Aries Yoga

Try Aries Yoga for low energy and seasonal affective disorder. Promotes strength, action, vitality, healthy release of anger and moving forward. Builds heat in the body.

Aries rules the head, brain, eyes, face and muscles.

Prana vayu : udana // Ayurvedic dosha : pitta

Meditation : moving

The best way to harness Aries energy is to move while you meditate. Start by sitting on the ground or standing in tadasana, mountain pose. Fill your entire body with deep breath. Begin moving only when you have reached a place of relative inner stillness. Move slowly at first, allowing the body to lead. Do not let the mind think you into the next pose. Notice where and how your body connects to the Earth. Keep your eyes open or closed. Tap into your intuition and animal instincts to guide you forward. Do not worry about what you look like or whether or not your sequence is “correct.” It is.

Kapalabhati (skull polishing breath)

Start in a seated position. (Alternatively, take utkata konasana, or goddess pose, in the lower body and then place hands on quads for support, upper body angled forward.) Take a big inhale to fill the heart space. Forcefully and rapidly engage the abdominal muscles, pulling the belly toward the spine and effectively pushing small quantities of air out through the nostrils. The inhales following the dynamic exhales will be automatic. Kapalabhati oxygenates the blood, improves digestion and circulation, clears the sinuses AND provides an abdominal workout all at the same time. Generating heat with kapalabhati first thing in the morning dissolves toxins that have been in the body all night, or maybe even longer. Remember to focus on exhaling – the following inhale will come naturally. It’s a good idea to blow your nose before starting :) After 30 to 60 seconds, return to your normal breath and observe.

  1. virabhadrasana 1 (warrior 1 pose) followed by humble warrior
  2. virabhadrasana 2 (warrior 2 pose) followed by reverse warrior
  3. utkatasana (chair pose)
  4. sirsasana (headstand)
  5. agnistambhasana (fire log pose)

sirsasana

For optical health : Rub your palms together until warm and then gently press them against closed eyelids. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Next pick a point with your eyes that is just in front of your face, perhaps allowing the eyes to cross. Then let the eyes focus on a point just beyond the body. Move next to a wall or the nearest external object. Lastly focus intently on a spot that is far from you, even miles in the distance. From here, retrace your steps until your eyes come to focus somewhere just in front of the nose again. Next try rolling the eyes from corner to corner, starting at the top left. Roll down the periphery to the bottom left, across to the bottom right, up to the top right corner and then back to the start.