5 Benefits of Yoga in the Morning – Special: 3-Day Morning Yoga Challenge
Welcome back, beautiful warrior! This week we have teamed up with our Moonchild Ambassador Nicolle Spohn where we are talking about the benefits of yoga in the morning and this week’s blog post also comes with a SPECIAL for you! Take the 3-day morning yoga challenge and discover the benefits of yoga in the morning first-hand. Happier you, happier life!
A lot of my students ask me: ‘When is the best time to do yoga?’
To be honest with you, anytime really! What matters is that you show up for yourself and we all know that unrolling your mat is the hardest part. Right?!
So whether you do yoga in the morning or evening is totally up to you. It really depends on your lifestyle and what works best for you and your body.
But there is certainly some magic about doing yoga in the morning.
Get your fluffy coffee and let me walk you through the top 5 benefits of yoga in the morning that have made and still make the biggest impact on my daily life.
Personally, I established a daily morning yoga practice a few years ago. I was never a morning person, to be completely honest with you, I was far from it!
But establishing a morning routine and making yoga and meditation part of my morning routine changed my life for the better and really helped me to ease my anxieties and stress levels overall.
Tip: If you are interested in establishing a morning routine, check out Nicolle's blog post 3 Do’s and Don’ts to Help You Start a Successful Morning Routine.
Practicing yoga in the morning is like my mini spa break every day. Sounds amazing, I know, but it really is! It’s pure quality time for myself and with myself. And yes, you can call it self-care time.
My morning yoga practice sets me up for the day ahead, it keeps me aligned with my personal core values as well as my life goals.
In addition to this, my morning yoga practice gives me the strength and courage to keep reaching for my dreams, it helps me to stay more present and actively build a life that matters to me, a life that feels purposeful, and a life that I desire.
Now, let’s dive into the 5 benefits of yoga in the morning, and let me tell you how yoga can help to kickstart your day too!
1. Create space and energize your body
What is the first thing you tend to do when you wake up in the morning?
Maybe have a little morning stretch? Feels SO good, right?
Feeling a bit tense and stiff when waking up is totally normal. When we sleep, our body finally comes to a rest and so do our muscles. Having a morning stretch first thing is a natural reaction of your body.
Your body is looking for space and will welcome further movement. Flowing through a few Sun Salutations in the morning helps your muscles and joints to loosen up, create space within, and to get the juices in the body moving.
Apart from that, the movement supplies the body with fresh oxygen which helps to energize the body and sets you up for a successful and productive day ahead.
You know that you got this!
2. Create happiness from within
Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.
Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
I LOVE ‘Legally Blonde’, hence I could not resist dropping this quote in here!
Movement boosts energy and it releases endorphins aka happiness and more happiness means more smiles!
Yoga also helps to strengthen your body which will improve your posture. A strong posture will give you more self-confidence and more self-confidence will spark more positive thoughts and all this will also bring more happiness…..if you ask me, double/triple strike!
3. Start your day with self-love
You are the most important asset that you have and you always will be!
Doing yoga in the morning allows you to go inward, spend some quality time with yourself and focus on your own needs and desires before you start your day.
Starting your day with self-love will remind you of the things that are important to you in life and at the same time, you cultivate a healthy mindset for the day ahead.
And as the day moves on, you will find yourself making better decisions and choices for yourself throughout the day.
Decisions and choices that feel more in alignment with who you truly are and what you truly want for yourself in this lifetime.
4. Boost your focus and concentration throughout the day
Yoga starts with the breath and your breath is a real magic power, it really is!
In yoga, we link breath with movement to create unity between body, mind, and spirit. We learn how to breathe consciously.
Try this: find a comfortable seat, relax your hands on your knees, palms facing down, close your eyes, and take 3-5 deep inhales and exhales through the nose. Maybe even more…
Conscious breathing soothes the nervous system and over time you will notice that your mind becomes clear and free from any distracting thoughts, judgments, or fears.
A clear mind is a strong mind. And a strong mind helps you to better focus and concentrate throughout the day.
5. Set your intention for the day
Behind every action that we take lies an intention. Being aware of your intention is key to creating your own happiness.
Morning yoga invites us to set an intention for the day. This intention can help to create a positive outlook for the day ahead.
It is an opportunity to create a clear purpose and direction to take every step throughout the day consciously, keeping in mind your long-term life goal.
You are the creator of your life. What you focus on, you create.
There are so many benefits of doing yoga every day. In addition to the above, yoga also strengthens your body and your immune system, it helps to stimulate your digestive system and as yoga teaches you to be more present, you will end up spending more time in the present moment and there is never a better time than the ‘now’.
So, are you ready for the 3-Day Moning Yoga Challenge? Great, then let’s do this!
3-Day Morning Yoga Challenge
First things first:
- What do I need? All you need is a yoga mat and your wonderful self.
- How much time do I need? Allow yourself approx 30 min for your morning yoga practice.
- When to start? This is up to you. Pick a day, block the time in your diary, and make it happen!
- What if it is my first time doing yoga? No worries! All videos are suitable for beginners. If you need to do adjustments, please feel free to do so. And as you flow along, be patient with yourself and listen to your body. Always trust the teacher within.
Tip: We, humans, are creatures of habit so ideally, you do your morning yoga practice at the same time every day. This is the easiest and quickest way to establish a new habit.
And now the fun part, let’s flow!
Day 1 – Sunrise Morning Flow in St Andrews
Welcome to Scotland. Start your day with this energizing sunrise morning yoga flow suitable for beginners as well as advanced yogis. Have a beautiful day and stay wild…
Day 2 – Gentle Morning Flow in Tulum
Welcome to Mexico! Today’s practice is a gentle morning flow helping you to wake up, feel energized and start the day with some serious self-love. Bring your coffee and join me on the mat. The flow is suitable for beginners as well as advanced yogis. Enjoy…
Day 3 – Gentle Morning Stretch from San Juan Del Sur
Welcome to Nicaragua and welcome to day 3, almost there! Today we have a gentle morning flow to energize your body and help you to set an intention for the day ahead. Suitable for beginners as well as advanced yogis. Allow yourself to simply be and enjoy…
You made it warrior! Well done for showing up for yourself and congratulations on completing the 3-day morning yoga challenge.
You have been flowing every morning for the past 3 days, time for a recap.
Get yourself a piece of paper and a pen, go through the questions below, or simply contemplate over a cup of fluffy coffee.
Journal exercise:
- How do you feel? Happy? More relaxed? Calm?
- How does your body feel? Do you feel more space within your body?
- Have you noticed a change in your energy levels?
- Was it easy for you to get up earlier for your morning yoga practice?
- What did you enjoy most about your morning yoga practice?
- Have you noticed anything different in your day-to-day life since you started your morning yoga practice?
- What benefits can you feel after 3 days of practicing yoga every morning?
- Will you continue with your morning yoga practice?
I hope you enjoyed the 3-day morning yoga challenge. If you would like to share your experience or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below. It’s always great to hear from you.
And if you enjoyed flowing with me, check out my weekly schedule, I would love to see you back on the mat.
Thank you so much for your commitment, your time, and your space warrior!
And a huge WELL DONE!!!!
Stay wild,
Nicolle
This blog post was created by Nicolle Spohn and shared on The Moonchild Journal with permission from the original author. To learn more and to follow Moonchild Ambassador Nicolle Spohn follow on of the links below:
Website: https://letyourshadowshine.com/
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