We’ve all been there at the weekend, too tired to do anything. Feeling tired and wired happens more often than many of us would like, and it can be hard to know what kind of practice is best to do when you feel this way.
The beauty of a yoga practice is that it’s specifically designed to bring the body and mind into balance. The first step is to rest the body. Even if your job is not physical work your body is tired at the end of the day because the mind uses a lot of glucose, which leaves you feeling depleted.
A short restorative session of different postures that combines forward folds to calm the nervous system and simple twists to revitalize the body and move stagnant blood, rebalancing your energy. Once your body starts to relax, Boccio says, you can bring your mind into balance with it by doing a simple breath-awareness practice. Start by exhaling completely, with long and steady breaths, as if the receding waves are drawing with them the accumulated detritus of the day; then take deep inhalations that feel like waves coming in with great force. Finally, be aware of how much you reactivate the mind with television or computer before going to bed.
To unwind just before going to sleep, try a foot massage: Coat the sole of your foot with raw sesame oil (you can add a few drops of a calming essential oil like lavender), and massage for a few minutes. This brings the energy down in the body.
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Begin by feeling the support of the earth beneath you. Mentally scan your body and notice your level of fatigue or overstimulation. As you move through the following sequence, hold each pose as long as feels right to you.
Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose)
Bring one knee into your chest, keeping the other leg straight on the ground. Switch knees, and then bring both knees into your chest. This pose helps release the kidney area, where fatigue is often felt.
Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose)
Extend your arms. Bring your knees over to your right side and hold; switch sides. Twists like these lift your energy and bring new blood to your internal organs and kidney area.
Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)
This calming inversion takes pressure off the lower part of your body.
Janu Sirasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)
Come into the pose and hold; then switch sides. This forward bend helps calm the nervous system.
