Benefits of Yoga!

Nowadays the buzz word is YOGA! Everywhere around the world, everyone speaks of Yoga now! Though it started and belonged to India once, the importance of it is getting exposed and the benefits are really seen in real life.

Western, European, Middle East Countries are practicing Yoga. Why this sudden change? I won't say sudden change, but a slow change that is happening. The speed is not enough if one wants to live healthy, peacefully and more importantly happily.

What does Yoga do? Though I have given the definitions already and there are forms of Yoga, the asanas, Karma Yoga and Bhakthi Yoga are easy to do. But, it requires complete committment and dedication.

Physical Benefits of Yoga Asanas:

1. It brings a good practice and habit of exercising in human system;

2. It gives a rhythmic life--you set a time to do the Asanas and it becomes a routine;

3. It helps in shreding weight; throught continuous practice and making it as part of daily routine, all portions of your body goes through physical exercise;

4. The entire body gets a shining; do not use towel or napkin or clothes to wipe out the sweat; just do it with your hands and it really helps;

5. Helps to control or even reduce BP, Cholestrol, mainly sugar in the blood;

6. It helps to control and reduce the sugar level - Diabetics;

7. It helps in eliminating the back ache; with proper guidance if you do the asanas, sure that it will help in back ache;

8. It helps in eliminating the neck pain as well;

9. It helps in controlling and eliminating the Arthiritis; Do it when you are not in pain and know the right asanas to do for arthiritis;

10. Asana is not only about physical movement (postures) of body. It also involves proper breathing; proper inhaling and exhaling through nostrils. This helps in controlling asthma and bronchitis;

Benefits Related to Mind:

1. Through meditation and proper breathing techniques, the mind can be controlled onto something that you really want to focus on during meditation; Normally the mind is not easily controllable; it waves--for a second it is Las Vegas and next second it is in Sydney and the next moment in Delhi. Mind has no speed and it is the fastest travelling machine in this universe;

2. It helps proper breathing practice which is very imporant for a healthy life;

3. Keeps the mind clean and avoids bad thoughts;

4. The big word and most often used word in the machine world is STRESS. It can be easily controlled and you can control your mind rather than you are controlled by it;

5. The focus and concentration improves;

And Many More....... what benefit you wanna get out of Yoga and Meditation? You will get it. Only thing you need to do is to practice them with full committment and dedication. Love doing it and you will get what you want!

All the Best!

Yoga for Back, Arms, Chest, Legs, Hips - Salutation Pose

Another Asana for improving your focus and concentration. This will also help you to have a strenthened and flexible back, arms, chest, legs and hips. The pose helps you to keep back, hips, chest, arms and legs completely healthy because it involves all of these body parts.

Asana is called Anjaneya-asana or the Salutation pose bcause of the posture.

Asana Name: Anjaneya-asana
Pronounciation: Hon-Jha-nay-ya-Asana
Posture: Salutation Pose
Hints: Requires flexibility in hips, legs, shoulders

Meaning and Explanation:

Anjaneya refers to Lord Monkey. Anjaneya is a strong devotee of Lord Ram and helped him during his fight agasint Ravana. The word means Salutation or Praise from the Root. The first syllable Anj means "to honor, to celebrate."

Instructions:

1. Site in the vajra-asana pose. This is a seated posture by sitting back on your heels and placing the knees and legs together. Ensure that the feet are together and the toes of both the legs are close to each other or even touching each other;
2. Keep the back straight and place your palms on the thighs;
3. Kneel up;
4. Ensure that the back, buttocks, thigh and head are aligned;
5. Keep the palms on the thighs;
6. Extend your right foot forward, bending at knee level;
7. Place your right arm in the right thigh;
8. Raise your both the arms, close the palms with (as if you are doing Namaskaram) and bring the arms to the chest; Let the thumb touch the center of the chest; (this is called Anjali-Mudra);
9. Raise your arms straight up and at the same time, bend your head backwards; look up; stretch the left leg as much as possible; do this slowly;
10. Slowly bend your head backwards and taking the arms also backwards; your face should look up as if you are looking up on the sky;
11. Be in this position as long as possible;
12. Breathe gently through nostrils;
13. Slowly come back to the Vajra-asana pose;

Repeat the above set with the left leg. Do it twice on each leg;

Advantages:

This will help reduce your back pain and give strength to the back; raising the arm above the head while keeping the back straight will help the shoulder to be flexible;
stretching the leg would help the nerves to be flexible and not stiff.

General Advice:

Do all of these yogas in a pieceful place; You should be able to spend this 10 or 15 minutes for yourself; If you are in doubt about how to do this yoga or any posture, please seek help from your guru.

To Improve Focus and an Exercise for Hips and Legs

To improve your focus and concentration, do this asana. This will not only help you to improve the strength and fitness of your hips and legs. To start with, this may be little difficult, but without giving up, if you continue to practice this, you will get the result you wanted.

The asana is called "Akarna-Dhanura-asana" and also known as "The Shooting Bow Pose" because of the pose of the asana.

Asana Name: Akarna-Dhanura-asana
Pronounciation: ah-car-nah-da-noor-ah-sa-na
Posture: The Shooting Bow Pose
Hints: Requires flexibility in hips and legs

Meaning and Explanation:

The word "karna" is from sanskrit language which means "ear". The prefix "a" means "near to or towards." Dhanur means bow-shaped, curved or bent. Asana is the posture. So, this is a shotting-bow pose.

Instructions:

1. Sit on the floor with the legs together and extended straight out in front;
2. Keep the back straight, shoulders level and head straight;
3. Place the hands on the thigh with palms down;
4. Inhale deeply;
5. Exhale, take the right hand, take it to the right toe, loop the forefingers (of right hand) around the right toe. Similarly, hold the left leg with the left hand.
6. Inhale and pull the right foot back place the big toe next to right ear;
7. Ensure that the back is straight as much as possible, and hold this posture as long as you can hold the inhale breath;
8. Take the right leg back to the original position; Exhale slowly while doing this coming to normal position; release the hand;

Repeat this procedure with the other leg; Do this for 3-5 cycles a day.

"Having caught the toes of the feet with both hands and carried them to the ears by drawing the body like a bow, it becomes Dhanura-asana." - The Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika I.27.

Advantages:

While practicing this posture imagine yourself as an archer with the gaze focused on the target and the arrow firmly yet gracefully being pulled back in the bow. Hold the posture steady as an archer would hold the arrow aimed at its target. Return the foot to the floor gently. This simple technique will help cultivate a focused and unwavering attention.

General Advice:

Do all of these yogas in a pieceful place; You should be able to spend this 10 or 15 minutes for yourself; If you are in doubt about how to do this yoga or any posture, please seek help from your guru.

Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 12 (last)

In the Sun Salutation, let us see the 12th posture:

Posture 12:

1. Ensure that the you are still facing the sun. Throughout all the 12 postures, you have to be facing the sun;
2. Bring both the hands forward; both the palms touching each other, bend the hands and let both the thumb touch the heart;

Breathing: Normal

Click here to read about Posture 1

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Click here to read about Posture 8

Click here to read about Posture 9

Click here to read about Posture 10

Click here to read about Posture 11

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Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 11

In the Sun Salutation, let us see the 11th posture:

Posture 11:

1. Ensure that the you are still facing the sun. Throughout all the 12 postures, you have to be facing the sun;
2. Inhale and slowly raise the both the arms upwards; take it as much back as possible behind your head;
3. Raise your head upwards and bend it towards back along with your hands;
4. The head should follow the hands while raising and moving towards back;
5. Take your hand and head towards back as much as possible, but do not strain yourself; While taking the arms and head backwards, ensure as if you are trying to touch somebody standing behind you; as far as head, you are trying to see the sky

Breathing: Inhale

Click here to read about Posture 1

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Click here to read about Posture 8

Click here to read about Posture 9

Click here to read about Posture 10

Click here to read about Posture 11

Click here to read about Posture 12

Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 10

In the Sun Salutation, let us see the 10th posture:

Posture 10:

1. Ensure that the you are still facing the sun. Throughout all the 12 postures, you have to be facing the sun;
2. Exhale slowly move the right leg forward, keep both the legs together
3. Bend forward and try to touch your knee with your head;
4. Ensure that your both the palms are touching the ground; Try to do it, if you are not able to touch with your palms, it is okay; try as much as possible

Breathing: Exhale

Click here to read about Posture 1

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Click here to read about Posture 4

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Click here to read about Posture 7

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Click here to read about Posture 9

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Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 9

In the Sun Salutation, let us see the 9th posture:

Posture 9:

1. Ensure that the you are still facing the sun. Throughout all the 12 postures, you have to be facing the sun;
2. Inhale and slowly move the left leg forward and bend it as if you are ready to run for a 100 meter race;
3. Ensure that the left leg is aligning with the hands; it should be in the same line with the hands;
4. Both the palms should be firmly placed on the ground;
5. Right leg stretched backward and touching the ground;
6. Head raised towards up as if you are looking at the sky;

Breathing: Inhale

Click here to read about Posture 1

Click here to read about Posture 2

Click here to read about Posture 3

Click here to read about Posture 4

Click here to read about Posture 5

Click here to read about Posture 6

Click here to read about Posture 7

Click here to read about Posture 8

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Click here to read about Posture 12

Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 8

In the Sun Salutation, let us see the 8th posture:

Posture 8:

1. Ensure that the you are still facing the sun. Throughout all the 12 postures, you have to be facing the sun;
2. Exhale slowly and bring the left foot backward and align it with the right foot; try to stretch your leg as much as possible; you would feel the nerves pulling and responding;
3. Keep the arms straight with both the palms touching the ground;
4. Raid the back towards up as if you are forming an upward arch;
5. Bend the head downward as if you are trying to touch your neck with your chin;

The posture is similar to posture # 5 with the exception that you're pushing your left foot backwards in posture 8 versus pushing the left leg forward in posture 5.


Breathing: Exhale

Click here to read about Posture 1

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Click here to read about Posture 3

Click here to read about Posture 4

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Click here to read about Posture 6

Click here to read about Posture 7

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Click here to read about Posture 9

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Click here to read about Posture 11

Click here to read about Posture 12

Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 2

In the Sun Salutation, let us see the 2nd posture:

Posture 2:

1. Ensure that the you are still facing the sun. Throughout all the 12 postures, you have to be facing the sun;
2. Inhale and slowly raise your both the arms upward;
3. Slowly bend backward; take your arms also along with the bend;
4. Your arms should be stretching beyond the head and in the backward position.

Breathing: Inhale while bending backward

Click here to read about Posture 1

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Click here to read about Posture 8

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Surya Namaskar - The Sun Salutation - Posture 1

The Surya Namaskar (The Sun Salutation) is a powerful way of worshipping the Sun and is one of the key and important set of postures that helps the body to be in good and healthy condition. The set of 12 postures has no side effects and maintains the body and more importantly the "mind" in a healthy condition.

The 12 postures include not only physical positions and movements, but most importantly it covers the breathing part also. It is this breathing technique which helps in focusing on the postures and the amalgamation of postures and breathing helps the body and mind to be healthy.

Before you do the Sun Salutation, it is a must that you keep your body warm. So, do some warm-up exercises before you begin the Surya Namskar.

Let us see each of the 12 postures one-by-one: Please have your yoga mat laid on the floor:

Posture 1:

1. Ensure that the Yoga mat is laid facing the sun;
2. Stand at the eddge of the mat leaving one-feet at the top;
3. Ensure that both the feet are firmly positioned on the floor;
4. Bring both of your hands together, palm touching each other and bring the hand at the chest level
5. Ensure that the thumb of both fingers touch the heart (the bone below the nail of the thumb) should be touching the center of the ribs (between your two chests)

Breathing: Normal

Click here to read about Posture 1

Click here to read about Posture 2

Click here to read about Posture 3

Click here to read about Posture 4

Click here to read about Posture 5

Click here to read about Posture 6

Click here to read about Posture 7

Click here to read about Posture 8

Click here to read about Posture 9

Click here to read about Posture 10

Click here to read about Posture 11

Click here to read about Posture 12