Did you know that what we do in the morning dramatically determines how the rest of our day goes? This is why doing self-care activities like yoga can have such a positive impact on how the rest of the day flows. Those mornings when we wake up late, rush around, and skip breakfast don’t set us up for success and often have us feeling stressed and exhausted by mid-morning. Those days when we do our favorite yoga morning routine actually set us up for success! Keep reading to discover how to create a morning yoga routine and the seven best poses to do when you wake up.
A morning yoga practice is one of the best ways to start your day because of the combination of movement and breath connection.
Are you ready to take a few deep breaths and set an intention to create a more energized morning routine for yourself?! Let’s do it!
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Is it healthy to practice yoga in the morning?
There are many reasons and benefits to practicing yoga in the morning. Physical, mental, and emotional benefits, in fact.
Physically, it wakes you up and releases any muscular tension or joint stiffness you may have accumulated throughout the night.
Mentally, it clears your mind and brings you into the present moment so that you can face the day with clarity and productivity.
Emotionally, it helps you deal with feelings of stress and anxiety, release emotional blocks, and process anything that may have happened the previous day.
What’s more, like exercise, yoga releases endorphins, feel-good hormones that boost your mood. So even if you wake up on the “wrong side of the bed,” a morning yoga practice will quickly turn things around.
However, I recommend practicing yoga before eating breakfast to avoid unwanted symptoms like hiccups or acid reflux.
How long should I do yoga each morning?
The duration of your morning practice will depend mainly on your experience and your schedule, but generally speaking, it’s best to start with a 10 to 15-minute practice and slowly increase it. But really, there is no right or wrong length of time to practice yoga.
But if you’re new to yoga, it’s not advisable to practice for one hour every day as it can cause muscle fatigue and increase the risk of injury.
Creating a consistent routine and sticking to it is much more important than the duration of your practice. My yoga teacher used to say that a few minutes on your mat each day is better than zero minutes.
If you have some experience and want a challenge, you can practice for a set duration every day, say 30 minutes or 1 hour. However, even in this case, always listen to your body and give yourself rest if you need it.
Can you do yoga at home as a beginner?
Yes, you can do yoga at home as a beginner, you don’t need to be a pro to know how to create a morning yoga routine. If you’re just starting your yoga journey, you may feel you are not advanced enough to try it at home, but that is actually not true!
Your home morning practice does not need to mimic an hour-long studio session. Instead, you can simply come to your yoga mat, take a few deep breaths and do some gentle stretches or beginner poses.
If you’ve been to a few yoga classes, you might already have some favorite poses. For example, perhaps you love how the butterfly pose releases tension in your hips, or maybe the downward dog always feels like a great stretch for your hamstrings. You can create a mini morning sequence with just a few of your favorite yoga poses.
7 best yoga poses to do in the morning
Here are seven simple yet energizing postures to give you some inspiration and help you get started. You can choose one or two poses or practice them all as a short, ready-made morning yoga flow.
Downward facing dog
If you do just one yoga pose, make it this one! Downward dog stretches the entire body, including the thighs and back, which are often stiff when we wake up. It’s also a mild inversion as the head comes below the heart, sending fresh oxygen to the brain to energize your body and mind for the rest of the day. Overall mind and body energization sounds pretty ideal, doesn’t it?!
Cat/cow
Cat/cow is a gentle yet effective stretch for the spine and back muscles and honestly, it feels fantastic if you make it really juicy. As you move between flexion and extension, you’ll feel the tension melting away, making sitting at a desk for eight hours much more comfortable. Make it juicy by giving yourself more freedom in movement here. The more fluid you can be, the better this will feel! Personally, I like to take my cat/cows in sort of barrel rolling and circular motion patterns as well. Try it!
Sun salutations
Sun salutations are a typical yoga sequence often done to warm up at the start of a class. You know these poses. These poses stretch the entire body, and make an excellent short morning yoga flow.
Sun salutation A is the shortest variation, and each asana is linked to a breath.
- Starting in Tadasana, inhale to Urdhva Hastasana and exhale to Uttanasana.
- Inhale to halfway lift before stepping back to a plank position and lowering down to chaturanga.
- Inhale to upward dog, exhale to downward dog and hold for five breaths.
- Step or hop forward to halfway lift on an inhale and fold forward on an exhale.
- Inhale as you rise to Urdhva Hastasana, then return to Tadasana on the exhale.
If you want an extra challenge, you can also try Sun Salutation B, with additional postures like Warrior 1 and Chair pose.
Standing forward fold
Like the downward dog, the standing forward fold is a mild inversion as your head hangs below your chest. Thus, this is another excellent asana for waking you up, boosting brain functioning, and relieving headaches or mental tension. It also gives a deep stretch to the legs and back. I like to make this juicy by giving myself and very generous bend in my knees and really letting the tension in my neck go completely. This feels amazing.
Pigeon pose
If you work a stationary job sitting at a desk for long periods, you may notice hip pain and stiffness over time. Pigeon pose is one of the best asanas for improving the mobility of the hip joint and flexibility of the surrounding muscles. Moreover, opening the hips will ease pain in the lower back and improve your posture. Pigeon pose is more of an advanced posture, so if you are a beginner, be sure to learn about the various props you can use to support your body and make this pose a little less deep.
Boat pose
Granted, core work may not be something you feel like doing first thing in the morning, but its benefits are worth the short struggle. Firstly, the core engagement of the boat pose stimulates the digestive system and kick-starts your metabolism, relieving any feelings of fullness from a heavy dinner the night before.
Boat pose also stimulates the Manipura chakra, which is the center of our personal power. Thus, practicing this asana can boost your confidence and fill you with courage and self-belief, perfect for if you have a big meeting or interview coming up.
Bridge pose
As a backbend, bridge pose improves blood circulation, stretches the entire spine, relieves mild lower back pain, and boosts energy. Moreover, it boasts heart-opening qualities like joy, compassion, and gratitude. So you won't just feel in a better mood, you'll also enjoy more positive interactions with others. Yay!
Where to find free yoga for beginners
If you still feel wary about practicing yoga at home, don't worry. There are many great free yoga videos on Youtube and online classes you can follow along.
I recommend Yoga With Adriene, a world-famous yoga teacher with many Youtube videos suitable for beginners. Her videos typically range from 10 to 45 minutes, so you will always find a great free online class to fit your schedule.
You can also check out video-on-demand yoga subscriptions like Yoga Download, which has many free lessons, or a yoga app.
Takeaway on how to create a morning yoga routine
Now you know how to create a morning yoga routine! Nothing should be stopping you from enjoying a fantastic start to each day. Remember that yoga poses are just one part of yoga, though. There are actually 8 limbs of yoga. So if you don't feel like physically moving your body, why not do a short meditation or some pranayama breathing before the day's craziness begins?
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