It took me a long time to incorporate a few yoga stretches into my morning routine, mostly because the thought of bending over or turning my neck before drinking my coffee made me cringe. However, biting the bullet and doing so has made an incredible difference in both how I feel about becoming a morning person and how I feel the rest of the day.
This awakening motivated me to integrate yoga into my morning, noon, and night routines (in addition to a daily flow practice). Yoga is for any time of day, for anyone! Start with these stretches, and enjoy the body, mind, and spirit benefits:
MORNING YOGA
These stretches focus on getting the morning stickiness out of your body. Less caffeine, more yoga!
Seated Twist
• Seated in a cross-legged position, lengthen your spine. As you inhale, draw your right hand to the sky and your left hand to your right knee.
• As you twist your front ribs to the right side of the room, plant your right hand behind your sacrum.
• Enjoy the twist for five slow, deep breaths and repeat twisting to the other side.
Forward Fold
• Begin standing with your hands on your hips.
• Exhale as you bend forward at the hips, letting the crown of your head hang down toward the floor. (You can modify this stretch by bending your knees).
• Slightly lift and lengthen your torso with each inhalation. Release deeper into the pose with each exhalation. Let your head hang and remain in the posture for up to one minute, ensuring you’re taking deep, slow breaths.
• On an inhale, gently roll your spine and come back up to standing.
Low Lunge
• Start by kneeling on the floor, knees hip-width apart.
• Step forward with your right foot.
• Position yourself so that your right quadricep is parallel to the floor and your right foot is extended slightly past your knee.
• The lower part of your back leg should be resting on the floor, and your foot should be flexed so that your toes are resting on the ground.
• To increase the hip stretch, bend forward more on the right knee.
• Stay in this pose for up to 10 deep breaths, then switch sides.
BENEFITS
► Taking deep inhales and exhales as you move through your morning poses stimulates your body and mind. That extra oxygen acts as a natural morning energy booster.
► Gentle twists detoxify the body and open the heart to the day, allowing for a focus on courage, love, and joy.
► Morning yoga stretches set the tone for a calm, relaxed day ahead. I always try to set an intention for the day during my short meditation.
► Adding a couple of standing poses provides a sense of grounding and strength, the perfect combination to get the day started.
AFTERNOON YOGA
Eight-plus hours of sitting at a desk… a yogi’s nightmare! Stretching midday can help to cure your desk job ailments.
Side Stretch
• While seated in your desk chair, lengthen your spine and roll your shoulders back and down.
• Reach your right arm to the ceiling and bend to the left, creating length in the side body.
• Take five deep inhales and exhales, then repeat on the left side.
Chair Thread the Needle
• Seated in your desk chair, cross your right ankle over your left knee.
• Straighten your spine, look forward, and lean forward over your bent leg.
• Enjoy the hip-opening stretch for ten deep breaths, then repeat with the left leg.
Folding Shoulder Opener
• In a seated position, focus on creating length in your spine and drawing your shoulders away from your ears.
• Clasp your hands behind your back, then hinge at the hips to move your torso forward over your quadriceps.
• Draw your clasped hands forward toward your head, allowing the shoulders to open and release.
• Hold this stretch for up to five deep breaths.
BENEFITS
► Bending forward midday provides a calming effect, easing your mind when you are feeling over-stimulated or stressed.
► Stretches that focus on the back remind us to grow our spines tall and practice good posture throughout the day.
► Poses that invert the body, like folding shoulder opener, renew focus and concentration.
NIGHTTIME YOGA
By the end of the day, your body needs time to relax and your mind needs time to reflect. Incorporating yoga into our nighttime routine allows us the space for that.
Reclining Spinal Twist
• Start lying on your back.
• Draw both knees into your chest, then extend your left leg back to lye flat on the floor.
• Extend your right arm out beside you at shoulder-height with your palm facing down, then shift your hips slightly to the right.
• Draw your right knee to the left side of the body, allowing it to rest on the floor beside you.
• Look over your right shoulder (if it feels comfortable to do so). Hold this pose for up to twenty deep breaths.
• Return to lying on your back and repeat on your left side.
Thread the Needle
• Lying on your back, draw both knees toward you and place your feet flat on the floor.
• Draw your right ankle over your left knee, then thread your right hand through the opening the bent leg has created.
• Clasp your right hand with your left hand behind your hamstring, then gently pull your left leg toward you.
• Enjoy the hip opening stretch for five slow, deep breaths and repeat on the left side.
Legs Up the Wall
• Start by sitting with your left side against a wall.
• Gently turn your body to the left, lay down with your shoulders and head flat on the floor, and put your legs up on the wall.
• Scoot your buttocks closer to the where the floor meets the wall by shifting your weight from side-to-side.
• Let the heads of your thigh bones (the part of the bone that connects in the hip socket) release and relax, dropping toward the back of your pelvis.
• Close your eyes and enjoy for 5-10 minutes.
BENEFITS
► Nighttime stretching relieves the tension of the day, centering the mind on the present and letting go of the day’s worries and stresses.
► An evening stretching series can help to calm the nervous system, preparing the body for a more peaceful sleep.
► Ending with legs up the wall pose gives us time to turn our focus inward, calm the mind, increase oxygenation of the blood, and prepare the body for a restful night of sleep.
*Please be mindful when practicing any of the above stretches. Listen to your body, and never push past what feels comfortable.
©Emily Hudson, WorldLifestyle
This awakening motivated me to integrate yoga into my morning, noon, and night routines (in addition to a daily flow practice). Yoga is for any time of day, for anyone! Start with these stretches, and enjoy the body, mind, and spirit benefits:
MORNING YOGA
These stretches focus on getting the morning stickiness out of your body. Less caffeine, more yoga!
Seated Twist
• Seated in a cross-legged position, lengthen your spine. As you inhale, draw your right hand to the sky and your left hand to your right knee.
• As you twist your front ribs to the right side of the room, plant your right hand behind your sacrum.
• Enjoy the twist for five slow, deep breaths and repeat twisting to the other side.
Forward Fold
• Begin standing with your hands on your hips.
• Exhale as you bend forward at the hips, letting the crown of your head hang down toward the floor. (You can modify this stretch by bending your knees).
• Slightly lift and lengthen your torso with each inhalation. Release deeper into the pose with each exhalation. Let your head hang and remain in the posture for up to one minute, ensuring you’re taking deep, slow breaths.
• On an inhale, gently roll your spine and come back up to standing.
Low Lunge
• Start by kneeling on the floor, knees hip-width apart.
• Step forward with your right foot.
• Position yourself so that your right quadricep is parallel to the floor and your right foot is extended slightly past your knee.
• The lower part of your back leg should be resting on the floor, and your foot should be flexed so that your toes are resting on the ground.
• To increase the hip stretch, bend forward more on the right knee.
• Stay in this pose for up to 10 deep breaths, then switch sides.
BENEFITS
► Taking deep inhales and exhales as you move through your morning poses stimulates your body and mind. That extra oxygen acts as a natural morning energy booster.
► Gentle twists detoxify the body and open the heart to the day, allowing for a focus on courage, love, and joy.
► Morning yoga stretches set the tone for a calm, relaxed day ahead. I always try to set an intention for the day during my short meditation.
► Adding a couple of standing poses provides a sense of grounding and strength, the perfect combination to get the day started.
AFTERNOON YOGA
Eight-plus hours of sitting at a desk… a yogi’s nightmare! Stretching midday can help to cure your desk job ailments.
Side Stretch
• While seated in your desk chair, lengthen your spine and roll your shoulders back and down.
• Reach your right arm to the ceiling and bend to the left, creating length in the side body.
• Take five deep inhales and exhales, then repeat on the left side.
Chair Thread the Needle
• Seated in your desk chair, cross your right ankle over your left knee.
• Straighten your spine, look forward, and lean forward over your bent leg.
• Enjoy the hip-opening stretch for ten deep breaths, then repeat with the left leg.
Folding Shoulder Opener
• In a seated position, focus on creating length in your spine and drawing your shoulders away from your ears.
• Clasp your hands behind your back, then hinge at the hips to move your torso forward over your quadriceps.
• Draw your clasped hands forward toward your head, allowing the shoulders to open and release.
• Hold this stretch for up to five deep breaths.
BENEFITS
► Bending forward midday provides a calming effect, easing your mind when you are feeling over-stimulated or stressed.
► Stretches that focus on the back remind us to grow our spines tall and practice good posture throughout the day.
► Poses that invert the body, like folding shoulder opener, renew focus and concentration.
NIGHTTIME YOGA
By the end of the day, your body needs time to relax and your mind needs time to reflect. Incorporating yoga into our nighttime routine allows us the space for that.
Reclining Spinal Twist
• Start lying on your back.
• Draw both knees into your chest, then extend your left leg back to lye flat on the floor.
• Extend your right arm out beside you at shoulder-height with your palm facing down, then shift your hips slightly to the right.
• Draw your right knee to the left side of the body, allowing it to rest on the floor beside you.
• Look over your right shoulder (if it feels comfortable to do so). Hold this pose for up to twenty deep breaths.
• Return to lying on your back and repeat on your left side.
Thread the Needle
• Lying on your back, draw both knees toward you and place your feet flat on the floor.
• Draw your right ankle over your left knee, then thread your right hand through the opening the bent leg has created.
• Clasp your right hand with your left hand behind your hamstring, then gently pull your left leg toward you.
• Enjoy the hip opening stretch for five slow, deep breaths and repeat on the left side.
Legs Up the Wall
• Start by sitting with your left side against a wall.
• Gently turn your body to the left, lay down with your shoulders and head flat on the floor, and put your legs up on the wall.
• Scoot your buttocks closer to the where the floor meets the wall by shifting your weight from side-to-side.
• Let the heads of your thigh bones (the part of the bone that connects in the hip socket) release and relax, dropping toward the back of your pelvis.
• Close your eyes and enjoy for 5-10 minutes.
BENEFITS
► Nighttime stretching relieves the tension of the day, centering the mind on the present and letting go of the day’s worries and stresses.
► An evening stretching series can help to calm the nervous system, preparing the body for a more peaceful sleep.
► Ending with legs up the wall pose gives us time to turn our focus inward, calm the mind, increase oxygenation of the blood, and prepare the body for a restful night of sleep.
*Please be mindful when practicing any of the above stretches. Listen to your body, and never push past what feels comfortable.
©Emily Hudson, WorldLifestyle
