The yoga practice is something very personal and depending on one’s lifestyle and intentions the time of day for practice might vary. Personally, however, I will claim that practicing first thing in the morning is the best time to cultivate a regular practice and to clearly feel the effects of your routine on all aspects of your life – your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, your relationships and your work. And here is why…
1. IT'S DONE FOR THE DAY
If you arbitrarily build yoga into your daily schedule whenever it suits you then you can be sure that you won't stick with it for long. Because there's always something more important to do. Phone calls, meetings, family members or friends want our attention, and so you postpone the practice repeatedly until you settle on doing it tomorrow, just to repeat this pattern. When you do your practice first thing in the morning, nothing gets in the way and you will feel satisfied with your accomplishment. What a good start into the day!
2. PREPARES YOU FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
In the early hours of the day, you are still completely with yourself, your mind is open, and everyday life has not yet caught up with you. The way you start your day determines how you experience all the hours to come. Whether you look back on the past day satisfied or dissatisfied depends largely on how you started it. Spending your morning with a mindful practice while your mind is still free of worries and feelings of stress you establish a sensation of calmness and confidence that will accompany you all day throughout any challenging situations and encounters.
3. GET'S YOUR ENERGIES GOING
Yoga can help to improve your circulation, digestion, and metabolism. Practicing in the morning with an empty stomach you will feel fresh, energetic and become more agile. The energy you gain from yoga exercises in the morning will stay with you throughout the day, you feel more creative, focused and productive. This early day connection with the body will also help you to stay in touch with its needs throughout the day and thus take healthier decisions towards your food and your activities.
How to stick to your morning yoga practice
GET UP (A LITTLE) EARLIER
‘I don’t have time’ or ‘I need my sleep’ are favorite excuses. However, establishing a habit of getting up a little earlier, will make such a big difference for your day – this can even be 15 minutes only! If your alarm clock rings only five minutes before you have to leave the house and you reach your desk or workplace in a hurry only to be confronted with the challenges of the day this will undoubtedly have a negative effect on the way you work and on the way you encounter and treat others. You do have time for 10 – 15 mindful minutes, take them!
BE CONSISTENT
Plan these 15 minutes (or longer if you want) in the morning and follow the routine religiously. It is only in the beginning that we struggle with cultivating a new habit. After a couple of days, you will feel the benefits of your daily practice and you will not see it as a chore, but you will wake up looking forward to your few minutes of peace and personal time on your mat.
I hope these arguments inspired you to give a regular morning practice a try! My free guided yoga videos should make this super easy for you. Try it out and let me know in the comments of the videos how you felt : )
Happy practicing and have a lovely day!
10 Minute yoga practice for you to start your day with:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey1AOfvBIM0&t=105s
Morning yoga routines with different lengths and levels:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFRh_jDV0KW1dSzON0afPsqyJxh0Sa3RD