Wake up to yoga

Morning stretches energise the mind and the body kick-starting your day the right way, writes Sarvesh Shashi

The profound Yogacharya BKS Iyengar once shared, “Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”

A delightful thought that is completely agreed upon by millions of yoga practitioners globally. Yoga is transformative, and many have experienced this transformation. While the practice might not transform you as an individual, it has the capacity to set the pace to change some inherent habits that become a way of life. The practice holds the power to break the monotony of one’s repetitive behavioural pattern and paves the way for a thoughtful and constructive perspective. And the ones who strongly believe in the transformative strength of yoga vouch to make it a daily morning practice.

Your tone for the day is set in the mornings, and morning yoga practice can revamp your life. We often hear people claiming that they are not morning people and cannot function without their morning cup of chai or coffee. Well, all you need is an hour of yoga practice, to get rid of that morning stiffness and fuel up with physical energy and mental peace to take on a long day with a broad smile.

Here’s how you can embrace this life-altering morning routine:

A healthy affirmative attitude

When things don’t seem right, just alter your view. Half the issues are resolved just with a modification in the perspective. Positive perspectives to kick-start your mornings is all you need and this is well-achieved with yoga. Yoga makes you concentrate on systematic breathing that instantly preps you in the mornings. Forget the stress and the morning fatigue with mindful and rhythmic breathing and observe a shift towards a healthy, affirmative attitude.

Focused thinking

Early risers have an advantage. When you prioritise yoga in your morning to-do list, you equip yourself with a more structured beginning to your day. One is also more focused after yoga practice and has a greater sense of clarity of thought. This helps you stay more focused on your daily goals, that too in a more clutter-free and systematic way.

Mornings infused with mindfulness

Nothing better than herbal infused teas and mindfulness infused mornings. Morning yogic practice is the simplest and the most effective way to achieve mindfulness. Let go of the stress of the heavy city traffic or a hassled meeting to be tackled later during the day, be in the present and feel the optimism flow through you as you become more aware of your body and environment and feel in oneness with your emotional, physical and mental state with morning yoga practice.

A healthier & fitter you

Weight loss, a well-toned body, healthy eating habits, and a radiant face are the by-products of regular yoga practice. Morning yoga is more beneficial in the morning than when practiced during the rest of the day as it enables a more steady rise in the metabolism level. Even the oxygen consumption of the body is at its peak in the mornings, delivering far better results as compared to any form of exercise done during the rest of the day. So, morning yoga guarantees a fitter and healthier you not only on the outside, but at a holistic level, too.

(The author is co-founder, SARVA Yoga, Mindfulness and Beyond)