If you’re not a morning person, perhaps this sequence will get you started and let you set a daily intention, take a few deep breaths, stretch the body, raise the heart rate, and start each morning feeling peaceful and accomplished.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
Start your morning in Downward-Facing Dog, a great stretch to gently awaken the body. If you feel stiff, don’t force your heels to the ground.
Three-Legged Dog
Intensify your Downward-Facing Dog stretch by extending one leg high into the air. Remember to keep the top foot flexed and pointing down toward the ground for the most effective hamstring stretch in bottom leg.
Core Work
From Three-Legged Dog, bring the right knee to the right tricep and hold. Return to Three-Legged Dog, then repeat the sequence by bringing the knee to the nose (and back to Three-Legged Dog) and then to the left tricep.
Warrior I
Stand strong like a warrior in this fundamental yoga pose that requires strength in the legs and flexibility in the hip flexors. Enjoy the challenge of bending deeply into the front knee while building the flexibility to square the hips with the front of the mat. Hold this pose for 5 deep breaths.
Warrior II
Here’s another warrior pose to energize your leg muscles and train your ability to find stillness on your mat. Back-to-back warrior poses should remove all remnants of sleepiness from your system.
Reverse Warrior
Keep your legs in the strong Warrior II position, but add a side stretch to open up the intercostal muscles, which run between the ribs.
Extended Side Angle Pose
After stretching one side of your body in Reverse Warrior, stretch the other side, too, with this modified version of Side Angle Pose. While the full expression of the pose brings the fingertips to the floor, this less intense modification allows the forearm to rest on the front thigh.
Triangle Pose
Triangle Pose will feel like a welcome relief after holding so many strong bent-leg poses. Enjoy the stretch. Remember to repeat this sequence on the other side before you start your day.
Once you can start the day with this, come out to Inpsirit. We have morning classes & weekend classes.
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