Simple Morning Yoga Routine:

This short sequence can be completed in 10-15 minutes to refresh your mind and body.

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana) – 1 minute

Child’s pose, also known as Balasana in Sanskrit, is a yoga pose that involves kneeling and bending forward. It’s a restorative pose that can help you relax and focus on your breathing. It calms and grounds the body and mind, releases tension in the hips and back, lengthens the spine, and helps bring the heart rate back to normal.

How to do it:

It is done simply by starting in a kneeling position, sitting back on your heels, and extending your hands forward. Breathe deeply and stretch to relax.

2. Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana) – 1 Minute

Exhaling, round your back in Cat Pose (Marjaryasana), tucking your chin towards the chest. Inhale and arch your back in Cow Pose (Bitilasana). Let your belly drop towards the floor, lifting your chest and head upwards. Draw your shoulders away from your ears. It can improve flexibility, strengthen your spine, and relieve stress. It also stretches the hips, abdomen, and back, increases coordination, and massages and stimulates organs in the belly, like the kidneys and adrenal glands. You can do the cat-cow stretch in the morning to prepare your body for the day, or in the evening to release tension.

3. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) – 1 Minute

The downward-facing dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is a yoga pose that involves starting on your hands and knees and then inverting into an inverted V shape.

Benefits:

• Relieves chronic back pain
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Relieves tension in your neck, shoulders, and back
• Elongates your spine
• Strengthens your upper body and legs
• Stretches your shoulders, hamstrings, and calves

4. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) – 1 Minute

Uttanasana, or standing forward bend, is a yoga pose that involves bending forward from the hips while keeping your spine straight. You can hold this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It also improves flexibility, stress relief, and improved digestion.

Tips:

• Keep your back flat as you bend forward
• Let your head hang loosely
• Feel the stretch in your hamstrings and the backs of your knees
• If you can’t reach the floor, cross your forearms and hold your elbows

5. Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) – 3–5 Minutes

A “Sun Salutation” (Surya Namaskar) is a flowing sequence of yoga poses, typically performed within 3-5 minutes, that involves standing forward bends, lunges, plank positions, and upward-facing dog, effectively stretching and strengthening the whole body while coordinating breath with movement; considered a great way to warm up or cool down a yoga practice.

6. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)- 1 Minute

A low lunge, also known as Anjaneyasana, is a yoga pose that involves bending back while lunging forward. It’s a kneeling pose that can be used as a warm-up or exercise.

How to do it 

1. Ensure your front knee is in line with your toes

1. Engage your core

1. Lengthen your tailbone to stabilize your lower back

 Benefits 

• Improves posture
• Strengthens core
• Strengthens leg muscles, including the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps
• Opens the chest and shoulders.

Conclusion

A morning yoga routine typically involves settling into a deep relaxation pose like Savasana (corpse pose), allowing your body to fully integrate the stretches and movements while promoting a sense of calmness, mental clarity, and overall well-being, setting a positive tone for the day ahead; essentially, it’s a moment to transition from physical practice to a mindful state of inner peace.