How to start a mindful morning yoga practice

Picture it – the alarm goes off, flinging you into the start of another day. You want to get up to start the day with a mindful morning yoga practice. But it’s dark, cold and your bed feels like the cosiest place on earth. Getting up and starting the day feels like climbing Mount Everest unprepared – impossible. Before you even peel an eyelid open, you’ve already told yourself. ‘I’m too tired.’ ‘I’ll start tomorrow.’ ‘How can anyone possible practice morning yoga at this time?’

It’s in this moment between alarm and making the decision to start, where the magic can happen. This is where a mindful morning yoga routine can make all of the difference. Morning yoga provides a mood and motivation boost, setting up a positive start to the day.

A lesson from the Two Arrows Parable

The Two Arrows is a Buddhist parable, which deals with pain and suffering, which is how it feels at the thought of a morning yoga routine. The first arrow relates to the unavoidable pain – something that happens to us all. This would be the initial alarm ringing, as it signals time to make a move and the first decision of the day – to get up or to hit snooze! In Buddhist terms pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. The second arrow, in this tale, relates to suffering and is the story we tell ourselves as we resist, judge or overthink the first arrow.

When we consider this yoga philosophy as an experiment in mindfulness we can see that the first arrow is your alarm piercing the darkness and disturbing your rest with its abrupt realisation that it’s time for morning yoga practice and the day is starting. Arrow two is the inner dialogue we engage with afterwards – the stories we tell ourselves about why we can’t, shouldn’t or don’t want to get up and get started.

Resistance is futile

We can’t avoid the first arrow, our alarm will ring whether we get up for morning yoga or not. The majority of us still have to get up and head to work or out on the school run. The inevitability of this first arrow is too true. But when it comes to the second arrow we have a choice to make – the real first choice of the day. We can indulge our resistance towards getting up and maybe even be late for work. Or we can allow the second arrow to flow through us as we meet the moment with awareness and a healthy dose of compassion. One choice leads to a more mindful morning while the other offers a lesson.

Create a mindful morning yoga practice

What if instead of resisting the alarm you paused and took one slow, deep, nourishing breath? Starting your day intentionally like this creates a buffer between the first arrow and the second. This creates an act of self-compassion. By embracing a mindful mindset at the start of the day is as an act of self-care. Instead of your mindful morning yoga practice being another thing you have to do. It has been transformed into a wellbeing ritual that keeps you calm, steady and balanced as you head into your day.

Getting started with mindful morning yoga practice

This is exactly what the Rise and Rest Challenge is about – it’s an opportunity to lean into the discomfort of the mornings (and evenings!) with more ease, balance and curiosity. Taking the time to cultivate rituals to nourish your wellbeing and encouraging a deeper connection to your needs. The challenge offers two daily practices of 10-minutes each. Morning sessions offer guided opportunities to begin each day with a calm, slow start. This is where mindful morning yoga practice becomes a wellbeing, self-care ritual. The evening class is a wind-down experience, where the day is put to rest. The best part is that both practices can be completed in the comfort of your bed – no yoga mat needed!

If you would love to reclaim your mornings and transform them into a positive experience, while avoiding that second arrow, then join the Rise and Rest 5-day yoga challenge? Over the 5-days we will create strong morning and evening routines to boost your wellbeing, soothe stress and encourage a more restful and restorative sleep.

The final lesson and a challenge

In short, the first arrow is a part of life – unavoidable, painful and unpleasant, just like the alarm ringing on a cold autumn morning! But this doesn’t have to be how we start each day. Instead you can choose to not entertain a second arrow. By responding from a place of balance, meeting resistance with grace and deciding to welcome the day on our terms you can reclaim your mornings.

Tomorrow morning when your alarm rings, notice which arrow you reach for. Then head over and join my challenge! Let’s make mornings more mindful through some dedicated wellbeing rituals.