Morning Yoga Stretches
Seat
Sit with your legs crossed and the backs of your hands on your legs. Lengthen through your spine and sit upright, allowing your shoulders to drop away from your ears.
Seated Fold
Straighten your legs out in front of your body, with your big toes resting together. Run your arms down your legs and towards your toes, allowing your back to fold in towards your knees. Drop your chin towards your knees to feel a lengthening sensation down your back and hips. Gently lengthen your hamstrings.
Seated Twist
Keep your left leg straight and bend your right leg, placing your right foot next to your left thigh with your right knee up in the air. Wrap your left arm gently around your right leg. Slowly twist through your spine, feeling a rotational stretch down your back. Complete both sides.
Knees to Chest
Gently roll back onto the ground and bring your knees up, wrapping your arms around your legs. Gently pull your legs towards your body, feeling a stretch down your lower back. Breathe slowly and deeply, feeling your back press on the ground as your lungs fill with air.
Child's Pose
Turning over onto your knees, allow space to form between your legs and sit onto your heels. Reach your arms forward, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Take your head and chest down towards the ground. Let your arms lengthen forward on each exhale.
Downward Dog
Push your hips up into the air, lengthening through your legs and upper body. Lift your tailbone upwards and push down equally on both of your hands. Lengthen through your legs and arms. Press your shoulders away from your ears.
Cobra Pose
Roll over your toes and lie down on your stomach. Press your hands onto the floor, gently lifting your chest and head. Keep your shoulders dropped down away from your ears and your elbows slightly bent.
Standing Fold
Roll back over your toes into standing. Stand with feet hip width apart and parallel to the floor. Inhale your arms up and bend forward from the hips, reaching your hands to the floor. Keep your knees soft and do not hyper extend. Your head, neck and shoulders should be completely relaxed, as you hang comfortably. Feel a deep sensation throughout your body.
Corpse Pose
Lie down and turn both thumbs away from the body to open your arms and chest. Give space between your torso and arms and feel your lower back lightly pressing on the ground. Bring all of your attention to your breathing. Slow each breath down and as your exhale, relieving any remaining tension in the body. Give yourself at least five minutes of complete relaxation in this pose to clear the mind. Just breathe.
Location - Jaffa - Tel Aviv, Israel, the Mediterranean Ocean.
