Waking up can be a challenge, sometimes a sore and achy challenge. As a yoga enthusiast myself I like to try as many variations of yoga as possible. Personally, I have found one yoga practice that works best in the morning. Yin yoga is a variation of yoga that works on holding a pose for an extended amount of time. Normally you will hold the pose for 3-5 minutes each. This is not just a physical boundary to pass, but also a mental boundary. You are trying to stay as still as possible with complete concentration. The Yin Yoga style works in part with its counterpart, Yang Yoga. Yang Yoga works on fast pace poses. Some mornings are more rushed than others, but I always try to do at least 10 minutes of Yin Yoga. Yin helps me ease into my day and feel stretched out. If you have 10 minutes in the morning then you can practice an abridged version right now! Hold each of these poses for a solid minute, and after 10 minutes you will be refreshed, and ready to go.
Childs pose is a great pose to stretch you out before working on anything difficult. It’s great to focus on your breathing and start your morning practice.
Downward facing dog becomes a great body stretch that you need to start warming up your bones.
Forward lunge, like I talked about last week is great for opening your mind and your heart.
One-legged dog feels great after holding a forward lunge
Pigeon, which is my personal favorite, is one of the most powerful stretches for your hips.
And of course here is a little mantra to add to your Monday…
Though these are fives poses, make sure you do the other side with the same pose. That will mean 10 poses in 10 minutes! Once you start pracitcing this multiple times a week, challenge yourself to do it for 2 minutes a pose, and work your way up to 5 minutes! You will not only feel stretched out but you will feel an overall sense of a morning rush! Which is always needed for those Monday mornings.