Yoga Poses to Start Your Morning or Energize Your Day

It can be difficult to get moving in the morning. Thank goodness for the preset timer on coffee machines! If I didn’t have that I think my mornings would be much more difficult. There are however, other ways to get your body and mind energized without the caffeine. If you want an alternative to caffeine try these yoga poses either in the morning or at the 3pm afternoon lag.

1. Forward Fold

How it is beneficial: Forward fold is a great way to have stillness and focus. It allows you to feel present in the moment and notice what is going on for you body and mind, plus it stretches your hamstrings and gets blood moving in your body. This helps you become more centered and ready to take on the day.

How to do it: Stand with feet hip- width apart, with knees slightly bent. Exhale as you bend forward at the hips and lengthen the front of your torso. Bend your elbows and allow your head to hang down towards the ground. Press your heels into the floor as you lift your sit bones toward the ceiling. Take 10 deep breaths in and out and you hold and relax into the pose.

2. Reverse Plank Pose

How it is beneficial: Do you tend to hunch over at a desk all day? Even if you’re not at a desk my guess is that by the end of the day your posture becomes less than ideal. Reverse plank pose counteracts that posture and opens your chest and sends oxygen to your heart and core.

How to Do It: Sit with your legs stretched out long in front of you, keeping your feet together, and hands on the floor about a foot behind your backsides, fingers pointing toward you. Lift your hips and belly and release your head back while you press your hands into the floor. Focus again on opening your chest and rolling you shoulders back. Hold this position for four to five breaths, and slowly with control, return to starting seated position.

3. Upright Cat/Cow

How it is beneficial: You might already recognize the phrase cat and cow if you are at all familiar with yoga language. This posture replicates the traditional cat/cow but rather than from you knees it is from a seated position. This posture is indented to move the energy in your body, specifically through your spine, which in knows as a major player in energy movement.

How to Do It: Sit with your legs crossed and rest you hands on knees. Take a deep inhale and arch your back, pushing your chest forward and rolling your shoulders back and down. Pull in and engage your abdominals. On your exhale, rounding your spine and release your abdominals. Continue moving through cat and cow, focusing on your breath. Participate in this flow for a minute or two if you have time.

So the next time your feet are dragging and your eyelids are feeling heavy, give these three poses a try. You may just surprise yourself in how easy and impactful these can be.

 

Written by Sonja Kromroy, MA, LPC