Your Morning Routine: Exercise

Starting your day with vigorous exercise in the morning can stimulate circulation, wake up the mind, and wake up your metabolism. It can ensure that you have a hearty appetite by breakfast and can help prepare your mind for the day ahead. Here is a sequence of stretches to start your day that will give you a sunny disposition by warming up your body and energizing you.

1. Start with your feet on the floor, hip width apart, and inhale while moving your arms overhead.
2. Exhale while reaching down to touch your toes.
3. Inhale and gaze up to a flat-back position.
4. Exhale and step your right foot back and touch the floor.
5. Then bring the left foot back to meet it so that you are in a plank position.
6. Inhale at the top of your plank and exhale as you lower yourself down to the floor.
7. Inhale as you raise your eyes and then your upper body up while keeping your hips on the floor.
8. Exhale up and drop your upper body while raise your butt into a "downward dog."
9. When you're ready, float the left foot forward to a lunge followed by the right (so you are now in a forward fold position)
10. Inhale raising both of your arms up, coming to a standing position (step 1).
11. Repeat.

Repeat this sequence, but the second time, send the left foot back when you move into a plank and then bring the right foot forward as you come to stand. So, alternate feet each time. If this sequences sounds confusing, we suggest looking it up on youtube to get a better idea for the flow.

Vata can practice this sequence 5-6 times in the morning, Pitta people can do 10 rounds, and Kapha people can do up to 20 rounds.

• Read more about keeping a routine here

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