Morning Bed Yoga Routine
Analogous to ‘bed tea’, that helps in getting out of the bed and kick start the morning with freshness, how about doing some bed yoga in winter months? One can stretch, connect within and remove lethargy with these unique asanas! It can surely help you brighten up the mood, move your muscles and have a guilt-free start of the day. Here is your ‘Lazy Winter’ guidebook, which can help you keep fit in the winter months!
Start with Breathing:
Just sit comfortably with the back resting against the support. Take 3-5 deep breaths and then do deep abdominal breathing for 2 minutes. Let the air circulate in and out of your abdomen, lungs and also shoulder region. If you know breathing exercises like Kapalbhati (Active Exhalation) and Anulom Vilom (Alternate Nostril Breathing) then practise few rounds of the same to make the brain active and calm down the nervous system.
Now Start Moving:
The body-mind gets internally active with the help of breathing exercises and now you can start moving yourself gently, softly and somewhat lazily right in your bed this way:
- Forward & Side Stretch: Sit with your legs crossed and bow forward to bring the head down. This will activate the spine. Breathe here for a while and then straighten up the spine. Now bend forward but sideways for few breaths on each side. Child’s pose: Come in child’s pose and then place your head down on the mattress, let the blood flow to the head and reinvigorate heart muscles and nervous system.
- Cobra pose: From Child’s pose, you are now active enough to just slide yourself like a cobra and let the entire spine, chest and shoulder muscles stretch. Do cobra and child’s pose sequence 3 to 5 times.
- Twisting & Turning: Sit back in crossed legged position and twist yourself side to side. This movement helps to detox benefits to the internal organs.
- Side stretching: For this, create some extra space around you and bend sideways few times on both sides!
Finally Get Up and Out:
To further energise, take a few deep breaths and try meditating for 5 minutes in the bed! Open your eyes with a smile and stretch your arms up. Here you are energised and active enough to get out of bed and joyfully begin yet amazing day of life!
(By Shobhna Juneja, Ace Yoga
Instructor of the Region)