5 Health Benefits of Waking up to Yoga

 

 We all love our routines.

For some of us they may involve a heavy-handed pour of coffee followed by a daily dose of reading, perhaps of YOGANONYMOUS or Facebook - let’s be real, but one piece of our routine we can’t deny is working out and hitting the mat.  You can yield many benefits from even just a 10-minute break for yoga per day! 

As for what time to take that break, all Anjali mudras point to the morning.  Waking up to even a light practice has many health benefits, and need not be intimidating or high impact. As there are countless different ways to practice, you can do what feels right in your body, which may differ day to day.  What matters most is that you receive value from the practice and make it what you need it to be on that day.

1. A morning yoga practice can set you up for a day of grace, authenticity, mindfulness and, wait for it, positive outcomes.
When we practice yoga the focus we have on our breath and movement can create feelings of peace, gratitude and strength that resonate long after we leave the mat.  Moving from our morning practice on through the rest of our day, for many of us a full work day, we are more calm and aware, and are easily able to see the good that happens all the time.  You know, those special details that we catch only when we are really present.  A practice that includes meditation and intention setting can lift us and carry us through an otherwise stressful workday.

2. Things done when we first wake up are more likely to “stick” in the routine.
We’ve all been there. You say you’re going to practice after work and then you get called into a late meeting or you decide a glass of wine sounds a lot more appealing at 6 p.m. and suddenly, you’ve spent three days without practicing and can’t seem to jump back in. Well chances are you still wake up in the morning. You still go to work. Heck, maybe you even still have that cup of coffee.  Our mornings are a lot less shaky when it comes to uncertain changes. A morning practice is easier to keep. And think about how great it feels when 4 o’clock rolls around and you don’t have to stress because you already got it out of the way this morning. Having an established morning routine is a surefire way to be consistent in your practice.

3. Early morning yoga may boost your metabolism.
Practicing yoga early in the morning will warm up your digestive system and help nutrients move more easily through the body, causing it to metabolize carbs and fats more quickly.  We know how amazing twists can be for wringing out the digestive system and invigorating our vital organs, and practicing these asan as first thing can awaken our bellies, easing any morning aches and pains.

4. You may actually sleep better.
Although many agree that a hard workout in the evening will make for restful sleep, morning yoga has also been proven to regulate sleep rhythm and even balance your hormones. Once you make a habit out of practicing upon waking up, your body will become accustomed to the routine.  The result? More energy, more balance, and best of all, more restful sleep.
Finally, the most obvious health benefit – 

5. Morning stretching prevents injury and achiness throughout the day.
Imagine you are a round of rolled out dough.  Each night as you sleep that dough retracts from all ends and each day you have to roll it back out to make it longer, leaner and more workable. Applying that to our bodies, when we awaken, and we see this more as we get older, everything is tight like that round of dough that has retracted and we must roll - it - out.  Yoga lengthens and stretches our tight bodies preparing us for all movement throughout the day.  For those of us that sit at a desk, yoga poses in the morning counter those hours we spend sedentary. Yoga increases spinal flexibility and encourages better posture, and the poses we hold when we first wake up will set our muscle memory into effect for standing taller and walking easier as the day progresses. 
There are so many benefits to kicking off your day with a yoga practice not least of which is that a morning practice encourages health all day. We know we treat ourselves better, make healthier food choices and exhibit more kindness and mindfulness when we've gifted ourselves with a morning practice. 

Source: http://yoganonymous.com