Tag: morning routine

The Calming Snapshot

Stop starting your day in chaos! A simple, beginner-friendly yoga routine of just 5-10 minutes can lower your stress and set a positive tone. We’ll focus on four poses (cat-cow, low lunge, downward dog, and child’s pose) to improve posture, open Hips, and connect your mind to your body. Weave these poses into existing tasks (like waiting for coffee!) for instant calm.

If you’re a mom of children under 12 years old, I’m going to bet that your typical morning starts like a car alarm: loud, sudden, and leaving you frantically looking for the keys. Between hunting down missing shoes, negotiating breakfast and jackets, and trying to find the one clean shirt that fits, you start the day reacting, not responding.

When you start your day in full-blown chaos control, you’re left feeling like you’re already playing catch-up first thing in the morning. This is why adopting a morning yoga routine is not just a wellness trend, but a vital strategy for modern motherhood! It is about creating a few minutes of intentional movement to shift your nervous system from “fight or flight” to “ready for anything!”

The Science of Calm: Why Stretching Works for Stress Relief

The magic of a gentle stretch session is not just physical; it’s chemical and psychological.

The Physical Effect on Stress

When you feel stressed, your body releases cortisol, the stress hormone. Getting your body moving, even gently, helps to regulate your nervous system. Stretching and light movement help reduce muscle tension, which is often a physical manifestation of anxiety and stress. Research confirms that engaging in mind-body exercises like yoga significantly reduces symptoms of anxiety.

A systematic review and meta analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry found that yoga interventions significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in various populations. (Check it out here).

The Power of the Mind-Body Connection

Beginner-friendly yoga is built on linking breath to movement. This focus is a powerful tool because it forces you to be present. When you focus on inhaling and exhaling, you cannot simultaneously run through your mental to-do list. This simple shift of moving your attention into your body is the most effective way to hit the mental reset button and calm the nervous system.

If you struggle with breathwork, remember that this connection is also key to your core strength, as well as rebuilding and repairing from diastasis recti after birth. A strong core is a major component of our functional fitness! For more on optimizing your stability and strength (especially during or after pregnancy and childbirth), check out some of our other posts on these topics:

• What is Diastasis Recti? A Guide for Moms to Understand and Heal
• The Importance of Core Strength During PregnancyThe Importance of Core Strength During Pregnancy
• Mindfulness and Meditation Techniques for Expecting Moms
• 5 Pelvic Floor Exercises That Are Not Kegels

Four Simple Poses for the Busy Mama

These four movements target common pain points for yoga for moms: stiff posture from carrying or nursing, tight hips, and the need for a total reset. Aim for 30-60 seconds in each pose (but stay as long as you’d like!)

• Cat Cow (Marjaryasana Bitilasana): Great for postural alignment and getting your back ready for the day ahead. This gentle mobilization warms up the spine and is perfect for counteracting the forward-slouch from nursing, rocking, or scrolling.
• Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana): Excellent for hip opening! If you spend a lot of time sitting, driving, or standing up holding your baby, this will help release tension in the hips and hip flexors.
• Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): A wonderful full-body stretch that lengthens the hamstrings and calves. It’s a mild inversion that can be gently modified by placing your hands on a stool or countertop, rather than directly on the floor. Remember to come out of it slowly; the inversion means your blood flows to your head, which is a great morning boost!
• Child’s Pose (Balasana): The ultimate calming and relaxation pose. Bring your knees wide to allow the hips to open as you melt towards the floor. Take 5-10 deep breaths here for a complete mental and physical reset.

Weaving Movement into the Morning Madness

You don’t need to block out a clean 10 minutes; the trick to a sustainable morning yoga routine is to blend it into your existing routine.

Practical Tips for the Calming Routine:

• The 5 Minute Window: Commit to just five minutes immediately after you get out of bed (or even before getting out of bed!) to gently move.
• The “Wait” Rule: Do not let yourself pour the coffee, brush your teeth, or check your phone until you’ve taken 5 deep breaths in Child’s Pose.
• The Blend: Use your current routine or tasks as a yoga cue:
  • Do Child’s Pose from bed before you even stand up.
  • Perform Downward Dog while the coffee brews in the kitchen.
  • Do a Low Lunge on each side while packing lunches.
• Embrace the Chaos: Let your kids climb on you during Downward Dog and make it a Mommy Mountain! Their added weight just turns it into an assisted stretch 😉

Your Day, Your Tone

Adopting a beginner-friendly yoga session in the morning is an act of self care that fuels you for the rest of the day. It’s not about achieving the perfect pose; it’s about choosing to start with calm, not cortisol.

Ready to incorporate more balanced, functional movement into your busy life? We have programs designed exactly for the different phases of motherhood!