How To Get A Natural Energy Boost For The New Year
Feeling a little sluggish or struggling to feel energized after the holidays? Instead of turning to sugar, coffee, or energy drinks, there are other ways to invigorate ourselves, like yoga!
Yoga is a great way to naturally boost our energy. Yoga is a full body moving meditation that unites our mind and body. Practicing yoga aligns us with our good intentions and helps us turn them into positive actions. Yoga strengthens and stretches the body, focuses the mind and taps us in to our organic energy. When we let go of physical and mental stress, we feel less fatigues. The deep diaphragmatic breathing in yoga calms the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest and digest system); which allows the body to fully recover and feel refreshed and renewed.
Here are 5 yoga poses to incorporate into your life and yoga practice to get an extra energy boost. Now you can kick 2020 off right!
Bow Pose
Bow pose is great for opening the front body which tends to get rounded forward if you’re at a desk all day or slouching over a computer or a new nursing mom. Once we open up our chest and shoulder region we allow more breath to enter our lungs and we find good posture. I also feel like bow is a great way to stimulate sluggish digestion by massaging the stomach region helping us feel lighter and more energized.
Ankle to Knee Pose
Our hips are like the basement of the house, and we end up storing a lot of junk in the trunk! Ankle to knee helps open up tight hips and leg go of the issues in our tissues. Tight hips can also strain the lower back and anytime you feel achy in your back, you feel less energized and depleted. I love to practice ankle to knee when I get home from work to give me a little boost to be active and available for my boys.
Upward Salute
The upward salute is a great pose to add into your morning routine to open up to your day and feel energized. Notice how you naturally stretch your arms overhead when you’re working out the kinks in the morning. This pose allows you to open up the body, take a deep breath in and start your day with a good intention and positivity.
Full Cobra
Cobra is a great stretch to give you that much-needed energy boost at the end of a stressful day or week. Similar to bow pose, it opens up the entire front body and shoulder region. Cobra also activates our arms and back body which helps us feel supported and strong. When we feel strong and confident, we feel energized and able to deal with our stress in a productive way.
Balancing Straddle Pose with Toe Lock
I threw this last posture in because it’s challenging; and super opening. You’ll feel your inner thighs, hamstrings and shoulders open, while connecting to your core for balance. Any time we have to really focus and test our balance, strength and flexibility, it energizes us. I love a good challenge and when I continue to find poses that test my limits, I feel alive and awesome.
Give these postures a go and let me know if you feel more energized to crush all your goals in 2020 and beyond!
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!