Top 5 Highly Energizing Yoga Poses!
Feeling fatigued? We here you and spring is the time to come out of hibernation and return to the blossoming of new life. Spring the perfect time to our body and mind. Through a few basic yoga poses, I have personally found a simple, but effective way to increase energy and cultivate mindfulness.
Below are essential poses I practice on a daily basis each morning. This series can be completed at your own rate, but I’ve found that just 15 minutes can have a substantial influence on how you feel the rest of the day.
Easy Sit Pose
How: Use a meditation cushion or fold a thick blanket to create stable for this pose. Sit near the edge of your cushion and extend your legs in front of you on the floor. Cross your lower legs, your knees outward, and bring each foot below the opposite knee. Keep your spine long allowing your eyes to close while mindfully breathing (inhaling and exhaling through your nose). Allow your abdomen to expand as you inhale and contract with each exhale.
Why: By lengthening your spine and finding a balanced a stable position, your breathing pattern will flow in and out with more ease. Mindful breathing in this way harmonizes and replenishes your vital energy. To gain a bit more energy take deeper and longer inhales.
Cat/Cow
How: Beginning on all fours, make sure your hands are directly beneath, about shoulder width apart and your knees are about hip width apart, directly beneath your hips. For cow pose, bring your head up, while pushing your stomach towards the floor. Keep your eyes open, wide as you inhale deeply into this pose. Transitioning into ‘cow’ bring your head downward, chin towards your chest as you stretch your back up like a cat. Your spine should be rounded. Exhale completely as you move into this pose. Move between cat and cow pose slowly at first and at your own rate. You can gradually go a bit faster as you feel warmed up.
Why: The pose energizes by clearing emotional end energetic blockages as begins to direct energy up the spine from lower to higher chakras.
Sun Salutation A
How: Sun Salutation A has 11 basic components
1.) Standing Pose —Tadasana
Stand hip-width apart and bring palms together in prayer position. With your thumbs resting against your sternum, take several deep breaths.
2.) Upward Salute —Urdhva Hastasana
As you inhale, extend your arms to out to your sides and above your head. Mindfully arch your back and look toward the sky.
3.) Standing Forward Bend —Uttanasana
Fold forward at the hips as exhale deeply. If feeling tight, bend your knees slightly. With the top of your head should be pointing toward the ground, let your arms hang and head hang.
4.) Half Standing Forward Bend — Ardha Uttanasana
As you inhale bring your torso halfway up, lengthening your spine so spine becomes flat and parallel to the ground. Fingertips can be touching the ground or resting against your lower legs.
5.) Four-Limbed Staff —Chaturanga Dandasana
As you exhale, step or jump into plank pose (high push-up) with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and feet hip-width apart. Continue your exhale while you lower toward the floor.
6.) Upward –Facing Dog — Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
As you inhale, bring your chest forward and extend your arms. Bring your shoulders back and draw your heart toward the sky. The tops of your feet should be pressing down as you lift your thighs from the floor. Keep your elbows tucked in as you finish your inhale.
7.) Downward-Facing Dog — Adho Mukha Svanasana
As you exhale, draw your hips up and roll over your toes, positioning the soles of your feet to the ground. Heels need not touch the ground. Stabilize through your hands and feet as you lengthen your spine. Draw your abdomen and sit bones toward the sky and stay for five-ten breaths. As you exhale, bend your knees and gaze between your hands.
8.) Half Standing Forward Bend — Ardha Uttanasana
Step or jump both feet forward between your hands on the inhale. Raise your torso halfway up while lengthening your back flat. Fingertips can either be touching the floor or lightly against shins.
9.) Standing Forward Bend — Uttanasana
As you exhale, bend your torso to your thighs. Keep your knees bent if necessary. Emphasize the lengthening of your torso.
10.) Upward Salute — Urdhva Hatasana
As you inhale, stretch your arms out to the sides and extend up once again. Mindfully arch your torso back and look toward the sky.
11.) Mountain Pose — Tadasana
Exhale as you find yourself grounded in this standing position. Bring your hands together in prayer position. Rest your thumbs once again to your sternum. Repeat this sequence three to four more times.
Why: This series builds heat through movement and breath. As the heat builds, energy increases. The arching backward opens the front body allowing energy blockages to clear.
Gate Pose
How: Kneeling with one leg extended to the side, directly in line with the hip joint. Inhale and extend arms overhead. Exhale side bend towards extended leg.
Why: Lateral pose stretch and open the sides of the body, particularly the areas around the ribs. These poses allow the breath to be directed to one lung and one side of the rib cage with more intention. Lateral bends build heat are energizing because of the depth of breath that occurs.
Seated Twist
How: Sit with your right leg extended directly away from your hip, keeping your left knee bent. Lengthen your spine and as you exhale begin to rotate to the left while squeezing the bent knee close to the mid-line of your body.
Why: Twists have a grounding and energizing effect. The heat increases as the twist acts to flush tension out from the body, while the grounding occurs by having to maintain the hips rooted to the ground. This is a great pose to end with as you feel more energized and balanced.
Welcome to spring with the warmth and energy in provides. Namaste!