Today I want to explain if doing peloton yoga in the morning is a good idea, and if so, which classes should you choose.
As a whole, you can do peloton yoga every morning because it helps not only to burn calories but also to reduce muscle tension. Also, doing yoga first thing in the morning helps to stretch out the anxiety, get more energy, and start your day productive.
Peloton Morning Yoga
A long time ago I realized that whatever I do in the morning it will dictate how I feel for the rest of the day. Doing peloton morning yoga together with meditation allows me to always start my day right.
Peloton yoga is good for you in the morning because it allows you not only to move around and feel less stiff but also kick-start parasympathetic responses, which reduces cortisol and stress.
I love to start my morning with 15 minutes of peloton yoga flow taught by Ross Rayburn.
It does feel hard because when I wake up, my body is still cold and most of the poses don’t feel as easy as I would do in the afternoon.
However, once I pass the first 5 minutes (or the first few rounds of a sun salutation) I immediately feel better. My neck feels less tense, my glutes feel more active, and my breathing feels deeper.
It basically helps to clear my head and focus on the daily plan.
What does peloton morning yoga do?
In short, peloton morning yoga helps you to improve your blood flow, reduce muscle tension, and improve general well-being.
It also helps to improve body awareness and mindfulness, as well as your interoception and proprioception.
The best peloton yoga classes for the morning include flow, focus flow, and power yoga (as long as you have some previous yoga experience).
For beginners, the best morning classes include slow flow and yoga anywhere because they are less intense.
How long should peloton morning yoga be?
On average, the peloton morning yoga class should be around 10 to 25 minutes, depending on your yoga experience, the type of class you do, and the time available.
For people who are new to yoga, I always recommend doing less strenuous classes but for 5 minutes longer than usual.
It will pay you in spades.
Learn more: Click here to learn more if you should be doing “yoga before or after workout“.
Best Peloton Morning Yoga
Here are the 5 best peloton morning yoga classes you should try.
#1 Power Yoga
Peloton power yoga is the hardest of all yoga classes on the app because it does include multiple advanced yoga poses like headstands, crane poses, and chaturanga.
Peloton power yoga is good in the morning because it includes strength training moves that engage several muscles, such as:
- arms
- chest
- shoulders
- core
It also has a faster pace than regular slow-flow yoga.
What I like about power yoga is it wakes you up immediately.
Every class is designed to progressively increase the intensity, starting from the warm-up and all the way to savasana in the end.
This class is more suitable for intermediate and advanced members.
This means that if you don’t have previous experience with yoga, I would recommend starting with something lighter.
My typical morning class lasts no longer than 20 minutes.
This is enough to make me feel energetic, and not too long to make me feel tired.
#2 Yoga Flow
Peloton yoga flow is the most popular yoga class on the peloton app. There are over 1,200 classes that range from beginner to advanced.
This class is good in the morning because it combines multiple breath-synchronized poses where you move from one asana to another.
You don’t hold your poses for too long, so it’s perfect to do in the morning when the muscles are still cold.
The moving sequence helps to increase blood flow and makes your muscles more elastic.
On the other hand, holding the stretch for too long when the muscles are cold can lead to injury and muscle pain.
I always like to start my sequence with a basic sun salutation.
This includes positions like a downward-facing dog and an upward-facing dog.
#3 Focus Flow
Peloton focus flow is a yoga class designed to work around specific movements (e.g. triangle pose) or muscle groups (e.g. hamstrings).
This class is good to do in the morning because it helps to target your individual areas of restriction while improving your overall range of motion.
This is good for people who have lower back pain, hip pain, or knee problems after too much sitting.
For example, if your lower back is stiff first thing in the morning, it is better to spend some time doing moves that work your hips, lumbar spine, and hamstrings.
This way you not only get some activity in the morning but simultaneously you can target the problem area.
My favorite peloton morning focus flow class is the sun salutation with Aditi Shah because the whole class is about doing a basic warm-up sequence.
#4 Yoga Anywhere
Peloton yoga anywhere is a class that can be done on the go. However, this is also a great class for beginners because most of the poses are simple stretching exercises.
This class is perfect in the morning because it doesn’t involve going down on the floor, which is good for seniors and people who feel stiff in the morning.
It mainly consists of standing yoga poses and chair poses that slowly increase the intensity as you go along.
This class is also good to be done randomly during the day because it helps to prevent any muscle tension.
Doing 20 minutes of chair stretches in the afternoon can be all you need to reduce neck or back pain.
You can learn more about the benefits of doing “peloton yoga” in my article here.
How To Do Peloton Yoga Every Morning?
Set up the timer
Start by planning ahead the night before. Use your phone and calendar to schedule the yoga session for the following morning.
Make an iced coffee or lemon water
You can prepare a drink of choice the night before and keep it in the fridge. This will save you time and help to wake up.
Use candles or incense stick
Burning an aromatic incense stick in the morning helps to stimulate your brain and heighten your senses.
Start from 5 minutes
I always find that it’s easier to convince myself of doing 5 minutes morning routine, rather than 30 minutes. After 5 minutes pass you can still continue if you wish.
Should I eat before peloton morning yoga?
As a whole, you should not eat much before doing peloton morning yoga.
Ideally, you want to be on the empty stomach, but you can drink water or other beverages.
However, if you feel hungry or you always eat after you wake up, try to eat something light like fruit.
Can I do Peloton Yoga in Morning and Cycling in the Evening?
In general, you can do peloton yoga in the morning and then follow up with cycling or strength class in the evening. 15-20 minutes of peloton morning yoga won’t burn you out but will energize you for the day.
Alternatively, if you have more time in the morning, you can start from the morning cycling class and immediately after do a yoga session.
This is my typical Sunday ritual where I train in HIIT cardio in the morning, then right after I spend 45 minutes of power yoga, followed by meditation.
Then I can go back to bed.
Learn more: Click here to learn more if you should be doing “yoga before or after peloton“.
Conclusion
As you can see, doing peloton in the morning doesn’t always mean HIIT and bootcamp. It can also be a morning yoga practice that is light but has a profound effect on your mindfulness and well-being.