Eating clean, excising regularly and working on our mental well-being is that 3 part mix we all should strive to achieve in order to feel our best and lead a longer happier life. 10 Minutes of Stretching: An Intentional Morning Routine is an ideal place to start if you wish to level up your well-being.
Waking up early seems too big of a feat because good rest and sleeping in simply make us happy, albeit temporally. Â The morning is where quiet awaits, making it the perfect moment to rise early and capture the stillness you will not find again until the very end of your day. However, daunting it may seem, rising before the noise, prior to our minds being leant to cell phones, laptops, crying babies or chatter from our housemates, is a great time to reclaim the calm and set the tone for your day ahead.
Instead of reaching for your smartphone upon waking, or jumping straight into the tasks of your day, allow yourself to ease into your morning by incorporating 10 Minutes of Stretching. Not only is stretching first thing in the am beneficial to releasing tension in your muscles, it also is gentle on the mind, providing some much-needed mental clarity before going about your daily routine.
Habitually carving out time for 10 Minutes of Stretching each morning will provide you with the opportunity to practice your breath work. While stretching, keep your mind focused and clear, taking long breaths in through the nose, followed by long breaths out through the mouth, both for a count of 5 seconds. Should you like to work towards expanding your intentional morning routine, the next step would be to incorporate meditation prior to stretching to enhance your mental and emotional state of mind.
10 Minutes of Stretching Routine
- Reach toes with legs together – 30 seconds
- Reach toes on right leg – 30 secs
- Reach toes on left leg – 30 secs
- Seated twist to the right –Â 30 secs
- Seated twist to the left – 30 secs
- Laying on back pull up back of leg right side – 30 secs
- Laying on back pull up back of leg left side – 30 secs
- Left leg bent on ground, right leg crossed on top of left leg, push down on right hip – 30 secs
- Right leg bent on ground, left leg crossed on top of right leg, push down on left hip – 30 secs
- Laying Right twist -30 secs
- Laying Left twist – 30 secs
- Child’s pose – 1 min
- Thread the needle to the right – 30 secs
- Thread the needle to the left – 30 secs
- Cat and Cow – 1 min
- Downward dog – 30 secs
- Standing toe touch – 30 secs
- Slowly rise up to standing and shrug shoulders up, back and down – 30 secs
