By Emily Hudson
The Benefits of Incorporating Yoga into Your Daily Routine
I heard that Ke$ha song the other day with lyrics that just baffle me. “I wake up in the morning feelin’ like P. Diddy.” No! Never in my life have I felt like P. Diddy when I rolled out of bed. Personally, I feel more like the Tin Man when I hear my obnoxious alarm go off. My day usually starts with a few “ughhhss” and “owwws” (as opposed to… whatever P. Diddy’s morning is like).
It took me a long time to incorporate a few yoga stretches into my morning routine, mostly because I thought bending over or turning my neck before drinking my coffee would be too tasking and painful. However, biting the bullet and doing so has made an incredible difference in both how I feel about mornings and how I feel the rest of the day. This awakening led me experimenting with incorporating yoga into my morning, noon, and night routines (in addition to my daily practice). Check out my suggested stretches below (written as convenient, printable reminder guides to keep by your nightstand and desk).
MORNING YOGA
These stretches focus on getting the morning stickiness out of your body. Look out P. Diddy.
Benefits:
-Yoga breathing stimulates your body and mind. That extra oxygen acts as a natural morning energy booster!
-Gentle twists detoxify the body and open the heart to the day, allowing for a focus on courage, love, and joy.
-Morning yoga stretches set the tone for a calm, relaxed day ahead. I always try to set an intention for the day during my short meditation.
Bonus: Adding a couple of standing poses provides a sense of grounding and strength, the perfect combination to get the day started!

AFTERNOON YOGA
Eight plus hours of sitting at a desk… a yogi’s nightmare! Stretching mid-day can help to cure your desk job ailments.
Benefits:
-Bending forward mid-day provides a calming effect, easing your mind when you are feeling over-stimulated or stressed.
-Stretches that focus on the back remind us to elongate our spines tall and practice good posture throughout the day.
-Balance poses, like chair arm balance and crescent pose, renew focus and concentration.
Bonus: Balance poses, like chair arm balance and crescent pose, renew focus and concentration.

NIGHTTIME YOGA
By the end of the day, your body needs time to relax and your mind needs time to reflect. Incorporating yoga into our nighttime routine allows us that time.
Benefits:
-Nighttime stretching relieves the tension of the day, centering the mind on the present and letting go of the day’s worries and stresses.
-An evening stretching series can helpto calm the nervous system, preparing the body for a more peaceful sleep.
Bonus: Ending with legs up the wall pose gives us time to turn our focus inward, calm the mind, and let go before climbing into bed.

About the author:
Emily lives in Los Angeles, CA. Growing up in Northern Idaho, she was first introduced to the practice of Yoga during high school “Yoga Club”. It was love at first pose. In addition to her dedicated practice, Emily loves travel, fashion, soccer, laughing, great food, and happy people.