Energize fast with Yoga: rev up on the spot with one of these three moves - Fitness made easy: how to get in great shape

by Clare Horn

YOGA CAN PERK YOU UP IN the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. But instead of making you feel buzzed and jittery, yoga leaves you feeling clear-headed and focused, explains Elaine Gavalas, a New York City-based exercise physiologist, yoga instructor, and author of The Yoga Minibook for Energy and Strength (Fireside, 2003). It does this by improving your circulation, encouraging deeper breathing, and boosting your level of feel-good hormones called endorphins. Gavalas suggests doing any of the following moves whenever you need a jump-start.

The Woodchopper

1. Stand with your back straight and your feet hip-width apart and clasp your hands in front of you at shoulder height.

2. Inhale through your nose and lift your arms so they're directly over your head, with your hands still clasped. Hold this position for 3 counts.

3. Exhale through your mouth, fold forward (keeping your back as straight as possible, as pictured), and swing your arms down as if you're swinging an ax down to chop a piece of wood. Continue your motion until your arms pass between your legs, as pictured, inset. Hold that position for 3 counts.

4. Inhale deeply as you raise your body back to a standing position. Exhale and lower your arms to your sides.

5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 twice.

The Chest Expander

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and clasp your hands behind your back. Your elbows should be straight. If your shoulders and chest are tight, it may help to clasp the ends of a towel or belt behind your back.

2. Inhale through your nose as you lift your chest toward the ceiling and press your shoulders down and away from your ears. Slowly exhale through your nose as you allow your head to drop back, keeping your elbows straight and gently squeezing your shoulder blades together, as pictured. Tighten your buttocks, tilt your pelvis under your torso so your lower back isn't arched, and pull your abdomen in.

3. Stay in the stretch for the remainder of your exhalation. Release your clasped hands and return to a standing position with your arms at your sides and your head facing forward.

The Seated Forward Hang

1. Sit straight in a chair with your legs together and your feet flat on the floor. Inhale through your nose.

2. As you exhale through your nose, round your shoulders and spine and fold forward. Lower your torso one vertebra at a time until your chest touches your thighs. Your arms should hang down by your calves, as pictured. Feel your back and shoulder muscles stretch as you relax in this position and breathe deeply for 3 counts.

3. Place your hands on your knees and without pushing against them, slowly roll to an upright position, one vertebra at a time, raising your head last.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3.

Consider This

Breathe in Energy

You don't have to lift a finger to do this instant energy-builder. New York City-based exercise physiologist and yoga instructor Elaine Gavalas recommends the following: With your mouth closed, inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold your breath for 1 count, and then exhale through your nose for 8 counts. Hold your breath for 4 counts. Next, inhale for 6 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, and then exhale for 6 counts. Hold your breath for 1 count.

Clare Horn is an associate editor at Natural Health. She does the Seated Forward Hang for a mid-afternoon energy boost.