A yogi cup of coffee
Gray, raining day in the Bay Area and a prime sign of spring. It takes a little work for flowers (and us) to pop out of the ground as mother nature nourishes us in her own way. It's renewal from the sky, but I have to say I do love renewal each morning from my personally crafted cup of coffee. As a yogi, I do want to share there is another way. You can even start it before you get out of bed!
As I prepped this post and started to describe a type of pranayama feel more awake any time of day, I remembered that i had written about this in my book! So, I thought I would dig back into my original writings and illustrations from 2013/2014 and share from my personal files a favorite, traditional yogi way to energize and empower.
Here is an excerpt from my book, Happy-Go-Yoga, an adaptation of bhastrika (Bellow's breath), which always wakes me up. I'd love to hear your experiences, so comment or drop me a message after trying it out a few times. It takes 20 seconds, and you're awake!
SUNSHINE COFFEE
You’re still not quite awake, and you’re inclined to guzzle your first, second… and maybe your third cup of coffee to clear your foggy mind. Instead, use the power of your breath to wake you up quickly and get you out of that fog. You’ll push the cloudiness aside and clear the path for the day ahead.
1. Put down the coffee, if just for a moment.
2. Prepare: Inhale fully by expanding the belly and mid-section, not the chest.
3. Pause at the top of the breath, and exhale out of your mouth fully, letting everything go.
4. Close your mouth. Inhale through the nose and expand your mid—section as much air as you can, as swiftly as possible.
5. Keep your mouth closed. Exhale through the nose and get rid of as much air as you can, as swiftly as you can. (Press the air out of your system by compressing abdomen into your body as much as possible.)
6. Repeat Steps #3 & 4, keeping your inhale and exhale swift and powerful.
*TIP: Use this anytime you normally would grab a cup of coffee for energy throughout the day.
*NOTE: Sunshine Coffee is not for you if you’re pregnant or struggling with high blood pressure. If this is you, stick with deep breaths in and out, and slow down the pace. The oxygen intake and purging will still help.
About Sunshine Coffee
Happy-GO-Yoga’s Sunshine Coffee is a powerful intake of energy and purge of heaviness in one action, based on Bhastrika (BAH-stree-kuh) Breath, or Bellow’s Breath. Just like a bellow that fans the fire and gives it more force, Sunshine Coffee helps increase your digestive fire by using of your abdominal muscles to pump air in and out. By increasing your digestive power, you burn out what is stagnant and unnecessary. The powerful breath is like a powerful gust of wind that clears a cloudy mind and invigorates it. The Chopra Center says the metabolic burst from this breath technique can support weight loss too. Some experts claim that about coffee, too, but this is the organic way.
Happy-Go-Yoga, simple poses to relieve pain, reduce stress, and add joy Buy on Amazon.com
