Yoga is better than cleaning your teeth

It feels like so much is changing at the moment.

My kids are entering new stages of their lives, there is the usual flux of summer schedules with holidays and plans, alongside some class changes and new equipment coming to the studio

In the midst of change, I love my morning routine that keeps me constant and on the front foot each day.

What's your morning routine?
Perhaps a shower, tea, check emails, breakfast, clean teeth, walk the dog. 

Morning routines
 I know many of you have also integrated yoga into your morning routine (which makes my heart sing). And I know before that I have likened developing the habit of doing a short daily yoga practice to cleaning your teeth. My aim here was to help you see it as an essential and non-negotiable start to your day. Even when your on holiday, you still clean your teeth right?

It's the most gorgeous bit
But that doesn't do justice to just how gorgeous it feels to do yoga each morning. It is actually nothing like cleaning teeth.

I can't say I love cleaning my teeth, it is fine, it does a job, it tastes quite nice, and feels good after. But the actual act of doing it is a bit of downtime where I think about other stuff. I don't stand their loving every moment and marvelling at how lucky I am (perhaps I should!).
   
 It's nothing like cleaning your teeth
 My yoga isn't anything like that. The hardest part is stepping on to the mat. The rest is easy.

From the first moment of arriving on my mat, I get to stop, connect to my inner landscape, fully experience that first inhale and lift of my arms above my head, and come into a wonderful flow with myself. The fluid breath starts to hum and expand me, the moving and stretching awakens everything from head to toe, the twists ease movement into my spine and hips, and the vibrant downward facing dog gets the breath going deeper and fuller and then the sublime lying twists... where I get to stay there and allow the pose to work its magic and the breath to be felt at an energetic level in every fibre of my being. By the end I feel energised and wonderfully spacious and light, open and fresh and ready for everything the day has in store for me. But the process to get there was way more enjoyable and fun than cleaning my teeth!

It becomes pure joy
 If you haven't discovered the joy of a morning yoga routine yet, I would highly recommend trying it every day for a week and waking yourself up properly (not just rolling out of bed and getting on with the day). Give yourself a chance to build the habit, and stick with it while you get used to it. Don't give up if you forget or find it hard. Play the long game and keep having a go.
Keep it super simple.
Perhaps pick your three favourite poses and do each one for a couple of minutes, slowly and dynamically with your breath, feeling each pose and exploring each breath fully.​

Or use my free 12 minute video as a starting guide to get you going:
Free Morning Yoga Video >