Morning Yoga

Aja takes us through a beautiful morning practice inspired by Ayurveda, weaving ancient wisdom into modern day life setting us up for an energised day ahead, with a clear and focused mind and body. She aims to do this by combining yoga, Ayurveda, pranayama, meditation and lifestyle changes to provide us the opportunity to have a glimpse into and then further explore if we choose to, the philosophy of Dinachariya, which in Ayurveda means “your daily routine”.

Your daily routine according to Ayurveda is that which sets you up for the rest of the day.  However, your dinachariya should be something that which nourishes you and inspires you to really dedicate yourself to your practice; and at the same time it has an aspect of discipline to create the changes within your mind and body that you desire. Yet to create change, taking necessary actions is important.

Aja’s morning practice takes us through 7 steps to set us up for an energised day:

1. Rise early – which means early bedtime.
2. Prayer/Gratitude – as soon as you get up express your gratitude for who you are and what you have.
3. Bathroom visit - Ayurvedic suggestions:
      > Tongue scrape – helps to remove toxins built over night
      > Oil pulling, brushing your teeth
      > Evacuation
      > Splash some water on face and eyes to cool your eyes
4. Drink – Ayurvedically it’s recommended to drink warm water which flushes out your kidneys and it starts peristalsis in the digestive tract, helping to wake up your digestive fire. Avoid stimulating the body in un-natural ways by using mobile phones and drinking coffee or tea which eventually drains the kidneys.
5. Movement – Ayurvedically inspired morning routine:
   Sitting cat or Cat

   Playful cat – forward and backward movement

   Gentle downward facing dog

   High plank or knees on floor

   Astanga asana – 8 points on mat
   
Cobra
   
Downward facing dog

   Sphinx

   Salvasana (Variation)

   Makarasana

   Dog

   Forward Bend

   Tadasana
6. The Sun Salutation sequence can be adapted for all 3 dosha types. 
   Vata – If your constitution is based on air and space, do your yoga in a slow and controlled way, keeping your gaze on the ground. This helps to create a sense of groundedness.
   Pitta – Pitta is predominantly based on the fire element (with alittle water mixed in). If this sounds like you do your practice a little fast but without holding for too long in the poses because it ignites too much fire. We suggest that instead of dog pose do the cat posture and add some twists.
   Kapha – If you are more earth and water then we suggested you need to bring in some more energising movements to create heat to counteract the kapha energy (which can be heavy and sluggish). It will help you to do several repetitions of the Sun Salutation.
7. Pranayama and Meditation – Alternative Nostril Breathing helps to balance our nervous system