Relieves Stress For More Chill Vibes In Your Day
Not only can yoga help you wake up, but may be great for your mindset and physical fitness too. For starters, research shows it can combat stress, so if you wake up wigged out about the day ahead, thats all the more reason to roll out your mat and roll back those shoulders.
A 2017 meta analysis showed that yoga can reduce the physical symptoms associated with anxiety, like increased heart rate, heightened cortisol levels, and elevated blood pressure. BTW: Prolonged stress and anxiety isnt great for health long-term, so it might be worth a try.
Other studies have confirmed that when youre stressed AF, yoga can essentially turn off your fight-or-flight response and tap into the parasympathetic nervous system instead, also known as rest-and-digest response.
Yoga Moves And Stretches You Should Do Every Day For The Rest Of Your Life
Sometimes our busy schedules and lifes unpredictable moments cant help but get in the way of our fitness routine. But just because you cant make that hour-long yoga class, you can still see positive results from doing 10-15 minutes of yoga moves every day.
Remember, there is no finish line in our health and wellness journey. Every little bit counts!
Yoga is an amazing way to wake up your body and get your energy flowing. Here are 7 yoga moves and stretches you should do every day for the rest of your life!
Yoga Poses To Do Every Day
This 5-minute yoga workout gives you 10 yoga poses you should add to your daily workout routine:
Lengthen a compressed spine and a tight back by moving in a new direction: sideways!
Hold for 30 seconds.
Stretch the entire backside of your body: your back, hamstrings, calves and Achilles.
Hold for 30 seconds.
Open your chest and the front of your shoulders for better posture.
Hold for 30 seconds.
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A Cat Pose / Majaryasana
This pose stretches the spine, back muscles and neck, stimulates blood flow in the wrists and increases the circulation of spinal fluid. Coupled with Cow pose , it is a wonderful warm-up for the spine and, when synchronised with the breath, has a calming effect on the mind.
Tip: As you round the spine on an exhalation in Cat pose, try energetically pushing the heels of the hands away from you. As you inhale and dip the spine in Cow pose, draw the heels of the hands towards you.
Top 10 Yoga Poses For Beginners
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New to yoga? Start here with beginner yoga poses and best yoga poses sequence that are essential for you to build strength and confidence to take your yoga practice deeper.
As a beginner to yoga , you might feel overwhelmed by the number of poses and their odd-sounding names. Relax- Here are steps that can help you build up to the ‘slow and gradual’ processes of yoga then roll out on yoga mat for the best yoga workout for beginners.
The more you practice yoga, the more you’re building awareness in your body,The biggest thing to do as a beginner is to start and then stay consistent with your practice,remember that practice makes progress.beginner tips
As you progress, you can take on more challenging poses but it’s a good idea to keep things simple when you’re just starting .The Beginners yoga poses outlined here are valuable enough to keep you occupied for a long time.
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How Many Days A Week Should You Practice Yoga
A good starting point is committing to three days a week at the same time. They do NOT need to be hour long sessions- you can build up as you go! Just starting out with a 20 minute session will help you see results if you are consistent. If you are struggling maintaining a schedule check out this post on creating a habit out of your yoga practice.
How Effectively Can We Do Yoga For Beginners Workout At Home
Unlike strength training and circuit training, yoga for beginners can be easily done at home. This is because you do not require special equipment for yoga for beginners at home. A yoga mat, chair, and comfortable space are enough to start basic yoga for beginners. For some people, home is the best place to perform morning yoga since the place is much more peaceful and comfortable when compared to other places. Yoga meditation for beginners, for instance, requires you to practice mindfulness and the peace required for this simple yoga is easily available at home.
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Camel Pose 30 Seconds
A little tricky for beginners but still a good exercise to include in your morning yoga routine if you dont get to move around a lot at work.
I especially like this yoga pose as it promotes increased breathing capacity and stretches almost every muscle of the body.
Sit up in a kneeling position with your hands cradling your back from each side.
Inhale deeply and move your upper body backward. If you can, pull your face up to the ceiling. Exhale and go back to the original position.
Another variation to this yoga pose is to attempt to touch your soles while keeping your feet tucked in. Your elbows should be straight and back arched inward.
Benefits:
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Is Yoga Actually A Good Workout
A good workout is not all about the calorie burn. Yes, scientifically you do need more calories out than in to lose weight, but doing excessive cardio everyday is not going to get you long term results, or make getting to your goal any easier.
One of the most important things to ensure fat burn is building muscle, and fortunately yoga is great at building muscle! As explained above, you need to pick the right kind of yoga in order to build muscle, as well as the right kind of poses.
Poses like childs pose and pigeon pose are great poses to relax and improve flexibility, but you arent really creating any type of resistance with your body, so you will not build muscle with these poses.
But poses like chaturanga and warrior III are excellent for activating your core and challenging your body, so you will build muscle with these poses.
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Do You Need Rest Days From Yoga
If you feel sore after practicing yoga, or any type of workout for that matter, I think its smart to have a rest day, but that doesnt mean sitting on the couch all day- this can actually make you MORE sore from the lack of movement.
In a nutshell, youre sore from build up of lactic acid. In order to break up the lactic acid, you want to make sure you move and stretch, but dont want to over-stress your body. Try going for a walk or doing a relaxing yoga flow instead.
Disadvantages Of Doing Yoga For Beginners Workouts
Usually, yoga exercises for beginners do not have any disadvantages. But some issues may come if you do not perform them properly. These disadvantages are: Not following the right directions for hatha yoga for beginners may lead to muscle sprains. If you perform morning yoga for beginners when you have health conditions like hypertension or have gone through any surgery, you may experience discomfort and pain. Certain yoga for flexibility for beginners or yoga for men beginners requires contraction of the abdomen and rapid movements which are not safe for women who are pregnant and who have just given birth.
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Salamba Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This is my happy place. Funny enough, traditional Bridge Pose makes me crazy. Add a block under the lower back and voilà I could stay there for hours with a smile on my face. This is a great modification for Shoulderstand and a relaxing way to release the front body and release the spine.
Beginner
Start with a block on the lowmedium level underneath your lower back.
Intermediate
Place the block the tall and narrow way underneath your lower back . Interlace your fingers in front of the block and hug your shoulders in.
Advanced
Following the steps above, if you can get a firm grip with your hands and keep the arms hugging in, extend one leg at a time to into a modified Shoulderstand.
Whens The Best Time To Practice This Yoga Routine
This depends on your schedule, but when starting out its a good idea to practice around the same time, especially if you are practicing yoga at home, so you begin to identify that time as your practice to help you build it into a habit.
A lot of people enjoy working out right when they wake up in the morning as they prefer to practice yoga on an empty stomach, while others enjoy practicing in the evening to help them unwind. This all depends on you and your goals- typically if your goal is weight loss, working out on an empty stomach in the morning is best for burning fat, but if this is NOT your goal, I think whatever time makes you enjoy the practice most and come back to it again and again is the best choice.
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Find A Sequence That Works Well For You
Depending on where you are at in life, different asana practices can support your body and soul. Having a series of postures or flow that you can practice every day can help you to see how certain postures affect your well-being. Some people enjoy the Ashtanga yoga practice because there is a series that they show up to every day. Others prefer restorative postures, or seated meditation without any postures at all. Want support in designing a sequence that is perfect for your body? I highly recommend working with a private instructor who can teach you a sequence that will support you wherever you are at. Check out these sequences to get started today: A 12 Minute Yoga Sequence For Bone Health, Moving With The Moon, and The Best Yoga Postures For Men.
Standing Stretches To Open The Practice
The comfort of your bed is still in your joints. Start your morning yoga routine with some light stretching. Slowly reach up with both arms, on an exhale, side lean to one side lowering that arm. Lift both arms back up, and side lean to the other direction.
Lift arms back up, lower both behind you and interlace your fingers. Lift your gaze and chest, and as you exhale, fold forward over your legs to feel a stretch in your hamstrings and an opening across your chest and shoulders.
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Childs Pose 30 Seconds
Lastly, finish off your morning yoga routine with the childs pose. This personally my favorite pose and I also try to practice it before sleeping at night.
Your aim should be to stretch your entire body while keeping your legs aligned with your body and rolled inward.
Stretch out your arms outward and tuck your chin inside. Lay down close to the ground for a solid 10 seconds and then repeat it twice.
Benefits:
- Counters tiredness and fatigue
- Stretches both front and back of the body
So there you have it, an insight into my personal 3-minute morning yoga routine for beginners. What do you think about it?
Also, which yoga poses do you perform every morning? Id love to know in the comments below!
How To Practice Yoga
Yoga is typically performed in bare feet on a sticky yoga mat with optional yoga props. The yoga movements and poses require clothes that can stretch and move freely with your body. You can purchase clothing specifically designed for yoga practice, but you can probably put together a comfortable outfit from your existing wardrobe to get started.
Yoga classes may use additional props, the most common being straps, blocks, blankets, and bolsters. You dont need to purchase these right away as you can easily substitute these items with scarves or neckties, a stack of books, and pillows. If you take classes at a yoga studio, they will provide everything that you need.
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Practice Yoga Anywhere At Any Time
If you have the opportunity to attend a yoga class in a studio, it is a completely different experience than doing it at home.
The skills that you learn in the yoga studio can be used in the comfort of your own house. Furthermore, its inexpensive to practice yoga at home.
It does not matter if you are in your home, office or on the road. All you need is a DVD and thats it. Dress comfortably and use the carpet if you do not have a mat.
This is what makes yoga so much more advantageous than going to the gym, as you can do it at anytime, anywhere.
Yoga is an incredibly popular method of exercise with programs available at your disposal.
Cow Face Pose / Gomukhasana
Stretches the ankles, hips and thighs, opens the upper back, chest and shoulders, and works the triceps. If the version in the photo is uncomfortable for your legs or hips try stretching the lower leg out in front of you.
Tip: Try to avoid turning the pose into a backbend just so you can get your fingers to reach. Its better to use a strap or scarf between your hands. Draw the lower ribs slightly in and focus instead on lengthening the elbows away from one another.
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How To Do A Child Pose
1) On a mat start in a kneeling position with your thighs touching.
2) Drop your butt toward your heels and stretch your body forward with your stomach comfortably on top of your thighs.
3) In a fully stretched position rest your arms in a relaxed position in front of you on the floor and rest your forehead on the mat. You should feel a stretch in your shoulders, buttocks, spine and arms.
What Are The Advantages Of Morning Yoga
There are many benefits to yoga, but they come with regular practice and routine. Practicing first thing in the morning means there is a good chance you will practice every day. Yoga is a safe and easy exercise that anyone can do. No matter your age or abilities, regular yoga can improve everyones wellbeing.
When you do yoga in the morning, you unlock special benefits to this exercise routine. The stretching from this routine prepares your body for the coming day. Its a warmup from the comfort of the bed to the hustle and bustle of each day.
Your home yoga practice not only prepares your body, but it helps to set your mind in the right headspace. This short 10-minute yoga routine can make you feel alert and accomplished, which is a great feeling to carry for the rest of your day.
And you dont need much for it. Just a few minutes and a mat is all you need to unlock the wonderful benefits of a morning yoga routine.
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Tree Pose / Vrksasana
Improves balance, creates external rotation in the hips, strengthens the ankles, legs and spine, increases focus and concentration and quietens the mind.
Tip: If you find it difficult to keep the sole of your foot in place, press the sole of the foot of the bent leg into the thigh and equally as firmly press the thigh into the sole of the foot.
How To Do A Downward Pose
1) Start in a standing position.
2) Place your hands in a prayer position.
3) Inhale and raise your hands up fully extend from the side and finger tips touch at the top.
4) Exhale and hinge into standing forward bend with palms touching the mat.
5) Inhale and extend your spine into standing half forward bend with fingers touching the top of your feet.
6) Exhale and step or jump back to plank pose.
7) Exhale and push your hips toward the sky as you step each foot back until your body exhibits a downward dog in the shape of an inverted V. Keep palms flat on mat.
8) To exit pose, move your feet forward into standing forward bend with palms touching the mat.
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Bridge Pose / Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Stretches the chest, neck, spine, and hip flexors. Strengthens the back, glutes, and hamstrings and legs. An accessible backbend for most people.
Tip: For a greater stretch in the upper back and chest, try moving your shoulder blades closer together before lifting the hips, and bending your elbows so that your palms face one another.
