Oftentimes, we accumulate stagnant and low-vibrational energy in our bodies. When we do a mindful movement practice like yoga, we’re working to clear away that which has become stuck and invite fresh, new energy into our bodies. In Sanskrit, we call this fresh new energy prana.

To stimulate our prana, we’re going to take a series of twists and backbends in this class. Twists and backbends helps to stimulate blood flow, which helps to enliven your body. We’ll also be doing some pranayama and mudra practices in this class. But don’t worry, it’s all beginner friendly!

Pranayama to Increase Energy

We already mentioned the word prana, which can be translated to mean life force or inner energy. Pranayama means to lengthen or manipulate that life force, and we do so through the breath. My experienced yogis will know how pertinent our connection to our breath is to our health. In this class, we’ll start with a few pranayama practices for beginners that will help to increase your energy.

Balanced Breathing is a simple technique where you count the length or your inhales and exhales and try to make them balanced in length. For this class, we’ll be inhaling and exhaling for a count of five. This helps to flood your body with oxygen, which helps to release sleepy and stiff energy. Kapalabhati is a more complex breathing technique, but is great for cleansing the body and increasing energy. If you feel a bit intimidated to try, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it all in the video!

Mudras to Increase Energy

Yoga mudras can be thought of as postures for your fingers. These mudras are sometimes called “seals,” and we use them to cultivate specific energies in the body. Today we’ll practice Agni Mudra, or the seal of fire. It’s a simple gesture you can utilize during your meditation practice. Performing Agni Mudra can help create heat in the body, which can help to cleanse and detoxify the body.

Practicing Yoga to Increase Energy

This is a great practice for the beginning of spring, as we begin to reawaken from winter and breath more energy into our bodies. We honor the blossoming energies of spring to help inspire us to release what has no longer been serving us so we can step forward and become fully embodied.

You don’t need much to get started with this practice. Simply set yourself up in a space where you can move about freely and will be relatively undisturbed. Light some candles, and get ready to move!

I’m using my favorite sustainable yoga rug from Oko Living. These mats are ethically hand-loomed out of organic cotton and dyed with medicinal herbs. Plus, they come from a small women-owned business! If you’d like to grab your own yoga rug, use my code 10thelocalmystic to save $10 on your order.