Refresh Your Monday with a Sun Salutation

Start Monday with yoga and exercise for your body and mind. Among its many benefits, yoga can be ideal for reducing stress and anxiety while improving strength and flexibility.

Begin your day with Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar — an honoring of the sun through a series of positions, or asanas:

If you’re pressed for time, Sun Salutation is a simple yet powerful sequence you can do in a short amount of time. As the backbone of most yoga traditions, it stretches every part of the body. Besides alleviating stress, Sun Salutation is also a physical prayer to the sun.

Anyone can do yoga. It can be done indoors, outdoors, on a yoga mat, in a chair, or even in bed before you rise or go to sleep.

Yoga has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and heighten energy and mood. The controlled breathing that’s a component of yoga has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, the stress hormone.

Monday is an opportunity to start fresh and introduce new healthy behaviors. Use this Monday to explore the ancient world of yoga and discover why it continues to be a celebrated and popular exercise.  For more tips, shareable graphics, and a whole community of people like you, join us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.