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Yoga is often associated with a certain sense of calm, but the practice can also stir up some seriously welcome vitality. This is doubly true if your energy-boosting sequence includes a pose that aligns with the vibes of your zodiac sign.
“In AstroYoga, each zodiac sign corresponds to specific body parts, chakras, endocrine glands, nerve ganglia, and nadi channels,” explains astrologer and yoga teacher Emily Ridout, author of AstroYoga for an Aquarian Age and founder of the International School of AstroYoga. “When practiced intentionally, yoga postures aligned with these correspondences can harmonize the subtle body and awaken energizing vitality.”
Most styles of yoga are thought to increase prana, or life force. Ridout notes that the correct pose has the potential to move stuck prana, freeing up your inner energetic reserves and making your spirit feel a touch more enlivened. The most aligned poses complement your Sun sign, astrological qualities (think grounded, nurturing, passionate) mirrored by the yoga shapes themselves as well as the chakras each addresses.
Whether you need an occasional midday boost or an everyday stamina hack, the most energizing pose for your zodiac sign amps up your inherent energy.
The Most Energizing Pose for Your Zodiac Sign
From an aligning inversion for Aries to focused Eagle for Scorpio, these poses make use of your Sun sign’s natural energy centers.
Aries: Headstand
Aries is all about bold and swirling energy. All a yoga pose that’s invigorating for that sign needs to do is harness it.
“Headstand directs energy upward while building fiery inner strength,” says Ridout of the inversion. According to her, the pose stimulates the subtle centers of the head, and thus Aries’ natural energy. The fire sign rules the head, face, and upper brain, along with the solar plexus chakra (manipura). To access these areas, going upside down is your best bet.
Taurus: Camel Pose
This stubborn and sumptuous sign is ruled by the neck, throat, and jaw. It also aligns with the heart chakra (anahata). Expanding the chest and throat in a strong yet vulnerable way calls for Camel Pose, a backbend that calls for equal parts strength and release.
“This deep heart opener expands Taurus’ naturally grounded energy into receptive spaciousness,” says Ridout. She adds that it stimulates circulation in the chest and neck, further opening the heart chakra.
Gemini: Puppy Pose
If you are (or know) a Gemini, you know that this sign is all about communication. As such, it comes as no surprise that the air sign’s associated chakra can be found in the throat. In terms of the physical body, Gemini rules the shoulders, arms, and lungs, making Puppy Pose the sign’s ultimate energetic expander.
“Puppy Pose opens the lungs and shoulders while stimulating energy in the nerve channels running through the arms,” says Ridout. The heart-melting pose also activates the throat chakra (vishuddha).
Cancer: Wheel Pose
Cancer is a watery, emotional, nurturing sign. Chakra-wise, Cancer’s are tied to the third eye chakra (ajna). Its associated body parts including the chest, stomach, and diaphragm. Wheel or Upward-Facing Bow is a heart-opening pose that lifts and moves your energy toward its most useful point.
“Full Wheel awakens the spine’s nerve channels, opens the front body, and lifts stagnant energy off the stomach area,” explains Ridout. “The pose moves energy toward the third eye.”
Leo: High Lunge
Bold and confident, Leos are ruled by the heart, spine, and upper back. High Lunge is a great means of moving energy up through the body and toward the third eye, the fire sign’s twinning chakra.
“High Lunge encourages heart opening and spinal extension,” says Ridout. “For Leo, this pose energizes the uprising energy from the spine through the cardiac ganglia and into the upper nerve clusters in the spine”
Virgo: Revolved Triangle
“Virgo benefits from precision and purification,” says Ridout. The earth sign is associated with the throat chakra and tied to the digestive system, which makes a pose that promotes internal movement a strategic choice.
For this, she recommends Revolved Triangle. “This twisting pose stimulates digestion and intestinal detoxification while opening nerve channels that run through the hands and legs.”
Libra: Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose
Libras govern the kidneys and lower back, and are associated with the heart chakra. Ridout’s suggestion for an energizing shape? Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose, an effective choice whether you extend your leg or simply stand with the bind and find your stability. They key is in the Libra-esque balance.
“This balancing posture strengthens and opens areas that support the low back in a way that can unlock energy stored there,” she explains. “It engages Libra’s natural tendency to respond and adjust toward a goal (in this case sustaining the balancing posture) which can activate this responsive energy.”
Scorpio: Eagle
Of all the signs of the zodiac, Scorpio plays most predominantly in the realms of transformation, which Ridout recommends directing and harnessing through core intensity.
“Eagle Pose is a compressive shape that engages the solar plexus,” she says. For added energetic containment, Ridout recommends engaging mula bandha, which is perfect for directing deep inner energy upward through the spine and toward the solar plexus, Scorpio’s associated chakra.
Sagittarius: Archer Pose
Given that Sagittarius is symbolized by an archetypal archer, this pose is a natural means of ramping up a Sag’s vitality.
“Archer Pose connects the energy channels of the hands and feet through the practice of stretching and strengthening the hips,” explains Ridout. She adds that, while energizing the hips, Archer also boosts the sacral chakra, combining mobility with directed focus.
Capricorn: Warrior I
“Capricorn is energized by steady goals and something that’s a little bit difficult,” says Ridout. The perfect pose for the hardworking, steadfast sea goat? Warrior I.
Given that the reliable sign is linked to the root chakra, a pose that invites you to root to rise is well-suited. According to Ridout, sustaining Warrior I engages muscles while supporting the knees, grounds through the legs and pelvis, and moves prana up from the root in a stable, yet energizing way.
Aquarius: Dancer Pose
For free-spirited Aquarius, structure and freedom are both essential to promote energy. Dancer Pose plays into this want, incorporating the sign’s ruled body parts—ankles, calves, and circulation—along with the associated root chakra.
“Dancer builds structure in the standing leg and opening in the lifted leg to promote energy,” says Ridout. “Plus, it opens the heart space in a grounded way that unlocks spinal energy.”
Pisces: Lifted Thunderbolt with Toes Tucked
For intuitive Pisces, a pose that directs energy toward the sacral chakra is the best sort of shape.
“Pisces is sensitive, connected to the universal field, and fluid,” says Ridout. “This grounded kneeling pose directs prana upward and releases tension from the nerve channels in the feet, opening up stored energy for rapid use.”
As Pisces is ruled by the lymphatic system and feet, the tucked toes are an essential, vibe-boosting touch.
