9 Yoga Poses to Start Your Day

Good morning! Well, afternoon now. Grrr.

I was recently contacted by the folks at Casper to write a post about yoga poses you can do right from your bed. For more information about their amazing mattress, click here. I did not receive any compensation or product in exchange for this post. I just really loved the idea of yoga in my bed. :)

Lately, I've been waking up with tight muscles and a sore back. Must be all that running and training I've been doing. :-)

I want to start doing more yoga in the morning, but I always seem to run out of time.

So, I'm going to try out this yoga sequence. In. My. Bed. Before even crawling out of it in the morning. :)

1. Reclining bound angle pose

Benefits:

• Relaxes your mind and the central nervous system.
• Stimulates your abdominal organs and improves mobility in digestive organs.
• Helps relieve the symptoms of stress, mild depression, PMS and menopause.

2. Fish Pose

Benefits:

• Relieves thoracic and mid back spinal tension.
• Opens your pectoralis muscles of your chest, the intercostal muscles between your ribs, and upper portion of psoas muscles in your hips.
• Opens muscles in your abdomen and in the front of your neck.
• Traditionally thought to stimulate organs in the abdomen and throat.

3. Staff Pose

Benefits:

• Strengthens core muscles and hip flexors.
• Improves posture.
• Stretches the chest and shoulders.

4. Seated Forward Bend

Benefits:

• Stretches the hamstrings, spine, and lower back.
• Calms the mind, and relieves stress and anxiety.
• Improves digestion.
• Relieves symptoms of PMS and menopause.
• Reduces fatigue.
• Stimulates the liver, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus

5. Cat/Cow

Benefits:

• Increases the mobility of your verterbrae.
• Releases tension in your cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
• Stretches your back muscles and abdominal muscles as well as your neck.
• Increases circulation of the spinal fluid and massages your digestive organs.

6. Extended Puppy

Benefits:

• Releases tension in you upper arms, shoulders, and neck
• Expands the whole front of your chest
• Opens up your hips and stretches your hamstrings.

7. Cobra

Benefits:

• Increases the flexibility of your spine
• Stretches your chest, shoulders, lungs, and abdomen
• Stretches and massages your internal organs

8. Locust

Benefits:

• Stretches the chest, shoulders and abdominal muscles
• Improves posture

9. Child's pose

Benefits:

• Gently stretches your lower back, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles
• Relaxes your spine, shoulders, and neck
• Increases blood circulation to your head which reduces headaches
• Massages your internal organs
• Calms the mind (central nervous system) thus helping relieve stress and tension

Do you ever do yoga before crawling out of bed?

It's new to me, but I really like how I sink into the bed a little with each stretch. Makes me feel like I'm stretching a little bit deeper. :-)

How do you wake up in the morning?
What are you favorite morning time poses to get you ready for the day?
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Disclaimers: 
I am not a yoga instructor or a health professional. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Before starting this or any exercise program, please consult with your doctor. The benefits for each of these poses were found on My Yoga Online.