According to the ancient yogis, the early hours of the morning are a sacred time of day. In those hours, the earth's energy is full of possibility for the coming day. An early morning yoga practice is said to help harness that energy.
In practical terms, practicing yoga first thing in the morning is a great way to begin your day. Meditation and breath work can provide you with focus for the day, whereas yoga postures can energize you and lead to overall health and fitness.
Morning Meditation
Meditation is a yogic tool used to quiet and focus the mind. There are several different meditation techniques ranging from simple breathing to chanting.
The Kundalini yoga tradition has a very special morning meditation called The Morning Call. The Morning Call meditation is practiced by sitting in a simple cross-legged position. While breathing deeply, you chant "Ek Ong Kar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru." in Sanskrit, this chant means "One Creator created this Creation. Truth is His Name. Great beyond description is His infinite wisdom."
Poses and Exercise
Yoga poses in the morning should wake up and energize the body. Sun salutations are a great option for a morning yoga routine. Combing breath, movement, stretching, strength training and inversions, sun salutations have all the elements of a complete yoga practice.
Start with a few rounds of half sun salutation by standing in mountain pose and exhaling into a forward fold. Once the body feels warm, flow into three to five rounds of sun salutation A. Sun salutation A guides you through forward folds, plank pose, upward-facing dog and downward-facing dog.
Whatever yoga poses you choose, always finish with Savasana, or corpse pose. Rest in this pose for a few minutes.
Duration
For many, an early morning yoga practice may seem impossible to fit in with the demands of work ad family. However, allotting just 15 to 30 minutes a few times a week can provide mental and physical benefits throughout the day.
Don't worry if you are not a morning person, yoga is beneficial no matter when it is practiced. However, a late-day practice should contain more restorative poses than a morning practice.
Other Yogic Tools
In addition to postures and meditation, Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, offers other useful morning routines. To wake-up your digestive system, try sipping a warm cup of water with lemon or lime. To wake-up the skin, try self-massage and skin exfoliation.
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