Yoga reduces stress and is therefore practised by many in the evening after work. But why not start the day fresh and relaxed with yoga? If you do a few yoga exercises right after getting up, you will strengthen your metabolism and go through the day full of freshness and energy. We show you what yoga does for your body and mind in the morning and which exercises are best suited.
Why Yoga in the Morning?
The early bird gets the worm! There is some truth in this saying, because according to Ayurveda, the body is still in the Vata phase in the morning, and this is the best time for exercise. Another advantage: in the morning, the mind is still free and empty. You don't have to get rid of disturbing thoughts and come to yourself more quickly.
If you practise yoga first thing in the morning, it will quickly become a habit. Like breakfast and brushing your teeth, morning yoga will soon become part of your morning ritual. Just 10 minutes is enough to do your body some good first thing in the morning. You will benefit from the positive effects of a morning yoga session all day long.
Morning Yoga: Effect of a Morning Workout
Yoga in the morning is a real pick-me-up. It awakens your spirits and helps you to start the day more energetic and fit. Because you have already done something positive for yourself in the morning, you start the day happier and healthier.
Your mind can also be revitalised in this way. After getting up, you have no stress and can find your centre in peace. Your mind enjoys the silence while it gently recharges itself and prepares for the day. This way you are more concentrated and relaxed during the day.
The positive effects of morning yoga then unfold throughout your body. Your metabolism is boosted and your digestion stimulated. Your circulation also really gets going and your limbs are mobilised after sleep.
As soon as your body gets used to the morning yoga ritual, you will automatically wake up at this time. When your sleep cycle is regulated, it will be easier for you to fall asleep in the evening. So you wake up the next day feeling better. But which exercises are suitable for the morning? We will now show you.
Yoga every morning: simple exercises for beginners
Our yoga exercises are not too difficult and therefore easy to do, even for beginners . The exercises are designed so that you can do them all in a row or just one at a time. How you decide to do them is entirely up to you. This way you can put together your own individual yoga morning ritual that suits you best. And now you're ready to go!
Happy baby
You can do this first position immediately after the alarm clock rings. The beauty of it is that you don't even have to get up, you can just stay in bed.
- Lie on your back.
- Angle the legs and bring them up to the chest.
- Pause for a moment and feel the closeness to yourself
- Now spread your knees and grasp the outsides of your feet with your hands.
- Now gently rock your legs back and forth like a happy baby!
- Breathe in and out calmly and prepare your body to stand up.
This position is very good for banishing tiredness and giving you a happy feeling. The gentle movement awakens the same curiosity and joy of life in you that a baby has and gently prepares you for the day.
Warrior
The warrior is a heroic posture and brings strength and power. This position helps you to get up especially strong in the morning. It brings concentration and stamina so that you can cope with all the tasks of the day.
- Stand up straight and tall.
- Step backwards with the left leg. The back foot points outwards at a 45 degree angle, the leg is extended.
- At the same time, bend the knee of the right leg at a 90 degree angle with the foot pointing forward.
- Now stretch your arms upwards and look at the sky.
- Be careful not to pull the shoulders up and tighten the abdomen slightly.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
Triangle
After the warrior has boosted you with energy, the triangle continues. It grounds you and brings balance, but at the same time gives you vitality. The body is stretched during this exercise, which helps the chakras to flow and harmonise the energy in the body.
- Spread the legs sideways like a "V".
- Turn the upper body in sideways to the right.
- Support yourself with your right arm on your right leg.
- Now stretch your left arm upwards and point your fingertips towards the sky.
- Keep the spine long and look towards the stretched fingertips.
- Hold the pose while breathing deeply, then switch sides.
In the beginning you can keep the distance between the legs relatively small. When you are more experienced, you can spread your legs further apart and touch the floor with one hand to make the exercise more challenging.
Squat
This yoga position helps you to collect yourself at the end and find your centre. The exercise stabilises your mind and focuses energy, but at the same time has a calming effect on the body.
- Stand with your legs wide apart and squat deeply.
- The heels remain firmly on the floor, the hands go in front of the heart in prayer posture
- Relax your shoulders, open the chest area and breathe deeply in and out.
In this way, you release the pressure on your shoulders and detach yourself from upsetting emotions. You become grounded so that you can start the day balanced and strengthened. In this video, Lisa explains another exercise with which you can awaken your spirits and start the day vitalised.
Last but not least, we'll show you a more detailed exercise that is a good way for beginners and advanced yogis to get going in the morning. This is an absolute yoga classic: the sun salutation.
Sun Salutation: Yoga for beginners and advanced
Energise your spirits once again with a salute to the sun. This exercise gives thanks to the sun as the power of all origins while energising all chakras and finding inner harmony.
- Stand upright and fold the hands in front of the chest in prayer posture.
- Inhale and raise the folded hands above the head. Look up to the sky.
- Bend the upper body forward as you exhale until you come into a forward bend and place the hands on the floor beside the feet.
- Lunge with one leg while bending the front knee at a 90 degree angle. Look forward and inhale.
- Hold your breath and also bring the bent leg back so that you are in a push-up. Tense the abdomen.
- Exhale, lowering the knees, chest and forehead to the floor in turn.
- Inhaling raise the head, shoulders and torso and enter the cobra position.
- Exhaling now place the feet and go into the Downward Looking Dog. The body forms an inverted "V".
- Repeat the 4th position while inhaling.
- Exhale and return to the forward bend as in step 3.
- Inhaling come back into an upright position and stretch both arms upwards.
- Bring the hands back to the chest in a prayer position and exhale.
Introduce a morning yoga session into your daily routine to welcome each day with open arms. This way you start your days purified and in a good mood. With these exercises, you are well equipped to prepare your body and mind for the here and now. And now let's get going!