There are about 300 million people[1] all over the world who regularly do yoga. This is a statistic that’s growing quickly. In the US alone, an estimated 36 million people enjoy yoga. When you’re just getting started, you might be wondering what the best time is to practice your yoga sessions, and we can confirm that morning is the right answer. To help you get started, we will look at morning yoga for beginners routine that’s great for your mental and physical health.
Why is Yoga Best in the Morning?
The truth is, you can do yoga whenever you want. Some people rely on yoga to help them sleep better at night. Others turn to yoga to give them a boost in energy during the day. However, if you ask yoga enthusiasts, they’ll often tell you that the morning is the best time to perform this exercise.
There are different reasons for this, which we’ll explore in the next section. For now, consider the fact that we often feel tired in the morning, and perhaps you find it difficult to get out of bed. Now, turn to yoga as a routine after getting up, and you’ll be able to get that head start you need - it’s going to boost your energy and help you focus more clearly.
Benefits of Morning Yoga for Beginners
There are many benefits that morning yoga for beginners can offer you, so let’s take a moment to consider these primary advantages:
-
Physical benefits: Yoga is great for improving flexibility, which can help to reduce limitations in mobility that you experience. When you do yoga in the morning, you’ll have a greater sense of energy[2], which also makes it easier to get through the day.
-
Mental and emotional benefits: Yoga has long been used for much more than just its physical benefits. You can also experience some mental benefits if you practice yoga regularly. Researchers have found that yoga is ideal for reducing anxiety[3] and improving your ability to cope with stress. It can also give you a boost in your mood and make it easier to focus on important tasks.
Getting Started with Morning Yoga
If you’re new to yoga, you must understand some basics to help you get started. Let’s take a look at some preparation steps you should take to make morning yoga for beginners feel great:
- Prepare the space: Start by considering where you’re going to perform yoga. Choose a space that’s free of distractions.
- Choosing a comfortable attire: What you wear matters with your yoga routine, too. Try to wear comfortable clothing for your morning yoga stretches, as this ensures clothing doesn’t get in your way.
Morning Yoga Poses for Beginners to Boost Energy
There are a lot of different poses you can learn about when looking at things like morning yoga for energy boost, relaxation, stress relief, and more. Some poses, however, are easier for beginners who just want to get started with yoga. We’ll take a closer look at some of the best poses you should begin with.
-
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): Your hands and feet should touch the ground. Start in a kneeling position, then move your hands forward. Keep your feet and hands about shoulder-width apart from each other. Lift your knees and bring your buttocks into the air, then hold the post for a minute. Consider taking Nuu3 Green Pura to give you an initial energy boost if you’re having trouble getting started with this pose.
-
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana): Lie on your stomach. Make sure to use your yoga mat for this one. Place your arms at the sides of your chest, and then push the front part of your body up. Raise your head backward as you come up, then hold the pose for a moment before releasing.
-
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II): Stand up at the lower end of the long side of your yoga mat. Stretch your arms out, place one foot on the edge of the mat, and move the other foot forward so that it is positioned about halfway over the mat. Your head should be positioned so that you are now looking at your fingertips. You should feel a slight stretch - keep the position for about 30 seconds.
-
Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar): Being in the classic mountain pose, then move into the prayer pose. From here, you’re going to enter the raised arms pose, followed by the standing forward bend, the equestrian pose, and finally, you’ll lower into the plank pose. It’s a great way to combine different poses and can help with , too. Combine this move with Nuu3 Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies to speed up the results.
-
Chair Pose (Utkatasana): For this one, you’ll begin in the classic mountain pose. You’ll then “sit down” on an imaginary chair behind you, as you exhale. Keep the position before moving back into the mountain pose.
-
Camel Pose (Usrasana): You’ll need to get down on your knees for this pose. Your knees should be hip-width apart from each other. The tops of both feet should be flat on the yoga mat. Your fingertips go onto the base of your spine, and then you’ll look backward, while also leaning back slowly. The idea is to reach toward your heels.
-
Corpse Pose (Savasana): For an energy boost, do the corpse pose and combine it with the Nuu3 Nature’s Superfuel. You’ll need to lie down on your back, then push both your arms and legs outward so that they don’t connect with your body at the side. You can close your eyes, and just try to relax. It’s a still pose, but still holds a lot of potential.
Energizing Warm-Up and Stretching Yoga Poses
Before you get started with your yoga session, it’s important to do some stretches first. Morning yoga stretches help to warm up and loosen your muscles, which also reduces your risk of injury. Let’s take a look at a couple of helpful ways to warm up.
- Gentle warm-up exercises: Marching on the spot, heel digs, and knee bends are a great way to warm up before you start your yoga session.
- Neck stretches: When you do neck stretches, you’ll be able to effectively release tension from your neck, as well as your shoulders. This will make yoga poses that focus on this area more comfortable to do.
- Shoulder rolls: Combined with neck stretches, shoulder rolls further relax your shoulder muscles.
- Cat-cow stretches: These stretches offer a more comprehensive option when it comes to stretching larger portions of your body.
The role of stretching in boosting energy
As you stretch, you’re essentially going to increase blood circulation in your body. This can help to release some built-up tension that you have. When this happens, you’ll generally feel more energized, as now more oxygen and nutrients can also reach essential cells that need to function.
Breathing Techniques for Morning Yoga
Yoga isn’t a high-intensity exercise, but it’s still going to raise your heart rate and increase the rate at which you breathe. It’s important to understand that certain breathing techniques can help you make the most out of your yoga sessions.
Importance of breath awareness
First, we should consider the reason for breath awareness. When you perform yoga, being more aware of your breathing patterns can help reduce the amount of joint compression you experience with some of the poses you’ll do. Breathing awareness is also great for cases where you want to improve your overall posture when you perform yoga exercises.
Basic breathing exercises
While doing your morning yoga exercise, you must focus on breathing. However, if all of this is still relatively new for you, then you should begin with some basic breathing techniques.
Sit down and make sure you’re comfortable. As you sit, try to let go of any tension in your shoulders, then start to breathe in slowly through your nose. When you exhale, blow the air out from your nose. Keep your mouth closed. This helps to create greater breathing awareness, which will be helpful when you follow a morning yoga for beginners program.
FAQ
Can we do yoga on an empty stomach in the morning?
Yes. In fact, yoga is best when you practice it early in the morning while your stomach is still empty. That’s also going to help avoid problems like nausea, which can happen on a full stomach.
What’s the ideal duration for a morning yoga session?
You can start slow and only a few minutes every morning. However, try to reach sessions that last between 15 and 30 minutes over time.
What’s the best time to practice yoga?
Most people will agree that it is in the morning, before you have anything to eat, is the best time to get in your daily session of yoga.
Can morning yoga help with stress and anxiety?
Yes, yoga has been proven to help reduce stress and can even improve symptoms of anxiety. It’s a great way to start the day and lower anxious feelings throughout the morning.
Conclusion
Yoga is one of those exercises that you can do at any time. It’s great for stress relief, helps with your flexibility, and can be a good way to boost your energy. However, most people will agree morning yoga for beginners is best. That’s the time of the day when you won’t experience nausea when you exercise, as you’ve got an empty stomach. You’ll also find that it helps to give you a good start to the day.
References
1] ↑https://yogaearth.com/yoga-research/yoga-statistics
2] ↑https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/
3] ↑https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29697885/