8 Morning Yoga Poses to Start Your Day (1st Pose)

Practicing basic yoga positions can get your day off to the right start. Learn a morning routine of stretches that you can do in the comfort of your home.

Yoga positions, called asanas, are the basic physical part of a yoga practice. Although yoga poses are a type of exercise for your body, they are also much more. The word yoga itself is from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, and refers to the union of mind and spirit. Yoga began in India more than 3,000 years ago and is still practiced today for the health of the mind, body, and spirit. A morning yoga practice is a great way to get energized for the day ahead.

1-Cat-Cow Pose

 

Cat-Cow Pose is a great morning stretch for your back. "This yoga position opens the whole spine," says Jacqueline Corso, psychotherapist and certified yoga instructor on Cape Cod, Mass. To get into this yoga pose you need to get down on all fours. While gazing up at the ceiling, you drop your back down toward the floor as you inhale. Then while looking down at your belly button, you arch your back up like a cat and exhale. "Try to do this movement for one or two minutes"