YOGA FOR LIFE

   Some Benefits Of Yoga For Health 

• Skeletal and muscular system: It is a known fact that any form of exercise strengthens bones and muscles. Yoga is no different too. Movement of your limbs vigorously or in control eases muscle joints and increases flexibility. Asanas relieves muscle cramps or any accident related pains. As you get into practice and maintain these asanas for long periods, it gradually increases your physical strength and stamina. But it is highly advisable that if you have faced any accidents before or are suffering from any internal disease, take your  doctor’s advice or your yoga instructors.

• Digestive system: True, yoga does improve the function of your digestive system. All those exercises for the abs not only burns fat from tummy but also gives a gentle massage to your digestive tract fastening metabolic rate that boosts proper digestion.

• Cardiovascular system: Yogic asanas improves blood circulation to your heart and arteries thus allowing proper circulation throughout the body. It is also believed that regular practice of yoga keeps high blood pressure under control.

• Nervous system: Not only good for your physical system, practicing yoga regularly allows enough blood and fresh oxygen to travel to your brain. Focused breathing also controls your mind functions thus keeping you away from stress and anxieties.

Also remember that there is no particular age to practice yoga. Yoga poses for health can be light hearted as well as hard core. Yoga ranges from asanas to pranayam. While the asanas involve body movement, the pranayams are mainly calm and for mind relaxation. Practicing yoga by young and old alike regularly will not only improve your physicality but also relax your mental system keeping you composed to handle situations with ease.

 A graceful perfectly toned body is every girl’s dream. What better than wear dresses on an hourglass figure and make others green with envy? Let us learn some yoga moves that will give you a perfectly toned body.

1. Paschimottanasana pose (Bent knee trunk flexion):

• Sit in a yoga mat with your legs stretched out in front of you. Don’t bend your knees and keep the palms on the ground beside your hips.
• Deeply inhale and straighten your spine.
• While exhaling bend forward to touch the toes with your fingers.
• If you follow the correct posture, your face should be on your knees. Otherwise being a beginner, bend as much as possible and if you face problems, you may even bend your knees slightly.
• Take some few normal breaths and with a deep inhalation, sit up straightening your spine. Release the hands and keep them by your side.
• Repeat another 5 times with the same breathing process.

2. Dhanurasana (Bow pose):

• Lie down with your belly on the ground. Your chin should be touching the ground.
• Keep hands beside you with your palms facing upward.
• Your legs should be placed at a 6 inches distance from one another.
• Bend your legs at the knees and bring the heels close to your hips.
• Now grasp the ankles with both your hands.
• Slowly lift your chin, head and neck backwards. Your chest should be still on the ground.
• Now inhale deeply and lift your legs, thighs, chest till only your abdomen is touching the ground. Balance yourself on the abdomen only.
• Pull your legs with your hands as much as possible so as to arch your body completely in the shape of a bow.
• Bring your feet together.
• Now look up and gaze at a point on the ceiling.
• This is your final position. Hold your breath while in this position.
• When you feel a strain on your back, exhale fully and return to your original position.

3. Urdhava Hastotanasana

Want a slim and attractive waist? This is a good stretching asana that not only gives you a lean waist but also a broad chest. Here’s how to do it.

• Stand erect with your feet together. Raise your hands above your head in a namaste.
• Now keeping your legs grounded, bend your body to the right as much as possible till you feel a strain on your left waist. Stay for 15 seconds.
• Return back to the original position.
• Now bend left. Retain this position for another 15 seconds.
• Slowly you may increase the holding time to 30 seconds.

4. Baddha Konasana (Cobbler pose):

A perfect asana to shape up your thighs and buttocks. With regular practice of this yoga for fit body, be ready to flaunt slim thighs in your mini dresses.

• Sit on your yoga mat with a straight spine.
• Bend your legs at the knees and the edge of the soles of both your feet touching each other. The heels should be touching your inner thigh.
• Now grasp the ankles of both your legs.
• As you inhale deeply, straighten your spine and draw your shoulder blades backwards.
• Exhale and press the soles together.
• Maintain this posture for as long as comfortable taking deep breaths.
• If possible, bend forward from the waist to touch the chin on the ground.

Yoga exercises for an elegant mind:

1. Standing forward bend (Uttanasana):

This asana relieves you of mental stress and anxiety, soothes brain and also cures patients suffering from mild depression.

• Stand on the mat straight and in relaxed position.
• Bring your legs together keeping just a few inches distance from one another.
• Now bend forward and touch your ankles with your hand. Keep forehead positioned in front of your knees.
• If you are a beginner, you may face difficulty in coming forward without bending your bend knees. So just bend your knees a bit and touch your ankles. Another option is that, don’t bend your knees and instead of touching your ankles keep a block in front of you. Support yourself on that.

2. Setu Bandhana:

The next pose is Setu Bandhana or bridge pose. This pose can be quite a challenge for beginners. However, once you can manage this pose with practice it is quite helpful to fight against any mental illness be it depression, anxiety or stress.

• Lie on the ground with your spine erect and hands by your side with palms facing downwards.
• Now bend your leg at your knees keeping your feet together on the ground.
• Now slowly lift your hips off the floor while still keeping your feet grounded and hands by your side.
• Hold this pose and lift your hands above your head.

This pose rejuvenates and relaxes your mind.

3. Balasana:

End the asanas with Balasana or child pose. This yoga not only gives you a chance to rest after having done with all

This is also called the child’s pose.

• Sit on the floor with bent knees. They should be separated from one another. Your hips should be resting on your heels.
• Place your hands on your thighs.
• Now start bending forward such that the upper torso is on your thighs.
• Bend further down to make your forehead touch the ground.
• Bring your hands back and let them lie freely on the ground beside your feet with palms facing the ceiling or you may also hold your heels with your hands.

Balasana is mainly like a relaxation pose after you have done asanas like headstand or shoulderstand. This pose also helps rest your mind in peace freeing them from all anxieties and worries.

Yoga exercises for a healthy heart:

1. Supta hasta padasana (Lying hand to leg posture):

• Lie flat on your back with hands by your side. Take some normal breaths.
• Now slowly raise up your right leg with a deep inhalation. Your leg should be perpendicular to your upper torso.
• Hold your right leg at the ankle with your right hand. If not possible hold it at the thigh with both hands.
• Hold for 5 seconds. Keep breathing normal.
• Now as you exhale, put down your right leg.
• Repeat the same with your left leg too.
• Do some 5-6 rounds and take rest.

2.Vrikshasana (Tree pose):

• Stand straight with your feet together and keep your hands by your side.
• Lift up your right leg up with bent knees and place your foot on your left inner thigh as in the picture.
• Your hands should be in a Namaste position. Lift them up above your head. Don’t bend your elbows.
• Balance your whole body only on your left foot.
• Breathe normally.
• When you want to exit, put down your hands and your legs and stand in normal position with hands by your side.
• Rest and repeat on your other leg too.

7 Yoga Poses To Do Post Dinner For A Good Night’s Sleep

1.Downward Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana):

This is one of the most popular yoga poses. This pose can be performed at any time of the day. However, this pose helps better bowel movement and affects the abdomen. Performing this asana is easy. Place your palms a little over shoulder-width apart. Keeping your toes tucked in; proceed to raise your hips. Your chest should move back along with the thighs. The knees should be bent. Remember that the hips should be high; keeping the sole grounded isn’t as important. Hold the position for around 10-15 seconds. Repeat (1).

2. Standing Forward Bend Pose (Uttanasana):

The uttasana, or the standing forward bending pose, is good for the gastrointestinal tract. It helps push food along the tract and helps relieve constipation or the bloated feeling. To perform this asana, keep your knees bent and try to reach over your stomach and grasp the back of both knees. Ideally, you should feel tension in your hamstrings. If you don’t experience any tension, consider straightening your legs. Hold this pose for about 15-20 seconds. Repeat(2)

3. Camel Pose (Ustrasana):

The camel pose is an effective pose of yoga for digestion after eating, and is also a great exercise for the back. It appears to be difficult to do, and it has been rumored to adversely affect the back. However, studies have proved that Ustrasana not only strengthens the back muscles, but also eases stomach problems and aids digestion (3).

4.Bow Pose (Dhanurasana):

The Dhanurasana, or the bow pose, is another asana that is good for relieving constipation and easing bloated stomach. It has also been proved to help tone the back, the abdomen and contribute to body flexibility. It is a bit tricky to perform and doesn’t appear all that comfortable. Once you get to the final position, hold the pose for 15-20 seconds before release (4).

5. Child’s Pose (Balasana):

Balasana, or the child’s pose, is another asana that is designed to help clear bloated stomach and ease indigestion. It is one of the most effective yoga asanas after dinner. To perform balasana, begin from a kneeling position and tuck your chest into your thighs and keep the forehead on the ground. Keep your arms straight at the body’s side. Take a few slow, full breaths. Hold this pose for around 10-15 seconds. Repeat (5).

6. Wind Releasing Pose/Wind Removing Pose/Wind Liberating Pose (Pawanmuktasana):

This pose is designed to help rid you of bloating by making you break the wind. Thus, you must be performing this pose all alone. To perform, roll onto your back, inhale and hold your right knee against your chest. Begin rocking the knee side-to-side to massage your abdominal organs. Take a few deep breaths and switch legs and begin rocking the right knee (6).

7. Corpse Pose (Savasana):

The lazy person’s favorite pose, the savasana, is designed to help you improve body processes. It helps you get revitalized by helping you recover all the energy you lost performing all these asanas listed above. Getting into position is simple. Lie on you back, keep your hands by your sides, with your palms facing the sky and close your eyes. Hold position for 15-20 minutes. Keeping your eyes closed; concentrate on your breathing pattern. This pose is often substituted by the Padmasana (seated pose) for meditation. Usually, you should end your yoga with this pose (7).

7 Best Yoga Poses For Sinus

1. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) 

About The Pose- Gomukhasana or the Cow Face Pose is an asana that is named after the cow as it resembles its face during practice. The Sanskrit word ‘Go’ means cow and also means light. The asana is a beginner level Vinyasa yoga asana. It works best when you practice it in the morning on an empty stomach. Hold the pose for 30 to 60 seconds.

Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis- Gomukhasana reduces stress and anxiety. It stretches the chest muscles aiding flexibility in the air passage region. The pose boosts in relaxation when you are worried or tired.

2. Janu Sirsasana (Head To Knee Pose) 

About The Pose- Janu Sirsasana or the Head To Knee Pose is an asana that requires you to touch your head to the knee in a seated position as the name of the pose suggests. It is a beginner level Ashtanga yoga asana and works well when you practice it in the morning or evening on an empty stomach. Make sure you hold the pose for at least 30 to 60 seconds on each leg.

Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis- Practicing Janu Sirsasana calms your mind and gives a good stretch to your shoulders.  More importantly, any head down posture will help in draining out the fluids, clearing the air passages for optimal breathing. The pose relieves headaches, fatigue, and anxiety. The asana cures insomnia and high blood pressure which can make your sinusitis condition worse.

3. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

About The Pose- Bhujangasana or the Cobra Pose is an intense backbend that resembles the raised hood of a snake. Bhujangasana is a beginner level Ashtanga yoga asana. Keep your tummy empty to practice the pose and try to do it in the morning. Hold it for 15 to 30 seconds while you do so.

Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis- The Cobra Pose opens up the lungs and invogrates the heart. It works great as a stress release mechanism. This is one of the best yoga poses for sinus relief as it opens up your lungs and makes breathing easier.

4. Ustrasana (Camel pose)

About The Pose- Ustrasana or the Camel Pose is also a backbend that resembles the stance of a camel. It is a beginner level Vinyasa yoga asana. The asana works best when practiced in the morning on an empty stomach. Hold the pose for 30 to 60 seconds while you do so.

Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis- Ustrasana is great for your overall health and well-being. It improves your respiration and stretches your throat and chest. The pose stretches and opens up your entire frontal region.

5. Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

About The Pose- Setu Bandhasana or the Bridge Pose is named so as it resembles a bridge. The pose is a beginner level Vinyasa yoga asana. Practice it in the morning or evening on an empty stomach and clean bowels. Also, remember to hold the pose for 30 to 60 seconds.

 Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis- Setu Bandhasana helps relieve stress in the back and stimulates the chest and hyoid glands. Since the heart is stimulated, this positively fills in the heart chambers with easy oxygenated blood and aids in alleviating such conditions.

6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Pose)

About The Pose- Adho Mukha Svanasana or the Downward-Facing Dog is an asana which looks like a dog bending forward with its head bent down. It is a beginner level Ashtanga/ Hatha level yoga asana. Make sure you practice it in the morning on an empty stomach. And, hold it for 1 to 3 minutes.

Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis- The pose improves the blood circulation in the body easing out any knots and stress crumpled up in the body. It stretches your neck and spine releasing pressure in those areas. The downward position of the head decongests the nasal areas, thereby providing relief.

7. Salamba Sarvangasana (All Limbs Pose)

About The Pose- Salamba Sarvangasana or the All Limbs Pose is an asana that is considered as the queen of all poses. It is an advanced level Hatha yoga asana that paves the way for more complex asanas. Practice it in the morning on an empty stomach and hold it for 30 to 60 seconds.

Benefits Of The Pose For Sinusitis-The pose cures mild depression and calms your brain. It gives your neck a good stretch and keeps insomnia and fatigue at bay.