Ever wonder how to spark motivation, ignite your inner fire and increase your confidence? These 5 exercises are shockingly easy to incorporate into your busy day to do just that!
#1 Twists
Utilizing core engagement, twists manually massage your inner organs and literally spark digestion. The yogis say this action correlates to Samana Vayu, which is one of the 5 winds that governs the movement of energy within the body. Samana Vayu is responsible for physical, mental and emotional digestion. When we twist we literally spark our digestion which in turn ignites our inner fire.
#2 Belly Down Backbends.
Backbends are incredible in their ability to create space and invite in a sense of vitality and positive energy. The expansion across the chest allows for a deeper inhale, as well as a feeling of vibrancy. So why belly down backbends? Having the belly on the ground brings the focus to the navel center. Engaging the core in a backbend not only supports the low back, but also ignites Samana Vayu, which translates to the awakening of your power center, or inner fire, located in the navel.
#3 Deeply Breath into the Belly
By consciously drawing the breath deep into the belly, what you are actually doing is pulling the diaphragm down, which in turn allows for more air to enter the lungs. Exhale fully, engaging the navel to empty out completely. Repeat. While repeating this exercise, visualize the oxygen feeding a fire in your navel center. This fire is what feeds your personal power, increasing confidence levels. When we ignite this inner fire at the navel we spark a motivation to live courageously, authentically and vibrantly.
#4 Visualize the Color Orange
Now you’re thinking, really Tina, how will visualizing the color orange help me to increase my confidence? Well, keeping with the theme of inner fire, take a moment to pause, and sit up straight and bring your awareness to navel center. Imagine an orange disk spinning clockwise. As this disk spins, it radiates a vibrant orange color throughout your core. Feel this orange energy touch every inch of your center. While the orange disk continues to spin it picks up speed, feel the disk stabilize at your navel as it spins faster and faster. Rest in this action. Eventually allow the spinning disk to dissolve but sense the vibrant color orange remains, as it radiates throughout your center.
#5 Charge up with Mantra
If you’ve stuck with me this far, here me out. Mantra is the fastest way to change our create a desired affect. We are energetic beings and we react to sound vibrations. Just think of the last time you were at a concert, engulfed in music, feeling each note. Sense how the music literally enhanced or altered your mood. Sound vibration has the power to affect our inner landscape, thus why yogis have been chanting for thousands of years.
Specific vibrations create specific changes. Therefore, if we want to charge up our inner power center a simple, yet effective way, is to repeat RAM. (pronounced with an ‘ah’ in the middle, R-AH-M). RAM, is the seed sound, or vibration that aligns our third chakra, which, as your learning is located in the navel center. The previous 4 exercises have brought awareness to the navel by manually massaging the inner organs and generating digestion through twists. Igniting the inner fire and increasing life force energy with belly down backbends. Feeding the fire with conscious deep belly breathing. As well as sensing, feeling and/or seeing the vibrant color orange at the navel.
This touches upon kinesthetic, and visual we now add in the audial component, with the repetition of the sound RAM. Which, you may quietly repeat internally or out loud. Both work to charge up our inner fire, aka our power center aka third chakra aka Manipura Chakra. So, don’t be shy, just try! RAM. RAM. RAM. Feel the vibration of the sound seeded in the navel center. Repeat for as long as you like.
Incorporate these 5 exercises into your day for 1 week and sense your inner fire ignite. Create a daily practice for 1 month and be shockingly surprised just
how much more confident and courageous you feel!
Sample Poses for Twists
Supine Twist, Seated Twist, Revolved Pyramid Pose
**note you always want to twist to the right, then left. This will appropriately work the colon ascending to descending which aid in waste elimination. When lying on the back in a supine position, the legs will cross to the left side of the body first, which creates a right directional twist. Repeat on the second side.
Sample Poses for Belly Down Backbends:
Dynamic Shalambasana, Locust Pose, Bow Pose
PC: Tom Lebsack of MOTphotography.com
