“The best time of day to do yoga is in the morning.” That’s how clear it is Kamila Bielecka, head of yoga & mindfulness Hotel Royal Hideaway Corales Resort. And it is that, in her opinion, it allows us to wake up the body, activating our muscles and joints with dynamic movements coordinated with breathing. It helps us clear our minds, give us a moment of tranquility and peace to face the day with positivity and energy. “Doing yoga in the first hour of the day is beneficial because it activates the body and calms your mind and emotions, stimulates your metabolism and detoxification, helps set up and maintain a morning routine”, adds Bence Százados, Sport Manager of Barceló Lanzarote Active Resort, which believes that having a morning routine helps us structure our day better. “It requires only a minimum of 15 minutes a day, and this initial energy, invested at the beginning of our day, prepares us to face all the challenges that life throws at us every day,” he tells us.
Katia Muñoz Olmo, Wellthy Expert at Royal Hideaway Sancti Petri, agrees, detailing that it is good to do yoga first thing in the morning to start the day with energy and strength. “When getting out of bed the body is closed and the mind with few thoughts. Doing yoga in the morning helps you wake up your body and mind, relieves stress and anxiety, increases positive energy and good mood”, she tells us.
Better on an empty stomach?
It is one of the questions that you can ask yourself, if it is convenient to eat something or not before practicing yoga. “It is better to practice yoga on an empty stomach. On the one hand, by not having any food, the body does not digest and the body relaxes more easily. On the other hand, many asanas require abdominal work and if you have just eaten, you will feel discomfort in your stomach”, explains Katia Muñoz Olmo. “Furthermore, when you are fasting, the blood flows more quickly, improving the efficiency of the exercise and focusing all the energy on the practice of yoga, and not on digestion”, adds Kamila Bielecka, head of yoga & mindfulness at the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort Hotel.
Recommended pose
Experts do not hesitate to bet on a posture as the most recommended in these early hours of the morning, the greeting to the sun. “First with slower transitions, focusing on breathing and stretching our muscles,” Kamila Bielecka tells us, adding that these first series are very beneficial for our body:
- They prepare us for the beginning of the session.
- Activates the cardiovascular system and gets all the major muscle groups in motion.
- Mobilizes the spine.
- Improves mobility of the whole body.
- Relax your shoulders and neck.
- Activate and relax the diaphragm.
- Tones the muscles.
- Provides greater balance and stability.
- Helps control breathing.
- Reduces stress levels.
- It increases the ability to concentrate.
- Strengthens the nervous system.
- Oxygenates the blood.
Helpful hints
For her part, the Royal Hideaway Sancti Petri expert gives us other suggestions:
-The first thing you should do is sit with your legs crossed and your back straight, bringing all your attention to your breath. (2-3 minutes).
-Perform some movement to warm up the body, for example: the cat-cow sequence.
-Start with sun salutations, this will activate your whole body.
Standing asana
tree pose
After this you could do some standing asanas like:
- Spear Pose: To stretch your spine in both directions, strengthen your legs and stretch them out, and bring symmetry to your hips.
- Tree Pose: Ideal for improving balance, it opens the chest and relieves stiff shoulders.
- Navasana: works the abdominal center a little.
- To finish we make an extension forward.
- And finally, we lie on our backs letting the whole body fall from the feet to the head, letting your body and mind see all the benefits obtained from the practice.