Whether you are a morning person, or have to drag yourself out of bed when the alarm goes off, a little extra yoga movement to start your day is good for the soul.

Take a few extra moments out to connect to your breath, jump-start your circulation and open your heart and mind and you’ll see great rewards throughout your day. 

Grab your BOSU^® Balance Trainer, find a comfortable spot and let’s go… 

Cat Cow

If you’ve ever watched a cat get up from a nap, it will inevitably arch it’s back in a large, exaggerated stretch. There is a reason for this – it helps to align the spine after being sedentary while napping (and it feels amazing). It’s a perfect stretch to get your body ready for the day. 

Position yourself in a tabletop position … placing your hands on the BOSU^® Balance Trainer directly under your shoulders, and knees on the floor or a mat in line beneath your hips. Slowly round your back up toward the ceiling, letting your head fall forward, taking a deep, calming breath in. Pause at the top, then reverse the stretch, by arching your back into a "C" curve, reaching your chest forward, eyes gazing up toward the ceiling, letting all the air out of your lungs. Pause, and repeat as many times as you wish. 

Heart and Mind Opener

Sit cross-legged on the dome of the BOSU^® Balance Trainer and get comfortable. You can take a few calming breaths in and out while your hands rest on your knees, focusing your mind on your intentions for the day, and on gathering positive energy. When you are ready, actively stretch and extend your arms out to the sides and up, taking a deep breath in.  When your arms are fully extended over your head, bring your palms together and lower your hands into prayer position in front of your heart. As you raise your arms think about physically gathering the energy around you and bringing it back into yourself, and into your heart. Do this as many times as you feel you need it. 

Downward Facing Dog with Leg Extension

Now that you are (almost) ready to face the day, let’s get some blood circulating, and your body working to warm things up a bit. Start in a downward facing dog position with your hands on the dome of the BOSU^® Balance Trainer, feet flat on the floor. Extend and stretch your right leg out and up toward the ceiling. Bending your leg, bring your knee in and shift forward a bit to touch your right knee to your right elbow. Repeat 6 – 8 times, and do the same on the left side.

Amina Daniels is a high energy fitness professional, who champions her Detroit based cycle studio, Live Cycle Delight and Yoga/Pilates studio LCD Hot. Amina holds fitness certifications in RYS200 from Kripalu, Group Strength, Personal Training, TRX Camps, TRX Group Fitness, TRX Rip Trainer and Indoor Cycling by Schwinn Bikes and Real Ryder.