In yoga there are a few different practices that can help to boost your mood. Breathwork or Pranayama can be a way to give your body and mind a charge of energy. It’s like when you plug in your mobile phone to charge the battery; yogic breathing is plugging into and increasing your energy.
Try this breathing exercise from my Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation Tool Box to boost your mood:
Sun Breath
Sun Breath is a fast paced breath, a rhythmic breath, and a continuous breath. The exhales are active and forceful while the inhales are passive and effortless. Sun Breath is powered from the belly. The chest stays relaxed and slightly lifted.
Begin practicing Sun Breath for 1-3 minutes. Some people find it easy to do Sun Breath for a full 10 minutes right way. Others find that the breath creates a dizziness or giddiness. If this happens, take a break. Sun Breath nourishes the respiratory system but it is not recommended if you have a respiratory infection, if you are menstruating or pregnant.
Sit with legs crossed in Easy Pose or sitting on your bent legs in Rock Pose. Sit up tall, lengthening the spine and lifting up through the top of the head. Place your hands on your knees in a relaxed way. Take a big deep breath in and a big deep breath out. Inhale deeply and exhale forcefully as if you are panting like a dog. On the inhale the belly puffs out and on the exhale snap your belly back towards your spine while drawing your belly in. Bring one hand to your belly and feel how the belly puffs out on the inhale and on the exhale the belly draws back in. Begin to speed up the breathing so you sound like you are a puffer locomotive train.
As you continue with Sun Breath, place your hands back on your knees. Continue for 1-3 minutes then relax the breathing. Take a mindful moment and notice how you feel.
Here is a yoga sequence of poses to boost your mood:
Low Lunge
(Anjaneyasana)
Sphinx
(Salamba Bhujangasana)
Downward Facing Dog
(Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Bow Pose
(Dhanurasana)
Child’s Pose
(Balasana)
Heart opening poses like Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) and Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) increase the oxygen in the body. In addition, these poses help to boost your mood and can help fight fatigue. All the poses in the sequence can be modified to be done in a chair.
We are so excited to practice these exercises during our classes at Peaceful Yoga studio opening in Malverne, New York in September. We seek to help others thrive in life by nurturing the body, mind, and soul with yoga, mindfulness and meditation. Boosting your mood is an important way to thrive, as well as increase productivity in daily activities. Our hope is that every time you step off the mat, you will be feeling refreshed and energized. Follow us on Instagram for more tips like these and a chance to win free yoga classes!
