5 reasons to practice yoga in the morning
You’re not a morning person? Same here. My husband kicks my foot when I try to ignore my alarm clock. This has been a difficult step for me, but when there is not enough hours in the day and you look after 2 young tornados, you don’t have many choices left. So I have been there and I can tell you this worth the effort BIG TIME ! Let me explain why.
1. Feel lighter in your body
Don’t we all feel the need to stretch when we wake up? A morning yoga flow will help you open the body and bring some mobility after long hours of stillness. Our body were made for mobility and we don’t move as much as we should which creates stiffness and tensions. As per our circadian rhythm our muscle strength and cardiovascular efficiency are best around 5pm so we should prefer gentle slow flows in the morning, but you should always listen to what your body needs and adapt your practice.
Tips: Sun Salutation are a great way to open the body and stretch every part of it.
A circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours.
2. Minimize overreaction and stress
When we wake up, our cortisol level (the stress hormone) is already high to give us the boost we need to start our day. Practising yoga every morning will allow the body to switch from this Fight or Flight mode and tap into the parasympathetic nervous state where the body heals and the mind quiets. Having habits is also a great way to minimize stress by giving a sense of control over our life and security.
Tips: Move mindfully in your posture and observe how it feels.
3. Improve your productivity
Starting the day onto your mat gives you the ability to focus on something which makes you feel good rather than jumping onto your worries for the day ahead. Focusing, like any soft skill, needs practice hence doing it regularly will gradually make you more productive. Equally importantly, life always gets in the way, a morning practice maximises your chance to feel in control and get things done.
Tips: Prefer those postures to tap into your focusing skills: mountain pose, chair pose, tree pose, Warrior II and get used to fixing your gaze.
4. Build more self-worth
Creating a morning yoga routine, drives you away from procrastination which can pollute your mind with negative thoughts. Achieving something early in the day is also a great way to build confidence and a sense of self-worth. Finally, moving our body triggers endorphins which makes us feel good and worthy!
Tips: Take some time to congratulate yourself after your practice and don’t bit yourself up whenever you missed one.
5. Boost your immunity
By moving in a way that feels good first thing in the morning, we essentially ‘wake up’ all the body’s systems, enhancing the flow of circulation and giving the immune system an immediate boost. Also, we avoid feeling guilty through the day – as our practice is done – which triggers negative thinking increasing the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Those are responsible for increase heart rate, blood pressure and inflammation throughout the body.
Tips: Gentle inversions like legs up the wall pose are especially effective for stimulating the immune system.
On top of all those benefits, starting your day with an act of self-care, like a short yoga practice, increases the chances that you’ll be making healthier choices for the rest of the day and the rest of your life. By filling your cup, you are able to serve others from a place of fullness and not depletion, improving your relationship overall.
Disclaimer: You don’t need to practice for 60min to see the benefits, a 5/10 minutes flow is enough and you can then build upon this routine to have longer session when your diary allows. The important bit is CONSISTENCY. So pick a day in your diary to start and celebrate your wins.
