Morning yoga for beginners: poses and meditation

How Morning Yoga Benefits Your Health

Mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, depression, and insomnia are just a couple of reasons individuals seek help in yoga.

Morning yoga is associated with a long list of advantages for our mental and physical health. You might find yourself surprised to learn that they go from improved strength to flexibility and improving your heart health.

Emotional Health Benefits. A consistent morning yoga practice will help you achieve many emotional health benefits, including mental clarity. Morning yoga helps create stillness in the mind, which brings you peace and results in happiness. Being always overwhelmed and mentally exhausted puts you at high risk for burnout. With controlled breathing and exercises, you will be able to reduce your anxiety and release negative energy. Remember, only with a clear mind, will you be able to think clearly.
It Improves the overall quality of your Sleep. Depression and stress can cause sleep deprivation. It can build a cycle that will make you feel constantly irritated and tired. Beginning your day with morning yoga can help you regulate your natural sleep cycle.
Focus. Morning yoga will help you get a fresh start in the day and focus on your daily tasks. Breathing techniques and body movement will help you clear your mind to concentrate on the right things.
Get Toned. Morning Yoga can boost your metabolism to burn more calories. Stretching, balancing techniques, and holding of poses will help you lose excess weight and get a more toned appearance.
Increases Your Blood Flow. Morning Yoga will get your blood flowing. The exercises will boost your circulation, especially in your arms and legs, which will result in more oxygen in your cells. It also increases the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which transport oxygen to the tissues.

Morning Yoga Poses for Beginners at Home

Here is a couple of morning yoga poses you can easily practice at home to wake up your body and fill it with energy throughout the day. Practicing these asanas every morning will also help you to improve your flexibility and strengthen your back.

Child Pose

In Sanskrit ‘Bala’ , means ‘child’. Balasana or Child’s Pose, is generally practiced at the end of an intense yoga sequence wherein the connection of the breath and the movement of the body would have been lost. With the practice of Balasana concluding such a sequence, it allows one to come to peace with the body with the connection of the breath. No doubt all yoga poses should lead to the connection of the breath and the body, but certain poses are challenging where the chest and the abdomen are compressed or pulled, creating uneasiness with the breathing. With Balasana, the spine remains relaxed in forward fold and forces one to focus on the breathing with the compressing of the abdomen and the chest towards the tummy. On the other hand Balasana can be used purely as a restorative pose to heal patients with severe backaches, insomnia, treating blood pressure or just simply bringing the stress levels down. Child Pose is considered a base pose as child pose variations can be derived from this pose.Child Pose helps boost energy in the body and hence can be included in flow yoga sequences.Child Pose is considered a warm-up yoga pose to prepare the body for more intense yoga poses / yoga flows.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cat Cow Pose

This name, Marjary and Bitila comes from Sanskrit script, where ‘marjari’ meaning ‘cat’ and ‘bitila’ meaning ‘cow’ is defined. The pose Marjaryasana- Bitilasana is a combination of two poses practiced together to gently warm up the spine and the abdomen for more challenging postures or is sometimes also practiced as a simple restorative pose. Coming on all fours, and gently moving the back in a rhythmic way, and taking the position like that of a cat or a cow, releases the tensions around the spine and shoulders and tightens the abdomen to make a stronger core. Cat Cow Pose is considered a base pose as cat cow pose variations can be derived from this pose.Cat Cow Pose helps boost energy in the body and hence can be included in flow yoga sequences.Cat Cow Pose is considered a warm-up yoga pose to prepare the body for more intense yoga poses / yoga flows.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cobra Pose

In Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), as the name suggests, the body resembles a serpent with its hood raised. This yoga pose is considered as a very powerful backward bending yoga pose in Hatha Yoga. Cobra pose comes under the category of 'lying down on the stomach' yoga poses. As this asana is considered powerful like the Cobra snake, a lot of care should be taken while going into the pose and coming out of the pose. Any jerks of the back while going into the pose can cause discomfort to the back and can also cause injury. While releasing too, the body must drop down slowly and not with a jerk. Cobra Pose is considered a base pose as cobra pose variations can be derived from this pose.Cobra Pose helps boost energy in the body and hence can be included in flow yoga sequences.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Shoulderstand Pose

Sarvangasana has three words in it: 'Sarva' meaning 'Entire', 'Anga' meaning 'Body part' and 'Asana' meaning 'Pose'. This translates to 'All Body Parts Pose'. Sarvangasana also known as Shoulderstand Pose is called the "Mother of all Yoga Poses" because it benefits the entire body and also mind. Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand Pose) can be categorized under intermediate level yoga poses. To practice this asana, yoga practitioner should have some level of comfort with various yoga poses in the intermediate level. As the entire body is balanced on the upper shoulders this pose is also called 'Kandrasana' or 'Shoulderstand Pose'. Sarvangasana is considered a base pose as sarvangasana variations can be derived from this pose.Sarvangasana helps boost energy in the body and hence can be included in flow yoga sequences.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Chair Pose

Though Utkatasana is also called Chair Pose, one should not think that the meaning of utkata in Sanskrit means chair. This pose is mainly referred to as the Fierce Pose where Utkata means violent or fierce or severe. This pose is also called the Chair pose just because the posture resembles like one is sitting on an invisible chair. This pose is one of the first pose in the Sun Salutation B series. It needs ample strength with the quadricep muscles to help your hips get the right support and give the knees a comfort to hold the pose for long. Working on the alignment of the hips along with the knees and the pelvic region is very essential to get comfortable in this pose. Chair Pose is considered a base pose as chair pose variations can be derived from this pose.Chair Pose helps boost energy in the body and hence can be included in flow yoga sequences.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Morning Yoga Meditation For Beginners

If you’re feeling like you would like to start meditating but not sure how to start by taking a few small steps. Begin by setting your intention to meditate and try sticking to it. Set a reminder on your phone and meditate when prompted.

You shouldn’t expect to be great at it at first, especially if you’re a beginner, but remember, practice makes perfect. That’s why it’s called a practice. Make sure to come back every day and give your mind a rest for at least ten minutes a day.

There’s scientific evidence proving that meditation is good for your health — reducing high blood pressure, helps decrease metabolism, improves heart rate, brain waves, and breathing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I start doing yoga in the morning?

You could start with the intention of doing it. Every morning when you wake up, start doing small sequences of just 10 minutes, increasing with time. By the time you’ve come to a 21-day mark, you should have your new habit of practicing a yoga set. Start noticing how you feel after each practice and stick to your new routine. Many scientifically proven studies show how yoga can benefit you. You have to surrender.

Should I do yoga right after waking up?

One of the best things about yoga is that there are no rules. You can do it whenever it works for you. Some people don’t even get out of their pajamas while others like to have their coffee and then practice. The most important thing is that you are consistent with it.

What is a good morning yoga routine?

The answer to this question is pretty simple – any yoga routine is better than a no-morning yoga routine at all. There are many free yoga classes online you could follow, but you might also like to create your flow. Test it, and after some time, you’ll know what you want and what doesn’t work for you.

Should I do yoga every morning?

While it would be great to do it every morning, some of us can not make it for many reasons. Instead, focus on consistency. Set several mornings you would like to exercise per week and increase with time. Even if it’s just a few days in a week and a couple of minutes, that’s also a good start. Aim for every morning, but in the beginning, do whatever feels right.

Iana Varshavska

Website administrator

In love with yoga and everything that goes along with it. Iana has been actively practicing yoga for 5 years. In addition to practice, she studies various aspects of yoga philosophy, yoga anatomy, biomechanics, and holodynamics.