Early morning yoga class asana suggestions?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I’m going to being teaching a 7:30am hour-long class at my old universities rec center. I’ve taught there before but it was at 4:30pm, where I feel that most peoples bodies had naturally loosened up throughout the day. Never too intense of a practice, some of the most difficult things I’d do were head stands and crow.

Generally what I did: 7 or so minutes of teaching ujjai breathing/relaxing/turning the mind volume down, cat/cow rotation, sun salutations, warrior series/or just some tougher holding poses to work up a sweat, deeper stretches, backbends and/or some more intensive poses, then 8-10 for corpse pose.

The students I had were always pleased with the practice (I’ll guess mainly because I’ve got the whole trance-like voice down during corpse) but since I’m going to be teaching twice a week now, in addition to it being so early in the morning where my class can influence the general flow of a persons day, I’d like to have a greater repertoire to pull from as to keep things mixed up. (Other than the beginning and end of class I always like to mix up the asanas I throw in the middle).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

#2

Hi there,
Everyone seems to have slightly different circadian rhythms. 7:30 am is already 3 hours into my day and my body is pretty loosened up and energized. For most people, that’s only about an hour or so into their day. I would suggest that you personally explore what a Level 1 hatha yoga practice would feel like in your body after only being up for an hour. When you get on your mat after being awake for an hour, what calls to you? I practice at 4am, and while stretching in a supine position right away feels nice and gentle when the body is still stiff, but it also keeps the energy level down. So sometimes starting on hands and knees is more energizing without being too much too soon. Also, you might want to explore surya bhedana pranayama, dirgha pranayama, and of course ujayii. Good luck with your class!

#3

The early morning yoga class is a great time to start your day with a stretch. It is also a great time to work on flexibility and balance, which can help you avoid injuries and improve your overall health.

Try the following asanas for an early morning routine:

Pigeon pose (kapotasana)

Standing splits (dandasana)

Sun salutation A (surya namaskar A)

Yoga can be done in a variety of ways, but it’s always good to have a few basic guidelines when you start out.

Yoga is a very personal thing and every individual has their own unique goals and desires. So, here are some ideas on what you can do asanas when you first start practicing yoga.

You can do this with any type of yoga practice that interests you. These are just some suggestions and what worked for me!