THE PRACTICE OF THE ASANAS.

The Practice of the Asanas

One should constantly bear in mind that the body must never be forced nor fatigued during the execution of postures. The moment we feel the slightest pain, we should take it as a sign that it is time to stop. Each posture should be performed slowly, carefully, gradually and patiently. One should not try to go too fast. for older people, postures may be simplified according to individual needs. Asanas should be practiced on an empty stomach. unless the above advice is followed, the results will not be positive.
If the exercises are badly performed, one will begin to feel uncomfortable and unwell after a few days. this is the sign that something is wrong with the way Yoga is being practiced.
When the postures are correctly and properly executed, however, they produce a feeling of lightness and well being that is both physical and mental; one has the impression of a freshness that induces a state of total relaxation.

  

Yoga

YOGA

The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root 'Yug' meaning 'to join'. It designates ' the joining of the lower human nature to the higher in such a manner as to allow the higher to direct the lower', or 'union with the Self'. It also signifies communion with the supreme Universal Spirit to obtain relief from pain and suffering.
'One who controls his mind, intellect and ego, being absorbed in the spirit within him, finds fulfillment and internal bliss which is beyond the pale senses and reasoning'.
- Bhagavad Gita.
'The younger, the old, the extremely aged, even the sick and the infirm obtain perfection in Yoga by constant practice. Success in Yoga is not obtained by mere theoretical study,or talking about or reading the sacred texts. Constant practice alone is the secret of its success'.
- Hatha Yoga Pradeepika.
'Through constant practices of Yoga, one can overcome all difficulties and eradicate all weaknesses. Pain can be transmuted in to bliss, sorrow in to perfect health. determination, patience, persistence lead us to goal'.
- Bhagavad Gita.
 'Yoga is not for those who fast or torture their flesh, who sleep too much or keep awake, who work too much or don't work at all.'
- Bhagavad Gita.

CONSTIPATION ?

CONTIPATION ?

SALABHASANA

THE LOCUST POSTURE

This is an excellent exercise for the muscles in the back, arms and abdomen. It fortifies the later and has a beneficial effect on the digestive organs, curing the most stubborn constipation. This pose brings a large supply of blood to the kidneys, thus cleaning and regenerating them.

Lie on the stomach, with chin or forehead touching the floor. Stretch the arms beside the body and lightly clench the fists inhale as in complete Yogic breathing, tens the arms, clench the fists tightly   and raise the legs as high as possible. Hold the position for several seconds, retaining the breath. Then exhale and lower the legs. Relax by lying on the stomach Repeat the exercise two or more times.

ARDHA-SALABHASANA

The simplified posture those who find it difficult to raise both legs at ones

Care must be taken not to tire the lungs by prolonging the posture or raising the legs rudely.

Humanity may have originated in the woods

HUMANITY MAY HAVE ORIGINATD IN THE

 WOODS

The immediate ancestor of humans may have lived exclusively on leaves, fruits, wood and bark instead of a menu based on open savanna as other extinct relatives of humanity did, scientists say. The findings, published in the journal Nature, are based on two million years fossils of the extinct hominine Australopithecus sediba.

Au-sediba’s mix of human and primitive traits has made a strong case for it being the immediate ancestor of human lineage. Chimpanzees, humans’ closest living relatives, prefer fruits and leave even when grasses are abundant. By contrast, extinct humans’ species preferred diets richer in grasses or grass eating animals. The findings suggest there wasn’t a single, straight line from an early, primitive hominine to humans, said study author Amanda Henry, a paleoanthropologist at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.”Many of our ancestors and relatives branched out, tried new things and generally worked at doing what was best in their environment at that particular time,” Henry was quoted as saying by Live Science. 

From

                                       DC 29.06.2012.

BELLY FAT MAY BOOST IMMUNITY!

BELLY FAT MAY BOOST IMMUNITY!

A particular kind of stomach fat previously thought to serve little purpose, may in fact play an important role in regulating the immune system, researchers say.

Scientists believe that the new finding could lead to new drugs being developed for organ transplant patients with auto-immune diseases such as lupus and Crohn’s disease.

The stomach fat identified by the researchers  at Loyola University Chicago is the omentum, a sheet of fatty tissue attached to the stomach that hangs down in front of the intestines providing a protective cushion.

The omentom is one of the main fat –storage depots in the body and thickens as fat accumulates there, expanding the skin depending on how much fat is being carried.

“It is shaped like an apron and can stretch like pizza dough,” Makio Iwashima, one of the scientists behind the discovery, said.

“Although its physiological function is not understood, doctors have known for many years that attaching omentum to damaged organs heped the tissue to heal – a procedure Known as ‘Omentun transposition,” he said.

DC 27 June 2012.

BACK PAIN? TRY IT !

MAKARASANAM (CROCODILE POSE)

To begin, lie down on your abdomen with your legs straight and keep them apart with your toes pointing out to the sides.

Hold onto your biceps in front of  you and drop your forehead onto your arm with your eyes closed.

Allow yourself to be comfortable and relaxed and bring your awareness to your breathing in the navel centre.

As you inhale, feel your breath reaching the lower abdomen and as you exhale, relax in to the floor.

Stay in the position for about five to ten minutes.

BHUJANGASANAM (SNAKE POSE)

To begin, lie down on your abdomen with your legs straight and keep them closely with your toes pointing back.

Place your paw in front of your shoulders and touch your chin to the floor.

As you inhale raise your head and chest from your navel. Breath normally and stay sometime in this position. Then come back to the Makarasana position with exhale.

This pose improve blood circulation to the uterus, normalises menstrual cycle, relieves cramps and pain in women.

For men, it helps improves blood circulation to the testes, stimulates the prostrate gland and keeps  the reproductive organs healthy. It is an excellent pose for  high stress and lower back pain. It helps strengthen the diaphragm and increases lung capacity

This poses improve blood circulation to the uterus, normalises menstrual cycle, relieves cramps and pain in women.

For men, it helps improves blood circulation to the testes, stimulates the prostrate gland and keeps  the reproductive organs healthy. It is an excellent pose for  high stress and lower back pain. It helps strengthen the diaphragm and increases lung capacity

BURNING FAT

SQAT ON TOES

Stand with your feet together and place your hands on your hips. Lean forward slightly (safe on knees ) and bend your knees in the half squat pose (look at picture for position) Now bring your arms straight in front of you with your palms facing down. Now slowly raise your heels off the floor. Hold this pose for at least twenty seconds. Repeat the same process two three times. If you cannot raise your  heels , keep your feet flat on the floor.

BENEFITS:

Squatting  in toes is very effective in burning fat in thighs.

 This yoga pose helps in making your thighs firm.

 It also helps tone buttocks and strengthen hips, knee and ankle joints    

Gastric trouble?

ARDHA PAVANAMUKTASANA & POORNA PAVANA MUKTASANA (WIND ELIMINATING POSE)

To begin, lie down on your back with your legs straight and both arms stretched above your head. First take a deep inhalation, hold your breath and bring your right leg close to your chest and hug with both arms. Touch your knee with your forehead. As you exhale, release in to the starting position. Repeat with the other side. This is one round. Practice 10 rounds.

If doing with only one leg is easy for you, then practice and hug both legs together at the same time. Do 10 sets.

Benefits:

Like its name, Pavanamuktasana (The wind eliminating pose)is meant to relieve excess gas from the stomach. At the same time, it also helps to relive stiffness in the back, neck, ankles, knees and hip pain and also helps to open tight hips

For those who have gastric trouble, Try the Pavanamuthasana

rameswaram

YOGA

SHAVASANA                                                             1

The mind Body Relaxer

Unfortunate as it may be, you and I are immersed in a tension filled world. It is this very tension that forms the basis for psychosomatic disturbances. We are left asking ourselves what we may do about our individual tensions and what we may do about world tension, which after all is only the result of accumulated individual tension, Psychiatry offers tranquilizers, but HATHA YOGA offers drug less inner relaxation through the ancient practice of SHAVASANA.

The mind and body are linked, and whether happens to one will affect the other as surly goading one of two yoked oxen will force the other to move along with it. Knowing this, we may confidently proceed to use Shavasana  as an adjunctive therapy for such diverse conditions as old fashioned neurasthenia, early stages of mild to moderate depression, sleep onset insomnia, general anxiety and panic attacks (between attacks , not during ) and reduction of mild to moderate hypertension particularly the systolic or `high reading’.

Shavasana means `Corpse Pose’ or Dead Pose’.

Specific advantages:

1.       The nervous system is rested and rejuvenated.

2.       A transfer of nervous energy to the internal organs takes place.

3.       The BP is lowered (individuals with unusually low BP may suffer discomfort from practice of Shavasana), while at the same time heart beat and respiration are considerably slowed.

4.       A deep state of muscular relaxation is brought about.

The practice of Shavasana:

In the first stage you learn to relax the body as a unit and give in completely to the force of gravity

1.       Lie supine (face up) on the floor on a suitable mat. Loose clothing should be worn, and the room temperature ought to be comfortably warm.

2.       Place your feet about twenty inches apart. Allow your ankles and toes to relax to the outside.

3.       Place your palms up as we are trying to avoid stimulus to the sensitive tactile receptors underneath the finger tips, thus dampening the alerting responses in the brain. 

4.       Check that your shoulders are flat and that the small of your back is relaxed in to the floor.

5.       Adjust your head to a comfortable position

6.       Completely surrender your body weight to the floor.

7.       Preliminary rotation sequence: Tighten-lift-release-drop.

The following sequence commences on the right side of the body and progresses to the left, for both arms and legs and finishes with awareness of the all trunk of the body if necessary , you may repeat the routine several times before to the more classical step- 8

Right arm:

An inhalation (breathing  naturally ) make a firm first; extending the contraction up the arm to the shoulder, while  simultaneously  stretching your arm and rising your all arm a few inches from the floor up on exhalation, release the tension in your arm and let it drop to the floor.

Left arm:

Switch the search light of your mind to your left arm, mentally scanning from shoulders to fingertips; on inhalation, make a fist, stretch your arm from the shoulders, and lift it several inches from the floor. Up on exhalation, allow your arm to relax and collapse to the floor.  

Right leg:

Focus your attention down to your right leg (from groin to toes). On inhalation, bend your foot back pointing your toes toward your knee cap (stretching the calf muscle), and raising your leg several inches from the floor. With exhalation, relax your leg and let it drop to the floor.

Left leg;

Turning your concentration to your left leg, sense and feel it, repeating the inhalation contraction-elevation sequence, letting it drop to the floor.

Whole body awareness:

In this inhalation relaxation cycle direct your awareness to your spine and trunk , mentally traveling from your pelvis to the back of your head, cultivating a `melting’ sensation on exhalation.

Advantages:

This step begins elementary Shavasana proper, and basically is intended as a five part routine to commence the practice at each session.

1.       Encourages release of physical tension in the limbs by muscular contraction followed by flaccidity.

2.       The concentration – release phases increase proprioceptive, kin esthetic, and circulatory consciousness of the limbs.

3.       Both hemispheres of the brain alternatively become involved with the sequential firing of motor strips and sensory strips (Contrastive phase and relaxation phase) within each cerebral cortex. This becomes an automatic psycho physiological attention fixer for centering consciousness.

   

Step 8:

Commence concentrating up on your upper and lower extremities (the arms and legs) and witch each exhalation fell your arms and legs becoming heavier and heavier. Imagine you melting or sinking in to the floor.

It should be noted that the placing of the extremities permits the `individual to take maximum advantage of the natural pull of gravity. ` Hath yoga ‘teaches, as a fundamental tenet the use of natural forces such as gravity.

This exercise should be practiced for a minimum of ten fifteen minutes    and should be performed for a week before starting the second phase of Shavasana.

Focus up on a feeling of total sagging going with gravity, and simultaneously cultivate the imagined sensation that the ground or floor is moving up to meet you, rather like an elevator going up.

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