Fitness

Big, Easy

ENERGY BOOST

Enhancing your energy circulation is as easy as realigning your posture

Most people will agree that having more energy is a good thing. More energy to work without feeling exhausted, exercise or socialize, and perform one’s daily chores. This is why we have a whole industry dedicated to energy drinks, supplements, and dietary strategies for feeling more vital. Rarely, however, do we think to look inside ourselves for the energy that we already possess and think how we might distribute it more efficiently.

TAKE AN HONEST EVALUATION

Take a nonjudgmental view of your posture, either by looking in the mirror or at a photo of yourself. Pay particular attention to the alignment of your chest and arms. Do your collar bones appear lifted and buoyant, or do they seem to be drooping down toward your breastbone? Do your arms look like they are supporting the lift of your chest, or are they pulling it down? Finally, do you see your palms or the back of your hands when observing yourself from the front? Please don’t fall into the trap of selfcriticism! This exercise is about selfobservation, not self-loathing. It is meant to give you an honest appraisal of the architecture of your body so that you might learn to organize it optimally. Most people these days spend considerable time hunched over a keyboard or electronic device. The consequence of this forward and down orientation is that the chest collapses down onto the pelvis, which restricts the diaphragm movement and compresses the heart and lungs. The net result is hampered breathing and circulation. And this is why life, at times, can feel like such a drag – we are unconsciously dragging ourselves down and subtly suffocating ourselves.

RE-BALANCE YOURSELF

First, you cannot correct this habit by tightening your back muscles to sit up straight. Instead, it is far simpler to balance your body like a stack of children’s building blocks. • Sit toward the front edge of your chair so that you are not relying on the chair back for support. Make the rim of your pelvis parallel to the floor. (Don’t tilt your pelvis forward, swayed back, or tuck your tailbone under.) • Hook your thumbs under the flesh of your armpits and lift up. Avoid scrunching your shoulders upwards. You should feel your collarbones lift and the front of your chest open like a spinnaker sail. • Relax your hands back onto your lap, palms facing up. This will externally rotate your upper arms in the shoulder sockets, which will maintain the broadness and lift of your chest. • Feel how much easier it is to breathe in this position! In fact, you don’t need any effort to breathe: the wind will naturally flow into that wide, open spinnaker sail. Of course, you can still enjoy your favorite caffeinated beverage for an extra boost of energy when needed. But with this new postural awareness, you will enhance your existing energy circulation. Best yet, it’s free, easy, and always available!

Geoffrey Roniger is the owner of Freret Street Yoga. He has been teaching full time for nearly twenty years and is considered an expert in the field of adaptive yoga.