Too Tired or Unmotivated to Go to Yoga?
No matter what kind of yoga you do, or what other forms of movement and exercise you compliment your practice with, you do it because you know how great it makes you feel, and how important it is for your overall physical, mental and emotional health. It feels awesome to do, and usually it feels even better after – with that healthy afterglowy feeling sustaining you long after your class or practice is over.
But some days it’s just hard to convince yourself to do it. Especially when the days get shorter and darker in our fall and winter months, it’s really tempting to skip that morning or evening practice for a bit more under-the-covers or on-the-couch time. And sometimes that is ok – there are days when what you really need is more rest, or even some zone-out escapism with the telly. But most days, if we are honest with ourselves, moving our body is what will make us feel best. But we may need a little help and extra motivation to do that - so we don’t feel quite so sluggish or heavy when we get ourselves to the studio or gym or to our mat for a home practice, or even outside for a run.
Coffee & Yoga – Maybe not the perfect combo
So we reach for coffee – delicious, liquid motivation – good coffee in moderation has amazing health benefits, especially for our brains. However, you may not find it terribly compatible with trying to match movement with breath –for me it made my brain race with thoughts of all the things I needed to do after practice, totally not present. And I didn’t find it compatible with the physical part of yoga asana either – coffee before twists, forward bends and inversions all gave me a heart burny, slightly nauseous feeling.
What about Pre-Workouts?
Over the years I tried other solutions: a traditional gym pre-workout. Wow – not for me – even more jittery than coffee and I didn’t like many of the ingredients and sweeteners – it was very challenging to find a clean, natural one and even those had stimulants that were not right for trying to stay present and move with my breath.
Next, I tried using a few different greens products instead – and while I liked the gentler energy and absence of jittery, racing thoughts, it was still too heavy and I could taste my greens as I folded and twisted my body through my practice.
What I ended up doing was mixing up my own little concoction – a bit of greens, a ton of antioxidants, a few amino acids, some herbals – it wasn’t always the same and it took many individual products but it worked. I was up and out the door to the studio, or to my mat at home and felt good during my practice. But it was complicated and time-consuming. There had to be a better way!
A Nutrient-rich Pre-Workout for Yoga
Enter Niyama’s Green Energy Pre-Vinyasa Energizer – the first stimulant-free, natural, yoga-friendly pre-workout. With antioxidants like maca, acai and beetroot, greens to alkalinize, vegan sourced aminos to support stamina and endurance, brain-friendly MCT oil and choline for energy and focus, Turmeric, milk thistle and Himalayan pink salt support hydration and detox while you sweat (or glow?). Green Energy helps energize at the cellular level without stimulants – so there is no racing heart, no crash, and no worries about using it before an after work or evening class and not being able to sleep after. For me, my practice feels lighter, the hard, sweaty classes feel a bit easier, and I get less muscle fatigue and shakiness in the slow classes where poses are held for longer periods. Check out our reviews and testimonials – yogis and teachers alike are loving how they feel using Green Energy. Warning – Green Energy is definitely habit forming – once you start using it, you will not only love the taste and look forward to enjoying it in the mornings or before your practice, but you may not want to go without it. Clean & sustainable green energy with no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners. Like all Niyama products Green Energy is Vegan and Non-GMO, with no soy, no gluten and no dairy.
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