10-minute morning routine would lead to stress-free day, says Hansaji Yogendra

To have a good start to the day, and to save some time in the morning, always start the night before, she said.

A simple 10-minute morning routine would surely lead to a stress-free day, says Dr Hansaji Yogendra, the Director of Mumbai-headquartered The Yoga Institute (TYI), the oldest organized Yoga centre in the world.

“To have a stress-free day, it is very important to start your day well. It is said that “anth bhala to sab bhala” but I would say “shuruaat bhali toh ant bhala aur anth bhala to sab bhala”,” Hansa Maa, as she is known popularly, said in the run-up to the International Day of Yoga, which falls on 21 June.

As the head of the 105-year-old institute, she has played a major role in taking Yoga to the masses - making it easier for the commoners.

“Your mood does not depend on how your day was yesterday but it depends on how you start your day today. If we cling on to things which happened in the past, we may not have a good day. A series of such bad days will soon turn into stress,” she said addressing a function at the TYI located at Santacruz in Mumbai.

“According to research, nearly 89 per cent of the Indian population suffer from stress. And this stress can be due to relationships, work, finances, health to name a few. Morning routine plays a very important role in curbing this stress. It is definitely not a time-consuming process. Just spend 10 minutes, before you walk to open the door for the milkman or collect the newspaper,” she said.

“These 10 minutes would loosen the muscles because it becomes stiff and tight over the night. It would help to have an alert mind and to take charge of the day in a much better and positive manner,” she said.

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“Just like ‘panch pakwan’ makes lunch ‘yummilicious’, similarly there are five things that will be building blocks of a morning routine for a stress-free day - be grateful, do breathing exercises, do physical stretches, undertake a cleansing process and drink a glass of warm water,” she said.

“To have a good start to the day, and to save some time in the morning, always start the night before. Choose your clothes, iron them, pack your back, think about your lunch box, and prepare yourself beforehand,” she said.

“Don’t hit the snooze button…as soon as the alarm rings just get up,” she said.

“So to give a great start, you can start with some asanas in the bed itself like Yashtikasana, Pavan muktasana, Yogendra pranayama, lifting leg up and down one by one, Supta vakrasana, ankle movements, Supta Bhadrasana,” said Hansaji.