Morning Yoga Routine

Morning Yoga Routine is getting done the first thing in the morning. I start my day with this routine before life continues. Morning Yoga Routine can be done at home or traveling. If you don’t have the opportunity to use the floor focus on the standing exercises. Even when being at the Airport, the first sequence can be done before a long flight.

Points to Remember
The Morning Yoga Routine

• Keep all body movements smooth, maintain an easy flow from one pose to the next, and find the same kind of flow within all the dynamic postures and sequences also.

• When supporting the weight of the body on the legs and arms, bend the knees and elbows slightly so you avoid locking the joints.

• When the arms are outstretched in a pose, support them from the heart, keeping the chest open. To increase this awareness when you come into the pose, flap the arms gently like the wings of a bird. Do this to check both the alignment as well as making sure the arms are not stiff and the hands also remain loose.

• Adjust the pose according to your body, in other words, don’t push the body to achieve the desired endpoint or so-called perfect pose, rather find the natural limit of the pose for your body in each present moment in time. Where you feel the edge of the stretch, use the in-breath to create more space and release any tension with each out-breath.

1. Twist The Body

• Twist the body keeping the arms loose by the sides of the body and stay grounded in the pose by imagining roots extending deep down into the earth out from the soles of the feet. Do 5-8 twists to each side.

• Extend your arms above the head and interlock the fingers, stretch your whole body up to the sky and come onto your tiptoes. To maintain your balance; focus on a point in the near distance and stabilize your core by holding the awareness in the center of the body around the solar plexus (the tan tien in chi gung). From here, move the energy equally out into the whole length of your body, both upwards into the arms and down into the feet, then beyond into the earth-roots. Do 5-8 full body stretches.

2. Half Moon

• Swaying Palm Tree (or Half Moon) Side Stretch – From a standing position with feet flat on the floor and the arms outstretched above the head, lean sideways making sure you don’t twist the body whilst you stretch alternately left and right. Make sure you can feel the stretch along the whole side of your body from the grounded outside foot all the way up to the fingers on the same side of the body. (See notes above for position #2 for more tips) Do 5-8 full body stretches.

3. Bounce Movement

• Do the ”Bounce” in a a standing position, by bending and straightening the knees, to circulate the cerebro-spinal fluid, which helps to keep the immune system strong and healthy. Women can let one arm hang loose by the side and use the other one to support the boobs.

4. Chest Tap

• Stimulating Chest Tap; Tap your chest with the tips of the fingers to stimulate and release T3, thyroid hormone, which has been shown to help ease depression. Pull and twist your ears to energise the body.

• Wake up all the energy meridians and energize the body by using a loose fist to tap all over the body. Hold the thumbs on the inside of the clenched fingers, then rub over your lower back on either side of the spine with flat palms to nourish the adrenal glands sitting on top of both kidneys.

– – – First Sequence is Done – – –

5. Sun Salutation

• Do the Sun Salutation sequence 3-7 times or more remembering to flow gracefully from one pose to the next . An easy way to count the number of rounds is to keep the hip stretch on the same side of the body, ie. if you step backwards into the equestrian (horse) pose with right foot then step forwards out of the mountain (downward dog) with the left foot to complete half a round on the right side of the body. Once you’ve changed sides and repeated the same movements with the hip stretch on the left side; that is one full round.

• Finish however many rounds of the Sun Salutation you are doing in your programme with 3 standing breaths whilst holding the hands in namaste or prayer position, palms pressed together over the heart, before lying in shavasana for at least five minutes.

6. Shavasana – 5 Minutes!

• Shavasana – Open the chest by turning the palms to face upwards and move the arms away from the sides of the body so there is space underneath the armpits. Tuck your chin slightly towards your chest to lengthen the back of your neck. Remain in the corpse pose for at least 5 minutes whenever you have completed several rounds of the sun salutation in order to allow the body to fully integrate the effects from the practice.

• Allow your body to feel heavy on the ground.
• Become aware of your physical body.
• Become aware of your mental body.
• Become aware of your emotional body.
• Feel as if your whole body is relaxed.
• Allow the natural breath to flow in and out of the body.

When you release the practice of Shavasana; Very slowly and very gently, begin to make small movements with your fingers and your toes.

Take a deep breath all the way down into your belly.

Reach your arms up over your head and stretch all the way from your toes to your fingertips.

7. Spinal Twist

• Lying Spinal Twist: Remember to lift up onto the side of your hip first before coming into the twist, then make sure the straight leg is aligned correctly with the spine. NB: As for all poses; adjust the pose according to your body, in other words, don’t push the body to achieve the desired endpoint or so-called perfect pose, but rather find the natural limit of the pose for your body in each present moment in time.

• Hold the spinal twist for some time on the right and use each in-breath to create more space where you feel the edge of the stretch and release tension with each out-breath. Lie on the back for a short time before you change to the left and notice any differences between the two sides of the body.

• Whilst lying on your back, pull the knees in towards the chest and make circular movements so you massage around the tailbone. Then rock backward and forwards along the length of the spine a few times before eventually rolling-up and coming into a standing position.

8. Triangle Pose

• The Triangle Pose: With the left foot (or the front foot, when you change sides) facing directly forwards, take a wide stance and place the (right) or back foot at 45 degrees to it. Keep both hips straight, i.e. facing in the same direction as the upper body at 90 degrees to the front foot. Fully extend both the arms at shoulder height and gently flap them like a bird in flight to keep the shoulders nice and loose.
  
  
• Come into the pose by lengthening the torso and stretching the front arm out over the front leg first before tipping down and bringing the hand/fingers to rest gently on, or in front of, the front leg. Keep the chest open and adjust the head so the neck is relaxed whilst you direct them to gaze upwards at hand in the air.
  
  
• Make sure you don’t twist the back hip in order to lean further forwards. Rather: focus on feeling the stretch in the side of the body all the way from the outside edge of the back foot to the fingertips of the upper arm.
• Complete three rounds before changing sides. The first two can be dynamic, moving into and out of the pose on the breath, then, in the last round: hold the pose for 3-5 breaths
  

Preparation for tree pose: Stroke the soles of your feet to bring your awareness into the feet and visualize sending energetic roots deep into the earth to ground your feet and help maintain your balance in the tree pose in a relaxed way. Do 3 breaths to center yourself first, then move into the pose itself.

9. Tree Pose

• Tree Pose: Bring the weight onto one foot and bend the knee slightly making sure you haven’t locked it. Raise the other leg and place the sole of that foot against the thigh of the straight leg with the knee pointing out to the side and the hip open. Push the straight leg towards the foot to help stop the foot from sliding down the leg and to avoid bending sideways also.

10. Namaste!

Bring the hands into prayer position over the heart first then lengthen at the waist as you lift the arms above the head. Keep the shoulders relaxed so they are away from the ears, the chest should be open. Use the same points as in pose #2 to help maintain the balance.

• Do 3 breaths in any aligned sitting position and chant the mantra OM 3 times to complete the morning yoga routine. Namaste!

Morning Yoga Routine
Can Be Practiced Anywhere

The morning yoga routine program is an easy program, that is mostly about preparing your body for a new day of life and adventures. If you are waking up with low energy don’t force it. Adjust to your energy level depending on the day. One day you take seven Sun Salutation the other day you maybe even skip it in the program. Which is okay 🙂