How to gain new energy through yoga
Yoga is a holistic practice. It has positive effects on body, mind, and soul. This is especially true when the four elements of earth, water, fire, and air are incorporated. Why not give it a try at the start of the new year? Yoga blogger Sandra Buchwald has inspiring tips for you.
This article is dedicated to the yoga of fire.
"This year has drained all my energy." - Many people who took stock of 2022 at the turn of the year feel powerless, exhausted, and empty. This is no wonder. The coronavirus pandemic, climate change, the war in Ukraine, and inflation have all taken a toll on our personal energy reserves. With so much bad news, it's not easy to start the new year courageously and motivated.
How do you manage to recharge your energy batteries? - You will receive valuable support through your regular yoga practice. In this article, you will learn about the energetic benefits of fire yoga.
The element fire: energy from the sun
Why do we get spring fever when the first rays of sunshine of the year tickle our noses? Why do we love spending our holidays in the sunny south? And what is the reason why even those who are grumpy in the morning find it easier to get up when the sun is shining? Sunlight causes our bodies to release serotonin, a true happiness hormone. It also produces the sunshine vitamin D and simultaneously slows down the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
All of this gives us energy – and through the yoga of fire you can recharge your batteries even when it's cloudy and rainy outside.
These asanas ignite fire energy
Whether it's yoga or a fitness exercise, you've probably heard yoga teachers or trainers tell you to tense your stomach and draw your navel inward and upward. This advice primarily serves to protect your spine and avoid unhealthy posture. In yoga, this practice also serves the purpose of generating heat. You ignite this inner heat—the fire—through body tension. It gives you new energy and arms you against the challenges that await you every day. A good example of an asana that requires a lot of body tension is Navasana, the Boat Pose.
Rotations also characterize Fire Yoga. Typical twists include the seated twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana) and Parivrtta Trikonasana (the twisted triangle). A particularly graceful asana is Parivrtta Utkatasana, the twisted chair pose: You first assume the classic chair pose (Uttkatasana) and place your hands in prayer position (Anjali Mudra). Then you turn to the side and press your elbow or upper arm against the knee on the other side of your body. Such twists detoxify the internal organs and activate your metabolism.
A particularly effective massage for the internal organs is offered by asanas that involve a twist from a prone position. Try the Scorpion Twist, where you twist to the left from a prone position and place the foot of your bent right leg on the mat behind your back. Of course, always practice the opposite way too!
The Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) already carries the power of fire within itself: Enjoy how this dynamic sequence gives energy, courage, and motivation!
Yoga of Fire: Paying attention to your breathing
Heat, intensity, and body tension play an important role in Fire Yoga. Therefore, breathing is especially important in the demanding asanas. Through special breathing techniques, you can draw on valuable life energy. Practice Ujjayi and Kapalabahti. These yogic breathing techniques are considered purification techniques and generate energetic heat.
Awakening valuable energies – which yoga styles are suitable?
The classic yoga style with which you can ignite the beneficial heat energy within you is Vinyasa Yoga. It is characterized by its dynamic and flowing sequences. The individual asanas are usually supported by guided breathing. The graceful, seamless movements are performed and connected without beginning or end. This flow creates the heat that blazes within you like fire and gives you new energy. You can also practice Vinyasa Yoga in various combinations, for example, as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
Power Yoga is also an important representative of the Yoga of Fire. The name says it all: This demanding yoga style promotes strength and endurance, but also gives you the vital inner energy to mentally overcome everyday challenges.
When it comes to external heat, Bikram Yoga is unbeatable. In this style of yoga, you practice a set sequence of 26 asanas. What's special about it: The yoga room has a temperature between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius, so the energy of the fire is activated by the external warmth. But of course, you can also create a different warm setting: What fire yoga could be better than dynamic asanas in the sunshine on the beach or in your own garden?
Source of energy: the solar plexus chakra
Yoga and the chakras are closely connected and mutually reinforce each other. Fire yoga includes a chakra whose name already includes the sun: the solar plexus chakra. The Sanskrit term "Manipura," the luminous jewel, is also sunny. This chakra is located above the navel on the solar plexus. You open this chakra through challenging yoga asanas, but also by courageously facing difficult challenges in everyday life and at work.
Complement Fire Yoga with Pitta food
In Ayurveda, the Yoga of Fire is associated with the Pitta dosha. Warming vegetables and grains should be on the menu if your constitutional type is Pitta, or if you want to generate energetic heat through Yoga of Fire. Choose from nature's rich treasures according to your taste. Buckwheat and amaranth, oats and spelt, broccoli and cauliflower, carrots and potatoes are particularly suitable. Protein-rich meals are perfect for giving you the energy you need. Try well-seasoned stews made with red lentils or chickpeas. Spices are essential in Ayurveda to activate Agni, the Ayurvedic digestive fire. Use plenty of pepper and chili, allspice and cumin, but definitely also ginger. Turmeric and cardamom also go well.
Ginger's natural spiciness also makes it ideal for drinking. Choose between ginger water and ginger tea, depending on your taste and the season. Other valuable teas that support the yoga of fire include licorice tea and teas enhanced with cinnamon.
