Best Yoga asanas to kick start your morning

Are you always lethargic and tired without any underlying conditions? Daily 10-minute yoga can help you feel more energetic and help you regain body-mind balance. Yoga has been known for centuries and research has proven that a regular yoga practice can significantly improve your physical, mental and spiritual health, including flexibility, fitness, balance, muscular strength and spinal mobility.

Naukasana (Boat Pose)

Lie down on you back with your legs together. Keep your hands on the thighs or next to the thighs on the floor. Inhale and raise your head and arms in a straight line off the floor at a 30-degree angle. Keep the toes pointing upward. This asana increases the efficiency of abdominal muscles and reduces belly fat. This pose helps with stress relief, improves digestion, stimulates the kidneys, thyroid, and intestines, and strengthens thighs and the lower back.

Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)

Begin seated with your legs together and start to hinge forward from your waist, reaching forward. Once you have achieved your maximum stretch, breathe for 8-10 breaths. Make sure that you keep your back straight. “Paschimottanasana stretches the calf and hamstring muscles, which helps for better circulation. It elongates the spine and gives a good stretch to it. It also regulates vital energy to the nervous system and ensures good circulation to internal abdominal organs.

Ardha matsyendrasan/ Vakrasana (half spinal pose)

Sit straight, stretching your legs in front of you. Bend your left leg and try to touch your feet to your right buttock. Bring your right leg outside of the left knee. Touch your feet to the ground. Keep your spine erect. Exhale and turn your upper body to the right. Hold your right feet with the left hand and place your right hand on the spine. This asana makes the spine more flexible. It tones the spinal nerves and improves the way the spinal cord functions. It stretches the muscle on one side of the body while compressing the muscles on the other side. It relieves stiffness and back pain from between the vertebrae.

Dandasana (plank pose)

Lie down on your stomach. Bring your hands towards your shoulders, keeping your palms on the ground. Now, as you breathe in, push up your body forming a straight line. The arms are perpendicular to the ground and shoulders are right over your wrists, while the body is parallel to the floor. Hold the pose and continue breathing. As you exhale, come back to a sitting position and relax. This asana is an excellent way to strengthen the core. It helps to burn fat and calories from the abdomen and increases the overall productivity of your abs, butt and thighs

Kapalabhati (skull cleansing kriya)

Sit in a comfortable position with both hands on the knees. The spine, neck and shoulder should be in a straight line. Start with deep inhalation along with the expansion of the abdomen. Exhale forcefully in strokes with the contraction of the abdomen (flapping movements of the abdomen muscles) for up to 40 to 60 strokes. After each round, breathe normally to relax. Repeat 3-4 rounds of Kapalabhati. It is an effective practice for burning calories and reducing belly fat. This asana should not be done on an empty stomach. The rapid and rhythmic movement strengthens the abdominal muscles and ensures proper circulation.

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Lie on the floor on your stomach. Place your hands beside your shoulder. Push yourself up and look towards the sky. You can feel the stretch in your stomach. This asana improves the flexibility of your back and tones the abdomen, neck and shoulders. It decreases the stiffness of the lower back; improves menstrual irregularities and elevates mood.