5 Calming Yoga Poses To Start Your Morning

Want to spice up your morning routine with something calming and gentle? Give yoga a try! Here are some calming and accessible yoga positions to start every morning with.

Everybody understands the importance of a great morning routine. It sets the tone for the day, energizes you, and gives you time to collect yourself before starting your busy schedule. A gentle yoga routine is one of my favorite ways to start my morning routine. 

If your schedule is anything like mine, finding time to practice yoga during the day may be challenging, and you might need more time to do anything at night. Completing a series of simple yoga stretches or asana positions can help relieve stress, calm the mind, alleviate back and joint pain, and energize the body. 

If you’ve never practiced yoga or it’s been a while, I recommend starting with the easier positions and working toward more advanced ones. As a beginner, I find using guided apps or YouTube videos helps. 

To help you get a splendid start to your day, I gathered 15 of the best morning yoga stretches and poses so that you can power your way through the day with peace and productivity.

Tips For Daily Yoga Practice

• Always warm up before every routine. 
• Start with slow and rhythmic movements.
• Don’t force your body to stretch beyond its capabilities. Instead, breathe deeply into the positions and gradually work towards increased flexibility. 
• You should experiment with different asanas and find the best routines for you. 
• Block out at least 15 to 30 minutes to receive the most benefits from yoga. 
• Always drink water before practice. 
• Be mindful of your breathing and pace. Don’t overexert yourself in the very beginning. 
• Incorporate about 5 minutes of meditation and deep breathing. 
• Save the hardest and more energizing routines for the end. 

Best Morning Yoga Poses

I am not a yoga expert, just a woman who loves practicing yoga in the mornings. Based on my personal experience and research, I compiled a list of yoga positions that will help you to get the day started. Practice one or more of these stretches and poses to get up and get moving, and help you create your day feeling refreshed and energized. It’s easy to make yoga work anywhere—you need a modest amount of space and a desire to create a healthier body and a more peaceful mind. Choose a few simple poses you can do at home or aim to build up a more strenuous routine. 

Sukhasana | Easy Pose

This is one of my favorite positions to start with. This pose is an excellent way to begin or end any meditation session. This pose opens the hips, lengthens the spine, and promotes groundedness and inner calm.

Instructions

1. To start, you must sit with your butt on the floor, then cross the legs, placing the feet below the knees. 
2. Rest the hands on the knees or the lap with the palms facing up or down.
3. Relax your entire body and breathe deeply through the nose, down, and out through your mouth. 

Tadasana | Mountain Pose

This is another one of my go-to yoga positions. While this position may seem simple, it can quickly become an energizing challenge. The mountain pose helps strengthen the legs, core, and back muscles to improve posture.

Instructions

1. Bringing the feet together or hip-width apart from a standing position, parallel. Lift the toes, spread them wide, and place them back on the floor. Feel your weight evenly balanced through the bottom of each foot, not leaning forward or back.
2. Pull up the kneecaps, squeeze the thighs, and tuck the tailbone slightly under. Feel the hips aligned directly over the ankles. The legs are straight, but the knees are not locked back.
3. Inhale and lift out of the waist, pressing the crown of the head towards the ceiling, feeling the spine long and straight.
4. Exhale and drop the shoulders down and back as you reach the fingertips towards the floor. Gently press the chest/sternum towards the front of the room.
5. Continuing to reach out through the fingers, inhale the arms up, turning the palms shoulder height, bringing the arms into an H position.
6. Breathe and hold for 4-8 breaths.
7. To release: exhale the arms down to your sides or bring the palms together in front of your chest.
8. Repeat two or three times. 

Bharmanasana | Table Pose

This essential yoga position is great for transitioning between standing and seated or from calm to energized poses. The table is the starting point, and transition posture for many floor postures helps lengthen and realign the spine.

Instructions

1. Come to the floor on your hands and knees. Bring the knees hip-width apart, with the feet directly behind the knees. Bring the palms now under the shoulders with the fingers facing forward.
2. Look down between the palms and allow the back to be flat. Press into the palms to drop the shoulders slightly away from the ears. Press the tailbone towards the back wall and the crown of the head towards the front wall. 
3. Breathe deeply and hold for up to 3 breaths. 

Marjariasana-Bitilasana | Cat-Cow Pose 

This vinyasa yoga position is excellent for getting those early morning kinks and stretching your upper body and back muscles. In addition, I like using this position to transition into more energetic poses. 

Instructions

1. Start in a tabletop position. From the table pose, inhale and reach the tailbone up towards the ceiling, arching the spine and letting the belly drop down.
2. Spread the fingers wide apart and press the palms into the floor. Drop the shoulders down from the ears and reach the crown of the head up towards the ceiling. Look up as high as you can towards the top without straining.
3. Breathe and hold for 4-8 breaths. 
4. Exhale and tuck the tailbone under, round the spine and let the head drop down.
5. Press into the palms, and drop the shoulders away from the ears.
6. Repeat two or three times. 

Adho Mukha Shvanasana | Downward Facing Dog

I’m still a beginner. So, I will admit that sometimes this pose can get the best of me. However, I highly recommend adding this to your yoga routine because it helps to stretch and open the back, legs, and arms. Also, it’s a great pose to begin the energizing part of your routine with. 

Instructions

1. From the Table position, tuck the toes under, press into the hands, and lift the hips towards the ceiling.
2. Spread the fingers wide apart with the middle finger facing forward and the palms shoulder-width apart. Press the out through the fingers and edges of the hands.
3. Straighten your arms, press the hips up and back, and reach the chest towards the thighs. Lift through the tailbone to keep the spine straight and long.
4. Make sure that your feet are hip’s width apart with the toes facing forward. Press the heels into the floor, feeling a stretch in the back of the legs. The legs are straight, or you can have a slight knee bend to keep the back flat.
5. Let the head and neck hang freely from the shoulders, or look up at the belly button.
6. Breathe and hold for 4-8 breaths.
7. To release: bend the knees and lower the hips back to the Table position, or come down to the child pose.

Final Thoughts

Everyone could benefit from adding a bit of yoga into their morning routine. These yoga positions can stretch your body, improve posture, and give your body the boost it needs to get through the day. As a newbie, I have seen improvements in my overall health and mindset since starting last year. As a result, I started incorporating these basic yoga poses into my everyday routine to get my body moving each day. 

Many believe yoga and asanas are about showing off your flexibility and being fit. Both are incorrect misconceptions. Yoga is about connecting to your spiritual, mental, and physical selves by understanding each state through meditative physical practice. It’s an exercise anyone interested in improving their health and happiness can try. 

You can slowly include yoga into the daily morning routine, such as waking up earlier, scheduling it, or making weekly commitments. When practicing yoga, you have to make sure always to do what’s best for your body. Never force it. 

Please give these yoga poses a try and enjoy them. 

Do you practice yoga in the morning? What do you think of these poses? Let me know in the comments.