Since I’ve gotten into yoga, it has helped me a lot with body pain (especially back pain). Since I work on the computer a lot, it helps to stretch my body back out and get ALL the muscles used to moving again.
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It helps me also to relieve stress, clear my thoughts and relax. I really like to do yoga in the morning and a really mellow routine before I go to bed.
I’ve gotten off of my routine before and it really makes me feel terrible. So, I’ve developed a morning routine where I get up early enough to have some ‘me’ time, do some stretching and yoga and eat my breakfast, and drink my coffee or tea just to chill out a little bit before I get to work.
If you aren’t used to a morning routine or haven’t done yoga before, it can be challenging to take that first step because your body isn’t used to it. And even from yoga, you will likely be sore if you haven’t worked out in a while or ever.
But, once you force yourself to get up and do it that first day, you will feel much MORE energized and awake.
Just prepare yourself the night before. Lay out your yoga leggings and outfit. Figure out what you’ll eat for breakfast. Maybe put some water in a water bottle or workout bottle and put it in the fridge so it’ll be cold first thing in the morning when you need to use it. You can also put a yoga playlist together in iTunes or Spotify to help you ease into the yoga workout and relax.
Read on to find out 6 Ways You Can Benefit From a Morning Yoga Routine!
1. Â Balances Your Hormones
When your hormones are imbalanced, it can actually affect you mentally and physically in many ways from giving you skin problems and making you feel fatigued to giving you headaches and more!
Imbalanced hormones can also affect how well or not so well you sleep.
Your endocrine system is a collection of glands which produces hormones and regulates your metabolism, development, tissue function, sleep, mood, etc. So, because yoga focuses on breathing and meditation, it has a positive effect on the endocrine system. Doing yoga in the morning creates hormonal balance.
Some basic yoga poses that can stimulate and help to balance your hormones are:
Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
Camel Pose (Ustrasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
My personal favorite of these is the Cobra Pose. It feels SO good to get the back stretched out, get the blood flowing and lift up. You don’t have to hold these poses for too long if you can’t stand it. Just go as long as you can and then release the pose.
By doing yoga on a regular basis, you can keep your hormonal well-being healthy and under control.
2. Â Helps Regulate Your Sleep Pattern
Bad, inconsistent sleep patterns are linked to weight loss and other problems. When you get a good, full night of sleep, you wake up energized and alert. If you make doing yoga in the morning a habit, then your body will get used to waking up at the same day every day and it will be ready for exercise.
Because you’ll be going to bed and waking up at the same time, this will help you sleep all night and wake up without feeling confused or foggy-headed.
Here are a few poses that can help you get a good night’s sleep:
Child’s Pose (Balasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
Supine Figure Four (Sucirandhrasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from SteadyStrength
Spinal Twist (Supta Jathara Parivartanasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
Corpse Pose (Savasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
Reclining Goddess Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana). Video tutorial here.
Photo from YogaBasics
These poses stimulate the pineal gland, which is a small endocrine gland in the brain. It produces melatonin, which regulates sleep patterns, helping your biological sleep go through its natural cycles.
All of these poses are great. One that I HAVE to do every day is the Spinal Twist. I hold it as long as I can because it just feels that good. It really is nice and relaxing and my back really appreciates it afterwards!
3. Â Puts You in a Healthy Consistent Routine
By doing yoga in the morning, you’ll not only sleep better, but you’ll also get used to a morning routine that you will be able to stick to every day.
It’s hard to stop your work during the day while getting lunch also, or find ANY time to do it in the middle of the day. By the time night comes you’re too physically and mentally worn out from work to do anything but rest.
So, getting your exercise and yoga in in the morning is really the best solution because that is when you are most alert and have better mental brightness. By getting your day started off with exercise, it will make you choose healthier options throughout the day.
Fitness professionals suggest eating a mixture of carbs and protein before you do any exercise. If you are worried about getting sick while you move around, then you can just stick with a whole or a half banana. But listen to your body, you may need more detoxing or your body could be off that day, etc.
4. Â Boosts Your Metabolism
Your metabolism is the total energy your body expends each and every day. Exercising in the morning actually increases your metabolism more than any other time of the day and stays high even after you stop.
So by doing yoga in the morning, you can set your day healthy from the start.
5. Â Naturally Rises Your Energy Level
When you do yoga in the mornings, you’ll feel so much more energized and it will help you to wake up so you can get on with your day. You can even skip your morning cup of coffee for energy and focus on yoga instead! You’ll gain mental clarity and sharpness and this will help you become more productive on a daily basis.Â
6. Â Prevents Injuries and Aches
When you are working during the day or sitting at your desk, moving your body around first thing in the morning is a really good way to make sure that your body doesn’t get any more stiff. It lengthens and loosens up your muscles so your body can get ready for moving around after laying still in the night.
It also eases any aches or pains that you already have. So, when you go to do your work for the day, your muscles won’t get so tight and tensed up because you will already have prepped your body for the day ahead.
Yoga is really an essential daily routine for people that sit in a desk all day. You need yoga to flex your spine and get your body back into a better posture. You can increase your flexibility and strength by doing yoga on a regular basis.
Yoga poses release tight, sore muscles and tissues. The longer that you hold a yoga pose, you’ll restore and rebuild any connective tissue and your bone structure.
If you’re interested in online yoga classes that you can do anytime you want and wherever you want, you can try MyYogaWorks. They have a TON of yoga classes and high quality teachers so it’s really perfect for people who are on the go! You can get your first 14 days free on a trial basis. They have a Mother’s Day special going on right now where you can get 70% off the 12 month price, so that makes it only $45 for a year!
You can also get 3 months at just $1 a month through my link here.
Doing yoga and exercise is important for you. Set a morning routine for yourself so you can take care of your body and get the benefits out of doing yoga daily!
