I am recently new to yoga after years of weight lifting. I always did my workouts in the morning before work. Can i still get all the benefits of yoga in the morning? I just plain lack motivation to work out in the afternoon after work .
Thanks!!
The short answer is “sure” though I’m always more alert when someone says “all the benefits”. It’s a very vague term.
In the morning, the body is sluggish, the mind alert. In the evening the mind is sluggish and the body alert. The practice can be different in the morning versus the evening.
There are other factors of course but generally speaking there’s no reason you cannot do your yoga practice in the morning and get the “benefits”.
I do my practice for flexibility and for breathing related to asthma. I guess my question is what is the “ideal” time of day to practice?
Again, this is seeking a definitive answer where none exists. Of course I could tell you. And we may have some boardies who will tell you. And that telling may be correlated to ancient yoga texts. Which is fine. However we do not live in a vacuum and the answer to such questions must align with the context in which we are living.
I would prefer you practice daily rather than force yourself to practice before work at 7am (if that would be forcing for you). So less concern over whether you practice in the morning or evening.
However, if your practice allows you to move through your day with more joy then by all means a morning practice. Likewise if an evening practice facilitates your ease of sleep then practice in the evening.
Honestly, in the world in which we currently live, unless of course you are a cave dweller who has renounced all your worldly possessions, it matters very little whether you practice at sunrise or sundown. Just practice.
Where I live the instructors tend to go a little easier on the morning classes
Important rule to observe: practice in the morning require greater care and more warm-up as the body is still cold and stiff after an 8 hour sleep. In the afternoon the body has already had the whole day to warm-up and your body has gained a certain level of flexibility during the course of the day, however stress levels are higher in the afternoon.
Personally, it doesn’t matter when and how much, but the quality of your practice. I know people who practice an additional two hours everyday, but with no awareness. Then I know people who only practice 10 minutes a day additional at home with great awareness and that shows immediately, not only in their bodies, but also in their mindset and outlook.
Good luck.
I’d suggest complementing the yoga routine with music. Seems far fetched perhaps, but it does wonders for asthma (on a longer term, to be honest)
Heh…Well I wish I could say this is true on my part. I’v been known to do some weird stuff in the morning because I’m so darn out of it. ^.^. I’m sure this is combination of lack and sleep and the dependence on my morning tea.