Good Morning Gratitude Yoga

Simple morning yoga to breathe, stretch and gently awaken your body and mind. Practice in your bed or on your yoga mat. Slow mindful movements to stretch out the back, legs, feet, and hips with gentle twists and seated forward folds. Set the tone of your day with gratitude.

Background music credit: 14_Follow The Light (Kula Ambient) by DJ Taz Rashid

Transcript

Good morning,

Rise and shine.

This is your morning yoga session and you can make it so simple.

You can do this practice in your bed or plan ahead and have your yoga mat.

Roll it out at night,

Have it close to your bed and roll out of bed and get onto your yoga mat.

Start on your back.

Hug your knees into your chest.

You can hug both knees in one at a time or you can slowly wake up the body pulling in the right knee and then pulling in the left knee.

Gently grab the shins and relax your head.

Your head is either on the yoga mat on the ground or it might be relaxing on your pillow.

Let's send your breath to the lower back.

Take five breaths.

So as you're holding on to the shins feeling the stretch across the upper back,

The middle back and the lower back.

Send your breath to the lower back and let it travel up the middle back and the upper back.

So as you breathe you can feel the stretch from the inside out and breathe all the way up the spine to the back of the head.

Take another big breath in and sigh slowly release the shins.

Then she'll wipe your knees side to side.

Start to wake up the outside of the hips,

The outside of the legs.

Bring some movement in the back from side to side.

This gentle twist and then take your feet out wide again.

Maybe as wide as your hips,

Maybe even a little bit wider.

This time we're going to pause windshield wiper to one side.

Pause here and take any position with the arms that's relaxing.

You might want to take the arms up to a T.

You can relax the arms to the side,

Palms up or palms down.

Then breathe into this gentle twist just letting the knees fall over to the side not forcing them the knees the outside of the leg.

It doesn't have to touch the ground.

Notice what you feel on the outside of the hip,

The outside of the leg.

So waking up the body.

Be intentional on how you move and breathe to start your day.

Then slowly back to center.

Hug your knees into your chest and this time bring your forehead up to your knees and then breathe into the entire back.

Inhale and then sigh.

Release the shins head down onto the ground.

Feet out wide again.

Knees are bent.

Relax the shoulders and slowly let the knees fall to the other side.

So pausing here.

Holding,

Breathing and twisting.

Now you'll notice a gentle opening on the other side.

The other side of the hip,

The other side of the waist.

Choosing your position for the arms,

Palms up or palms down.

And this good morning practice to the body allows you to observe.

It's like,

Hmm,

How does my body feel this morning?

What are you awakening to?

The sensations in the body.

Maybe noticing the thoughts arising this morning.

Slowly back to center.

Hug the shins again.

Forehead to the knees.

Big breath in.

Sigh and empty out the breath.

And then slowly straighten the legs.

And you might need to shift and reposition yourself on the bed or on the mat so you can lengthen the body with your arms reaching above the head.

Reaching long from the fingertips to the toes so the full body is stretching out.

Big breath in.

Lengthen out.

Fill up.

And then sigh.

Relax the body.

Let go.

Whole body relaxed.

Do that again.

Awaken from the toes all the way to the fingers.

Big breath in.

And then sigh.

Empty out the breath.

Let's take another twist.

Bend the knees.

And this time cross the right knee over the left knee.

Like you're literally just crossing the right knee over the left like you're sitting at the table and you're crossing your right knee over the left knee.

And take your right arm out to the side.

Maybe the palm is facing up.

And with your left hand gently invite the knees to fall over to the left side.

And then slowly rotate your head to look towards your right hand.

And notice everything you notice here.

You might notice any tension you want to release in the side of the neck.

Maybe any tension in the jaw,

The back of the neck.

Notice what you feel on the outside of the hip and the legs.

Notice any tension anywhere in the body.

Send your breath there.

Let it loosen.

Let it soften.

Let it awaken.

And then back to center.

Then exhale.

Set the feet down.

Knees are bent again.

And this time cross the left knee over the right knee.

Left arm is out.

Left palm is up.

Slowly rotate the head to look towards the left hand.

And with the right hand gently invite the knees to fall over to the right side.

And notice what you notice on the left side of the body.

The left side of the hip.

The outside of the leg.

Maybe what you notice all the way up to the left side of the waist.

And where can you soften on this side?

Maybe you even notice something all the way in the toes.

Maybe you're scrunching up the toes or the soles of the feet.

Maybe you're even clenching the jaw or the fingers.

So taking this time to wake up to release tension to start your day.

To open up,

Create space for relaxation.

To start your day with a calm and steady mind.

Back to center.

Uncross the knee.

And then hug your knees in one more time.

Forehead to the knees.

Big breath and feel it fill up the whole body.

Sigh and empty out the breath.

And then slowly roll over to your right side.

Curl up into a fetal position.

Take a few breaths here.

Now bring your attention to the space in between your eyebrows.

Start waking up the mind.

And then go ahead and press yourself up to a seat.

And take a seat.

Come into what's called a Sukhasana or what we call sometimes crisscross applesauce.

And bring your right shin in front of the left shin.

So we are going to switch.

So let's start with the right shin in front of the left shin.

And then sit up tall on your spine.

So both knees are bent.

Reach in the crown of your head up towards the ceiling.

Reach your arms up towards the ceiling.

Lengthen.

And with an exhale bow down.

Hinge at your hips.

And reach your hands forward.

Reach your chest forward.

Let the head relax.

And then breathe into what you feel here.

And of course with any yoga be mindful in the depth or the intensity that you take every single pose.

So if the breath is easy then that's an indication that you're at an appropriate depth.

That you fold it over just enough.

So we want to be like at a Goldilocks.

Just enough so you feel it to awaken.

But not so much that you feel any pain.

And then slowly rise up with an inhale.

And then straighten both legs.

Just jiggle both legs.

And look at your feet.

And then toes facing straight up towards the ceiling.

Open the toes.

Start waking up the feet.

Exhale.

Scrunch the toes close.

So we're opening.

Stretching through the arches of the feet.

And then close the toes.

Scrunch the toes.

One more time.

Open the toes.

Scrunch the toes.

And now flex the ankles.

Pull the toes back towards the face.

And exhale.

Come into a forward fold.

What we call Paschimottanasana.

And you can bend your knees here.

This is like the morning body.

Morning body might be a little bit stiff.

Might not be totally open.

So that's what we're doing.

We're inviting an opening.

Inviting an awakening.

Inviting this lengthening of the hamstrings.

And then slowly release.

And then just jiggle out the legs.

Notice if you would like to massage the kneecaps or the thighs.

Anything that could use a little bit of awakening.

Releasing tension.

And then take another Sukhasana or what's called easy pose or crisscross applesauce.

This time the left shin in front of the right.

Inhale the arms up.

Reach up.

Lengthen.

Exhale.

Hinge at the hips.

Bow down.

And let the arms relax.

Let the head hang.

Relax the back of the neck.

And notice what you feel on this side.

So in yoga we bring attention to the right and left sides of the body.

The front of the body.

The back of the body.

The top of the body.

The soles of the feet.

So whole body awareness.

Just checking in.

It's like,

Hey body how are you feeling this morning?

Where can I send you some compassion today?

Where can I send some patience as you hold and breathe here for two more breaths.

And then slowly rise.

And then hands to your heart still in Sukhasana.

And let's actually take a seated forward fold.

A Paschimottanasana one more time.

This time a little bit shorter.

Inhale the arms up.

Legs are straight.

Toes back towards the face.

Exhale.

Bow down.

Reach forward.

And then slowly rise.

And then slowly work your way onto your back.

And position yourself on your mat or on your bed.

So that you can open up the arms all the way out to a T.

So the palms are facing up.

Your arms are straight out to the side.

The legs are long.

The legs are straight.

Unless you're feeling any discomfort in the lower back.

If you are then bend your knees.

And bring the soles of your feet flat on the mat or on your bed.

And the position of the feet if you're bending your knees.

Feet are flat.

Even about as wide as your hips.

As wide as your hips are a little bit wider.

What's comfortable for you?

So now invite an opening to the front of the shoulders and the chest.

Breathing in the front of the heart.

The heart space.

And now bring to mind something you're thankful for.

Start every day with a mindset of gratitude.

And whenever you're in a predicament or a mindset that you're struggling to find something to be thankful for.

Be thankful that you woke up this morning.

And what a miracle that is.

There's always something to be grateful for when we have breath.

Thank you for being here.

I honor you.

The Divine in me sees the Divine in you.

Namaste.

Reviews

What a great wake up stretch! Very gentle, easy going, and hit all the right spots.

Nice gentle short morning yoga practice to start your day. Can be done in bed or on your mat.

What a wonderful way to wake up the body! Thank you!

What a gentle and wonderful way to start my day and wake up my body!

That was the perfect wake up for me today. Thank you.

Hello beautiful 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺Thank you so much for the wonderful morning yoga ☀️🌼☀️it gives me sunshine and sweet feelings🌼☀️🌼be well 🙏Namaste

Perfect! Thank you 🙏🏼

Wonderful thank you just what is needed in the morning

💖I am so happy I found you💖

Thanks for starting my day in the best way ✨

Gentle yoga from bed plus gratitude, a wonderful way to start a new day.

Loved that I found Amelia on Insight Timer ❤️❤️❤️❤️ so peaceful- easeful message and beautiful music.

Perfect start to my day. This will be part of morning routine 🙏

Wonderful way to wake up and practice gratitude ❤🙏❤

Great wake up! Love the intentionality of gratitude in this session.

Great thank you. Very gentle awakening for morning g yoga! ❤

Great way to wake up the body and start the day 🙏🏻