Yoga for Balance (Grounding, Calm, or Energy)

Yoga asanas can be used as a tool to help your mind and body recover or prepare for your day. Not every yoga asana needs to be done in “textbook perfect” form. What is truly perfect, is what is right for you.

Doing certain asanas can aggravate your dominant dosha* and make you feel unsteady and out of balance; doing other asanas will help you tame your dosha and bring you to a healthy state of balance. This also includes breathing exercises (pranayama), you do not need to do a variety of these every day. Only do what is beneficial for you.

Your practice can vary daily depending on your needs. Tune in to yourself each day to determine what you need. For example, if you normally have a set routine without much socializing but one day you need to attend social events and you want to be in the best mindset for socializing, perhaps an energizing flow, or calm and centering practice, would be ideal that day.

The point of yoga is to improve yourself. Always keep that in mind when you are doing yoga.

*Read this post for information about doshas, read this post for additional information about doshas and your yoga practice, and read this post for information about pranayama techniques.

For energy, movement, rejuvenation (beneficial for people with excess Kapha)

This section is for those of you who want to overcome lethargy and feelings of stagnation or being stuck in a rut.

Doing poses that are heating and energizing will help you with overall increased movement in life. Hold these poses for longer to increase Fire; hold seated poses (which increase Earth) for less time.

Poses that require less contact on the ground with a focus on balance are energizing, as is flowing back and forth (this will increase Air) between poses or from one pose to the next.

Minimize seated or prone/supine poses unless they have twists. Learn poses that require balance on one leg, or arm balances. Try to test your balance as often as possible. It will benefit you to do twists and backbends (such as camel, cobra, wheel, bow).

Focus more on:
-standing asanas (increase Fire)
-balancing asanas (decrease Earth)
-inversions
-twists (increase Air)
-backbends (these decrease Earth and increase Air)

In poses that normally require you to have all limbs or both hands and feet on the ground, try lifting one; such as in downward facing dog, life one leg high behind you and remain there for a few moments, then repeat with the other leg; switch back and forth a few times.

Listening to music while doing yoga will help increase your physical energy and your mindset to move more. It would be best to do Savasana (corpse pose) for 5-8 minutes; any longer will make you lethargic again.

For grounding and stability, feeling safe (beneficial for people with excess Vata)

This section is for those of you who feel too spacey and scattered, and want to feel more grounded and in control.

It is important for you to have as much contact with the floor as possible. This will increase Earth element, and make you feel more calm and secure. In poses, center your mind on the fact that you are touching the ground and feeling the stability of the Earth.

You can use pillows, a blanket, or yoga sandbags; place them over parts of your body to feel weighted down.

You can modify poses to have an additional limb on the floor. For example, in lunge pose, instead of having only your feet on the ground, place the knee of your back leg and the full length of your shinbone on the ground.

Minimize twists, balancing, and backbends, doing only the amount you feel you need; doing too many will increase Air/Vata.

Focus more on:
-seated asanas (increase Earth)
-prone asanas (increase Earth)
-supine asanas (increase Earth)
-standing asanas that don’t require a lot of balance (increase Fire)

Try to practice at the same time every day. Routine helps increase the feeling of being grounded and stable. You can vary the poses you practice, but have some key asanas you do every day for that sense of routine.

If you need music, have soothing music without ads. Avoid bright lighting during your practice. Always do Savasana, and for at least 5 minutes, 10-15 is ideal.

For peace and calm, relaxation (beneficial for people with excess Pitta)

This section is for those of you who want to release irritability, and bring a sense of calm and feeling centered.

Any asana that has your torso and at least one leg on the ground (to increase Earth) will be of benefit. Do poses that bring your chest towards your thighs or place your head below your heart, such as downward facing dog and standing or seated forward bend in every practice.

Minimize standing poses. Many hatha poses are heating (standing poses, or anything that works up a sweat). Doing some heating poses will help release excess fire, but doing too many will cause you to be overly agitated and irritable.

Focus more on:
-folds (bringing chest to thighs, decreases Fire)
-seated asanas (increases Earth)
-prone (increases Earth)
-supine (increases Earth)
-some inversions
-some twists (increases Air)

To increase a sense of calm, reduce lighting such as closing curtains. You can light a candle, or have only a bit of daylight through the closed curtains, or have complete darkness if you prefer. Close your eyes for a period of time when in poses.

Try to move from one asana to the next as slowly as possible, to practice self-control and promote relaxation. Don’t have music playing, focus on silence. Do Savasana for 10-15 minutes at the end, while focusing on Void or feeling relaxed.