If you have ever wondered whether you should be doing yoga in the morning or evening, then today we will bust all the myths while bringing out facts to help you decide the right time to practice yoga according to your body and needs. But does it really make a difference? The truth is, both times have their own unique benefits, and what works best really depends on your body and daily schedule.
Morning Yoga
According to Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar, yoga guru and founder of Akshar Yoga Kendraa, “Starting your day with yoga in the morning is a guaranteed way to activate your muscle groups, energize your whole body, as well as stimulate the mind. Surya namaskar, or sun salutations, in the morning are considered the best wake-up call for your body and mind. This ensures that you remain alert and focused throughout the day, translating into better productivity. But make sure you begin with a good warm-up because you’ve been lying still for several hours. This means you’ll need to be extra gentle with your stretches at first.”
Morning yoga helps you:
– Wake up your muscles and joints slowly and safely
– Feel more alert and ready for the day ahead
– Get your blood flowing better
– Have more energy throughout the day
– Feel less stressed about upcoming tasks
Many people love morning yoga because it creates a peaceful start to their day before all the responsibilities of the day’s work floods them. Before you get inundated by emails, meetings, and other deadlines, it’s also easier to stay focused. This also means that you practice on an empty stomach, which is recommended for yoga.
Evening Yoga
Compared to morning yoga, the differences in the evening are that the bodies are already quite open because you have been moving around all day. This means that you can push a little bit more in your poses and aim for the deepest stretch. What makes evening yoga particularly different from morning is that it allows you to wind down and have a good night of sleep.
Evening yoga helps you:
– Release the tension from your workday
– Calm down your busy mind
– Prepare your body for better sleep
– Process the day’s emotions
– Stretch out tight muscles from sitting or standing
How you want to practice it depends on you! You could ask yourself, Are you a morning person? Do you wake up feeling refreshed? Then, morning yoga might be right for you. But if you prefer to sleep in and start your day a little later, morning yoga might not be the best choice.
What’s your daily schedule like? Plan your yoga according to morning chores like getting kids ready for school or early work meetings. If you are more free in the second half of the day, then evening yoga might be more possible.
According to Yogacharya Akhil Gore, founder, RouteIn Yoga, “A third option is considering practicing both in the morning and in the evening. If you are comfortable with your schedule and flexible with work, then it would be wonderful to slot a yoga practice at the start of your day as well as to use it as a way to relax before going to sleep at night.”
The most important thing isn’t whether you practice at sunrise or sunset—it’s finding a time that you can be consistent with. Scheduling a yoga practice at any time of day is better than an irregular one or not at all.
Remember, yoga isn’t about forcing yourself into a schedule that doesn’t work for you. It’s about creating healthy habits that make you feel good and fit naturally into your life. Try both morning and evening practices for a week each, and see which one makes you feel better. Your body will tell you what works best!
