Yoga Poses for Morning, Noon, and Night: Starting (and ending!) Your Day in the Best Way Possible

Morning:

CatCowPose

What an awesome stretch to start the day! If you’ve tried it before, you know how satisfying cat-cow pose it. It helps to stretch out your back and abdomen muscles, while still being a calming stretch that helps you start your day in a relaxed and restored way.

 

DownwardDog

Another great stretch for the beginning of the day! This will help wake you up and do away with some of that morning stiffness.

 

CamelPose

You’ve stretched out your back, now time for the front! Camel pose is a great way to open up your chest, torso, and hip flexors, readying you for the day ahead.

 

Noon:

Warrior1

Practicing warrior one midday, as well as transitioning into warrior two and three, is a great way to energize the middle of your day! Whether you’ve got a case of afternoon sleepiness, or your day has been a whirlwind that doesn’t show signs of slowing down, practicing some warrior poses will help to refresh, and refocus your mind and allow you to access a renewed sense of personal empowerment for a wonderful afternoon. (These are also ideal poses if you don’t have your mat with you!)

 

Warrior2

Warrior3

Night:

Upwarddog

Ah, the time to wind down, relax, and cozy up. These three poses are a great way to get your body and mind into a bedtime state of mind. Upward dog provides a deep and relaxing stretch, helping to work out the tensions accumulated throughout the day. Try doing it on your squishiest mat or on your rug for optimum comfort.

 

LegsUptheWall

This is another pose that will help to stretch you out and wind you down! And, it’s another pose ideally used with rug, mat, or blanket (depending on the level of support needed) placed underneath your back for comfort.

 

CorpsePose

This pose is the closest you’re going to get to actually laying down in bed, so why not do it right before bedtime? Take as many deep breaths as you need, and help yourself wind down and let go of any burdens from the day that are holding you down. Allow them to be released and make way for the new day to come.

To find any of the yoga products used in these photos, such as props, blankets, mats, and more, go to www.barefootyoga.com!

Please Note: All forms of exercise involve a risk of personal injury, so be mindful of what you are doing and cease to perform any of these exercises if any pain occurs and/or consult with your physician before beginning practice. Namaste.

Posted under Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Health and Fitness, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Mats, Yoga News, Yoga Supplies

This post was written by Carolina on October 7, 2015

Featured Studio: Namaste Yoga

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Namaste Yoga, with locations in Oakland and Berkeley, strives to live up to their name by honoring all those who walk through their doors. Their studios center around the enrichment of their students by helping them to live their lives joyfully and in the moment, resulting in a better balance of life, family, work, and wellness.

Classes at Namaste Yoga are available in a multitude of styles such as Vinyasa Flow, Power Yoga, Prenatal Yoga and Yin Yoga. One particularly exciting and unique class is Nia Dance, which incorporates wisdom from martial arts, jazz, tai chi and modern dance into an exhilarating, yoga-based workout. In addition to their variety of yoga classes, they also offer wellness services including massage, acupuncture, Ayurveda and naturopathy.

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They also serve their community through their Namaste SEVA program, which focuses on a new cause or charitable organization each quarter. In the yogic tradition, Seva is the idea of selfless service, improving the lives of others without any expectation of reward. Recipients of Namaste SEVA’s support have included food banks, housing charities, and organizations helping at-risk children and teens.

Namaste Yoga has been a long-time customer of Barefoot Yoga, and offers a number of our products including yoga mats, mat bags and yoga blocks. If you’re in the Bay Area, stop by one of their three locations for a warm and welcoming experience!

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Posted under Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Health and Fitness, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Mats, Yoga News, Yoga Studios, Yoga Supplies, Yoga Teachers

This post was written by Lauren on October 6, 2015

Yoga Revival – Week 13: Yoga Elation and the Mysore Practice Rug

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I’ve discovered yoga practice can lead to feelings of elation. Endorphins are released, circulation palpably increases, and a peaceful synchronization occurs between mind and body. The cylinders are primed to fire at peak capacity.

I experienced some of this yoga elation the other day after finally dragging myself up and out for a morning hot Hatha Yoga class at YogaBliss on Mercer Island, lead by a seasoned instructor named Jonathan Bowra. His strength, lightheartedness, and insights helped push me through 90 minutes of mostly core movements, giving way to slippery sun salutations.

On the way out of my house, I grabbed my Manduka Pro yoga mat – considered by many the best of all mats. Its density provides a bouncing sensation that makes me feel like I have the strength of 10 Grinches when I practice on it. But in my hurry to get to class on time (nothing like a hurried yogi) I forgot to grab my rug – which is what I needed most – to lay on my mat and absorb all that sweat. And so I worked my core muscles hard to hold those sweat drenched downward dogs and triangles, but my feet did slip a few times, once in a way that felt dangerously close to causing a significant leg injury.

I’ve found the best surface for sweaty yoga is a thin or dense mat with a practice rug over it. So next time I won’t forget because the exhilaration of a hot yoga class is well worth it, and should be done in the safest way – on a non-slip surface.

For the rest of the day I felt heavily anchored to the ground, yet with energy surging upwards in kind of a perfect balance. Calmly elated simply to be!

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Posted under Barefoot Yoga News, Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Health and Fitness, Mysore Practice Rugs, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Mats, Yoga Studios, Yoga Supplies, Yoga Teachers

This post was written by David on October 2, 2015