Over the years I have come to realize that starting my day with something healthy is not only the best thing to do, but it’s a must. I’ve learned that incorporating some sort of exercise into my morning routine helps me get started on the right foot and sets me up for success throughout the day. Yoga has truly become that go-to daily practice for me.
It’s not always a whole hour and I don’t always push myself to the limit, but I do make sure I spend a few minutes every day with at least two or three yoga poses in a quiet space. Starting the day with something that’s both athletic and peaceful, leaves my mind clear while also getting the blood flowing and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s a few of my favorite yoga poses, perfect for both beginners and the more advanced yogi alike.
3 Simple Steps for a Daily Yoga Practice
#1. Cat Cow
While gazing up at the ceiling, you drop your back down toward the floor as you inhale. Then while looking down at your belly button, you arch your back up like a cat and exhale. (via Everyday Health)
#2. Sun Salutation
There are several variations to this sequence of postures known as salute to the sun. They’re traditionally practiced as the sun is rising, and whichever version of Surya Namaskar you practice, they’re a great way to warm up and start to sync movement of the body with the flow of the breath.
As they work all of the 7 major chakras, they’ll help you light up energetically and the rhythmic movement can help create a sense of inner calm. (via Do You Yoga)
#3. Child’s Pose
Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.
Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back. (via Yoga Journal)
Do you have a favorite yoga pose for starting the day?
