Leonor Mowry, director of Village Yoga in Toronto's Forest Hill Village and co-author of Advancing Your Yoga Practice: The Art of Slowing Down, says that humans are governed by cycles -- whether we know it or not -- and there are both times of the day and year when we feel more or less energized. So if winter has you feeling sluggish and in the mood for a little hibernation, Leonor has some easy tips and tricks for boosting your flagging energy levels.
Here are Leonor's tried and true strategies for staying positive, balanced and energized during the winter months. Aside from the obvious (eating healthy, exercising regularly, drinking lots of water), here are a few of her favourites:
1. Create a nurturing home: Every January, I feel compelled to clear clutter, reorganize my home office, give away clothes I don't wear, and generally create a more serene home environment. The process makes me feel like I'm taking control of my life and the result is that I feel nurtured in my nest.
2. Vitamin D: This is a new one for me. Recent scientific studies have shown that we need far more Vitamin D than previously thought. Ingesting more (since I'm not out playing in the sun) has me waking up happy.
3. Meditate: Don't know how? Can't clear your mind? Just relax and observe your breath. Even 5 minutes a day can make a difference. If even that seems like a tall order, try guided relaxation. I've created some 15-minute guided relaxations (you can listen here for free) that will elicit a deep sense of peace, with virtually no effort on your part!
4. The 2-Minute Energy Blast: This is by far my favourite and most trusted strategy to increase my energy immediately, with minimal effort. Here's how it's done:
* Tent your fingers and lightly begin to tap your head. Keep the tapping light; this shouldn't hurt! Tap all over your head for about 20-30 seconds. When you're done, you'll probably feel subtle tingling where you've tapped. This is good -- your upper energy channel is opening!
* Stand up and place a tennis ball (or acuball-mini) under one foot. Lightly roll out the bottom of the foot on the ball, taking care to pay attention to the heel, the arches, the ball of the foot and the base of the toes. Keep rolling for about a minute. Come off the ball and stand up straight, comparing how each foot connects with the floor. The foot you've just rolled will probably feel much more grounded and connected than the other one. This is also good, as you've improved your energetic connection with the earth. Change sides and roll out the other foot.
* If tapping didn't make you feel ridiculous, this surely will. Jump up and down in place. Keep jumping for about 15-30 seconds. Smile. This is supposed to be fun! Channel your inner 10-year-old and just play with it. No rigidity in the body, please. If jumping up and down isn't possible, try just bouncing up and down, letting the limbs shake, keeping the knees bent. If anything hurts, stop immediately and move in a pain-free way, less vigorously.
* VOILA! The energy has increased and you're probably feeling lighter and happier. Repeat this process any time you need a little boost.
No comments:
Post a Comment