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How to channel your energy: 5 simple yoga flows to try today

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Friday afternoon I came home in a funk. I was feeling major Eeyore vibes, feeling like I had a personal rain cloud over my head. My spirit was empty, cold, and dark. I had explained to multiple people that I felt like nowadays, I look forward to Mondays more than Fridays. Weekends are now filled with sitting at home, doing chores, grocery shopping, and figuring out what’s new and maybe worth watching on Netflix. At work at least there’s projects to be done, people to talk to. Is anyone else in this rut? We’re “being good” and minimizing the time we go out to help stop the spread of COVID-19—and that’s great for my bank accounts, but it can get the best of my mental sanity sometimes. So anyways, Friday afternoon funk. I could feel myself carrying this negative energy, and I really just wanted to shed it before the weekend and before letting it affect anyone else.

Side note: Next time you’re in a rut, try thinking of your negativity as a tangible thing that you can shed, take off, toss away, or release. If you think of it as a thing instead of an emotion, it’s easier to let go and replace with something else.

I knew exactly what I needed to feel better. Not chocolate, not ice cream, not a blanket and movie—I needed yoga. For me, yoga is a retreat. The practice extends beyond its physical benefits to focus and connect my mind, body, and spirit. I’ve been doing yoga sporadically for over 10 years now and have been taught by different instructors in four states. I’m no expert—I’ve never done a yoga retreat or instructor course (or even consistently done a yoga practice for 30 days straight), but I have enough figured out to do my own flows without instruction, and I even taught yoga to crew members on a ship I was deployed on.

So, Friday afternoon, I dragged my yoga mat to my apartment balcony and listened. If you’ve ever practiced yoga before, you know that it’s all about connecting your breath, intention, and body to create healthy and healing movements that serve you. Without diving further into the theory and details, today I just wanted to share with you some poses and movements I did on Friday that really helped me refresh my spirit. A combination of these movements, prayer, and taking deep breaths made me a completely different person when I stepped back inside the apartment. Honestly I didn’t expect such a turnaround and was so impressed with how much my energy changed that I just had to share it here today. I kid you not, I was dancing around the kitchen in full blown cleaning mode about 45 minutes after I got home from work. All I needed was a 30-minute silent yoga session to reset and find my positivity.

I hope maybe some of these basic flows can help you when your next Eeyore-mood rolls around. They’re so simple that you don’t need any prior yoga experience. If you don’t have a mat, you can even use a towel or the carpet—no excuses. I included pictures below, though if videos are easier for you to follow, there are numerous great YouTube videos for all kinds and levels of yoga. I highly recommend Yoga with Adriene. I’ve used some of her videos to guide me before, and I really like her style—simple but leaves you feeling better.

Before we get started, I want you to focus on your breathing. Close your mouth and breath in and out through your nose. Start to deepen your breath, and feel your lungs fill and expand. Your breath is one of the most important parts of yoga.

Next, I want you to set an intention. Mine was to check in with my spirit and change my energy. Yours could be flexibility or balance or mindfulness, etc. Take a moment to just listen to your body and let yourself feel. Pay attention to what you’re feeling and use that to set your intention.

Ready? Let’s get started.

1. Mountain pose

Stand with your big toes together, heels slightly apart. Chin up, face relaxed, shoulders back, palms facing forward.

The flow here is with your breath. Really focus on your breathing, in and out through the nose. Focus on that intention you set. Option, sweep the arms up overhead as you inhale; exhale as you press your palms together to form prayer hands and bring them past your face to heart center. Do this until you’re able to stop your mind from spinning and really focus on being present.

2. Cobra & Downward Facing Dog

Lower yourself to the ground so you’re laying face down. Place your palms flat on the ground under your shoulders, then press your chest upwards. Ground the tops of your feet, shoulders down and back. Feel the stretch in your abs. Take a few deep breaths here. (Option, lean a shoulder forward and look back towards your opposite foot. Do the same on the other side.) To transition to Downward Dog, tuck your toes under, lift your butt, and send your hips backwards. Walk your hands slightly back to be 2-3 feet in front of your feet. Wrists should be in line with ankles. Press your butt up towards the sky while pressing your palms and knuckles and heels into the earth. This should stretch the calves and strengthen the arms/shoulders. Reverse your steps to return to cobra or do a full Sun Salutation if you know it!

3. Cat & Cow

Lower yourself onto palms and knees. Hips stacked over the knees, shoulders over elbows over wrists. As you breathe in, let your stomach drop towards the ground, arch your back, and bring your gaze upwards. You should look like a cow. As you breath out, squeeze the air out, rounding your back, and bring your gaze back down. You should look like a cat. This should help relieve some tension in your back and shoulders. Continue to flow here with your breath. I usually do about 5 slow cycles.

4. Chair Pose & Forward Fold

Standing with feet hip width apart, breathe in as you bring your arms upwards in front of you, palms facing in, shoulder width apart. Exhale as you sit your hips back like your sitting in a chair. Make sure your knees stay stacked over your ankles, behind your toes. (The photo angle does a bad job at showing this.) Press your palms together and bring them down past your face to heart center, still in a squat. Twist your torso like you’re wringing out a washcloth, and hook your right elbow over your left knee if you can. Use the leverage to twist slightly more. I like to imagine I’m wringing out all my negative energy when I do this pose. (Option, extend your arms, one to the sky, one to the ground to open your left shoulder more. Return to prayer hands at heart center.) Untwist yourself and return to chair pose as in first photo. Hinge at the hips and reach for your toes to forward fold. Roll yourself up one vertebrae at a time to return to standing. Repeat flow on the other side.

5. Child’s Pose

Start on your knees. Walk your hands forward as you bring your chest and forehead towards the ground. Keep walking your fingertips forward as you counter with your hips pulling down and back towards your heels. Close your eyes and relax. This should feel comfortable. On your next breath, slowly drift your right hand out to the side to rest at the small of your back. Follow with your left hand. Take a few breaths here, then reverse your steps to come out.

Before you close out your yoga practice, there’s one more thing I want you to do. It’s called Shavasana or Corpse Pose, and it’s a form of meditation.

Lay on your back, palms facing upward. Sometimes I touch my thumbs to my middle fingers, but do what feels comfortable for you. Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Let yourself relax completely as if you’re melting into the Earth. Remember the intention you set at the beginning. Breathe in. Breathe out. Try to clear the mind and think of nothing. When a thought arises it, acknowledge it and then breathe it out. Stay here, stay still for 3-10 minutes or at least 10 deep slow breaths or however long you want. Just don’t fall asleep!

When you feel at peace and revitalized, make your way to a seated position. I usually sit criss-cross applesauce. Bring your palms together to prayer hands at heart center. Sit up as tall as you can (like you have the best posture). Take a few more breaths here before you bow your head and say, “Namaste.”

I am always a little hesitant to teach yoga, knowing that I’ve never really actually studied it and only know some things from the classes I’ve been to. That being said, let me know what you think and if you’d like to see more posts like this. I don’t really want to break into videos and youtube to teach yoga, but it is a big part of my positive energy, so I do want to share it. I hope this post serves you and helps bring you peace and joy.

If you like what you read here, follow @genuinesunshineblog on Instagram and look for new posts here at genuinesunshineblog.com every Sunday to start your week with sunshine!

Cheers!

Sarah

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