Especially nowadays, a bad posture and long working hours in front of a laptop sound like a very familiar scene for most of us, and no wonder. Everyday life has slowed down drastically during the last year, and many of us are working remotely from home. Remote work allows us to slow the spread of the virus, but one of the downsides is that we also lose most of our normal everyday exercise that we would do when walking or carrying things, for example.
During long working days at home, one easy and quick way to add at least some movement into your daily routine is to start your day with a calming yoga session. It takes no more than 10 minutes, however, the results are long-lasting!
A step-by-step, easy morning yoga routine (duration 10 minutes)
Preparation:
For this morning yoga, you really don’t need to prepare yourself with anything; you could basically start your session straight from the bed. All you need to do is to make sure you are wearing something comfy and relaxing. You can even put some calming music on to wake up all your senses.
1. Take a comfortable position with legs crossed (1 min)
Anyone who knows anything about yoga recognises the basic sitting posture that is indeed a perfect way to start your day. Sitting on a comfortable surface and feeling the floor under you relaxes both your muscles and your mind. And on top of this, you don’t really even have to do anything for this one! Just close your eyes and listen to your inner self – how are you feeling today?
2. Move your head from side to side and do some circles (1 min)
When you feel like it’s a good moment to start moving your muscles, the first step is to start moving your head to both sides – left and right. For this, you can still keep your eyes shut and do the movement as slowly as you want. After this, make circles with your head both ways.
3. Stretch both of your arms slowly (2 min)
When your neck and head start feeling like they are woken up, move your left arm behind you. While having your arm behind, turn to your right side and look as far as you can. Stretching your neck helps to feel the movement better. Do the same with your right arm.
4. Get on all fours and move your back up and down (1 min)
This step might be a tricky one if you haven’t stretched for a while. Start slowly before doing the movement quicker if you feel like it.
5. Sit on your calves and lean forward to stretch your back (1min)
This pose is also called a “Child’s Pose” and it’s a perfect yoga position for your back. Sit on the floor on your calves and lean forward like a child. Strech your arms forward.
6. Get up and try to stretch towards the ceiling (30 sec)
To get your legs moving nicely, it’s good to stand up calmly. Stretch your whole body while trying to reach for the ceiling.
7. Lean down and touch the ground (make a bridge!) (1 min)
While standing up, begin to lean down and touch the floor with your hands. You might want to take a wider position to reach all the way down. I also call this one the “bridge”.
8. Lay down on your stomach and lift your upper body all the way up with your hands (30 sec)
Be careful with your back while lifting your upper body from the floor. Do the movement slowly if you need to, and do not lift too high if you don’t feel like it. This definitely wakes up your entire body!
8. Repeat step 5 – Child’s Pose (1min)
9. Take the same relaxed position as in the beginning (1min)
Close your eyes and take some time to yourself. Try to think of nothing but your emotions for a moment. How do you feel now? Let everything that is bothering you move aside for a while and breathe calmly in and out for a couple of seconds.
10. Namaste.
Hope you have a good day!