[Spiritual]
Keeping your energy levels consistent throughout the day is often an impossible challenge! With busy schedules and endless to-do lists, there often isn’t enough time to get as much as sleep as you need, or prepare super healthy meals to adequately fuel your body.
When you feel that slump coming on, there are several simple but effective things that you can do to refresh your mind and rejuvenate your body. And, yoga is close to the top of that list!
The following yoga poses are great in their own different ways for enhancing your energy levels and keeping fatigue at bay.
Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
This is an invigorating pose that opens the heart and energises the body. When you enter the pose, you will be naturally stimulating your nervous system, which prompts you to become more awake and alert. Because of the movements involved, this pose is especially great for those who have desk jobs. It stretches the entire front of the body, whilst also strengthening all of the muscles in the back.
To get into this pose you must first lie flat on your mat, stomach down, with your hands resting on either side. You can then bend your knees and bring your heels close to your tailbone. Try to keep your knees hip-distance apart.
Reach both of your hands back to hold onto your ankles and then lift your heels up towards the ceiling. Lift your thighs up away from the mat, and your head and chest will naturally follow.
Push your tailbone firmly into the mat as you move deeper into the pose by lifting your thighs and heels further away from the floor. Your shoulder blades should be pushed firmly towards your back, and your shoulders should be away from the ears.
Focus your gaze in front of you as you breathe deeply in and out for ten counts. As you hold this pose, you will expel stress, anxiety and fatigue from the body! After your ten breaths, lower your thighs back to the mat slowly and release your entire body back down to lying flat again.
Headstand Pose (Sirsasana)
Inversions in yoga are perfect for stirring up the nervous system and pushing the mind into action! When you practice Sirsasana, your circulation will be kickstarted, and you will be empowered by the accomplishment of being able to hold the pose – what better way to wake yourself up!
If you are new to yoga, and aren’t comfortable doing this pose yet, then it’s important to build up to it gradually. First learning to do an L stand against the wall will be super helpful.
In order to do this, you must come onto all fours, with your heels touching the wall. Keeping your shoulders over your wrists, you can then bend your body as though you are about to enter Downward Dog. With your body in position, you can then bring your feet up the wall, making sure to keep your knees bent.
Once you are comfortable in this position, you can straighten your legs so that your body is at a right angle to the wall. In order to maintain your shape as you hold this pose, push through your feet into the wall, engage your abs, and try to keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Once you have mastered the L stand against the wall, you can then straighten one leg at a time up towards the ceiling until you feel like you have the strength and coordination to fully enter the Headstand Pose.
At first you should aim to hold this pose for up to ten seconds. You can then build upon this in ten second increments each time you practice the pose, until you can hold it for five minutes or more! You can then begin to experiment with variations on this pose!
Yoga Poses for Optimum Energy
Regularly practicing these yoga poses can add up to great things for your energy levels, but you can also utilise them in moments where you feel your energy is lacking. Remember, it’s always best to practice yoga in supportive yet comfortable clothing. Click here to check out our range of high-performance active wear for everything you need!