Energizing Pranayama & Exercise Routine

This set of Pranayama and Exercises brings vitality, energy, enthusiasm and focus progressively.

Designed as a perfect start to the day from the moment you wake up, or for those with Chronic Fatigue or Depression or Apathy, as a powerful progressive energy booster. This can also be done during an energy crash or slump during the day, but not to be practiced close to bed time. I suggest familiarizing yourself with each of the techniques individually first, so that when you do the set it will take only 10-15 minutes. Each technique is just designed to boost you enough to be able to do the next technique. They incorporate the most powerful breathing techniques, and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) principles designed to activate all the biochemical energy mechanisms of the body in turn. One may stop the sequence whenever one feels sufficiently energized.

Use the fingers of the left hand to count the Breaths. This routine is started while sitting on a chair, or the initial one while still lying down in bed.

Quick Reference:

1. Use a constant fast repeating Mantra in the mind of Energy-Energy-Energy (8 Breaths). Repeat the word Energy in the mind energetically with no pause between, constantly.
2. Surya Anuloma Viloma Pranayama (5 Breaths)
3. Surya Kapalabhati (20 Breaths pause 10 Breaths)
4. Surya Bhastrika (20 Breaths pause 10 Breaths)
5. Agnisara Dhauti (1 Breath)
6. Seated high intensity knee lifts (20s 10s pause x2)
7. Standing Forward Bend (30 Breaths)
8. Back and Forward Bends (15 Breaths pause 15 Breaths)
9. Jumping Jacks (60 times pause 60s)
10. Burpees or Squat Thrusts (x5)
11. Jogging on the Spot for Aerobic Energy (2mins)
12. Anapanasati (until slow)

Detailed Instruction

Use a constant fast repeating Mantra in the mind of Energy-Energy-Energy (8 Breaths).

Surya Anuloma Viloma Pranayama (5 Breaths)

Adopt Nasika Mudra with your right hand (folding index and middle fingers towards palm). Close the left nostril with the little and ring fingers of Nasika Mudra. Inhale and exhale slowly through the right nostril (surya nadi) only. Keep the left nostril closed all the time. Exhalation should be longer than inhalation.

Surya Kapalabhati (20 Breaths pause 10 Breaths)

Blocking the left nostril as above, except as you exhale, pull your stomach in forcefully. Pull your navel in back towards the spine. Do as much as you comfortably can. As you relax the navel and abdomen, the breath flows into your lungs automatically.

Surya Bhastrika (20 Breaths pause 10 Breaths)

Blocking the left nostril as above, exhale whatever breath is left in the lungs and then take a short strong breath through both the nostrils till the lungs are full and diaphragm is stretched. Fill air in the chest area, i.e. up to diaphragm, so that the rib cage swells up. Please do not inhale into the abdomen. Then expel the breath with a quick strong blast forcefully. After finishing the set you can rest your hand back down.

Agnisara Dhauti (1 Breath)

Placing hands on knees, leaning weight forwards onto arms, take a deep breath and exhale fully and lock the throat, then pull up perineum and clench anus, pull in the lower abdomen, upper abdomen, and go into Uddiyana Bandha where the upper abdomen is pulled back and up with chest expanded. Rapidly release the belly and repeat in quick succession as many times as you can before you need to inhale. Then release belly and inhale a deep breath and hold for a long time.

Tabata seated high intensity knee lifts for Anaerobic Creatine-Phospate Activation (20s 10s pause x2)

Still seated alternately lift knees and touch toes back down as fast as possible, for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds and repeat another set.

Standing Forward Bend (30 Breaths)

Standing feet shoulder width apart, bend forwards and dangle, then breathe in and hold briefly before releasing for each of the following (for Post-Isometric Relaxation and Reciprocal Inhibition neuro-muscular tension release):

• curl toes under,
• lift toes up,
• balancing lift heels up,
• balancing lift front of foot up,
• push knees with hands while knees resist,
• pull behind knees with hands while knees resist,
• grab legs at current lowest point and pull your body upwards against that resistance,
• releasing hands arch back upwards to parallel with ground looking up,
• feet not moving pull knees towards each other,
• push as if knees widening,
• rotate knees inwards,
• then outwards,
• rotate torso to grab outside right ankle,
• then left ankle,
• twist torso clockwise,
• then anticlockwise.
  Then place hands on ground if they reach there and focus attention on Muladhara chakra at the perineum (between genital and anus) while using the Energy Mantra.

Back and Forward Bends (15 Breaths pause 15 Breaths)

Inhaling, stand back up with hands in prayer position, and then gently bend backwards raising the palms together above and behind you. Then exhaling bend forwards and reach to the ground. Repeat at a fairly swift pace of high intensity.

Jumping Jacks for Anaerobic Glycolysis Energy (60 times pause 60s)

Standing with arms at the side, jump the feet wider and raise your arms to the sides and up, then jump back and bring the arms back down.

Burpees or Squat Thrusts (Optional, just a few, not to exhaustion)

Jogging on the Spot for Aerobic Energy (2mins)

Light and gentle jogging on the spot, or around your room.

Anapanasati (until slow)

Mentally count the length of the inhalation, with no pauses between counts, until the beginning of the exhalation, then begin counting anew the length of the exhalation. No controlling the breath, just measuring. For example, In 1-2-3-4-5-6-Out-1-2-3-4-5-6. Observe how the rhythms naturally slow down, until you feel calm and focused, yet energized.