Do you ever crave a gentle yoga class to pick you up? Here are 5 of the best yoga classes to brighten and energise – even when energy is low. All hand picked by our friend, Kate Blake, former teacher and battler of chronic fatigue.
This selection of yoga classes includes my current favourites for promoting a feeling of cleansing and energy. They are all fairly short so more manageable perhaps if you have limited energy. I also find them particularly good in the morning when I’ve woken up from a night of bad dreams and need to get rid of all the negative vibes which are still lingering.
Poor sleep quality is common amongst Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers and I find it really useful to move quickly into a different headspace through meditation or yoga first thing in the morning.
I have ordered them in the level of difficulty (for me), starting with the easiest so that you can better judge which ones will suit you and avoid the disappointment of a run of classes that are unexpectedly demanding.
The third and fourth are more difficult in different ways. Mimi’s Take a Break has 8 minutes of standing while Zephyr’s Gentle Floor Flow has no standing but is a little bit quicker. So please judge for yourself which suits you best at the moment.
Kate Walker’s Yoga for Cold/Flu class (13 minutes) is my first choice
Trying out Yoga For Cold & Flu with Kate Walker
Obviously we don’t need a cold/ flu to do it! All the way through the class she encourages us to listen to and be kind to our body, respecting what it needs now to heal, inviting us to do the poses and moves “if it feels like a good thing to do”. For cleansing it involves simple twists and stretching. It’s mostly supine with some hand and feet poses and one downward dog but with a child’s pose option. This class is all about self care and not pushing. Always a good message!
>>Yoga For Cold & Flu>>
Zephyr Wildman’s Gentle Floor Flow (15 minutes) is another very nurturing practice
Even the gentle soothing of Zephyr’s voice encourages us to be mindful and kind. It feels a bit quicker than some classes and took my brain a bit longer to work out what I should be doing in some moments. But it is a lovely class and simple enough so that repetition makes it all flow smoothly and easily, without needing that uncomfortable craning of the neck to see the pose on screen! The delight of this for me is that there are some simple flow sequences which are gentle enough for me to do. There is a great focus on the breath, making longer exhales than inhales and using the exhale to soften into stretches and tension. Zephyr gives us plenty of time to do this and enjoy that feeling of letting go. Another really lovely class.
>>Gentle Floor Flow>>
Mimi’s Take a Break – Exhale and Soothe (21minutes) is another great class
Just as we don’t need a cold to do Kate’s class, we don’t need to be studying to do this class! Again a great focus on breathing, particularly on the exhale. It involves a gentle move from back, to hands and knees to standing and forward bends. There is standing for the Tai Chi ‘Separating the Clouds’ and other moves which all feel totally energising and balance out the energy spend of standing. The lion’s breath and Burmese Tai Chi at the end keep the focus on ridding the body and mind of unhelpful/ negative clutter and making space to bring in what’s needed. It’s a fabulous way to create a fresh start for mind and body.
>>Take A Break: Exhale and Soothe>>
Next up is Lucy McCarthy’s Detox and Energise (17 minutes)
(Do not confuse this with Lucy’s Detox, Breathe and Energise class which is an intermediate class).
This has equal parts of sitting, hands and knees and standing and a lot of twisting for cleansing. I love the playful sighing at the start where I can really let out those bad dream feelings and experiment with different sounds and feelings which can move me into feeling awesome. There is a section with squats but I adapt this by using a bolster. Also there is a brief standing section for fountain breathing but the breathing is so energising that the standing feels good. The supported bridge with the block under the sacrum is a good option for me and feels really great – I finish the class having banished the bad dream blues and ready for a wonderful day.
>>Yoga Detox and Energise>>
More energetic but still good and adaptable is Lucy’s 20 Minute Morning Magic class
There are also 10-minute and 30-minute versions in the Morning Magic Series.
This class includes some great cleansing Kapala Bhati breathing followed by twists, hands and knees poses, side stretches and in the second half a flow section including plank, downward dog, and cobra. It is fairly feisty and I am always adaptable in this section, even to the extent of just moving into a simple child’s pose/ child’s pose and cobra flow. This is a kind of aspirational class for me, taking me to what is my edge at the moment. The final Om leaves me in a good energised but calm place to start the activity of my day.
>>20 Minutes of Morning Magic>>
I like the way yoga empowers me to help my body and mind change tack
It’s so easy to get stuck in an automatic mode way of being or get dragged down by negative clutter. Practising yoga, even just for 20 minutes is a powerful way to influence both body and mind to change pace, step outside what’s been going on, re- ground and choose how to be in the world right now.
And learning how it is possible to make that change so quickly is such an empowering life lesson and skill. I particularly like with this set of classes, the many ways in which the teachers use the breath to cleanse and energise. As well as the yoga classes themselves, this gives a great insight into the power of breath and how to use it in different ways, a skill which supports healthy living off the mat too!
And finally…
Real life yoga – just to make you laugh ❤😂❤
Thanks for this Kate, will check these out. As a fellow CFS sufferer I find the following practices really helpful (in desceding order of energy demands):
1. Moving Meditation: Qigong Basics 2 by Mimi Kuo-Deemer. It’s 23 minutes long and all standing but it really helps to clear down toxic/stuck energy and it slow paced and gentle. I adore this practice.
2. Release Your Neck; Reduce Fatigue by Andrew McGonigle. A recent discovery for me but absolutely brilliant for getting all that energy sapping tension out of my neck and shoulders. Again it’s over 20 minutes (26 actually) long but this is all on the floor (you can opt out of a short downward dog) and has different levels of exertion so is mostly quite gentle.
3. After Work: Release & Restore by Lucy McCarthy. Of course this doesn’t have to be done after work and is brilliant any time you need to just relax and actively rest. A few gentle restorative poses which are simple to do and ending with a divine legs up the wall pose (I could sleep in that pose!).
4. Restorative: Fully Body Airing by Naomi Absalom. This is even shorter than Lucy’s at only 17 minutes and very relaxing.
5. Qigong Meditations for Health & Vitality by Mimi Kuo-Deemer. When you don’t even have the energy to get out of bed you can do these visualisations lying down. Beautifully guided to move energy gently around the body,
I forgot to say that my no 1 (qigong basics) could be done sitting in a chair if you don’t have the energy to stand.
Hi David.
This is ridiculously late to reply but I hadn’t seen your comment. Sorry. I love that you have given me your top classes too. Out of these I have only done the Lucy McCarthy and Naomi Absalom. So I will definitely try the Mimi and Andrew classes you have recommended. I am so happy you have read and replied to my blog post. Thank you.