My mornings are always pretty busy. Whether I’m rushing out the door to a gym session or making a start on my work, it’s the time of the day I feel most productive. That’s why I make it my mission to get a head start on important tasks or things I won’t otherwise get a chance to do — exercise being one of them.
I don’t say this with pride, but as a full-time writer, I spend a huge proportion of my day sitting in front of my computer. Yes, I’ll head out at lunch for a quick walk around the block. But aside from that, I’m usually found right where I started my 9-5 — that being my desk.
So, when I came across this 5-minute morning yoga flow, I knew I had to give it a go. Promising to ease tightness and tension and help you feel your best for the day ahead, anything that will help me fit more movement into my day is worth a try.
So, I rolled out my yoga mat and settled into the flow. Here’s how it went.
What is this 5-minute morning yoga routine?
Created by 200-hour certified yoga teacher, Francine Cipollone (who’s more informally known as Yoga by Bird), this five-minute morning yoga flow is a quick class to help rid some tension in your body.
Bird starts with some standing stretches before moving on to seated poses. She also includes some modifications should you find yourself unable to reach the pose. After rolling out of bed one day, I gave it a try and was impressed at how good I felt after.
Morning yoga is a nice way to start your day
Yoga with calming music first thing? Who doesn’t want to kick start their day with that? Anything that helps me move, doesn’t entail a lot of time or bundles (and bundles) of energy first thing and is accessible to the masses gets a tick in my book.
Whether you do this in your pajamas (like I did) or prefer to throw on some of the best leggings and sports bras to help support you in all the right places, this slow flow helps to release some tension that naturally builds up after staying in a prolonged sleeping position overnight.
It also helped to clear my mind for the day ahead. So it was a great way to shake off any grogginess and take 5 minutes for myself before the day began.
You can get a lot done in 5 minutes
From stretching out your hamstrings with a forward fold to activating your core muscles with a plank. The 5-minute yoga flow even gave me a chance to stretch out my oblique muscles, work into my thoracic spine and strengthen my glutes, chest and abdominal muscles with a cobra pose.
While I’m a big believer in moving your body and ticking off your daily physical activity targets as set out by the Department of Health and & Human Services USA in its Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, sometimes 5 minutes is all it takes to break up the day (or morning) and help you ease some tightness and tension in your body first thing.
And in a world where we tend to sit more and stand less, any movement is better than no movement at all, right?
There are a lot of behind the scenes benefits
After my 5-minute flow, I felt energized and ready to start my day. I also felt more alert and content, knowing I’d only been up for 10 minutes but already achieved something. I certainly found myself a lot looser than I was 5 minutes prior.
Plus, one quick look at the research published in the International Journal of Yoga shows that the therapeutic effects of yoga don’t stop there. According to the journal, researchers concluded that yoga can boost muscular strength, improve flexibility and promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function.
Yoga can also reduce stress, anxiety, depression and chronic pain. Plus, this full-body workout can improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.
Of course, how often you practice yoga is more important than how long you do it. But the longer the session, the more benefits I’d expect to see. So next time, I’d try completing this flow twice or even three times to reap more of the rewards this mind-body exercise brings.
More from Tom’s Guide
- I did yoga every day for a month for the first time in 10 years — here's what happened to my body
- I did Pilates every day for a month — here's what happened to my body
- Forget the gym — this yoga-inspired workout builds a stronger core and arms in just 5 moves
