I know we all wish that we could flaunt our yoga poses on Instagram to gain a huge following and become Insta-famous, but that’s not the only reason you should take the time to dedicate yourself to this practice every day!
Practicing yoga is a fantastic way to start your day, and within just a few days of practice you will wonder why you didn’t start sooner!
Yoga offers a wide range of benefits for both your body and mind, making it the perfect solution to our 2017 problems. Honestly, I can’t think of any singular type of exercise which has a better overall effect on our health than a yoga session a day!
So, Why Should You Start Your Morning with Yoga?
The first moments of the day are very precious, and it’s the time when we can positively influence the way we think, act, and respond to the challenges we face for the rest of the day.
Maybe you have no desire to go to work today (or ever), but those bills still need to be paid! Starting your day with even a short yoga sequence can have kickstart your mood, helping you to at least get through those days when you just want to lay home and do nothing!
There is no doubt that modern medicine can heal many physical diseases and can alleviate psychological disorders, however, an “only medical approach” is far less effective in healing the intellectual, emotional, and personal layers of us as humans.
Practicing morning yoga offers us as individuals a timeless and a holistic model of health and healing, which can help solve issues in your life you never thought was possible.
Though it may not lead to the complete elimination of physical diseases and adverse health conditions from the body, it offers a holistic path of healing.
“There exists an indisputable connection between a person’s overall physical and mental health, and the inner peace and well-being that yoga is designed to achieve.”
― International Journal of Yoga
Morning Yoga Serves as an Alternative to Caffeine
Coffee is awesome, and regardless yoga probably won’t completely replace our consumption of coffee. Coffee even does have many benefits that we don’t want to replace! However, over-relying on coffee can be detrimental.
Starting the morning with yoga can bring an alertness to your mind that helps you make better and more rational decisions, not just helping you drive to work on time.
During morning yoga, the specific type of breathing done stimulates the entire body and also the mind. The fresh oxygen intake helps to wake the brain up, which can literally feel like a jolt of caffeine!
Now, think about combining this with a nice double espresso! You will be wide awake, I promise!
However, unlike tea or coffee, the energy boost from morning yoga deep pranayama breathing lasts the entire day. You may still want that coffee for an extra kick, but the yoga will help you not to crash right at lunch time!
Morning yoga will help you feel more energized and grounded at the same time, helping and you accomplish each day.
I am sure that after just a week of routine morning yoga you will begin to start your day feeling alive and having a clarity of purpose you haven’t experienced in a long time!
Morning Yoga Boosts Metabolism
I think it’s a pretty understandable fact that we all want an easy trick to stay in shape, especially a trick that doesn’t include pouring sweat for hours at the gym.
Well, here’s one trick that can help your situation!
By practicing morning yoga, you will be able to warm up your digestive system and enable nutrients to move more easily through your body from the moment you wake up!
Having a working digestive system will vastly improve your ability to metabolize fat from your body, and more easily handle the food you eat for the rest of your day.
The many different twists involved in yoga practice can wring out the digestive system, and invigorate our vital organs.
According to this study published in the International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, there are remarkable benefits of yoga-pranayama practices on metabolic parameters, and anthropometric measurements in uncomplicated type II diabetic patient.
Not only will your metabolism be working better though, your clear mind will help you make better choices on what food you are eating!
It will be much easier to that 5th kale salad of the week if you have a clear mind, instead of a brain that’s only focused on getting through another day of work. I promise!
Concluding Thoughts
Taking up the practice of yoga is one of the healthiest decisions you can make this year. Yoga is beneficial for both our mind, and our bodies, in an enormous amount of ways.
My best suggestion is to start with some consistent yoga postures for about 20 minutes in the morning, before you head to work.
This small change to your daily routine will start to pay off very quickly, and you will find yourself hooked in no-time!
About the Author
Adam Kemp is a professional basketball player who has competed at the highest levels of international basketball in Europe, as well as making it to the NBA Summer League in 2015 with the Detroit Pistons.
Adam asserts that yoga is a vital component to his routine as an athlete in-season, and out.
You can learn more about Adam and his philosophies on training and healthy living by going to his website at www.AdamKempFitness.com.
