Getting out of bed and being awake are not necessarily the same thing. If you find yourself groggy more often than not, doing some simple stretches could help get your blood flowing and slowly awaken your thoughts to a more productive disposition. For those who need more motivation to get moving, here are seven yoga poses to start your day on the right foot.
7 Energizing Morning Stretches
1) Easy Pose – Start with your legs crossed in a relaxed posture, with arms stretched out resting on your knees and palms up. Take a deep breath in and exhale out. You can close your eyes for this pose, if you like.
2) Butterfly Pose – Still in Easy pose, bring your hands over to your feet and your forehead to your feet. Stay here about 30 seconds as you lengthen your spine. If you are able to, stretch your arms in front of you. As you come back up, you can start bringing activity to your legs by fluttering them like butterfly wings.
3) Cat-Cow Pose – Moving back and forth between Cat and Cow poses gives your back a nice stretch. With your hands and knees on the floor (knees under hips and wrists under shoulders), keep your abs tight and your back flat, resembling a table. As you exhale, round your spine towards the ceiling and tuck your head in towards your belly. On your inhale, arch your back and bring your head and tailbone towards the sky. Repeat for 30 seconds.
4) Downward Dog – From your Cat-Cow position, begin to stretch your arms forward and stretch your feet back as you start lifting into the triangle position known as Downward Dog. Your body should be fully engaged by now. Hold this pose as your breath in and out for 30 seconds. Walk your legs up slowly before moving on to Warrior 1.
5) Warrior 1 – Bend your right knee at a 45 degree angle and keep your left leg straight as you come into Warrior 1 position with hands reaching up towards the sky. Keep your breathing up as you maintain this pose. Keep this going as long as you can stand, between 15 – 30 seconds. On an exhale, bring your arms to shoulder height and enter Warrior 2.
6) Warrior 2 – Feel the stretch in Warrior 2 as you can move and stretch your legs a big in the position. Keep your torso upright and engage your abs. Don’t forget to continue breathing. You will repeat Warrior 1 and 2 on the opposite sides to make sure both legs get a good stretch.
7) Sun Salutation – Finally, end your sequence with the upward arm stretch known as Sun Salutation. Upon completing the sequence of your Warrior poses, bring both legs together, reach your arms up, and arch back as far as you can without discomfort. Stretch your fingertips towards the sky. Then slowly bring your hands back to prayer position. Take a deep breath in. Close your eyes as you exhale. Repeat.
By now, you should be ready to start your day. What are some of your favorite morning exercises to get the blood flowing?
