YOGA - SARVANGASANA

SARVANGASANA ( SHOULDER STAND)

BENEFITS:

1)Sarvangasana helps in activating flow of blood towards neck and head. 

2)As the name of the asana suggests sarva anga means whole body is strengthened.

3)The strength of the nerves towards brain is increased. 

Sarvangasana helps in keeping  your body free from many diseases. 

4) 60% of dangerous diseases will not affect by practicing this asana.

5)Sarvangasana helps in increasing eyesight.It makes spine elastic.

6)The disorders of  tonsils,thyriod,neck,ears can be cured by doing this asana.

7) Normalizes body weight due to its effect on the thyroid.

8)  Improves blood circulation to the scalp inturn helping the hair growth.

Precaution: People who don't have flexibility should take guidance from instructor and practice this asana.

METHOD:

Step 1   : Exhale and inhaling start raising both the legs upward and stop when they make angle of 90 degree with the floor.As shown in image 2.

Step 2   :  Exhaling raise the waist and push the legs backward over the head( as shown in image3).

Step 3   :  Support the waist with both the hands, using your hands get the legs, waist and back in one straight line and stabilize them in this position, stretch the toes towards sky. Keep the sight on the toes. Continue normal breathing.( as shown in image 4)

To come out of this posture, just bend your knees, curve your back and slowly return to lying on the floor while exhaling. First bend your knees, put the palms on the floor, then curving the spine, gradually unfold it the way one unrolls a carpet. When your entire back touches the floor, straighten the knees, take a deep breath and slowly lower your legs to the ground while breathing out.


Watch the Video :

SARVANGASANA

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yog asanas

PADMASANA:

This posture is called Padmasana .

Benefits of doing this asana:

Padmasana is highly advantageous for attaining concentration of mind .
The Lotus position is adopted to allow the body to be held completely steady for long periods of time. This allows the mind to calm—the first step towards meditation. The asana applies pressure to the lower spine which may facilitate relaxation. The breath can slow down, muscular tension decrease and blood pressure subside. The nerves are toned as the normally large blood flow to the legs is redirected to the abdominal region, which may help to improve digestion.


Contra-indication:

Those without sufficient flexibility to place both knees on the ground when in full lotus position should not use it, as it strains the knees and lower back of such people. practice it slowly do not strain your self or injure.

METHOD:

While sitting on the ground, stretch your legs forward. keep them together. Place the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh in such a manner that heels of both the feet touch the abdomen,on the sides of the navel. Keep the hands on the knees. keep body, back and head erect. the knees of both the feet should touch the ground and eyes should be closed.

Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose) :

Vajrasana or Thunderbolt pose/Diamond pose in yoga is considered as best sitting posture for practicing breathing exercises and meditation.
The term Vajrasana is derived from two Sanskrit words Vajra means thunderbolt and Asana means pose.
Islamic religion suggests this pose for offering prayers(namaz).
After regular practice of this breathing exercises like pranayama, anulon vilom, kapalbhati by sitting in this pose, will make body strong as diamond.
In this posture, all seven chakras of body are aligned in straight line which makes it easy for the practitioner to raise his/her kundalini(serpent) sakthi and experience its movement along their spinal chord.

Benefits of Vajrasana :

• Those having gas problems should perform this asana, immediately after a meal.
• It provides relief from sciatic pain.
• The benefit of Vajrasana done for 5-7 minutes is equivalent to a long walking exercise. Also, the diamond pose (Vajrasana) is very beneficial in curing the problem of varicose veins.
• This pose give longevity and strengthens the spine.

Practice vajrasana upto 15 minutes after food, do two times a day atleast, increases your digestion power and cures all digestion disorders. You can also do it for 15 minutes before food, which reduces obesity.

Steps for practicing Vajrasana :

• Bend the legs backwards and sit with the help of your knees.
• Stretch the legs towards the back and both toes should touch each other.
• Keep the heels apart and let buttocks rest on heels, or let them lie in between the heels.
• The waist neck and spine should be in a straight line. Rest both your hands on the knees and keep the elbows straight.
• Look towards front, breathe normally.
• If you breathe only into your stomach(not lungs) and allow that hot air from stomach to circulate throughout your body for a minute, it helps in reducing fat and removes all toxics from body.

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Precautions must be taken before doing Asanas

Following precautions must be taken before doing yog asanas.

1) All the asanas must be practiced on empty stomach and clean bowels and preferably after bath.

2) Asanas should not be practiced after taking meals or even breakfast. Atleast, an hour should be allowed after breakfast and give 3 to 4 hours time after having meals.Meals can be taken after half an hour after yoga session.

3) select a place which is clean, quite,&  ventilated for performing asanas.

4) Do not practice yoga in hurry burry. Best time to practice yoga is in morning or in evening.

5) A clean well washed blanket should be used while performing asanas.

6) yoga sessions need not be gone through at a stretch. it should. It should be conveniently punctuated with relaxation poses. 

7) select few asanas and do them regularly.

8) Yogasanas are non-violent activity. No jerks should be given to the body while doing them.

9) do not start the next asana untill your breath has become normal.

10) people suffering from  chronic diseases should not do asanas. pregnant women are also forbidden to do them. asanas should be stopped during menstruation period also. consult your instructor always before doing them.

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YOGA FOR EYESIGHT

Exercises For Better Vision

1. Eye Rotations – Rotate eyes from top-right-down-left. repeat it for 10 times.

Now repeat  10 times from top-left-down-right. I t should be practiced slowly in a 

circular motion.

2)Sit comfortably on a chair. 

Rub your hands together until they feel warm. Close your eyes and cover them lightly with your cupped palms. Avoid applying pressure to your eyeballs. Your nose should not be covered. Make sure no light rays can enter your eyes though gaps between your fingers or the edges of your palms and nose. You may still see other lingering traces of colors. Imagine deep blackness and focus on it. Take deep breaths slowly and evenly while thinking of some happy incident, or visualize a distant scene. After you see nothing but blackness, remove your palms from your eyes. Repeat the palming for 3 minutes or more.

3) FOCUS: Focus on a distant object (over 150 feet or 50 m away) for 10-15 seconds.Then, slowly refocus your eyes on a nearby object (less than 30 feet or 10 m away)or on the tip of the nose without moving your head. Focus for again for 10-15 seconds, and go back to the distant object. Do this 5 times.

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YOGA FOR BACK PAIN

1)  Bhujang asana

This asana is also known as cobra asana as the posture resembles that of an alarmed cobra. You need to lie prostrate on the ground and inhale. Raise your torso to the maximum possible level with the help of your hands. Inhale while you are raising your body and hold your body and your breath in this position and maintain this position as long as possible.
Get back into the normal position and exhale.

2) Naukasana:

The naukasana pose comes from the words "nauka," which means boat, and "asana," which refers to the relaxed position you take to do the yoga move. When you do a naukasana, your body form resembles a boat. Hence, the naukasana pose is often referred to as the boat pose. A naukasana can be done on your stomach, which is the more common form, but a version can also be done while you lie on your back. Both forms of the naukasana may improve your physical and mental health.

STEPS:

To do a naukasana pose on your stomach, lie flat on the floor with your hands resting along your sides and your head turned to one direction. Raise your head, keeping your chin on the floor, and slowly bring your arms above your head. Raise your upper and lower body at the same time so you are resting on your abdomen. Hold the pose for three to five breaths, then slowly lower yourself back to the starting position. To do a naukasana on your back, lie flat on the floor with your legs extended in front of you and your palms resting on the floor alongside your thighs. Slowly raise your head off the floor and your feet up toward the ceiling. Hold the pose for several breaths, then lower yourself back to the starting position.

ALSO WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR COMPLETE YOG ASANAS.

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Yoga for weight loss

BABA RAMDEV EXPLAINS ABOUT YOG ASANAS TO LOSE WEIGHT

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Yoga for beginners

yoga for beginners 

Always start yoga after 5 to 10 mins warm up. Warm up should cover exercises from head to toe.

☼ head/neck  rotation

☼ shoulder and hand rotation.

☼ body twisting.

☼ side bending

☼ stretching .

☼ spot jumping and spot running.

After warm up begin with surya namaskar

Surya namaskar has 12 steps as shown in my earlier post Begin your day with surya namaskar

After surya namaskar start practicing these yogasanas.

1)   Janusirasana

Benefits:

·         Strengthening and Stretching the shoulders, spine, groins, and hamstrings.

·         Stimulating the liver and kidneys.

·         Improving digestion system.

·         Relieving stress, anxiety, fatigue, headache, menstrual discomfort, the symptoms of menopause.

·         Therapeutic for high blood pressure, insomnia, and sinusitis.

Steps:

Step1: sit on the ground and bend your left leg towards your thigh as shown in the image. Inhale slowly then strech both your hands upwards.

Step2:  now exhale and slowly bend forward and try to catch your foot as shown in second image.

( don’t try to bend suddenly or don’t try hard, bend how much it is possible)

Step 3: in last step touch your head to the knee and breathe normally. Hold it for a while and come back .

Repeat the same with right leg.

2)   Kamar chakra asana

Benefits:

● Improves flexibility of lower back

● Helps in fat loss from abdomen area and hips.

kamar chakra asana

3) Seated Forward bending (Paschimottasana)

Benefits:

This forward bend gives a complete stretching to the neck, the back, the hamstrings and calves. At the same time, it directs your attention inward. You stimulate the entire nervous system and learn to find stillness and relaxation during a period of effort or even discomfort when doing this stretching exercise.

STEP 1: Sit down with your legs stretched. The legs lie side by side and the toes point upwards. Stretch your lower back and raise your arms. Look forward, lengthen your back, and keep the chest and your breathing free.

STEP 2: Slowly bend forward, stretch your crown upward and try not to lose the supporting dynamism of the lower back. See to it that your legs do not move or tilt.

STEP 3: The moment you notice that you can only bend further by bending the lower back, move your hands to your lower legs, ankles or feet. Lightly pull your legs, ankles or feet and continue stretching.

Keep your shoulders down. Breathe in and out across the entire length of your spinal column deeply and in a relaxed way. Everytime you exhale, you should bend further towards your legs without losing the length in your back and the dynamism in the lower back. When you lose the dynamism in the lower back, you will notice that you lose a major part of the stretching and you will have a hard time breathing.

STEP 4: Stretch out your arms forward.

STEP 5: Slowly raise your upper body. Keep your legs lying side by side and the toes pointing upwards.

STEP 6: Sit straight up again, just like your original position.

Try to relax as you perform this forward bend and do not pull your feet forcibly. When you pull too hard, the body hardens itself, your thinking and breathing become unquiet and you run a risk of injuring yourself.

4) Vakrasana 

steps:

1.	Bend the left leg in the knee and place it near the thigh of left leg.
2.	Place the right hand beyond the folded knee of the left leg and in front of the left hand. Keep the palms of both the hands in opposite direction. There should be a distance of one foot between the two hands.
3.	Press the standing left knee with the right hand and shoulders, and twist the neck to the left. Turn the sight also in the same direction and continue normal breathing. Do this exercise both the side.

Practice above said sitting exercise and surya namaskar.In my next post will tell you remaining exercises.

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Before any exercise WARM UP is Important.

A warm up is the act of preparing for an athletic event or workout by exercising or practicing for a short time beforehand. Warming up helps reduce your risk of injury and the aches and pains that come with exercise. The physiological reason to warm up is to assist your circulatory system in pumping oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. The idea is to increase circulation throughout the body in a gradual manner. A proper warm up safely prepares the body for the increased demands of exercise. Cold muscles do not absorb shock or impact as well, and are more susceptible to injury. 

A warm-up helps you prepare both mentally and physically for exercise and reduces the chance of injury. During a warm up, any injury or illness you have can often be recognized, and further injury prevented. Other benefits of a proper warm up include:

• Increased movement of blood through your tissues, making the muscles more pliable.
• Increased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. This prevents you from getting out of breath early or too easily.
• Prepares your muscles for stretching
• Prepares your heart for an increase in activity, preventing a rapid increase in blood pressure
• Prepares you mentally for the upcoming exercise
• Primes your nerve-to-muscle pathways to be ready for exercise
• Improved coordination and reaction times

So before starting yoga warm up is must. It can be done for 10 mins.!!

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Begin Your Day with Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar:

Surya Namaskar is a Sanskrit word which means Namaskar to the sun (Surya).This exercise is good no matter what time you may use it, but it is best done while the stomach is empty, before eating. 

Benefits of doing Surya Namsakar.
1) It benefits joints, ligaments and the skeletal system by improving posture and balance. 
2) Surya Namaskar practice boosts blood circulation and helps to prevent hair fall and dandruff.
3) It helps in losing weight, if practiced regularly. 
4) Daily practice of Surya Namaskar makes body flexible. It improves flexibility in spine and in limbs. 
5) Surya Namaskar help in increasing height for children's if practiced regularly. 
6) Keeps you energetic through out the day.  

Lets get started with how to perform the asana. watch out the Video to learn the asana.

                          Practice Surya Namaskar Regularly to lose weight and get in shape.

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