Yoga for self-care

How to create a morning self-care routine with yoga at the centre.

Self-care has become a bit of a buzzword; it’s often bandied about as something we should be doing but no one really knows what it is or if they’re doing it properly. Well, maybe that last part is just me.

My understanding of self-care is that it is an ongoing preventative measure we can employ to help stave off burnout, keep a check on our stress levels and most importantly use it to create a better work/life balance. With more people working from home or hybrid working these days the lines between home and office have become somewhat blurred. Even if you don’t have this kind of working week, the demands many of us have placed on us in our workplace, mean that we may not be bringing physical work home with us, but we are carrying the weight of unrealistic expectations.

This is where self-care can become the art of switching off, unplugging not just our phones but ourselves too and retreating for a short amount of time to aid recovery. The idea of self-care as an ongoing preventative measure lends itself to creating daily routines that fit in with our lifestyle and allow us to continuously replenish our cup.

So here’s my current morning routine. I say ‘current’ because life changes, things happen and we have to adapt. But this is the one I come back to again and again, because it works for me.

Start by heading to bed early and having a great evening routine.
Alarm goes off – take 5 slow deep breaths (hands on belly and legs in butterfly pose.)
Set an intention for the day – visualise a positive day ahead.
Yoga in bed – twist left, twist right, butterfly forward fold.
Meditate – 5 minutes is all you need, but I often go with 10 minutes.
Walk – heading outside for some fresh air is a great way to start the day (and necessary if you have a dog!)
Eat well – I often meal-prep my breakfasts to save time in the morning. Warm water with ½ lemon squeezed in then a cup of green tea to go.
If you’d like a little bit more movement in the morning and you have 10-minutes to spare, try this short morning yoga flow video.