3 Techniques To

HARNESS FULL-BODY ENERGY

Try today’s 3 strategies to harness full-body energy. They’ll give your body and mind a spark of mojo and fill your day with gusto.

Deep Muscle Relaxation

This technique is a method of deep muscle relaxation that allows you to adjust the tension throughout the body by tensing and relaxing each muscle group.

Here’s how to begin…
1. Lie down flat on your back, with your palms turned upward.
2. Let’s start with the feet. Contract your left foot… tense and hold for 4-10 seconds and then exhale and release. Repeat on the right foot.
3. Follow that pattern all the way up your body…left calf, then right calf… lefet quad then right quad… left glute then right glulte…and so on.
4. Inhale as you contract and exhale as you suddenly and completely relax.

As you go through this sequence, your stress levels will lower, calming the body’s cortisol response. This process mobilizes energy reserves and perks up your motivation. In addition, you’ll begin to interrupt draining thoughts, improve concentration, decrease general levels of anxiety. 

Full-Body Energizer

When you’re in a hurry and don’t have time for deep muscle tensing and relaxing for each muscle group, try this full-body energizer. It’s a quick pick-me-up when I need some energy throughout the day.

Here’s how…
1. Tense all your muscles at once, from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.
2. Hold it for about 4-10 seconds.
3. Exhale as you completely let go.

Kick Up Your Feet

Lie on your back with your legs straight up the wall. If possible, have your sitbones touching the wall. Soften your belly and relax your inner groin. Relaxing in this pose, imagine letting go and having the floor support you. Take long, deep breaths, and with each breath, let the tension release. This pose is the queen of yoga poses when it comes to  rejuvenating.

BONUS… Recharge With Your Breath!

While you are inverted, practice a breathing technique called the Breath of Fire. This method mimics panting through the nose and places equal emphasis on the exhale and the inhale. This rapid nasal breathing “fires” you up and stimulates metabolic processes.

Here’s how…
1. Breathing only through the nose, pull your navel toward your lower back to create the exhale.
2. Then soften your belly and let the inhale come naturally.
3. Pulse the exhales rapidly, relaxing between each exhale to let the air flow back in.
Women with an IUD should not do Breath of Fire.

I like to repeat this process 3-4 times in the morning to wake up my energy!