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I have to admit that I’m not really a morning person. I’ve never been an early riser who bounces around from task to task long before my family wakes up. However since I’ve started my new yoga instructor journey, I made a commitment to myself to live with an open mind and to try new things. One of these new things is practicing yoga in the morning. I set my alarm clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier than normal so I can spend a little time practicing. One of the first things that I wanted to practice is my Sun Salutations. Over the weekend, I learned Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation C. It’s important that I learn how to do these perfectly so that I can help others learn how to do them.
One of my biggest challenges is getting used to doing everything in the correct posture. For many years, I’ve been used to a yoga instructor providing assistance if my pose wasn’t correct. Now I’m going to be that yoga instructor so I really have to put thought into each pose. It’s quality over quantity. I find myself double and triple checking that I have my heart open, shoulders back, ribs in, etc.
I enjoyed taking a few minutes this morning to practice. The house was quiet so in addition to working on my posture, I could also focus on my breathing. Practicing yoga is about so much more than just postures. It really requires a combination of your posture, your mind, and your breathing. After practicing yoga this morning, I felt more centered and balanced.
If you are thinking about practicing yoga in the morning I have a few suggestions.
- Try to wake before anyone else so you can really concentrate
- If it’s before/during sunset, try facing the East and practicing a few sun salutations.
- Save the coffee (or caffeinated tea) until you are done. You may find that you don’t even need it!
- Really focus on your breathing. It can set the tone for your entire day.
While practicing yoga in the morning has many benefits, I believe that the biggest benefit to me today was the feeling of connection with my mind, body, and breath. It set the tone for my entire day. For lunch, I opted for a salad, instead of my usual heavy lunch. I also signed up to go to a yoga class this evening after work. I’ll be sure to write a post letting everyone know how that goes!
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