Feel-Good Yoga Stretches to Start Your Day

Getting a good start to your day is essential. It makes you feel more upbeat and ready to take on what lies ahead. If you do this right, it will also help you get more stuff done. 

Yoga is considered one of the most incredible workouts you can do to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit. It has many different poses that not only help you stay fit and healthy but also improve your mental health as it is a form of meditation and relaxation.

This article will go over some of those yoga poses that will help with feeling better and making sure your body is ready for the busy week ahead.

Downward Dog

One of the most common yoga poses in the book and an excellent morning stretch. This will open up the shoulders, hamstrings, and calves as well as the arches of your feet. Down dogs also help to strengthen your shoulders and upper back. And by bending so that your heart is over your head, you'll increase blood flow to the brain—a great way to kickstart alertness during the early-morning hours.

How:

Start with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Inhale. Exhale and lift your knees off the floor, positioning your hips toward the ceiling. Reach your heels to the floor and straighten out your knees as much as you can without locking them up. Press through your fingertips and keep your head between your arms as you gaze between your calves.

Child’s Pose

This yoga pose is a great shoulder opener and can be used to rest in between more difficult positions. Come back to it anytime—but don’t idle. 

How:

Start in a tabletop position. Touch your big toes together. Then sit back on your heels and put your torso on your thighs. Place your arms straight in front of you with your palms facing the floor. This will help open up your hips.

Triangle Pose

This standing pose stretches your hips, hamstrings, calves, chest, shoulders, and spine. It's also great for strengthening your knees, quads, and ankles.

How: 

Stand and raise your arms parallel to the floor and keep your palms facing down. Face your right foot and angle it to the front of your mat. The left foot should be at a 45-degree angle to the right. Both heels are in line with each other. Take a deep breath in as you face the right leg. Inhale as you hinge forward and reach toward an imaginary wall at the top of your mat.

When you can go forward any farther, exhale and extend your torso over your right leg, hinging from the hip joint. Rotate your torso to the left and rest your right hand on your right shin, ankle, or the floor on the outside of your right foot. Reach your left arm toward the ceiling and make sure that both shoulders are in one line. Keep your head in a neutral position by softly gazing up at your left hand. Repeat on the other side.

Cat-Cow Pose

Cat/Cows can be a fun way to warm up the spine. These are great to prepare yourself for more difficult backbends and to release stress.

How:

Start in the tabletop position with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Your spine and head will begin in a neutral position. Inhale. Exhale and enter cat: round your spine to the ceiling and gently release your head toward the floor. 

Inhale and enter cow: lift your chest, head and butt to the ceiling, and be careful not to overstrain the neck. Instead of holding each pose for 5 to 10 breaths, oscillate between these two positions 5 to 10 times going at your own pace.

Tree Pose

This position stretches the groin, thighs, torso, and shoulders. Because you’re standing on one leg, it also challenges your ability to balance. If you’re feeling particularly “unbalanced” in your life, this pose might help you to refocus and center yourself.

How:

Begin standing on your mat with your arms by your sides. Shift your weight onto your right foot and lift your left off the ground. Place your left foot against your calf, ankle, or inner right thigh. Avoid placing it directly on the knee. Above or below the joint is fine. Bring your arms to a prayer position at the center of your chest. Depending on how flexible you are, you might be able to get to this position without grabbing your foot. Raise your arms overhead if you want an extra balance challenge. Repeat on the other side.

Finding the right poses that would fit you is very easy if you just simply know where to look. With the internet’s vast resources and guides, you can look into what poses are good for beginners like you or depending on what certain parts of your body you would like to focus on stretching.

And as you work out, it is always helpful to have a reliable partner to stay on track. Garmin’s Venu 2s offers a daily training workout mode where it provides you with animated workout guides for your routines.

How Garmin’s Venu 2s can help

Equipped with all-day advanced health monitoring, the Venu 2s gives you a precise read on your physical condition so you can work on an even better you! With a streamlined case and built-in intelligent voice control, your confidence and drive can go wherever life takes you! Wherever and however you work out, you can do so in style.

With an all-day health monitoring feature, the smartwatch tracks your heart rate, blood oxygen, breathing, calories, and stress, as well as offers a suite of women's health functions. It keeps track, follows your progress, and helps you work on a healthier lifestyle!

Strapping on the Venu 2s as well as incorporating yoga into your morning routines can help you start your day in the best possible way. And it’ll make you feel awesome. The only downside is that it's not always easy to find the time for asana practice. But whether you're starting your day with a quick morning routine or engaging in a longer yoga ritual, feel-good yoga poses will leave you feeling great and energized for the rest of your day. So stay confident whatever your day throws at you, and with the Venu 2s, let’s work on a better you!