The habit you set early in the morning can shape the mood for the rest of the day. If you begin by scrolling in bed, checking texts and emails, until you are almost late, speed-running through shower, eating whatever is in fridge or skipping breakfast altogether before rushing our for long commute, your day already starts on a stressful note.
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To put it simply, a morning that begins sluggishly with doomscrolling can quickly turn into a blur of hurry and panic. You begin the day feeling mentally scattered, physically overwhelmed, which in turn affect your energy levels through the rest of the day.
Instead, consider ushering in mindfulness into your morning routine. One simple way to do so is by incorporating yoga-based habits.
How should you begin your day and which yoga poses should ideally be in your morning routine? Addressing these questions, Saurabh Bothra, certified yoga expert and Co-founder and CEO of Habuild walked us through what a mindful morning routine looks like.
“The first hour after waking has a direct impact on the pace and quality of the day. A more measured start allows for better internal alignment before external demands begin,” Bothra said.
The yoga expert also mentioned that when people become more consistent with mindful morning habits, these practices become easier to follow in the long term. A mindful morning routine usually includes early light exposure, hydration, breathing and some form of movement, such yoga poses. Together, these all help to build discipline, which result in better energy, focus and productivity in the day.
Yoga asanas for morning
Keep the morning session for around 20-30 minutes. Begin with preparatory movements, such as Saurabh recommended finger stretching, palm stretching, hand stretching and elbow stretching to activate smaller joints. For a fuller body warm-up, you can also include chest expansion, leg stretches, knee exercises and foot stretching.
Here are a few set of yoga asanas and movements:
- Tadasana: Stand upright with feet together, arms by the sides, and focus on balanced weight distribution while maintaining steady breathing.
- Pada Hastasana: Bend forward from the hips and reach towards the feet while keeping the knees soft and the movement controlled.
- Parsva Urdhva Hastasana: Raise both arms overhead and gently bend sideways to stretch the torso while keeping the lower body stable.
- Neck stretching: Slowly move the neck forward, backward, and side to side to release built up stiffness.
- Shoulder rotation: Roll the shoulders forward and backward in a controlled manner to improve mobility and reduce tension.
- Gentle twisting: Rotate the upper body side to side while keeping the lower body stable to improve spinal flexibility.
Breathwork exercises
Your morning routine can also benefit from breathing exercises, as they may help improve focus, regulate energy and bring a calmer start to the day. The yoga expert recommended deep diaphragmatic breathing, which activates the vagus nerve and helps the body to move into a much calmer state. The conscious breathing also improves control, make you less stressed. Deep diaphragmatic breathing involves sitting comfortably, inhaling slowly through the nose so the belly expands, and exhaling gently as the belly relaxes. Anulom Vilom is another helpful technique, where you close one nostril, inhale through the other and then alternate. Box breathing can also be practiced by inhaling for four counts, holding for four counts, exhaling for four counts and holding again for four counts.
You do not need to go with all at once. Beginners can begin with a simple technique like the diaphragmatic one for a few minutes in the morning before beginning the morning workout. Then if you want you can move towards box breathing.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
