Go from Snoozing to Cruising

Stretches to help wake you up

Here's a fact that will certainly wake you up: Research finds that heart attacks are more common in the morning, partly because of the demands of shifting from groggy to full-speed-ahead. "We stifle our natural tendency to stretch and yawn because the alarm goes off and reminds us we have an agenda," says J. J. Gormley, founder and director of the Sun & Moon Yoga Studios in Arlington, Virginia. Gormley designed this morning yoga routine to help you relax, focus, and get energized. To begin, slowly inhale and exhale for a minute or two. Then breathe and relax in the poses—don't push yourself. Hold each stretch for two full breaths.

1. Spinal Stretch


Sitting cross-legged, press your sit (derriere) bones into the floor and lengthen your spine, reaching up with the crown of your head. (If this is uncomfortable, sit on a firm pillow or folded blankets, or extend one leg.) Keep both sit bones on the floor while you do this stretch. (a) Place your left hand on your right knee, inhale, and lengthen your spine. Then exhale and twist to the right. Breathe, return to center, switch sides, and repeat. (b) Slide your right hand onto the floor and extend your left arm overhead. Inhale and reach your fingers up toward the ceiling, then exhale and reach to the right, stretching your left side. If your left sit bone comes off the floor, don't stretch so far. Breathe, switch sides, and repeat, reaching to the left.

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