The best time to do yoga in the morning can vary from person to person. That’s because according to Ayurveda, your diet, exercise and lifestyle choices should be personalized to your dosha.
Keep reading to learn what time in the morning is ideal for yoga practice based on your dosha.
The Benefits of a Morning Yoga Practice
Regardless of your dosha type, the body, mind, and spirit benefits of yoga in the morning are profound. Here are a few more advantages to committing to your asanas in the morning:
We are more likely to complete our practice
One of the benefits of your morning yoga ritual is that you get it done first thing in the morning. Many people can agree that we are much more likely to complete our yoga practice in the morning, rather than the evening, when we are more likely to become entangled in obligations. Moreover, we tend to be tired later in the day, and the thought of completing yoga practice can feel overwhelming.
Morning yoga warms and energizes the body
It is also beneficial to practice yoga in the morning because it is typically colder, making it an excellent time to balance with an energizing yoga practice to bring the heat. Your body also tends to be more flexible in the morning. So by waking earlier, you’re allowing optimal movement to take place.
Alignment with nature
To stay in sync with the inner workings of our bodies, Nature is our most extraordinary guide. Each of us has our unique circadian rhythm, a natural internal process that regulates our daily sleep-wake cycle. This process is aligned with many biological processes and in sync with the workings of Nature. Much like some flowers that open during sunlight, we also become more active during the day. And just like some flowers close up during night time, we also slow down and sleep. Moving further into the depth of aligning with Nature throughout the day, we look to the Ayurvedic clock or times of day.
The Ayurvedic clock breaks each day into six four-hour segments-one day zone and one night zone for the each dosha. These times of day represent the doshas and nature’s energetic patterns. To live a balanced life, it is suggested that we align with the Ayurvedic clock’s age-old rhythms. According to the symbolic timepiece, that day starts at sunrise from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with heavy and earthy energy ruled by the Kapha dosha. Pitta dosha is active in the middle carrying hot, intense, fiery, and sharp energy, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. The first half of the day finishes with a light and airy vata, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and then the cycle begins again.
The importance of understanding and aligning with the Ayurvedic clock is that it can help one connect with the inherent energy of that time of day. Since Kapha time ranges from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., it is recommended for everyone to find some movement in the morning to offset the heavy energy that Kapha carries that time of day. This means that seeing some type of exercise, or yoga practice, is suggested for everyone soon after waking up.
Best Time to Do Yoga in the Morning Based on Your Dosha
The Ayurvedic clock is a firm reference for those looking to sync their asana practice based on their dosha constitution. Ayurveda suggests that each dosha wakes at slightly different times in the morning. Kapha is suggested to awaken one hour before sunrise-during vata time-in to utilize the lightness of energy from the vata time. Pitta does best when waking 30 minutes before sunrise. Vata needs the most time to nourish and rest, so it is recommended that they wake up with sunrise. Of course, these times may vary due to your location and the time of year. Thus, the best time to practice yoga in the morning is about 30 minutes upon waking up. Below is a simple morning routine to ease you into asana practice based on your dosha. Each routine may take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
Best Time for Kapha to do Yoga in the Morning
- Wake ~ 5:30a.
- Tongue clean
- Eliminate
- Make tea + take 1 tsp Chyawanprash
- Breath of fire pranayama
- Mantra + meditation
- Yoga practice ~ 6a.
Yoga Poses for Kapha
- Sun Salutation A
- Backbend
- Cobra
- Upward facing dog
- Side plank
Mantras for Kapha
- Ram (pronounced Rum)
- Yam (pronounced Yum)
- Ham (pronounced Hum)
Best Time for Pitta to do Yoga in the Morning
- Wake ~ 6a.
- Tongue clean
- Eliminate
- Make tea + take 1 tsp Chyawanprash
- Lunar pranayama
- Mantra + meditation
- Yoga practice ~ 6:30a.
Yoga Poses for Pitta
- Chair twist
- Side angle pose
- Revolved side angle pose
- Half moon
- Revolved half moon
Mantras for Pitta
- Lam (pronounced Lum)
- Vam (pronounced Vum)
Best Time for Vata to do Yoga in the Morning
- Wake ~ 6:30a.
- Tongue clean
- Eliminate
- Make tea + take 1 tsp Chyawanprash
- Nadi Shodhana
- Mantra + meditation
- Yoga practice ~ 7a.
Yoga Poses for Vata
- Tree pose
- Warrior 1
- Warrior 2
- Standing hand to big toe pose
- Eagle pose
For more Vata yoga, discover these grounding yoga poses and techniques.
Mantras for Vata
- Lam (pronounced Lum)
- Vam (pronounced Vum)
Optimize Your Yoga Practice in the Morning
Chyawanprash is a powerful nutritive jam that can enhance your yoga practice. Just 1 tsp a day of PIOR Living Chyawanprash can improve your respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems while also boosting your immunity and energy. You can add to warm water or hot milk or lick slowly off a spoon. The best time to take Chyawanprash in the morning is 15-minutes before your yoga practice. Learn more about the benefits of Chyawanprash for yoga here.
We hope you enjoy your morning practice and find the best time to do yoga in the morning based on your dosha and personal rhythm. For an expansive approach, try these pranayama exercises.
Clare Michalik, Ayurvedic Practitioner
