Lack of Vitality

Lack of vitality is often a sign of imbalance or lack of prana. The cause can be chronic pain, lack of sleep, overeating, excessive worry. An imbalance between engagement at work and relaxation leads to lack of vitality, dullness, lethargy and lack of motivation. Pranayama can help:

-          In building up your energy, emotional balance and mental clarity

-          In motivating you to engage again in life

-          In developing a healthy balance in your daily life

You can improve the quantity and quality of your energy with pranayama and thereby influence physical, mental and emotional wellbeing to become active and responsible for your life.

PRANAYAMA SADHANA

Morning, before breakfast

-          Three-mantra sadhana with the sankalpa

-          Asana

-          Pranayama:

Lie in shavasana and become aware your natural breath for a few minutes.

Slowly start with abdominal breathing for 15 rounds, do this for one week. In the next week take up thoracic breathing, followed by clavicular breathing in the third week. In the fourth week you will be ready for full yogic breathing. Adjust the number of rounds based on the time available.

After you have become familiar with full yogic breathing you can begin nadi shodhana pranayama; begin with the ratio of 1:1, equal inhalation and exhalation, and gradually move to the ratio 1:2, when the exhalation is double the length of the inhalation. When comfortable, slowly increase the count and number of rounds.

Kapalbhati pranayama to the ratio 10:10:10; 10 breaths through the left nostril, 10 breaths through the right nostril and 10 breaths through both nostrils.

Practise bhamari pranayama 11 times.

During the day

-          Praranayama:

Practise breath awareness and deep abdominal breathing. When you feel a lack of vitality, check the flow of air in your nostrils. Activate the flow in the right nostril by closing the left nostril.

Evening, before

-          Review of the Day

-          Pranayama:

Ujjayi

Nadi Shodhana: practise 5 to 10 rounds

Complementary practices

A selection of the following practices can be done daily or weekly along with your pranayama sadhana. The complementary practices from the different branches of yoga will help balance your body, mind, emotions and personality. They also help you live a yogic lifestyle which is based on this integrated practice of the different yogas and the yamas and niyamas.

Yamas and niyamas

After practising the lifestyle yamas and niyamas for six months, consider starting the hatha yoga yama, manahprasad, happinesm and the niyamas daanam, charity.

Hatha yoga

-          Shatkarmas:

Neti twice a week or daily

TTK solution once a month

-          Asana:

Pawanmuktasana parts 1,2,3 practise 10 times, divide the practies so that you can do them all at least once a week

Tadasana,

Tiryak tadasana

Kati chakrasana

Surya namaskara

Naukasana

Simhagarjanasana

Marjari asana

Shashankasana dynamic

Baddha hasta utthanasana

Eka pada pranamasana

Raja yoga

-          Yoga nidra at a convenient time during the day or evening

Karma yoga

-          Perform all actions with full concentration and without expectation of any result or return.

Bhakti yoga

-          Chant kirtan and bhajan with family and friends.

-          Read or listen to satsang and inspiring stories.

-          Keep company of people who support your yogic journey.

-          Engage in selfless service in the neighbourhood or community. Every day reach out to others, also animals and plants.

-          Take time to stroll through the park or walk in nature, it helps in many ways to improve your mood, reduce negative emotions and contributes to your overall wellbeing.

Jnana yoga

-          Practise the SWAN meditation on weekend along with the review of your Spiritual Diary. Use the SWAN meditation to improve on your vitality and active participation in life.

Other lifestyle adjustment

On weekends:

-          On Saturday evening, chant the Mahamriyunjaya mantra 108 times with family, friends, and relatives, with a sankalpa for the total wellbeing for all.

-          Review your Spiritual Diary and decide which area of stress you want to work on.

-          SWAN meditation both on your performance in your day-to-day life, your state of mind, the quality of your thoughts, your actions and reactions.

-          Maintain a positive attitude in all situations.

-          Wake up early. See the sunrise and connect to the energy of the sun.