A change in season always seems to feel like a new beginning. Summer into Fall is an especially big one, maybe because of that forever lingering sense that it’s the end of vacation mode + the beginning of school/industriousness. Anyone else still get those “my dog ate my homework” type dreams this time of year?
It’s also a great time to reset + get back into habits we left by the wayside for endless patio hangs + long weekend getaways. Now is the time to slow down, settle in + prepare for the nesting season of the months ahead.
We met up with Megan, the owner of Good Space, one of our favourite Toronto yoga studios, to get her take on the morning + evening rituals she does to wake up her body + wind down for the night. 10-20 minutes every day that we can take for ourselves to get into our bodies + quiet the mind. Our hustles can wait, and they’re usually all the better for it.
This week we’ll be sharing her morning stretches, which are well worth skipping the snooze button for. Just roll out of bed + stretch it out in your underthings.
(Meagan wears the Cropped Cami + Bike Short in Grey Mix. We're sold out of the short, but the matching High Waisted Brief is a perfect match)
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Standing morning stretchGrab hold of one wrist and pull it towards the opposite side to feel a deep stretch in the side body. Repeat on both sides.
Standing forward fold – IClasp hands behind your back and pull them towards your head. This feels amazing in the shoulders + pectoral muscles. Note from Megan: I can be a weird sleeper so this helps to stretch out any crunchy shoulders in the morning.
Standing forward fold – IIAlternate between straightening one knee and bending the other, and then switch in between. Experiment with grazing the fingertips on the floor to the left and then to the right. Pause anywhere it feels amazing!
Hands + knees and finding table topOn all fours, get into a regular cat + cow pose. Then move into a more primal cat + cow where you imagine your torso doing barrel rolls in the air. Note from Megan: I learned this one from Kendall (one of our instructors) and I just LOVE it!
Downward facing dogBend the knees + lift the heels, whatever you need to do to feel a nice long stretch in the back lines of the legs.
Morning, sunshine 👋
Standing morning stretch
Standing forward fold – I (goodbye crunchy, morning shoulders)
Standing forward fold – II
Cat / Cow
Cat / Cow, primal (a technique Megan learned from her fellow teacher Kendall, at Good Space)
Finish it all up in Downward Dog
Photos of Megan Alexander taken at Good Space by Aneta Sofronova