#Morning yoga flow free

Making the practice of yoga a habit each morning allows the body to get into the habit of switching off the sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ stress response, and instead able to finally tap into the healing benefits of the parasympathetic nervous system – increasing the health of both body and mind immensely. If this level of cortisol is quickly increased with added stress however, we’ve set ourselves up for an equally stressful day. Our levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are already high in the mornings in order to give us the boost we need to wake up. Giving yourself an extra hour or half an hour in the mornings to wake up and practice will allow your nervous system to begin the day in a far more relaxed state. We know how it feels to leap out of bed after hitting the snooze button one-too-many times and rushing around in the morning – our nervous system definitely knows how it feels all-too-well…. If we don’t move and stretch however, this layer continues to thicken and build up, causing stiffness, chronically ‘tight’ muscles and common aches and pains. That urge to stretch we get upon waking is essentially an act of releasing the fuzzy build up found between muscles.

Overnight, our muscles rest and while they’re not moving, layers of connective tissue and bodily fluid – fondly known as ‘fuzz’ – builds up between them. Get rid of the Fuzzĭr Gil Hedley explains brilliantly in his online talk that in order for the body to be optimally healthy and feel physically good, it’s important to move at the beginning of the day. Many of us are so caught up in the world of technology and work that we forget we too are a part of nature and this morning routine is a reminder of our more natural state. By being aware of the rhythms of the natural world and practising as the sun rises, we tap into our own natural rhythms too. Traditionally, the practice of Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) was performed at sunrise, as a way to greet the sun and the arrival of a new day. It’s basically like setting a New Year’s resolution every morning, although it may be a little easier to keep this one for 24 hours as opposed to 365 days…. Whatever it may be, this intention has the ability to shape the rest of your day, and will give you a focus throughout the hours that follow. This could be an intention to practise with kindness towards the body if its feeling tired, to practise focusing the mind into stillness, or an intention to step outside your comfort zone to develop self-trust and confidence. Set your intentionĪt the beginning of many yoga classes, we’re offered the chance to set an intention for the practice. I’ve enlisted the help of some of my students and yoga teacher friends who practise in the morning – as well as offering you some guidance from the pages of the ancient Yoga Sutras and Ayurvedic texts – so you can find out for yourself why growing numbers of people start their day with yoga, and the reasons they choose to do it! 1. If you get into the habit of practising yoga each morning for 21 days, there’s a chance you’ll continue (maybe even for the rest of the year?) and you’ll definitely thank yourself for it by the time the next New Year comes around.

As well as boosting mental clarity and relaxation, yoga also has the added benefits of increasing the release of endorphins (happy hormones) and making the body a more physically comfortable place to live in. In order to let go of unhelpful habits, new ones have to be put in their place which provide similar benefits to the mind and body, which is where the practice of yoga comes in. So habits aren’t unnecessary, they’re just not always helping us to be our very best selves…. Our habits can help relieve stress or provide some sort of entertainment, they sometimes make us feel good or subconsciously provide a sense of security. There’s often a reason we develop habits in the first place they serve a purpose. When we let go of one habit though, there’s often a gaping hole left in its place, which is why things like quitting smoking, alcohol, sugar, chocolate, meat or anything else you’ve decided to move away from is so difficult there’s nothing to take its place.

#Morning yoga flow free

Our goals and good intentions like New Year resolutions are often based around becoming happier and healthier, more fulfilled and free of (negative) habits.