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You’ve probably heard this before, but yoga isn’t something that happens only on your mat. It accompanies you throughout your life and begins as soon as you wake up in the morning.
If your default morning ritual is scrolling through Instagram and stressing about the workday ahead, well, you’re not alone. But there’s always an opportunity to infuse more mindfulness into your routine that can usher in even a bit more ease and peace of mind to the day ahead. And it doesn’t have to be a picture-perfect hour-long morning yoga and meditation session. In fact, sometimes the seemingly small changes are the ones that make the biggest impact.
5 Morning Rituals to Enhance Your Yoga Practice
Below are five morning rituals you can consider adding to your day. Try one or a few of them to see what sticks. Perhaps you use one as a jumping off point for developing your own ritual.
1. Meditate First Thing In the Morning
Many people swear by morning meditation, claiming that doing it first thing helps clear mental clutter and set an intention for their day. Setting your alarm and waking up even a few minutes early for some “you” time can make it easier to get out of bed and give you a bit more energy throughout the day.
Need a little inspiration to wake up earlier? Try this morning meditation, which uses visualization to help start your day on a positive note. Or stay in bed and begin your day with five minutes of silence, perhaps focusing on your breath.
2. Set an Intention for Your Day
When you wake up, choose a meaningful statement or mantra that you can return to throughout the day—especially when stressful situations arise. It should be something that brings you comfort and resonates with you. It can be a statement, such as, “I handle difficult situations with grace,” or a single word, such as “patience.”
This morning meditation with Deepak Chopra can help you focus inward and establish an intention. You can also choose a yoga mantra as an intention. Shanti Mantra, for instance, is a chant for peace. Gayatri Mantra is believed to help you transcend suffering. Or, take inspiration from these yoga teachers’ go-to mantras.
3. Journal
The idea of journaling as soon as you wake up may seem odd if you’ve never practiced it, but it can help you process lingering thoughts and feelings and clear your mind in the morning. Writing morning pages, for instance, is considered a meditative practice in which you jot down your stream-of-consciousness thoughts. Or you can practice gratitude journaling, which is making a list of things in your life you appreciate; it has even been found to help reduce stress. There is no wrong way to do it!
4. Get Outside
Being outdoors can put you in a peaceful state of mind before you start your day, whether you take a mindful walk or step outside for a few breaths of fresh air and sunlight. Plus, research shows that spending time outdoors can increase release endorphins (feel-good chemicals) and reduce stress.
5. Finally, Practice Yoga!
Now that you’ve cleared your head, it’s time to hit the mat. Try any of these 10-minute yoga practices to get your day started:
And if you don’t want to get out of bed, there’s a yoga practice for that, too.