12 Morning Yoga Tips to Start and Sustain Your Practice • Yoga Basics

A morning yoga practice is a great routine for relieving stress and tension, increasing your ability to concentrate, and increasing your energy levels. Just a few minutes of yoga in the morning will strengthen your immune system, increase your metabolism, improve your mood and promote mental wellbeing. Despite all of the amazing benefits of morning yoga, people often feel that they don't have enough time to practice or think that they don't have the energy or enthusiasm to get up early. The trick is to create a morning exercise that is fun, effective, and rewarding. The following morning yoga tips will show you how to maximize the benefits of your practice while looking forward to getting on your yoga mat soon after you wake up.

Most of the following morning yoga tips apply to both home practice and the yoga studio. Choose which tips are best for your lifestyle and needs. You might want to bookmark or print out these morning yoga tips to come back to as you build a solid morning yoga routine. Hopefully these tips will become second nature to you soon!

1. Prepare the night before

Incorporate a few morning workout preparation tasks into your evening routine. If you take your morning lessons at the local gym or gym, then Make sure you have enough gasoline in your car, refill your water bottle, pick out your yoga clothes, and collect your mat, props, and other gear. The less effort you put into getting ready, the more likely you will make it to class. If you're practicing at home with an online class or just doing your regular practice, have your space and equipment ready with your yoga mat already rolled out. Select the morning yoga video you want to use and bring it up on your device.

Try not to eat a heavy meal the night before because you feel light-headed and heavy. Go to bed at a reasonable time to get a good night's sleep so you can start your morning yoga routine well rested and resist hitting the snooze button.

Make an intention just before you go to sleep to prepare the mind for success when you wake up. This can be linked to your goals or the benefits you would like to experience from your practice. Alternatively, you can imagine or imagine that you enjoy waking up early to practice yoga.

2. Set realistic goals and expectations

It's important to have clear and actionable goals, but it's just as important to keep your morning plans realistic. If your goals are too high, you can expect failure, excessive fighting, and suffering. On the other hand, if you set yourself goals that are too low, you may end up feeling bored and discouraged if you achieve your goals too quickly and easily. Perhaps your first goal would be to do five sun salutations in a row without a break. Perhaps your second goal would be to hold each pose for at least four deep breaths. Whatever your goals, make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely).

3. Visualize the benefits

As you prepare for your morning workout, mentally rehearse the rewards that you will receive. It will get you closer to your goal of having a great day and a brilliant start to the week. If you're struggling to get motivated, use these mental benefits as extra ammunition to help you through your preps and get to class or your mat.

4. Wake up with a shower

Taking a shower or just splashing some water on your face will help you freshen up and wake you up before you begin your yoga session. It may feel strange to shower before a workout, but especially when you go to class, you will feel and smell great while exercising if you are clean and hygienic.

5. Hydrate

When you wake up, have a glass of water to make sure you are well hydrated before a workout. Water with some fresh lemon juice will help your body flush out all toxins and maximize your energy levels for your morning routine.

6. Eat a snack

It's best to exercise on an empty stomach, but if you're hungry or have low blood sugar, you can have a snack before you sit on the mat. A morning smoothie is a great option, as are fruit and small amounts of nuts and seeds. Whatever you choose, make sure your snack is small, light, and easy to digest.

7. Take it easy

When you wake up, your body is stiff and sleepless and likely unable to jump straight to a class. Be kind to yourself in the morning and take things slowly and calmly while the brain is still recovering from unconsciousness and the body is still heavy with drowsiness. Set your alarm clock to give you a few minutes extra so you don't feel pressure or stress rushing to your mat.

8. Keep it short and simple

It's best to keep your morning yoga practice short. A suitable length is 15-30 minutes. You probably don't want to add too much weight to your day by doing a lengthy exercise before you've even started. Short, quick exercises are a great way to prepare your body and mind for a hard day at work. On the other hand, if you just do a few rounds of sun salutation, you may find that the effects of a shortened exercise wear off very quickly. It's a tough balancing act, so experiment and see what works best for you.

9. Choose a convenient time and place

If possible, try to do your morning yoga practice in the same room or room where you do your daily exercise routine. This will help you build a sense of continuity and keep you on track. Just make sure to choose a quiet and distraction-free place. Look for a relatively clean and uncluttered place. Avoid places with heavy traffic or places with lots of people walking around. This will make your practice much quieter and allow you to concentrate better.

10. Stay interesting

If you do the same morning yoga routine over and over again, your body becomes bored and sluggish. Consider changing it every week or two. You can mix it up by incorporating a variety of yoga techniques and morning yoga poses. Make some sun salutations one day; next some pranayama breathing exercises. Keep it fresh and try a new sequence of asanas every month. Add or remove exercises as needed to keep the love and enthusiasm in your practice.

11. Practice with a friend

Practicing with a yoga buddy is fun and makes you feel good. When you make a commitment to practice with a friend, you don't want to let them down, so that commitment motivates you to show up.

12. Sign up for a morning yoga challenge

Challenges are a great way to add variety to your morning routine and motivate you to practice every day. You can find yoga challenges on Instagram, YouTube, at your local yoga studio, or you can create your own. Choose something that you can realistically achieve and that is geared towards your experience and fitness level. It's best to start with a 7 day challenge and work your way up to 30 or 40 days.