I used to struggle to get out of bed every morning, and would often hit the snooze button to get a bit more sleep. I was trapped in that cycle for years, until someone recommended yoga to me. Since practicing it every morning, my life hasn't been the same.
The way you start your day can often dictate how the rest of it unfolds. Being a woman entrepreneur that manages a beauty company and being a professional dancer can be both mentally and physically challenging. Looking for a way to find balance, especially living in New York City, yoga seemed liked a perfect fit to complement my lifestyle.
The benefits of practicing yoga every morning over the last two years has helped me begin my day with a smile. It gives me a calmness of mind and, most importantly, it gives me a heart filled with gratitude as I face myself on the mat every morning before I start work. My yoga practice includes movements in static poses, as I love to infuse dance and yoga together, which benefits my practice in more ways than I can explain.
With that in mind, here are my top five yoga poses that get me going every morning.
1. Reach for the Sun (Standing Arm Reach)
One of the first things I do to get ready for yoga is to bask myself in the morning sunlight for my daily dose of Vitamin D. This helps set my mood for the day and keeps me alert. I also begin my practice by using some Radha Beauty Essential oils to set the atmosphere.
Standing up nice and tall, the Standing Arm Reach encourages you to stretch your hands all the way up. You're beginning your day with a power pose, keeping in mind your goals for the day. As you gradually soften your arms back, down, remember to exhale. Repeat this for 5-10 breaths. This is a great first move to open up the body and loosen you up to help you begin the day.
2. Working your way down to your toes (Forward Bend)
As a dancer and entrepreneur, I'm constantly on my feet. Especially living in New York City where walking is the norm, ensuring that my legs are fully stretched out is priority before I start my day.
The Standing Forward Bend is a great way to stretch out your hamstrings and lower back. Remember to exhale while folding up and over your legs. Bending your knees in this move can help ease up on the hamstrings and lower back. The dancer in me recommends swaying from side to side to soothing beats when your chest is towards your thighs. This eases up your body to create that space which will provide you with more energy for the day.
3. Plank while listening to your favorite song (Plank)
I used to have constant aches in my lower back after dance rehearsals until I started planking. Not only did planking help reduce my lower backaches, it also helped toned up my tummy. Try listening to your favorite song while planking as it helps make the process more enjoyable.
Planting your palms down and stepping back to a nice plank pose is a great way to energize the entire body. Maintaining a correct form while engaging your core muscles helps you to keep focus and get things going for the day. Repeat this for 5-10 breaths
4. Summoning the energy for the day (Upward Dog)
If coffee is your energy booster for the day, then Upward Dog is my equivalent of coffee. This is one of my favorite poses to get into as it stretches my upper torso while improving the strength and flexibility of my spine, arm and wrists at the same time. As they say in yoga, “You're only as young as your spine is flexible."
From plank position, as you start to ease your knees down and draw your shoulders down your back, you will get into an Upward Dog pose. Once again, swaying from side to side adds more fluidity to your routine. The whole idea is to keep everything moving and flowing freely so that you wont have to be stuck in a pose. This is another great way to open up the body especially after a good nights sleep.
5. The Downward Dog
The Downward Dog pose is one that I have to do before starting my day as it wakes you up by boosting blood circulation throughout the body. As with all yoga poses, being in control of your breathing is key as this teaches you to be in control of your emotions and feelings.
As you try to tuck your toes and raise your tailbone to the sky, you will transition into a Downward Dog pose. Drop the head down and push into the hands to create length in the spine, while at the same time pressing your heals to the ground. This is a great resting pose which helps open the back of your legs as well stretch out your calves. Swaying from side to side helps gives this stretch more emphasis on both legs. Repeat this for 5 – 10 breaths.
Bonus: Keeping it simple – Breathe
When things get too overwhelming unexpectedly, I always remind myself in those moments to breathe. This helps me refocus and reduce anxiety levels, and allow oxygen to flow through my body.
Practicing yoga in the mornings has helped me feel more energized and focused, thus allowing me to accomplish more during the day. I'll encourage those that want to get through the day caffeine free to start practicing yoga in the morning, as it gives you a new sense of a clarity and purpose as you start each day.
If you feel unmotivated at times, I highly encourage you to give these five poses a go even when you don't feel like it. I am certain you will walk away from your mat feeling rejuvenated and energized and ready to conquer your day. Try it out once or twice a week, and you will start to see some of the benefits that I have mentioned above.
I have no doubt that if you show up for your yoga practice as your messy, imperfect and beautiful self, you will find more reasons to add yoga to a part of your morning routine.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here to receive our latest articles and news straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Shutterstock; all other images courtesy of Rebekah Letch
Originally published December 13, 2017
- Halle Berry's Exact Workout Routine For Summer Body - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- 5 Easy Hip Opening Stretches For Beginners - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- The Best Yoga Poses For An Emotional Release - xoNecole: Lifestyle, Culture, Love, & Wellness ›
I was completely broken, and every part of me hurt. I was no longer the lighthearted Camille that everyone loved and knew me to be. I remember a family friend saying, “You’re not the same.” And I wasn’t. I no longer recognized the girl looking back at me in the mirror. I needed major healing.
It was 2018 when I found the courage to seek mental health therapy. At that point, I knew there was nothing more that my friends could do for me. I was all cried out, and the silence was killing me. At the time, I was diagnosed with clinical anxiety, depression, and PTSD. How?
How did I let trauma take complete control of my life? But I had to forgive myself for all the things I did not know.
At the time, my therapist introduced me to journaling as a coping mechanism. Words ultimately became my best friend. In many ways, I would like to think that writing saved me. I am in love with words, and I always have been. My writing was and still is my safe space. It unlocked opportunities I never imagined – like writing for xoNecole.
And with this gift, I can now tell you a story about my own trauma, healing, self-discovery, and the journey to learning how to celebrate myself.
Starting a Healing Journey
In early Spring 2019, I was told by a Reiki healer that I was going to embark on a journey. She told me it was going to be lonely, but I was never alone. The thing is I never once mentioned to this woman my travel plans. It was August 2019 when I planned my solo trip to Europe. It was going to be 38 days alone on a continent I knew absolutely nothing about. By the end of summer and a nine-hour flight later, I touched down in London.
I fell in love with every single thing. I fell in love with everything I could see – colors, cobblestone streets, spiral staircases, adorned windows, architecture, garden terraces, nature, and people. I fell in love with everything I could hear – accents, language, history, and music. I fell in love with everything I could taste – wines, foods, and desserts. I fell in love with everything I could feel – ocean breezes, white sands, and well-designed buildings. I fell in love with everything that fed my soul. People, stories, and connections. I fell in love with myself.
I traveled to England, Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. And with every conversation and every connection I made – I found healing.
I always say women have the ability to heal others naturally. It was here in my travels that I started to pay attention to the concepts of purpose, connection, energy, alignment, and universal signs. I began to truly realize not only my strengths and universal gifts but also how to use them too. I started to step into my authentic self. I began to realize who Camille really was. A free spirit with a heart of gold.
Courtesy of Camille Ali
A New Season
By the time I had returned from Europe, it was late Fall 2019, and I was a completely different person.
I spent most of my time pouring into myself. Self-development and self-love became key. Everything that I previously settled for in family, friends, and relationships – I went and gave to myself. Read that again. I became completely in love with who I was becoming, and I still am. I had let go of tradition, conditional beliefs, people pleasing, and living my life to make my parents proud.
I had let go of being a “straight arrow,” and the idea of having it all figured out. I outgrew tradition and cultural norms. Sometimes, those things can be so blinding.
I began to shift. I adopted and altered the things that aligned with my purpose and values.
I became risk-tolerant instead of risk-averse.
I canceled my fears.
I welcomed uncertainty, knowing I would always land on my feet.
This newfound level of confidence came out of nowhere. It was no longer a question of if I can do this. The question became, how can I do this? I stayed open to possibilities and opportunities in whichever form they came to me. I became selective and intentional with my time and energy, too. I went from being a 9 to 5 government employee, then a corporate consultant, to a small business owner not once but twice by 2021.
If you ask me who I am now, I would say I am authentically a creative. I write from my heart, and I speak from my core. My voice is my power, and my words hold weight. By trade, I am a paralegal and a business consultant.
How Trauma Shows Up in the Body
Even though I was able to heal my heart, my mind, and my spirit, I wasn’t quite done healing. And I didn’t even know it. In the last seven years, I gained weight. This was a direct result of a broken heart, emotional trauma, mental health issues, stress, and poor lifestyle choices. I was a good 50 pounds overweight, too. I knew something was wrong with my body when it stopped responding to my dietary and lifestyle efforts.
I started to advocate for my health in the winter of 2022 to get clarity and answers. I sought the care of medical specialists, asked the right questions, requested second opinions, and tested and retested my blood. Not one doctor could properly diagnose me, either.
When Western medicine failed me, I chose holistic medicine. What I learned and what I understood was that my physical health issues were a straight-up trauma response. I cried. I was always conscious about my health, and now I’m sick with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Yes, PTSD triggers and is linked to autoimmune diseases.
I remember thinking, “I did this to myself, and I have to fix it.”
I spent the majority of 2023 detoxing with Chinese herbs, making every lifestyle change possible. My body was holding on to dead weight – it had to go for me to continue to become.
Courtesy of Camille Ali
Celebrating Myself
Summer 2023 couldn’t come any faster. I completed my holistic detox with sacrifice and ease. While everyone saw just a “body transformation,” for me, it was an emotional release.
I was no longer reminded of what transpired. I cried again.
There were so many days, months, and years that I thought I would never get me back. And I believed it. I mean, who wouldn’t? Medical experts adamantly told me that there was nothing wrong with me. All I wanted was to feel like myself again. I missed me so badly.
I looked for me everywhere. I couldn’t find her until I paused and did the inner work.
I wouldn’t change one thing about my healing journey. It all had to happen so I could be in this current moment. And this girl right here – I know exactly who she is. I know what she stands for through and through. And I’ll never stray from that.
I’ve grown so much, yet in some ways, I’m rediscovering who this girl is again. It’s so intoxicating.
Courtesy of Camille Ali
Returning to Europe
I have always wanted to go back to Europe. Europe is a magical place to be. It's the energy, the people, and the lifestyle for me. But the timing wasn’t right. It took the wedding of a close friend of mine to make my return happen. I returned to Europe in August 2023. This time to Greece.
At first, I didn’t realize the significance of the timing. But make no mistake, this was alignment, a full circle moment, and a testimony to myself. I started a healing journey in August 2019, and I returned as a completely different person this year.
Happy, whole, and healed. Resilient and confident.
I knew I was meant to share a pivotal moment in my friend’s life and celebrate myself. My word for 2023 was joy, and I wanted all of it. More importantly, I deserved it.
I fell in love with everything all over again. Everything that I can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste, that is. I created moments and memories. And I felt each moment and memory deeply in new places and with new faces. Greece owed me absolutely nothing. Europe will always and forever have a special place in my heart.
My five-year healing journey taught me to always choose myself. I am grateful because my entire journey brought me home to myself. And one thing about me is that when I am in the right environment — I thrive. Always.
The journey to self-discovery is worth the uncomfortable moments and ugly crying. It’s worth the undoing, redoing, and reprocessing to finally come to a place of happiness, peace, and being comfortable in your own skin.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by AzmanJaka/Getty Images
