5 Yoga Poses to Start Your Day
The sun is rising and you’ve got a full day ahead of you, but crawling out of your warm and cozy bed isn’t appealing. While an hour-long yoga class is the ideal way to get you up and moving each day, we’ve got the five perfect poses to start your day in the comfort of your own home. You can even do the first two in bed!
Balasana: Child’s pose
Kneel on all fours in a tabletop position. Press back to sit on your heels and rest your chest on your thighs and your forehead on the floor. Relax your arms alongside your torso and turn your palms up. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, allowing your chest to expand and your back and ribs to widen.
As you exhale through your nose, sink your buttocks down to your feet.
Repeat this for five to 10 deep breaths.
Benefits: Child’s pose stretches your hips, back, thighs, ankles and shoulders. It relaxes the muscles on the front of your body while softly stretching the back muscles.
Supta matsyendrasana: Reclining spinal twist
On your back, pull your knees into your chest. Release your knees and straighten your left leg on the floor. Cross your bent right leg over your left leg toward the floor. Extend your arms out to the sides and turn your head to the right in a twist. Keep your left shoulder on the floor.
Hold this for 15 to 20 seconds and repeat with your left leg.
Benefits: The reclined twist lengthens, relaxes and realigns the spine while massaging and strengthening the abdominal organs.
Marjaryasana-bitilasana: Cat-cow
Kneel on all fours in a tabletop position with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees under your hips. As you inhale through your nose into cat, arch your shoulder blades and spine toward the sky and tuck your tailbone. Drop your head to gaze at your navel.
As you exhale through your nose into cow, lift your head to the sky, roll your shoulders back and push your chest forward. Drop your belly toward the ground in a downward arch of the back and gaze up.
Inhale and exhale through the cat-cow pose five to 10 times.
Benefits: This flow can help relieve lower back stress and menstrual cramp pain while increasing flexibility in the neck, shoulders and spine.
Adho mukha svanasana: Downward dog
From your tabletop position, tuck your toes and push into the palms of your hands and feet as you lift your hips into the air to form a V shape. Relax your head as you push your chest toward your thighs until you feel a deep stretch through your shoulder blades and your hamstrings. Walk your dog by bending one knee and pushing the heel of the other leg to the floor. Alternate both sides to enhance the stretch through your legs.
Repeat this for five to 10 deep breaths.
Benefits: Downward dog stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches and hands, as well as supports the body’s energy and gets your blood flowing.
Uttanasana: Standing forward bend
From downward dog, walk your hands and feet together and come to a standing position. With your feet together (or hip width apart for more stability), hinge at your hips and lower your chest to your thighs, your nose to your knees and your hands to the floor.
Bend your knees slightly if there is too much tension through your legs and back. Lengthen your spine as you inhale through your nose. Let your head fall closer and closer to your feet as you exhale through your nose.
Repeat this for five to 10 deep breaths.
Benefits: The forward fold lengthens the body, soothes the mind, stimulates the liver and kidneys, and improves digestion.
Remember to keep breathing through the nose with long, deep breaths throughout these poses — the most important part of yoga. This morning routine should energize you, yet instill a sense of peace for you to tackle the day. And staying in the comfort of your pajamas is a bonus!
We recommend always performing a warmup and cool down in conjunction with these poses, as well as consulting a health care professional regarding the risks associated with a new workout program.
