What is the first thing you do immediately you are awake?
Say you woke up without a nature call. Even without a duty call. You didn’t wake up because your bladder needed to be empty. or your kids were crying or screaming, or you had to take your dog for a walk or were late for work or even late for your yoga class. If we take all of it out of equation, what is the first thing you usually do immediately you are awake?
A. Reach out to your phone?
B. Open your laptop?
C. Drink water?
D. Make your coffee or even get on the bed.
F. Stretch on the bed?
E. Try to sleep more?
So My Question is how do you all start your day?
To be honest, there is no fixed rule of how one would start their DAY. If you type in google “how should I start my day” You will find various articles and ways you can start your day. In fact, you will learn how other people start their day and what do they have achieved from following their routines. The only thing that none of them has actually mentioned is about reading your mind and witness your own thoughts and emotions. Because when you do that you can learn about yourself and take control over the mind that is in autopilot mode. There is always a better way to start your day. Here I will share 12 simple techniques that can help you start a better day…. every day.
Purpose of Improving Flexibility
A Night Before.
Watch closely
a. What you consume as your final meal at night and how much?
b. What thought you have had before going to sleep?
c. What movie or television show did you watch?
Depending on any of these your will notice the effects of it the next morning. Specially your mood and thoughts will be re-presented in the morning.On The BED
Stretch and gently twist your body on the bed, before leaving the bed. The simple ways you can stretch is to curl all your toes towards your sole and flex your ankles. During the night our feet drop (into plantar flexion – flat feet) and the weight of the blanket make it worse. Doing a strong toe curl with dorsiflexion of the ankles will prepare you better for your first foot steps of the day.
IRT – Instant Relaxation Technique
Relax and try to normalize your breath while lying flat on your back. Bring your legs together and hands by the side of the body. Now gradually and successively start contracting the entire body starting from toes, ankles, calf, knee caps, thighs, hips & buttocks, fingers, forearms and arms, Inhale hold the breath, continue tightening your shoulders, neck, face, clench your teeth, squeeze your eyelids/eyeballs, forehead…tighten..tighten…tighten…R..E..L..A..X……
- Bridging.
While lying on the back with feet close and hands under or overhead. Inhale and raise the buttocks and the back. Hold the breath and vigorously contract and relax the anal sphincter and tense the musculature of the pelvic floor up to 25 times. Exhale while pushing your knees over the toes and lower the spine and buttocks. Repeat 3 times. This will help you lengthen your legs and stimulate the spinal nerves. It will also help prevent slackness of the outer anal sphincter, from which many older people suffer.
Abdominal Vaccum (Uddiyana Bandha).
Choose any of the following positions – lying, sitting or standing and Slowly inhale as much air as possible, then start to exhale slowly and completely, allowing the back to round slightly. Now without inhaling pull the abdominal muscles strongly inward and slightly upward. This action of mock inhalation will cause a concave hollow to form under the ribs. Try to visualise your navel touching your backbone. One isometric contraction is around 20 seconds or as long as comfortable. Then, while inhaling, relax the muscles and allow the abdomen to expand to its normal relaxed position.
Chin Lock (Jalandhar Bandha).
From a comfortable cross-legged seated position Inhale and exhale slowly. While exhaling the next time rise the shoulders slightly and stretch the spine, back and neck. Hold the breath in external retention when the exhalation is complete. Invert the tongue backwards and insert it into the cavity above the soft palate. Alternately, you can press the tongue against the hard palate. After applying the lock, maintain the posture while holding the exhalation for as long as comfortable. During the next inhalation bring the tongue down to the resting position and allow the head to rise slowly. Relax the shoulders.
Drink Water.
Drink 1-2 glasses of plain water, Cold to stimulate your nervous system and Warm to loosen up your bowel.
Frontal cleansing (Kapalbhati Kriya).
Sit upright with your legs crossed. Place the hands on the respective knees and straighten the elbows. The shoulders and rib cage will be slightly raised, which allows free movement of the abdominal wall and diaphragm. Breath in and out rapidly in quick succession without pausing between the inhalations and exhalations. The exhalations should be forceful (like in blowing your nose), but the inhalation should be automatic and effortless. KEEP THE MOUTH CLOSE. Go for about 60 strokes in 1 minute and repeat this for 3 sets. This is one of the finest exercise for the lungs. Stagnant, stale air is forcibly removed and fresh clean air is drawn in at much higher rate than normal. More over it cleanses the nasal passage and sinuses. This is an important practice for all nasal allergies.
Sukshma Vyayama – Subtle exercises of Yoga.
Yoga Warm Ups Series – 1
Yoga Warm Ups Series – 2
Yoga Warm Ups Series – 3
Shanmukhi Mudra (Six Doors)
Sit with your legs crossed. Place your little fingers under lower lips, ring fingers above the upper lips, middle fingers over nose, index fingers to cover eyes, and thumbs covering your ears. Except nose close everything else, breath in through nose and produce loud humming sound until complete exhalation. Repeat for 3-5 times without releasing the fingers.
- Savasana / Meditation / Quite Time
Before you start your day sit quite, Set the intentions for the day. What you want to do today, what you want to achieve today. and How are you going to do that. Set the intentions for the day.