← Yoga & breathing

Morning wake-up

A brisk start for mornings that feel heavy and foggy, using a short burst of energising breath and then standing poses to get the blood moving. It finishes with a few quiet minutes so you arrive at the day alert rather than rattled. Best done before breakfast, on an empty stomach.

15 min · 11 steps · Beginner · best morning · for fatigue, low mood, brain fog

See a clinician rather than practising if:
  • tiredness is deep, persistent and unexplained, or comes with weight loss, fever or night sweats
  • you feel breathless or your chest tightens with light activity
  • low mood has lasted more than two weeks or you have lost interest in everything

Before you start

  • practise on an empty stomach, before breakfast
  • a mat and a warm room

0 of 11 done — tick each step as you go

  1. Mountain Poseताडासन1 minute

    stand and take a few long breaths before anything else

    Asana · wall · avoid with low blood pressure (rise slowly), severe balance issues · how to do it · watch

  2. Skull-shining breathकपालभाति2 rounds of 20 breaths

    short, light belly pumps; rest and breathe normally between rounds

    Breath · avoid with pregnancy, high blood pressure, heart disease, hernia, during menstruation, on a full stomach · how to do it · watch

  3. Shoulder Rotationsस्कन्ध चक्र10 rounds each direction

    Asana · chair · avoid with recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery, acute frozen shoulder pain, recent rib or collarbone fracture · how to do it

  4. Cat–Cowमार्जरी–बितिलासन8 rounds

    Asana · blanket, chair · avoid with wrist injury · how to do it · watch

  5. Downward-Facing Dogअधोमुख श्वानासन45 seconds, twice

    bend the knees freely so the spine can lengthen

    Asana · block, wall, chair · avoid with wrist injury, high blood pressure, late pregnancy · how to do it · watch

  6. Warrior IIवीरभद्रासन II45 seconds each side

    strong legs, soft face

    Asana · chair, wall, block · avoid with knee injury, high blood pressure, hip issues · how to do it · watch

  7. Chair Poseउत्कटासन30 seconds, twice

    Asana · chair, wall, block · avoid with knee injury, low blood pressure · how to do it

  8. Cobra Poseभुजङ्गासन20 seconds, three times

    low and easy; the low back should feel long, not crunched

    Asana · blanket · avoid with pregnancy, recent back or wrist injury, peptic ulcer · how to do it · watch

  9. Extended Child's Poseबालासन1 minute

    counterpose after the backbends

    Asana · bolster, blanket, block · avoid with knee injury, late pregnancy · how to do it

  10. Box Breath (equal breathing)समवृत्ति8 rounds

    equal in, equal out, to gather the energy you have just raised

    Breath · avoid with skip the holds if uncomfortable · how to do it

  11. Corpse Poseशवासन2 minutes

    Asana · bolster, blanket · avoid with late pregnancy (lie on the side) · how to do it · watch

Cautions for this sequence

  • leave the skull-shining breath out if you are pregnant, have raised blood pressure, glaucoma, reflux or an abdominal hernia, or have had recent abdominal surgery
  • stop the belly pumping at once if you feel dizzy, and sit quietly until it passes
  • keep cobra low if you have low back pain, and come out if it pinches
  • chair pose is hard on sore knees; reduce the bend or skip it
Cautions carried in from the individual practices (20)
  • Mountain Pose — low blood pressure (rise slowly)
  • Mountain Pose — severe balance issues
  • Skull-shining breath — pregnancy
  • Skull-shining breath — high blood pressure
  • Skull-shining breath — heart disease
  • Skull-shining breath — hernia
  • Skull-shining breath — during menstruation
  • Skull-shining breath — on a full stomach
  • Shoulder Rotations — recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery
  • Shoulder Rotations — acute frozen shoulder pain
  • Shoulder Rotations — recent rib or collarbone fracture
  • Cat–Cow — wrist injury
  • Downward-Facing Dog — late pregnancy
  • Warrior II — knee injury
  • Warrior II — hip issues
  • Chair Pose — low blood pressure
  • Cobra Pose — recent back or wrist injury
  • Cobra Pose — peptic ulcer
  • Box Breath (equal breathing) — skip the holds if uncomfortable
  • Corpse Pose — late pregnancy (lie on the side)

Source: Ojastha editorial — classical hatha yoga and modern therapeutic yoga practice

Reviewed by hraovvs@gmail.com

Educational yoga and pranayama guidance, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing a diagnosed condition, check with your clinician and learn these practices with a qualified teacher.