There’s no denying the shift in season as the schools and colleges have reopened their gates to the masses. The increased traffic on the roads most mornings has added to commuter time and, unfortunately, reduced the precious minutes needed to get ourselves together for the day ahead. One of the massive benefits of yoga is that it brings our body, mind and breath into sync, a necessity for a productive and creative day. So how do we fit this into our morning to give ourselves the best possible start to the day whilst still managing to sit at our desks pre-9am? Check out a few options to get the body moving in the morning:
Up to 5 mins – Cat/Cow
Lying in bed for up to 8 hours (ideally!) can cause our bodies to be a little stiff in the mornings when the time comes to move again. Roll out of the bed, on to all fours into ‘tabletop’ position and try a couple of rounds of cat/cow to wake up the spine. Fingers spread wide, wrist creases parallel to the top of the mat, wrists, elbows and shoulders in line above each other, knees under hips, keep the neck long and the spine in a neutral position. Inhale. On the exhalation, begin to lengthen the tailbone down and round the spine towards the ceiling, releasing your head towards the floor. As you inhale, begin to lift your sit bones towards the ceiling as the belly sinks towards the floor (core muscles still engaged), lift your head to look forward. Complete a couple of rounds initiating each movement from the tailbone, exhaling as you curl upwards, inhaling as you dip down.
Up to 10 mins - Plank to Down Dog
The idea of sitting at a desk slumped over a computer for approximately 8 hours would have our ancient yogi ancestors spinning in their graves (or in the universe somewhere, depending on your beliefs!). Following on from cat/cow, moving from plank to downward facing dog can really open up the shoulders. From tabletop, step back into plank. Inner elbows facing towards each other, feeling broad across the upper back, tummy muscles engaged, legs strong. Inhale. On the exhalation, lift the hips up and back into downward facing dog as the ears come in line with the upper arms. Stay here for a few breaths, knees bent if your leg muscles are feeling tight. Then move forward into plank again on the inhalation and back into downward facing dog on the exhalation. Repeat a couple of times. While in downward facing dog, you can also to take turns bending each leg and stretching the other, holding for 60-90 seconds to open up the legs.
Up to 20 mins – Sun Salutation A
Sometimes, once we start moving in the morning, it’s difficult to stop! If you find you have a further 10 minutes to spare, why not move through a couple of sun salutations. Follow the diagram below for Surya Namaskar A.
Up to 30 mins – Savasana
And, hey, if there happens to be another 10 minutes space, who would say no to a delicious 10 minute Savasana as a reward for being good to your body and mind?!
So… as soon as your alarm goes off in the morning, instead of reaching for your phone to spend your first 5-30 minutes on social media, wake up all over with a little bit of yoga!
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