Are you waking up every morning thinking about your first cup of coffee? Maybe your first two cups to get your day jump-started? Americans love affair with their morning coffee is all about the smell, the taste and of course the kick of caffeine. Some opt for caffeinated tea while others choose soda that contains caffeine in it. Yet, there are some Americans that are waking up to yoga as a way to invigorate their minds. Yoga for them is akin to a jolt of caffeine.
The morning ritual of waking up to the smell of coffee is instead being replaced with a yoga stretch in bed, a sun salutation or even an hour of meditation. Early morning Yoga allows you to focus in on the day ahead and prepares your mind and body for what’s to come. Try these 5 simple morning Yoga stretches you can even do in bed:
• Knees to chest: Lying on your back, hug both knees into your chest to feel a stretch across your upper and lower back. Hold for 30 seconds.
• Hamstring stretch: Lying on your back, extend one leg straight up grabbing hold of the back of your thigh. Hold stretch for 30 seconds and repeat on other leg.
• Spine twist: Lying on your back, bend knees and let legs drop to the right letting them rest on the bed. Feel the gentle rotation of the spine, hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
• Big long stretch: Just like the name implies, lying on your back, reach arms way over head and legs straight down on the bed. Stretch from your finger tips to your toes trying to lengthen your body as much as possible. Hold, release and repeat several times.
• Seated neck stretch: Sit with your legs hanging off the side of your bed. Drop your left ear towards your left shoulder. Try to relax into the stretch and repeat on the other side.
Yoga exercises are a healthy wake-up call and practitioners benefit from the longer lasting effects. No more caffeine crashes at ten AM. Just do a few more Yoga poses to bring back your energy!
