I had a hard time getting my mind to calm down and actually relax. Plus, I often go to bed later than I want to because I have so much stuff to cram into during the day. My tossing and turning nights can leave me more tired than in the morning , and I often feel like I’m dragging myself to get my mind and body going. And, while drowning myself in many cups of coffee is a pick-me-up tactic I rely on from time to time, I know it’s not the healthiest choice .
When a friend said I should do a little yoga in the morning to feel more energized, I was intrigued, but also a little skeptical. After all, I’ve always thought yoga was a great way to relax and calm down. If anything, this seems like a good bedtime ritual to clear my mind and ease my tension before bed. While that’s probably something I should consider trying too, my friend explained how many yoga poses can actually be energizing, helping you feel energized and ready to conquer your day.
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Mountain pose is very energizing because it grounds you and helps you feel the energy of the universe inside you. “The foundation begins where you connect to the earth – the four corners of our feet are our connection here, stand still, feel the energy of the earth with your toes, climb your calves like vines, build strength toward your pelvis, and With the chest lifted and presented upward to the sun, moving up the spine, there’s something to be said for that.”
To perform Mountain Pose:
- Stand with the bases of the big toes together and the heels slightly apart.
- Rock your heels so you can lift your toes and the balls of your feet.
- Fully splay and fan out your toes as you lift them up, then place them comfortably on the floor.
- Make sure you have a good balance of weight between your feet.
- Contract the quadriceps to lift the kneecap and rotate the inner thigh slightly inward.
- Contract your pelvic floor muscles and abs to get your body nice and tall.
- Take a deep breath, widen your collarbones, and pull your shoulder blades back.
- Relax your face and imagine the top of your head reaching high into the sky as your spine lengthens.
Upward salute (Urdhva Hastasana)
“When we reach the top of our heads in this particular pose, we feel more open and stretched. Adding pranayama here can be very uplifting, energizing, and invigorating, and requires a lot of lung capacity,” she recommends when saluting upward. Add dramatic, audible exhalation. “You can imagine how exhilarating, exhilarating this pose can be with or without [ breathing ] added,”
To perform this pose:
- Begin in mountain pose, with your weight evenly distributed across your feet, your quads engaged, and your pelvis tucked in.
- Inhale, lengthen the spine, and imagine a continuous line of energy extending from the toes to the head and beyond, pulling the crown of the head toward the sky.
- Exhale, relax all the muscles in your face, and keep your gaze forward.
- Inhale, raise arms straight overhead, palms facing each other, fingers pointing toward the ceiling.
- Hold for a few breaths, focusing on opening your chest and heart and standing tall, then lower your arms to relax and return to Mountain Pose.
Standing Forward Bend (Uthanasana)
This is a commonly used position when transitioning from a standing position to a position close to the floor. This pose has many physical and mental benefits, energizing the body, clearing the mind, and resetting your system. “We have time for self-reflection, looking inward, and allowing the posterior lines of the body to open up and stretch. We’re still engaging the parasympathetic nervous system—better than giving up all ‘stuff’. This pose also brings you closer to the solar plexus, We are more closely connected because the heart is higher than the head.” The solar plexus surrounds our ego, and when the heart is higher, we give the ego space to empty, humble the pose, and allow other beneficial energies to enter.
To perform this pose:
- Start in mountain pose with knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart.
- Hinged at your hips, allowing your upper body to hang over your legs and your arms and hands to drop where they comfortably land (floor, legs, ankles).
- Hold this position while breathing deeply and rocking gently from side to side, nodding “yes” and shaking your head “no”.
- To return to standing, draw your navel toward your spine, and slowly roll up one vertebra at a time.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
“Any opportunity to show heart center and vulnerability is an opening to invite energy,” says Camel Pose, which can help release pent-up energy. “We live on a hamster wheel all the time, spinning and spinning. Sometimes, that wheel is so fast we don’t know how to get off,” she said. “I see Camel Pose as allowing us to get out, spread out, roll our shoulders back, feel the support of our spine as we lift our hearts, release any negative energy we’ve been holding onto, and dive into the new energy that this pose presents.
To feel this energy lift yourself:
- Kneel, toes planted, core and quads engaged, shoulders back.
- Inhale, lift your chest and lengthen your spine.
- Exhale, gently bend back, open chest to the sky, and reach back on heels (or yoga block ).
- Hold this position for a few breaths, making sure to engage your inner thighs, core, and back muscles.
- Inhale, return to resting position.
Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
“I love this pose not only for its ability to flow from one pose to another during sun salutation, but also because it’s a flow of energy from head to toe, it builds strength and stamina, any inversion where the heart is higher than the head will Increases blood flow. This helps you feel energized.”When your head feels hazy or heavy, the sinuses open and possibly drain, clearing the passages for clear, full breath,” she adds.
Here’s how to perform the pose:
- Kneel on all fours so that your hands and elbows are slightly in front of your shoulders and your knees are under your hips. Your back should be as flat as a tabletop.
- Spread your fingers and place your palm firmly on the floor or mat.
- Curl the toes underneath so they are planted on the floor.
- Exhale, lift your knees off the floor and your hips toward the ceiling.
- Without fully locking the knees, straighten the legs and press the heels into the ground, straightening the arms without fully locking the elbows. Your body should be articulated at the hips in a “V” shape so that your chest faces your thighs.
- Inhale as you draw your navel toward your spine. Keeping your neck and spine neutral, look down your body toward your feet.
- Hold for as many breaths as needed, then relax into a tabletop position.
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
“The feeling of energy and strength that comes with this pose is feeling the pillars of strength and the support they give from [your] legs, and reaching the top of our arms, we are opening the heart center, and when the arms stretch with deep inhales When you do that, you get that urge.” This pose also provides much-needed stretch and release for the psoas muscles, which run through the lower back, through the pelvis, and to the femur. “The psoas – the ‘seat of the soul’, as they say – can become like a highly compressed spring. 2 There is so much pent-up energy. For most people, this muscle is in the In constant fight-or-flight [mode], always ready to protect, and in some cases, [it] has forgotten how to let go and rest, Anjaneyasana unleashes the true power of the psoas – a lift for the soul, mind and body.
The low lunge is done as follows:
- Start with downward facing dog.
- Exhale, step your right foot forward so it falls between your hands, and lower your left knee to the ground.
- As you slide your left foot back, lower your hips until you feel a comfortable stretch in your left thigh and buttock.
- Inhale, draw your navel toward your spine, and lift your chest so it faces forward.
- Lift your arms toward the ceiling, with your fingertips as high as you can.
- Keep your gaze forward, or allow a natural and gentle back bend to bring your gaze upward.
- Hold until you’re ready to relax , then exhale and return to downward dog.
Chair Pose (Ute Katasana)
This pose helps you feel strong , powerful, and energized because you’re using some of the largest muscle groups in your body—primarily your quads and glutes. Additionally, extending the arms overhead stretches the back, shoulders, and chest, opening the heart and lungs and promoting blood flow and oxygenation throughout the body.
Here are the steps:
- Start in Mountain Pose, then exhale as you lower your body into a squat , making sure to sit your hips back, as if you were sitting in a chair.
- Inhale, raise arms overhead.
- Drop into a squat, making sure your butt extends behind you as you reach higher with your arms.
- Hold for 4-5 breaths, then press through your heels, and as your arms return to neutral, stand back up into Mountain Pose.
Plank Pose (Falakasana)
Many people are familiar with planks and probably have a love-hate relationship with them. And, while the plank pose in yoga is challenging, it’s not without its many benefits, including boosting your body’s energy to wake up your system. “The abdomen is lit, the long lines of power run down the spine, the metabolism is ignited, and for energy, this one is worth lingering for a while, awakening the body from head to toe.
Here are the steps:
- Kneel on all fours so that the knees are under the hips, the wrists are under the shoulders, and the fingers are spread, with the middle fingers facing forward. Your back should be as flat as a tabletop.
- Inhale, engage your core, and step back one leg at a time, tucking your toes in so they grip the floor. Your body should be in a push-up position with a nice straight line from your heels to your head.
- Lower the shoulder blades toward each other, lengthen the spine, and engage the thighs.
- Imagine pushing the floor away from your hands. Keep your gaze lightly between the hands.
- Hold for as long as you want, then exhale and relax to the floor.
Staff Pose on Four Limbs (Chaturanga Dandasana)
In this pose, energy surrounds the third chakra (Manipura), which deals with self-worth and identity. This pose taps into that energy as you let go of your ego, and stop judging yourself if you lack the physical strength to perform perfectly. “There’s a lot of upper-body strength needed here, and that’s where some people can let their sense of self-worth drain because they’re putting everything into a maximum appreciation of the pose, and they don’t want to bend the knees,” says Dr. Making modifications can help release bound energy of self-worth. “And, so what if your knees never come off the mat—that’s yoga ‘practice,’ not yoga ‘perfection.’
- Begin in a plank position with the core engaged, the tailbone pointing toward the feet, and the shoulder blades drawn toward each other.
- Rock your body forward slightly on your toes, look forward, and lengthen your neck.
- Exhale, and lower your entire body onto the lower plank until your elbows are bent 90 degrees. Your elbows should be tucked next to your ribs and pointing directly toward your heels, and your chest, shoulders, and torso shouldn’t drop below your elbows.
- Inhale, lift the front of your shoulders so they face forward instead of the ground.
- Hold until you are ready to relax, then exhale and lower back to the ground.
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
This pose can help you open up your heart. “When the heart chakra is in balance, we can receive and feel the love and energy around us. We are more receptive and open to the energy and love, the front of the body is stretched and opened wonderfully, while the back of the body is strengthened and supported. Stretching the body and opening the chest opens us up, which helps us feel unstoppable, she believes. “When the heart center is lifted, we can’t help but feel energized and ready to take on the world,” she says.
Here are the steps:
- Lie on your stomach with your elbows tucked at your sides and your hands next to your ribs, fingers pointing forward.
- Use your quads to pull your kneecap up as you press your toes into the ground.
- Inhale, press through hands and feet to straighten arms and lift chest and legs off the ground. Be sure to engage your core by pulling in your navel and open your chest by squeezing your shoulder blades.
- Keep your gaze forward, or let it drift upward in a gentle, natural backbend.
- Hold for five breaths, then on an exhale, return to the mat and relax.
