Recharge your mind and body and start your day afresh in just 10 minutes.
Are you struggling with work/life balance? Maybe you're feeling low on energy and general wellbeing, but want to feel and give the best of yourself at work and in life?
Find out how just 10 minutes of yoga in the morning will make you feel energised, positive and confident for the day; creating a resilient and calm foundation for yourself, your day and your life.
CLICK HERE for a 12-minute morning practice video to get started!
..Yawn....big stretch...it can be difficult to find 10 minutes in the morning when time is pressing, BUT those 10 minutes are powerful BECAUSE they're in the morning, as this is when they'll serve you the most. The key is diving straight in, the moment between waking up and turning your attention to the day. No checking messages, no ‘let me just do this or check that’, as everything will still be there afterwards - but you’ll feel refreshed and refocused. Start afresh each day!
1 - Feel Strong and Energised
PLUG IN & RECHARGE - Focusing on the breath turns our attention inwards, helping us to plug in and recentre in the morning, before our attention is diverted to the day ahead. The focus on the breath also calms our minds and nervous system which allows the cells of our minds and bodies to restore. The morning is the perfect time to plug in and recharge, setting ourselves up for the day and demands ahead. After all...
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Norm Kelly
GROUND DOWN - Grounding down, e.g. in Warrior 2, activates our muscles and makes us feel stronger. And when we feel stronger in our bodies, we feel stronger in our minds. We can then take this inner strength with us off the mat, which will support us through the day.
We’ve all got inner strength and yoga helps us to tap into it.
READY, STEADY, GO - The magic knock-on effect is that when we feel stronger and supported, we’re better at supporting and giving to others and the day. Our tank is full and we’re set for that meeting, coffee date, social, assignment, family day-out, you name it, we’re ready!
2 - Feel Positive and Calm
BOOST MOOD - Yoga boosts our feel-good chemicals (endorphins and dopamine). Specifically twists, chest openers and backbends help to improve mood. Twists boost oxygen to the lungs and blood to the abdominal organs, which detoxes/rejuvenates our minds and bodies. Chest openers and backbends (literal ‘uplifts’ of the chest) open the chest allowing space for more oxygen and blood to flow to the body and brain, which energises and refreshes our minds and bodies.
Step off the mat with a warm inner glow.
CALM THE MIND - As mentioned above, the focus on the breath calms the mind and restores the nervous system which also helps to reduces stress, anxiety, anger and depression. Forward folds are also good at winding the body down and are go-to poses for restoring the nervous system to help reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue.
3 - Feel Focused and Clear
IMPROVE FOCUS – Balances keep our minds on their toes! I find the mind can be nowhere else in balances, it’s in full concentration mode helping the body to ground here, lift there and aim for a gaze point. This focus, whilst staying connected to our breath, exercises our mental muscles and retrains our bodies to breathe and stay calm in challenging/stressful situations. The mental exercise improves our mental stamina, helping to increase focus and a sense of calm off the mat too. I noticeably found, after including a balance pose in my practice, that my focus and sense of calm improved off the mat as well.
DO MORE IN LESS TIME – When we're focused, we can also get more done in less time boosting our productivity and proactiveness!
“To be able to keep the mind in one spot creates mind muscles, gives the mind strength and power”. Ayya Khema
CLEAR THE HEAD - As soon as we step onto our mats and turn our attention to our breath, we shake off any sleepiness and refresh our brains with deep breaths. Inversions (where the head is below the heart e.g. standing forward folds, Downward Dog) also nourish our brains as they flush the head with blood, helping to boost brain power, clarity and calm. Seize the day!
4 - Feel Confident and Resilient
BUILD COURAGE - Yoga is replete with balances e.g. arm balances (i.e. Plank, Crow, Headstand) and standing balances (i.e. Low Lunge, High Lunge, Warrior 3, Tree). Through balancing, we find our centre and explore our edge, which helps to improve confidence and resilience. And as mentioned above, the focus and sense of exploration/play will exercise and retrain our minds and bodies.
Try out different balances (many to choose from) and another great thing is the modifications and variations to explore in poses. Maybe play with modifications/variations and blocks are also lots of fun. Own the wobbles and notice how you feel off the mat as well.
Through balancing, we find our centre and explore our edge, which boosts confidence and resilience.
5 - Feel Fit and Healthy
BUILD POSTURE AND IMMUNITY - Yoga is great for setting up our posture and immunity for the day. We can wake up feeling a bit stiff and a bit blocked up, but a few minutes of yoga will quickly stretch and refresh us. As noted above, yoga boosts blood and oxygen around the body which also clears our sinuses and boosts our metabolism, digestion and immunity. If you spend a lot of time sitting or are around other people (don’t forget travelling on public transport), then this will serve you well.
Conclusion - Carve out 10 Minutes to Recharge in the Morning
Seize these benefits and the day! Through 10 minutes (or less or more depending on time), you can feel more positive, energised, calm and confident for the day.
START NOW with my 12-minute morning practice video!
Also check out my 30-minute online morning classes to develop a morning practice. Have a go and see how you feel!
After I started practising yoga (about 20 years ago), I soon realised how it could help me during the day and since then, its benefits have kept me routinely practising in the morning. Over the years, I've refined/cut it down (to 10/15 minutes and sometimes do less or more, depending on time), but the outcome is always the same - I feel more alert, calmer, stronger and prepared for the day.
I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences with morning yoga (on and off the mat). Please leave a comment below or DM me. Namaste.