The five minutes before the first pose decide a surprising amount about the practice that follows. Skipped, the body arrives still carrying the day. Spent well, they draw a quiet line between before and now.
The sequence.
Sit at the top of the mat, however is comfortable. For one minute, do nothing but watch the breath as it already is. Do not change it. Just find out what it is doing.
For the next two minutes, let the exhale lengthen slightly — out a little longer than in. No counting, no strain. You are not performing a technique; you are letting the breath settle on its own.
For the last two minutes, add the faintest ujjayi texture and let the breath grow even and full. When it feels steady, you are ready. Open the eyes and begin. Kept over months, this becomes the thing that tells the body practice has started.