5 Yoga Poses to Boost Your Energy!

Feeling a bit sluggish in the morning? Got a case of late afternoon sleepiness?

Whether you’re trying to jump start your morning or give yourself a non-caffeine jolt in the afternoon, try out the poses below for a healthy, centering, and reinvigorating boost to your day!

1. Camel Pose

CamelPose

This is a great pose to open up the chest and abdomen, as well as stretch out the neck. It can take a bit of flexibility, so if you find yourself having trouble or straining to touch your ankles, try putting a block on the outside of each of your ankles to make it a bit easier and allow yourself to fully experience the pose.

 

2. Upward Dog Pose

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Please note: Photo above not an accurate depiction of this pose. Chosen solely because of extreme cuteness.

This is an amazing pose for an awesome back and arm stretch that will leave you feeling opened up and refreshed. It’s an involved stretch that will help to improve not only your energy, but can also help to relieve sciatica! Try it on a mat or blanket for optimum leg and body comfort.

 

3. Bridge Pose

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This allows for a neck stretch that’s super satisfying and can help perk you up! It’s also a versatile pose that offers different levels of stretch and difficulty, making it an accessible pose for yogis of all skill levels. For a modified version, try it with a block under the base of your back and your arms on either side.

 

4. Knee-to-Chest Pose

KneetoChest knees-chest

This pose is ideal for stretching out the lower back and thighs, and can aide in a feeling of increased energy flow throughout the lower part of the body. This pose is easily modified, so don’t feel you have to overdo it by bringing your legs all the way up to your chest!

 

5. Mountain Pose

MountainPose

Although it may not seem like it at first glance, mountain pose is a great way to bring yourself into the present moment for a feeling of rejuvenation and increased energy. Feel the ground beneath your feet, and the firmness of your muscles. Let yourself breathe easily in this pose.

Find all the props you need for these (and all other!) poses today – only at Barefootyoga.com.

 

Posted under Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Health and Fitness, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Mats, Yoga Supplies

This post was written by Carolina on September 3, 2015

Welcome to the Barefoot Yoga family, Liquido Active!

Say hello to the newest member of Barefoot Yoga’s clothing family: Liquido Active!

Available in a range of eye catching, stunning, and quite frankly, irresistible, patterns, we’ve found ourselves falling head-over-heels for these bright new prints!

Their moisture-wicking, silky smooth (yet sturdy) fabric is perfect for any workout you can imagine – from stand-up paddle board yoga to a quick jog – while the fun prints make them ideal for everything from errand running to evening yoga class wear.

Take a look at the beautiful prints just-in below, along with our favorite BFY props to pair them with!

Dragonfly

The striking Dragonfly pattern evokes a nature inspired design that looks stunning with the new Emerald green color of our 1/6” Hybrid Mat and a beautiful charcoal grey Silk Eye Pillow! Try throwing these on for a relaxing Saturday morning practice for the perfect start to your weekend.

 

Holi

 

This pattern is like a jolt of caffeine (and we mean that in a good way)!

Try pairing the Holi print leggings with our bright pink Mandala Embroidered Zafu and a vibrant purple Practice Strap on a day when you’re feeling loud and confident for a look that’s bright and beautiful!

We especially love the color palette above for a glowga class or going out to a weekend yoga festival.

 

India

Earthy and rich are the words that come to mind with the super cute India pattern leggings – particularly when paired with this plum colored Cotton Jacquard Mat Bag and a set of beautiful Indian Rosewood Blocks.

This pattern is very versatile and easy to wear for any occasion – whether you’re going from the gym out to lunch, or just lounging at home!

 

RidetheWave

This abstract, soft pattern evokes a unique and almost ethereal feel. These are perfect for an outdoor class spent doing poses on your favorite practice rug, or worn during a morning hike.

For all of your fall fashion and yoga prop needs, come visit us today at barefootyoga.com!

Posted under Barefoot Yoga News, Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Health and Fitness, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Clothing, Yoga Gift Ideas, Yoga Mats, Yoga News, Yoga Supplies

This post was written by Carolina on August 28, 2015

Yoga Revival – Week 7: Empty Warehouse Yoga

 

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When Friday of week 7 of my “Yoga Revival” came around, I knew I had some free time after work, so planned to do my yoga then. It was another beautiful Seattle summer day, and the great outdoors beckoned me to do it outside. But, in the name of saving time (for a little kayaking), I decided to do my yoga in the warehouse here at Barefoot Yoga HQ after everyone left for the weekend.

I blasted some random yoga music from my computer, and rolled out my Barefoot Performance Grip mat – which has been getting grippier with age (mats really do take some time to break in). I rolled around on a tennis ball for a while, and did some hamstring stretches lying on my back – using a strap. This has become my standard warm-up.

Before getting too comfortable, I jumped up and began my sun salutations. I do these pretty similarly each time, extending the traditional salutations in ways I’ve learned over the years from various teachers, and my own experimentation – that help me to get deeper in each pose.

I am sometimes surprised when my 30 minute watch alarm goes off, and I am only just finishing my sun salutations. It’s a good sign when this happens, and an even better sign when I don’t hear the alarm, because I am so deeply immersed in the practice and the sound of my breathing. I love this about asana practice. It is easy to get so involved in the movement and breathing, that you lose yourself – which is to say you find yourself – completely immersed in the moment. These ancient yoga poses draw us into this kind of meditation, where the body and mind merge as one. There is effort, but there is also an effortless quality to this convergence. Sometimes it just happens…naturally.

Sitting meditation, on the other hand, does not provide movement to assist the mind into such a zone. Over the past 7 weeks since committing to a virtually daily practice, I have done many 30 minute sitting meditations – primarily because I had come to the end of the day without getting my yoga in, and was too full of food to do an asana practice.

There have been moments during these sitting meditations when I was in “the zone” – thinking of nothing, deeply immersed in the sound of my own breathing, very still. But I hazard to guess there have been more moments when I was squirming, my mind wandering, and wondering how long until my alarm would go off, and how was I going to make it.

On this particular afternoon, my alarm went off sooner than expected. So I reset it, and kept going. And I ended with a 10 minute sitting meditation. The random yoga music from my computer happened to have become a buoyantly sung version of the Tibetan incantation – Om Mani Padme Hum – one I had learned many years earlier when hiking the Annapurna trail in Nepal, and reading The Snow Leopard.  

Alone in the warehouse, I sang that chant with the kind of abandon I don’t believe I could have done in a class full of strangers. I was thoroughly immersed in it, “Om Mani Padme Hum” echoing through the warehouse. Those 10 minutes of sitting meditation went by in a flash. I sealed the deal with sivasana, and floated onwards from my warehouse refuge into the sunny Seattle evening – humming peacefully.

 

Posted under Eco-Friendly Yoga Products, Health and Fitness, Meditation, Styles of Yoga, Yoga Mats

This post was written by David on August 20, 2015