free morning flow
Monsanto offers up a simple morning movement practice you can do in under 10 minutes to get your blood flowing and start your day off on the right foot. Go through the below movements once without rest, then repeat once more.
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Reps: 20
Activity: Yoga
Goal: Mental Health
Move 1: Easy Pose
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Start sitting in your bed or on the floor in a comfortable cross-legged position with your eyes closed and hands placed gently on your knees.
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Wake up your internal organs by slowly moving your torso in clockwise circles for 10 reps.
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Then, repeat in the opposite direction for 10 reps
Move 2: Side Stretch
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From your original seated position, reach your right arm up and over your head, bringing your left hand beside you for added support.
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Reach as far to the left as possible, feeling a stretch through the right side body. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths. Repeat on the opposite side.
Move 3: Extended Child's pose
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Sit back on your heels and stretch your arms forward, relaxing your forehead to the ground.
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Feel your lower back, hips and waist lengthening as you tap into your deep breathing.
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Slowly crawl your hands toward the right, keeping your hips in place. Feel a stretch up the left side body. Hold this for 4 breaths.
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Repeat on opposite side.
Move 4: downward dog
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Get on your hands and knees and set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Spread your palms and keep your index fingers parallel or slightly turned out. Tuck your toes under.
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Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor as you push your hips up toward the ceiling and press your shoulders away from your ears.
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As you exhale, push your thighs back and press your heels down on the floor.
TIP:
This movement is the first time in this series that you're really starting to engage muscles throughout the body.
Really focus on pulling that lower belly in and pressing into your fingers. To make sure that you're putting pressure throughout the whole hand, slowly lift up the fingers one by one and then press them back down.
Move 4: Extended Mountain
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Stand with feet hip-width apart.
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Lift all 10 toes off the ground, spread them wide, then set them back down.
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Engage your quads and draw your navel in.
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Reach your hands up toward the sky.
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Hold this for 4 to 6 breaths.
Monsanto