Do you tend to go to bed tired and despite even after 6-7 hours of sleep, still wake up tired and lethargic? Yeah, we used to be on the same boat! Getting out of bed every day was a struggle, with our back hurting and muscles aching in resistance.

We don’t realize how massive a role our morning routines play in setting the tone for the rest of the day. By switching up that one hour of the entire day, we can easily transform our lives to be more productive and feel energetic every morning. 

Time to stop hitting snooze and start doing some morning yoga!

Yoga moves have endless benefits; from increased flexibility and muscle toning to improving your circulatory health and promoting metabolism. By incorporating 10 minutes of yoga into your morning routine, you will not only feel more awake but also stronger and fresher. 

Ready to help your mental and physical health shine? Here are 6 daily morning yoga poses to transform your life.

• Diaphragmatic Breathing

Also called “pranayama”, this is the first thing you should do before you start contorting your body in different yoga moves.

The word “prana” means to breathe (often translated as your life force), while “yama” means controlling. So, your first step is to control your breathing and get in-tuned with your entire body.

This step is quite simple. You start by either sitting up or lying down and placing one hand on your stomach and the other over your heart. Then start inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling from your mouth. Keep doing this for at least a minute, with slowly increasing your inhale and exhale lengths.

If your mind starts to wander off, that’s fine! Just try to keep focusing on your breathing and clear your mind.

Next, we will do some gentle, warming up exercises to open up the body and warm your spine. If any of these feel particularly painful, skip it! Modify the routine as per your convenience and figure out what works best for your body shape.

• The Cat and Cow

Get on all fours for this one. Or if you aren’t comfortable with that, you can even start cross-legged and eventually make your way there over the days. 

The cat and cow is perfect for stretching out your back and helping with the aches.

Start by anchoring your hands to the ground, or your knees (depending on the position you’re opting for) and take a big inhale while pulling your chest upwards. Although your belly will move forward, make sure to keep your lower body grounded to protect your lower spine. 

Then, exhale out all that tension, dropping your chin to the chest, and feel your shoulders relax.

• Surya Namaskar 

Now that your body has been warmed up, it’s time to get into some Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar). 

These Salutations have different varieties of postures that resemble giving a salute to the sun and showing gratefulness for a new day. This is a great way to get your body moving as it works on all the 7 chakras, helping you develop a rhythmic movement that energizes your body while calming your spirit.

The basic 8 postures are:

• Prayer pose (Pranamasana)

• Raised arms (Hastauttanasana)

• Hand to Foot (Hasta Padasan)

• Equestrian (Ashwa Sanchalanasana)

• The stick (Dandasana)

• The eight-parts salute (Ashtanga Namaskara)

• Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)

• The mountain (Parvatasana)

The Sun Salutations are best done on an empty stomach. It will also work up your appetite so you can enjoy a hearty breakfast afterward!

• Revolved Chair 

Next, we’re going to move into the revolved chair. This is a great way to add some twist to your morning yoga routine and allow your muscles to stretch and open up. 

You continue from the mountain pose and inhale while lifting your arms overhead. Shift your weight to your feet and slowly bend your knees, moving your hips back and bending down. Try to make sure your knees are aligned over your ankles, not the toes. Pull your thighs back to anchor yourself and twist better.

Then exhale and bring your hands down over your heart. Inhale again and reach up while pulling your thighs further back and stretching to lengthen the spine. When you exhale this time, get your left elbow around your right thigh and go as low as you can.

Make sure your balance stays on your feet and you are firmly grounded to prevent falling over. After exhalation, spread your arms wide (sort of like a bird’s wings when flying) and hold your breath for5 seconds to release the stress.

• Side Bend

Your body has been in constant motion for quite some time now, so it’s time to let it relax and release some muscle tension.

A great way to do this is through a side bend. This position is quite easy. 

Just sit cross-legged and inhale deeply while raising your arms high up. Then slowly exhale and bend to the side, with one hand on the ground to push up. Relax and repeat this on your other side for balance. 

If you’d like to advance this posture, try reaching upwards and over while looking up. This creates space between the side of your body and the rib area to open up your chest muscles. 

At the End

Some relaxing postures are a great way to end your morning yoga. Go into the child’s pose to cool down your back and ponder over everything you’d like to achieve today. Then jump up and go into a wide leg forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana) to feel your back and chest expand. Try to go as low as you can to properly lengthen your back – and that’s the end of your daily routine. 

If you’d like some deeper knowledge about each of these postures and how they help, visit our website today!