Maybe you should try that a.m. class after all.
(Photo: Magnific)
Published November 2, 2026 04:44AM
When I first started practicing online yoga to address the tightness and discomfort I was experiencing from sitting all day, I snuck yoga into my schedule literally whenever I could. Noon. After work. Before bed.
But the more I scrolled for practices, the more I noticed one theme showing up again and again. Namely, morning yoga. Curious, I searched YouTube for “morning yoga” and found literally thousands of videos. Yoga with Kassandra has an entire Morning Yoga playlist featuring more than 238 videos, some of which have drawn more than two million views each. Yoga With Adriene has a “Morning Mobility Yoga” video from a couple years ago that was just shy of 10 million views.
That got me wondering whether there are more benefits of morning yoga as opposed to practicing it at other times of day. Being a night owl, I found that I was most likely to unroll my mat in the evenings. Should I change my habits?!
Turns out, the answer is complicated. There are definite benefits of morning yoga, yet a lot depends on why you’re practicing yoga as well as your personal quirks.
The Benefits of Morning Yoga
There’s been a surprising amount of scientific research on the benefits of morning yoga. And let’s not overlook the fact that, historically, many yoga traditions favored practicing yoga in the early morning. I mean, take Sun Salutations, which is a sequence of poses, or asana, performed facing east as the sun peeps over the horizon. And depending on your schedule and your personality, there can also be practical reasons.
1. You’re More Likely to Practice…
There’s a very real possibility of becoming so distracted or delayed by work or life that practicing yoga doesn’t happen at all if it doesn’t happen in the morning. Just ask anyone who’s ever intended to make a late-afternoon studio class but ended up stuck at work or feeling too defeated by the day to crawl onto their mat.
Yet the evidence for this anecdotal experience is limited. Research on exercise adherence is inconclusive in terms of whether morning or evening is better, with some research suggesting that practicing at a consistent time of day is more relevant than the exact time of day. But if you do unroll your mat in the morning, even if your day falls off the rails, at least you gave yourself yoga beforehand.
2. …And Less Likely to Be Distracted
If you can find time to make it onto your mat later in the day, one study suggests mental distraction is more of an issue during evening practices. Whether the distractions take the shape of ruminating over the day or contemplating the things that still need to be accomplished before night’s end, it’s possible you will encounter fewer distractions in the mornings.
And although bringing yourself back to a quiet mind is the purpose of yoga, perhaps you don’t need any additional challenges in that realm.
3. Enhanced Emotional Well-Being
One study suggests that daily morning yoga supported “emotional well-being” more than less frequent evening yoga participation. This was tested across two groups: one that attended Ashtanga yoga classes at 7 am for two work weeks; the second practiced Ashtanga yoga at night once or twice from Monday to Friday for two weeks. Though both groups had practiced in the evening previously, the morning group experienced greater change after the two-week study.
Of course, the increased frequency of practicing five times a week might have also affected the participants. More yoga is usually better than less.
4. Improved Energy & Restfulness
A recent 2026 study on morning versus evening online yoga found that practicing early in the day (6 to 7 am) was better than evening yoga (6 to 7 pm) in terms of effects on sleep and lifestyle in a group of young adults. Specifically, they found that morning yoga improved energy and restfulness. It also enhanced participants’ self-reported psychological health over the course of the four-week study.
An earlier study also found that practicing morning yoga can help minimize morning sleepiness.
5. Morning Yoga Supports Better Sleep
If you’re someone who likes your yoga vigorous, stick with morning sessions. A 2024 review of multiple studies found that, overall, more intense activity, including yoga, at night could easily disrupt sleep. Morning sessions didn’t have the same effect.
6. Lower Cortisol Levels
Research is somewhat limited on the topic of morning yoga reducing stress. Yet a 2023 study compared morning yoga and gym practices (6 to 9 am) against evening yoga and gym practices (6 to 10 pm). The morning yoga group experienced lower cortisol than the morning gym workout group. The researchers theorized this supports feeling happier, more optimistic, and being able to pay attention and work with more efficiency throughout the day.”
So Is Morning the Best Time of Day to Practice Yoga?
As with much in life, there is no one-size-fits-all answer regarding when to practice yoga. The best yoga for you is the yoga that you’re actually going to do, whatever the time of day, style, intensity, and length. Although if you’re looking for a reason to make time to unroll your mat in the a.m., there are more than enough reasons to try it. Chances are, it won’t take long to experience the benefits yourself.
