For a great many people, the ultimate goal in life is to be happy. If you’re one of them, then you might have to make an effort to be happy no matter the circumstances. Life can try to wreck and burn you, but if you can try to find the silver lining on each rain cloud, then no one can take that happiness away from you. A solid morning practice can not only help jumpstart your day, but also boost your happiness. Check out the following 12 tips and poses to ensure your day is full of pure joy:
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Happiness is your birthright, so claim it.
You can either lose yourself to fear and negativity or strive to find happiness and positivity in each situation. Be the kind of person who chooses what you become and make the most out of the cards you’ve been dealt with. Don’t just exist, live.
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Create your own happiness.
Dealing with people can be an arduous task, but it’s something you have to do. Don’t depend on people to make you happy. You can’t change other people, but you can change your attitude towards them. You create your own happiness, and you are the only one truly responsible for it.
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Try these yoga poses for happiness
One way to be intentional in finding happiness is through yoga.Studies have shown that yoga is not only the path to enlightenment, but to happiness as well. Yoga has been known to reduce stress, ease anxiety, and lighten mood. Check out these exciting yoga poses to give yourself that positive boost of energy at the start of each day:
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Cat-Cow Pose
Drive the constant fluctuations of your mind away with the cat-cow pose, which helps relax your nervous system and create movement through your body. This gentle two-sequence pose can help you stretch your spine and prepare your body for the day ahead.
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Warrior II Pose
This standing yoga pose improves your strength, stability, and concentration. It is a powerful stretch for the legs, groins, and chest, helping you to relieve backaches and stimulate healthy digestion.
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Dancer
Release the tension in your hips, shoulders, and legs, and open your heart with this beautiful position. The dancer pose helps you improve your strength, balance, and flexibility. It also unifies the kidneys while stimulating your urogenital system.
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Goddess Pose
You are in charge of your own happiness, and this energizing and empowering pose can help remind you of that truth. The goddess pose improves circulation to the abdominal organs and legs, and strengthens the leg muscles and the small muscles in the ankles and knees.
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Crow Pose
Build focus, strength, and concentration while calming your mind when you master this killer pose. The crow pose can help you improve the strength in the upper arms and forearms, while toning the abdominal organs and torso, and stretching the upper back and groins. It also gives you better balance and full-body coordination.
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Pigeon Pose
The pigeon pose gives you that deep hip-opening sensation you need to help you get a head start on your day. This pose is a great way to access that hip area, helping you improve your posture, physical alignment, and overall flexibility and agility.
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Wheel Pose
The wheel pose is an advanced back bending pose proven to release endorphins. Opening up your body in this manner allows you to relieve stress and muster up the energy you need in the morning. This pose also increases your flexibility and improves cardiovascular health.
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Headstand
The headstand can be intimidating for those who have never tried it, but if you want to look at life from a new perspective, then you should definitely give it a shot. Feel the blood flowing throughout your body, filling you with positive energy, as you build the strength and courage to master this pose.
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Reclined Bound Angle Pose
Find tranquility and serenity in the midst of a hustle-and-bustle world with this classic and restorative pose. This pose can help you increase blood circulation in the lower abdomen, improve digestion, stretch your hips and inner thighs, and calm your nervous system.
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Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Perform this pose and get immediate relief from stress and fatigue as it stretches your hips, thighs, and ankles. This resting pose is therapeutic as it centers, calms, and soothes your brain, restoring balance and coolness to the body.
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Downward Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Let go of your worries and place your heart above your head with this beginner pose. The downward dog comes with a ton of benefits, including stretching the back, releasing tension from the chest and shoulders, and increasing strength in the upper body.
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Standing Forward Bend Pose (Uttanasana)
Reestablish your relationship to the earth with the standing forward bend pose. This therapeutic and revitalizing position allows your blood to rush to your head and give your cells a refreshing boost of oxygen. It also lengthens the hamstrings and activates the inner thighs.
Yoga, in essence, requires you to be present in all aspects of the mind, body, and spirit. Performing these practices at the start of your day will definitely give you the confidence boost you need to face whatever challenges lie ahead.
What are you waiting for?
By Inner Fire Luminary Meera Watts
Author bio:
Meera Watts is a yoga teacher, entrepreneur and mom. Her writing on yoga and holistic health has appeared in Elephant Journal, Yoganonymous, OMtimes and other publications. She’s also the founder and owner of Siddhi Yoga International, a yoga teacher training school based in Singapore. Siddhi Yoga runs intensive, residential trainings in India (Rishikesh, Goa and Dharamshala), Indonesia (Bali) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur).