hands to a gentle backbend.
- Exhale, lowering your arms to the floor and returning to down dog. Repeat the pose with your left leg for a complete rotation.
Cow Pose
By stretching the front of your neck and torso, this pose gently massages the spine to improve mobility. It can also be paired with the cat pose into a cat-cow warm-up.
- Beginning in tabletop position, spread your fingers and root through them, pressing into the mat.
- Inhale and lower the belly as you lift your chest and point your tailbone high.
- Exhale, and return to tabletop position. Repeat 10 to 20 times.
Morning Yoga Routine
For any workout, some sort of routine works the best. You can create your own with more poses than mentioned here or follow pre-made yoga sequences. Tons of yoga videos are available to help you figure out a routine and show you how to do the poses.
Whether you want to stretch your lower back or upper body, a yoga sequence should work out most areas. However, you can also tailor any yoga practice to change that focus. The only thing you want to ensure that you do is warm-up and cool down before and after any exercise.
Weight Loss Yoga Workout
To lose weight doing yoga, you should focus on power yoga types. These yoga sequences are high-energy and vigorous. They help to burn calories and even relieve stress that could cause weight gain.
Weight loss yoga does not just include the poses. As with any workout regimen, you will need to eat right and keep up with your practice. While it is possible to lose weight by just doing yoga, it may take a long time, especially if you do not make any supplementary lifestyle changes.
10 Minute Yoga Flow Morning Yoga Sequence
One of the most popular morning yoga is called sun salutations. This sequence of poses is a great cardio workout since it keeps you moving. Sun salutations can be done in ten minutes and will provide you a well-rounded exercise plan for early mornings.
Sun salutations include downward dog pose and other basic poses. There are many different sequences, so it is easy to tailor them to your specific needs. Not all morning yoga has to be sun salutations, however.
The Final Word On Quick Morning Yoga
Starting your day with yoga is a good practice for wake up alert and ready. By having a yoga practice, you will eventually feel more energized and in tune with your body as time goes on. Keeping up with it is the hardest part.
As for weight loss, as long as you maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet, it is possible. It may not be as quick as other options, but the mental and physical advantages are entirely worth it.
