What wakes you up every morning? Coffee or tea helps to wake up your body, what about your body after a good night’s sleep? Here are 5 simple, yet essential, yoga asanas to help you wake up and stay physically fit and energetic.

1. OPPOSITE NASAL BREATHING OR ANULOM VILOM PRANAYAMA

Pranayama consists of numerous age-old breathing techniques to purify your mind and body. The Anulom Vilom Pranaama offers multiple benefits. It effective in curing most of the internal bodily conditions and respiratory related diseases like bronchitis and asthma,  ensuring healthy heart, balancing tri-doshas in our body and for releasing stress and anxiety.

HOW TO PERFORM THE ASANA:

Sit in Padmasana (lotus), with your spin straight and eye closed.Close your right nostril with your right thumb finger and inhale through your left nostril.When you feel that your lungs is full, close your left nostril by ring and middle finger. Your right nostril should be closed as well.Hold your breath for as much as you can.Exhale through right nostril.Now, close left nostril with left thumb and inhale through right nostril.Once you inhale completely, close your right nostril with by ring and middle finger. Your left nostril should be closed as well.Hold your breath and then exhale by you left nostril.Repeat the cycle for 3 to 5 minutes.

2. HALF A SPINAL TWIST OR ARDH MATSYENDRASANA

Half Spinal Twist is a Full Spinal Twist asana believed to be the favourite meditation pose of the Sage Matsyendranath. Practicing the pose on regular basis makes the spine flexible, supple, relieves back pain and stiffness from between the vertebrae, opens the chest and increases the oxygen supply to the lungs. It is also helpful in preventing disorders in the urinary tract.

HOW TO PERFORM THE ASANA:

Sit with your spine straight and legs stretched in front of you.Bend your left leg and place over your right knee.Bend the right leg and place the heel of your right foot beside your left hip.Place your right hand over your left leg and grab the toe of your left foot.Twist your body as much as possible inhaling and exhaling, turning the neck and gaze over your left shoulder.Encircle your waist with your left hand, palm facing outwards.Breathing out, come back to the front and relax, and repeat to the other side. 

BOW POSE OR DHANURASANA

In this asana, the body resembles a bow, with the abdomen and thigh representing the wooden part of the bow and lower parts of legs and arms representing the bowstring. Dhanurasana is an important yogic posture which is known for many health benefits such as weight loss, strengthening the spine, toning up legs and arm muscles and treating asthma.

HOW TO PERFORM THE ASANA:

  1. Lie down on your stomach with your arms by the side of your body and feet hip-width apart.
  2. Exhale, fold your knees and hold the ankles with hands.
  3. Inhale and raise your thighs, head (look upwards) and chest as high as possible.
  4. Maintain the weight of the body on the lower abdomen. Keep the pose stable. You body is now as taut as a well strung bow.
  5. Exhale and bring down your head and legs, release your grip on your ankles and relax.
  6. Pay attention to your breathing and body while performing the asana. Do not overdo this stretch. 

3. TREE POSE OR VRIKSHASANA

The Vrikshasana is a wonderful pose that teaches balance while toning up the leg muscles. The posture represents the graceful, steady stance of a tree, building inner and outer strength. Its numerous health benefits includes improved balance (body and mind), tones ligaments and muscles of the legs and feet, strengthens the bones of hips and legs and builds your self-confidence.

HOW TO PERFORM THE ASANA:

  1. Stand straight, tall and relaxed with your arms by your side.
  2. Lift your right leg, folding at the knee.
  3. Place the sole of the right foot flat and firm against the upper left
  4. The left leg should be straight and the body in balance.
  5. Once you are in balance, inhale, gracefully raise your arms over your head and bring it together in a prayer or Namaste position. 
  6. Keep your gaze forward.Repeat with your left leg. 

4. DOWNWARD FACING DOG OR ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA

Most often performed as a part of Surya Namaskara, Adho Mukha Svanasana can be practiced as a warm-up for muscles before a session of yoga. This is an essential asana that should be made part of your daily yoga practice. In most yoga styles, this pose is repeated multiple time during a yoga session. The posture offers amazing benefits such as stretching of shoulders, hands, arches, spine, calves and hamstrings. It also relieves indigestion, back pain, stress, headache, asthma, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and insomnia.

HOW TO PERFORM THE ASANA:

  1. Keep your knees directly below your hips and hands a little in front of your shoulders.
  2. Form a table such that your back becomes the tabletop and your hands and feet forms the legs of the table.
  3. Exhale and lift your hips and knees up from the ground.
  4. Straighten your knees and elbows, eventually forming a pyramidal triangular shape with your body.
  5. Press your hands, placed shoulder width apart, into the ground and widen your shoulder blades.
  6. Keep your feet hip width apart and parallel to each other, and toes straight ahead.
  7. Hold the pose for as long as you can. 
  8. Take long deep breaths.Exhale, return to the table pose and relax.

If you are thinking about starting yoga, here are our top 10 tips to give you the right motivation and kick start.