💡Idea
Post-holiday exhaustion is real.
Rather than starting the year building "the new you," focus on recharging "the old you."
🧘🏽 Focus Pose
Step1
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Rest the arms alongside the body/on your belly.
Keep the lower back flat on the mat.
Inhale and notice your belly rising. Exhale and engage your abdominals as you draw the belly button in and up.
Inhale and drop one knee to the side without moving your pelvis.
Exhale and bring it in.
Alternate legs for about a minute.
Step 2
Return to the starting position.
Brings the soles of the feet together and splay your knees to the sides.
Place your hands on the inner thighs.
Exhale as you start to slowly draw your knees back up while pressing your hands into the thighs to create resistance.
Inhale and open the knees to the sides.
Continue the movement for about a minute.
Step 3
Return to the starting position.
Bring the soles of your feet together.
Inhale as you slowly separate the knees and bring them apart as far as comfortable.
Rest your arms on the belly, alongside your torso, or overhead.
Relax into the stretch in your inner thighs and groin.
If available, use props - lie on a firm pillow or a bolster for an extra opening in your chest. Rest your outer thighs on blocks or cushions for a more restorative stretch.
🧠 Brain Food
"The richest, happiest and most productive lives are characterized by the ability to fully engage in the challenge at hand, but also to disengage periodically and seek renewal. Instead, many of us live our lives as if we are running in an endless marathon, pushing ourselves far beyond healthy levels of exertion. … We, too, must learn to live our own lives as a series of sprints— fully engaging for periods of time, and then fully disengaging and seeking renewal before jumping back into the fray to face whatever challenges confront us."
In the book "The Power Of Full Engagement," Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz talk about four types of energy:
Physical -> sustained by sleep, breath, food, and movement
Emotional -> sustained by any activity that brings you positive emotions
Mental -> sustained by positive self-talk, visualization, processing tasks, creativity
Spiritual -> sustained by a healthy balance of commitment to others and self-care, reflection.
To keep your energy high, you need to periodically check in with yourself, identify energy gaps, and balance the four types of energy by doing positive rituals.
💪 Action
Use this easy practice to learn what gives you energy.
Identify. Think of at least 10 rituals to replenish the four types of energy. It can be as easy as drinking water throughout the day or taking a minute to breathe.
Act. Dedicate time each day during this weekend and next week to perform at least one ritual from your list.
Record & Reflect. Notice how you feel after each ritual. Note down your energy level in this printable - simply write the name of a ritual at the bottom of each battery and fill the battery charge as you finish with the rituals.
Repeat. At the end of the next week, take a look at your printable to see what rituals give you the most energy. Try to do them as often as possible.
Got any comments or ideas about future issues? Email me at laura@yogakali.com.
Happy weekend!
Laura