How to build fire within a yoga practice!

With Winter just around the corner we thought you might be interested in some ways your yoga practice can help you and your students create some heat in your practice!

According to Ayurveda (holistic healing system), there are five elements that make up everything around us, these are earth, water, fire, air, and space. These five elements are also believed to live in us, and if we can understand them and the effects they have on our bodies, they can help you better connect with yourself.

For heat we’d be looking towards the Fire Element which is associated with transformation, passion and energy. It is also related to our Manipura Chakra (Solar Plexus) which relates to our self-esteem, self-confidence and our digestion. To learn more about Chakras you can visit our blog What is a Chakra?

When we’re unbalanced in this chakra, we are low energy, lethargic and have a hard time making decisions and reaching our goals, we can be quick to feel anger, frazzled and destructive. With a healthy fire element, you will have a greater capacity for affection and compassion, and you feel naturally joyful, generous and enthusiastic ..but when you have too much fire in your body or your mind, your intensity can actually overwhelm others!
 

How can I incorporate the fire element into my yoga practice?

To light that internal fire within your yoga practice, you can hold poses longer or increase the intensity when you flow through a sequence. Twisting postures are also a great addition. We can also use our breath by either breathing deeply whilst concentrating on the navel, or by cultivating an Ujjayi breath - if you'd like to learn more about Ujjayi breath you can visit on blog, What is Pranayama? to learn more!

In terms of poses, Sun Saluations are a great way to firstly warm the body and increase the heart rate, but if done with intensity, moving breath by breath they can start with add fuel to that internal fire.
 

What poses can help build fire?

Chair (Utkatasana)
Plank (Phalakasana)
Dolphin (Catur Svanasana)
Boat (Navasana)
Eagle Pose (Garudasana) - if you'd like to learn more on this pose patricuaraly, we have a whole blog (Fly Like an Eagle) dedicated to it!
Twists

What Mudra can be used for fire and energy?

Agne Mudra 

Agne Mudra activates the fire energy and can help you to restore the fire balance within the body. The word agni is a Sanskrit word which translates as fire – and not just a physical fire, it is actually also the name of one of the most important Vedic gods. 

Want to know more?

We have weekly blogs on lots of different topics, please keep an eye on the Blog section of our website each Friday for a new release!

If you'd like to know more about about the history of yoga, and why we do what we do, we have modules on all of this on our 200hr Yoga Teacher Training and 300hr Yoga Teacher Training - full syllabus for these courses are on our website, and if you have any questions please send us an email to info@yogacourse.com