The fire element is associated with the third chakra, Manipura, which is located deep within your abdomen. Fire and the Solar Plexus Chakra stand for heat, power, strength, passion, transformation, and digestion.

With healthy fire element, you have a greater capacity for affection and compassion, and you feel naturally joyful, generous and enthusiastic. Fire gifts you with intelligence and an ability to “cut through” the surface appearance of things. Therefore, you can transform what you find to reach a deeper understanding.

When you have too much fire in your body or your mind, your intensity may overwhelm others. You might easily get angry, lose your temper or become aggressive.

When fire is deficient, you might feel cold, lazy, depressed and unmotivated. Your mind can’t digest new information.

To relight your inner fire with yoga, try to incorporate the fire element into your practice. You can hold poses longer or increase the intensity when you flow through a sequence. Yoga poses should focus on building strength and increasing the circulation of blood. In addition, twisting poses are great to emphasize on the core. Also, try to breathe deeply and concentrate on your navel center (the home of your fire) to create internal heat. Breathing techniques like Breath of Fire are great to create heat without moving too much. We’ve put together our favorite fire poses here.

 

Warm-up with a few rounds of Cat-Cow stretches and Sun Salutations. Come to Downward Facing Dog and take a few long deep breath into your chest.

 

Forearm (Dolphin) Plank

Forearm Plank Pose is an effective exercise to prevent osteoporosis. Regular exercise stretches your hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and arches. This asana is also a very good arm and leg strengthening exercise. Apart from toughening your body, it also calms your brain and is known to relieve stress and depression.

From Downward Facing Dog slowly shift the body to the front. Ensuring the shoulders are aligned with the wrists, let your forearms touch the ground. Now, keeping the legs straight, position the heels above your toes. Gazing at the floor, keep your back and knees straight. As you inhale, slowly pull your abdominal muscles in and relax them as you exhale. Hold this posture for a few breaths.

 

Dolphin – Ardha Pincha Mayurasana

Dolphin Pose opens the upper back and shoulders, stretches the hamstrings, calves, and arches, strengthens the arms and legs and lengthens the spine. Women with menstrual discomfort can practice this pose to relieve cramps. This yoga pose improves digestion and is therapeutic for asthma, high blood pressure and sciatica.

Lower your forearms to the floor, tuck the toes and gradually lift the hips upward. Keeping the palm shoulder-width apart, spread the fingers wide apart. Now press the palms into the floor and pressing the hips up, try to keep the spine straight and reach up high through the tailbone. Press the heels gently into the floor, feel the stretch in the back of the legs. Ensure you keep your legs straight. Your head and neck should hang freely from the shoulders. Now hold this pose for 4-6 breaths.

 

Chair – Utkatasana

Chair pose provides a good stretch to your hips, spine and chest muscles and is known for strengthening the immune system, lower back, torso, and muscles of thighs and calves. This balancing pose not only strengthens your body but also enhances your mind’s determination. Practiced regularly, it can also help to form the buttocks.

Stand straight, keeping your feet slightly apart. Now, stretch your arms forward and make sure to not bend the elbows. Next, bend the knees and push your pelvis down. The posture should seem like sitting on a chair. Hold the position for a minute.

 

Boat – Navasana

Boat Pose strengthens the abs, hip flexors, and lower back muscles. It improves balance and boosts confidence.

From a seated position, bring your feet flat onto the mat. Press your hands into the mat a little behind your hips. Lean back but lift your chest up (trying not to round the back). Balance your weight on your sitting bones and lift your thighs up so that they are parallel to the mat. Reach your arms forward parallel to the mat (they can also help you to hold up your legs). Slowly begin to straighten the legs. Make sure your chest is open and your shoulders are down and back.

 

Seated Twist – Ardha Matsyendrasana

Seated Twist stretches the outer hips and thighs, opens the shoulders and chest and lengthens the spine and back muscles.

Sit with both legs straight in front of you and cross your left foot over your right thigh. Fold your right leg in, with your foot outside your left hip. Inhale and lift your arms high. Exhale twist to the left and bring your right elbow to the outside of the right knee. You can extend your right arm long or even come to a bind version. Make sure that both sitting bones stay on the mat.

 

You might also like our Yoga Poses for the Space Element.