Yoga's Energy Boost

We are continuing our series on “Your Body on Yoga.” Today we embark on a three-part journey into the Respiratory system. The respiratory system begins in the nose and travels into the lungs and into the left chamber of the heart which receives oxygenated blood. According to Yoga, it’s the most important system of the body because it carries Prāna which is “life force energy.” 

All of this is to say that when your yoga teacher tells you to breathe in yoga class, please pay attention!!

In yoga class breathing assists us in several different ways—it increases our energy, it calms and quiets our energy, or it balances our energy. This post is part one on increasing energy through yoga. Stay tuned for parts two and three.

Lack of energy is a real problem for many people. It may be experienced as not sleeping well, waking up tired, not feeling like doing simple exercises, seeking out caffeine and sugar, and even getting sick often. I know this well! How about you?

Yoga teaches that breath is the vehicle upon which Prāna rides. Breathing well leads to a better relationship with our own energy.

The next time you are tempted to reach for food or drink to boost your energy, try one or both of these yoga exercises to increase your energy:

Move and breathe: Those of us who spend a lot of time sitting at the desk or computer have often been told to take a stretch break every hour. To make it more effective, pair movement with yogic breathing. Stand up to make more space for the lungs to move. Inhale as you lift your arms up and exhale as you lower your arms down. Inhale to lift your arms up, exhale to fold forward from the hips, inhale to stand back up and repeat several times. Inhale to reach the right arm up, exhale to lean the body to the left side. Inhale to reach the left arm up, exhale to lean the body to the right side.

How does this increase energy? All of the structures inside the body are attached to each other with connective tissue. Reaching the arms up allows more air to move into the lungs. And breathing deeply into the lungs stretches the spine and massages the heart and abdominal organs.

Practice Bellows Breath: Sit with a straight spine (in a chair or on the floor) and place the hands on the knees. The movement of the body is similar to Cat/Cow pose: Breathe in as you move your chest forward (spine is in a backbend) and exhale as you move your chest back (spine is rounding). Breathe in and breathe out strongly through the nose, as if you’re sucking in air and blowing it out through a bellows. Practice 10 breaths, take a rest and practice another 10 breaths.

How does this increase energy? Bellows breathing warms the body, stretches the spine, and increases the amount of oxygen flowing into the body. Just what you need to feel more alert, think more clearly, and move into the rest of your day with joy.