Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. -Dalai Lama
Any time is a great time for yoga, as long as you can fit your practice into your busy life. Sometimes, despite the best intentions, your day can run away from you. Work and personal matters can take precedence and suddenly, it is bedtime and you didn’t step onto your yoga mat. Here are 5 reasons why practicing yoga first thing in the morning can set you up for your best day.
1. No Distractions: When you wake up, do not check your phone, do not brew your coffee or tea, and do not open your laptop. Practice yoga right away. Just roll out of bed and onto your mat before any external event can pull you from your intention. Put yoga first so you feel stronger and calmer all day long and in turn, can show up for what’s important in a less reactive way.
2. Creates a Positive Attitude: Practicing yoga in the morning has the power to set your mood for the rest of your day. You’ll feel confident and empowered because you chose to release any lingering emotions from yesterday and create space for living in the present moment. How you start your day can have an enormous impact on how external events impact you. When you settle your thoughts and emotions before handling work or family or the world, you bolster your ability to control your reactions to whatever transpires.
3. Increased Energy: Yoga gets your blood flowing and your prana moving throughout your system. Morning practice helps you loosen up the stiffness in your joints and muscles and enables you to shake off lethargy. No matter the style of yoga you choose to practice, the simple attention to breathing and warming your body will boost your entire being.
4. Clarity and Mental Focus: Yoga is excellent for helping you clear the cobwebs and get clear about whatever it is you need to focus upon. In class, we’re constantly working to step away from distractions and repetitive thoughts that bog us down and move toward sustained attention on what we choose to focus upon. The entire definition of yoga, Citta Vritti Nirodhaha, is about training ourselves to direct our attention where we want it to go.
5. Stoke Your Metabolism: By starting your day with yoga, you wake up your internal organs and digestion and elimination systems. When you are using your metabolic system efficiently, you avoid feeling heavy or getting lethargic in the middle of the day. You set yourself up to burn calories consistently and in turn, feel lighter and have more energy to make the most out of every moment.
Check out these great classes, specifically designed to start your morning right. Remember, no matter what happens throughout your day, you did something positive for your well-being! Enjoy.
1. Jackie Casal Mahrou - Sunrise Flow 2: Fill Your Cup
2. Keith Allen - Wake Up Slow
3. Elise Fabricant - Morning Yoga Ritual
4. Robert Sidoti - Start Your Day Right