Get juiced! To get energy, you need to spend energy: Om Yoga's Cyndi Lee shows how an invigorating step-by-step flowing yoga workout can recharge your day

Natural Health, Feb, 2005 by Cyndi Lee

SINCE I OWN A YOGA CENTER, people always tell me they're envious of my job. They assume that my work environment is ultra-mellow, and that because I'm doing what I love, I must feel energized and satisfied all the time. The truth is that my day looks much like that of any other small-business owner: meeting with lawyers, accountants, and repair people; overseeing program development, advertising, and Web site concepts; and managing inventory. By the end of the day I sometimes feel too spent to do my own yoga practice, even though I just need to cross the hall and step into the studio, where a class starts every hour of the day.

Still, I always make myself do it. No matter how I feel when I begin my practice, I always feel better afterward. If I am tired, I will be less tired; if I am sluggish, I will be refreshed. If I am nervous, I will feel grounded and calm. Yoga is the ultimate energy balancer.

the gathering

Most of the time our energy is all over the place--we get pushed and pulled in too many directions by work, family, and our need for time alone. By synchronizing movement and breath as a form of meditation in motion, yoga helps us gather that energy back up and spend it in more productive ways.

To make the most of any energy--whether it's derived from the elements, electricity, food, or love--we need to be willing to spend it. When we try to hoard energy, we end up as depleted as if we'd overspent it. (Ever try to stockpile fresh food? It quickly spoils.) Energy must be free to move in, circulate around, and then move back out, unobstructed.

The most immediate way to experience this giving and receiving is through breathing. Try it right now: Take five deep breaths, focusing all of your attention on each inhalation and exhalation. This may be challenging at first, but with a little practice you will discover it's a reliable way to generate calm, collected energy anytime, anywhere. Your breath is there for your benefit whenever you need to gather your resources, whether you're in a boardroom or arguing with someone you love.

the flow

Vinyasa yoga (also called flow yoga) ups the ante by harmonizing the breath with a series of poses linked together in a logical sequence.

Vinyasa yoga also teaches us to create sustained energy and effort. Often, we spend our energy inefficiently, in fits and starts; it's like revving up and stopping a car over and over, which depletes fuel. There are no peaks and valleys in vinyasa yoga--only constant attention to body, mind, and breath, and a focus on how we are spending our energy in the moment.

Paying attention to this process is called mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness while doing yoga helps develop mind-body stamina. You won't will as easily under the pressures of the day; you'll have better concentration when problem solving; and you'll bring more vitality to each and every task. You'll be able to collect and focus the energy you need because you will have cultivated that skill in yoga--and that, by the way, is why we call it a practice.

But here's the real payoff: As you harness your energy through yoga, you'll become more conscious about letting it go. Yoga practice will enable you to cultivate enough energy to extend your natural compassion and kindness to others, to be helpful in the world, to do good. And, as a delightful side effect, you'll end up looking and feeling good, too.

the practice

The series I've created here offers a great way to move your body, awaken your mind, deepen your breathing, and balance your energy. As you shift into various poses and move through the transitional movements that link them, you'll produce heat, which warms your muscles and creates an overall sense of well-being that I like to call "juiciness."

Perform the entire sequence on one side (that is, leading with the left foot), then repeat from the beginning on the other side (leading with the right foot). Make sure you breathe! Your breath is the most important element in the sequence; it's what keeps energy circulating throughout your system. Inhale and exhale through your nose, and pay attention to the specific breathing instructions given.

It should take you about 10 minutes to complete the moves on both sides. That's a small investment for what is a terrific, immediate energy booster.

THE JUICY YOGA STRATEGY

WHAT TO DO: Perform these moves in the order given. It will take you about 10 minutes to do the entire energizing sequence once on each side. The more you practice the routine, the better--daily is fine.

HOW TO PROGRESS: For more of a challenge, work toward holding all the poses longer (taking several breaths in each one), or do the entire routine--from top to bottom--several times.

HOW TO FINISH: End your yoga practice with a deep relaxation, making time to let go of physical activity and receive the benefits of your work. Simply lie on your back with your palms turned up, and let your legs fall open naturally. Close your eyes, and release control of your breath; watch your thoughts coming and going as if they were clouds passing across the sky.