The benefits of yoga
Some people drink coffee first thing in the morning, I practice yoga ~ Nolsy Nols
Did you know that yoga increases ‘prana’ or life force energy in the body by removing blockages along the spinal cord and smoothening the energy flow?
While yoga is well known for calming and relaxing the mind, certain yoga poses can help you feel more awake and energized. Backbends especially are great energy boosters, they increase flexibility in your spine, stretch your chest, and give you a surge of energy which can significantly enhance your productivity and self-confidence.
Yoga poses in general emphasize opening and lifting of the chest and stimulate the vagus nerve. They are not associated with competition or dominance but they are likely to increase physical energy and subjective sense of energy and empowerment.
Back to backbends, I never start my day without a back bend, and I can promise you, no matter how dark my mood is, backbends always come through to lift my spirits. Infact, some days all I do is a gentle backbend and a spinal twist, for me that’s the beauty of yoga. As Yogawithzaz recently put it, your yoga practice doesn’t have to be like everyone else’s. It’s much like ordering a meal, you might choose to add hot sauce, spicy mustard, cooling raita, or take it as it comes. You might choose to have second helpings, or to leave bits on the side of the plate that aren’t to your taste. You might devour it in haste, or pause between mouthfuls.
Sometimes you want a light snack, or a light meal, in other instances you might feel like a whole feast, you chose, you decide, it’s basically your meal to do with as you please, so does yoga, you choose what works for you at that specific moment. Every practice is different, every day is different, but there’s certainly a portion to to feed your soul everyday.
We’ve put together a list of energizing yoga poses below to try at home to get an instant energy boost, or maybe try our short slow energizing yoga flow for beginners. This flow is designed to stretch your body and open your heart to start the day on a natural high. Try it and let us know how in the comments, if you like it, please subscribe to our YouTube channel so that you never miss free yoga classes.
7 energizing yoga aposes for you to try out.
1. Low Cobra (Ardha Bhujangasana)
Low cobra is a gentle and accessible back bend, it helps to strengthen your back muscles and is great as a warm up. Low cobra is accessible to most and can be modified to your preferred intensity.
2. Full Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Full cobra is the deeper, more intense variation of low cobra, it also helps to strengthen your back muscles and in addition to that stretches your front body as well. This yoga asana requires caution and should be practiced with guidance.
3. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Upward facing dog looks much like a full cobra pose, except your knee caps are lifted elevating your lower body from the ground, it requires a lot more strength and skill than full cobra, the benefits are however the same, with the addition of strength building.
4. Low Lunge with An Arch (Anjaneyasana)
Low lunge with an arch has several touch points. This yoga posture is great for your hips and quats, it helps to release tension from your hips and the arch opens your chest to allow in sunshine for that energy boost.
5. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Fish pose is a supine backbend and unlike the other backbends, you do fish pose lying on your back. It improves flexibility in the upper spine and opens the chest, shoulders and throat. Fish pose is a great energy booster, it also strengthens the neck muscles. It requires, experience and skill, it should be practiced with caution and guidance from an experienced yoga teacher.
6. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Bow pose is a deep back bend that stretches your entire front body and strengthens your back muscles. It is a great one to practice if you’re constantly hunched over your computer, it’s great for improving your posture and opens up your shoulders and upper back.
7. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
Camel posture is quite an intense asana that stretches your entire front body and strengthens your back muscles. It requires that your body be warm as in a deeper backbend. To practice camel pose make sure that you have sufficiently warmed up to avoid injury.
Conclusion
The practice of yoga has many benefits, what is even more special about yoga in my opinion is that you work with what you already have. I like that it is relatively cheap, with lots of options online to try at home.
Yownn yoga offers classes online and in person, we offer both studio classes and private at-home classes for your convenience. We’re introducing Yownn Hangouts to give you that sense of community so that your yoga practice is no longer a lonely affair.
P.S. Feel free to share this with your community!