Elevate Your Life: Simple Yogic Techniques for More Energy

Almost all of us want more energy. Some need it desperately- like those with chronic fatigue- others just want to live life to the full.

How to improve energy is an exhaustive subject, but here are some simple yogic tips that don’t involve you changing your diet or fasting or trying outlandish, expensive treatments,

Yoga says regarding energy-

• Some are just born with more energy.

  • This is 100% true. I have seen people stay up all night drinking and partying and then get up the next morning and do a fantastic day’s work. They require an unusually small amount of sleep (this is genetic- however hard you try, you can’t learn to sleep less) and are fantastically robust. They can be terrible people to befriend, as if you start to copy their behaviour, you will generally end up ruined!

• There are three other ways to gain more energy-

  • Meditation

  • Mantra

  • Herbs

So if you are struggling with energy, start a meditation practice. Aim for 45 minutes of meditation a day (any time is good!), which you can space throughout the day. If you are very fatigued, you can meditate in bed. Otherwise be upright in a chair or sitting on the floor. Looking at a candle flame with half-closed eyes is a gentle way to start meditating (it’s also very good for those who get blue in the winter). Ideally you should do a little yoga and pranayama before starting meditation. It is best to meditate on an empty stomach. If you can’t meditate, just do some gentle yoga.

Mantra is unfamiliar to many of us. There are lots of powerful Sanskrit yoga mantras or you can use affirmations in English, which can put you in a beautifully positive state of mind. You can chant mantras, speak them, or just repeat them in your head.

Here’s one to start with, if you would like to try, that gives you a positive energy. It will feel odd at first, but just keep repeating it until you know it by hand.

Gayatri Mantra

Pronunciation:

Om bhur bhuvah svah | tat savitur varenyam | bhargo devasya dhimahi | dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

Translation:

Earth, Heaven, the Whole Between.

The excellent divine power of the Sun.

May we contemplate the radiance of that god,

May this inspire our understandinng.

Meaning: This is one of the oldest and most powerful Sanskrit mantras. It celebrates the sun (you do not need to believe in God to chant it) and is a tool for personal transformation. Aim to repeat it 108 times a day and you may notice a gradual shift in your energy, as you open yourself up to the boundless energy of the universe.

Fantastically, both meditating and reciting mantras are free!

Adding herbs to your daily routine is also a powerful way of supporting your energy. Ideally see an Ayurvedic doctor for advice. Once you know what herbs suit you, if you are green-fingered you can start growing them yourself, and then use the herbs seasonally.

Please try and let me know how you get on!