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Monday 23 December 2013

Easy Tips for Weight Loss Naturally with Yoga


How often do you hear this? “I think I’ve put on weight; I need to slim down” - and this could lead to frantic discussions on ways to somehow shed those extra pounds.

Working out at the gym for long hours, training our taste buds to eat only healthy - you might have already tried all these and more to come back to good shape. Now, how about adding something that’s natural, has no side effects, is extremely easy and hardly takes 15-20 minutes of your day?

Meditation; a simple yet powerful technique. Wondering how something related to the mind can have anything to do with shedding pounds and kilos? Let’s see how meditation helps you lose weight naturally:
1: BMR, calories scales become kind
If you are on a weight-control program, you might be keeping a regular check on your body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR). By knowing your BMR, you can reduce calorie intake, in turn reducing body weight. When you meditate, your body’s BMR reduces. This means the extra calories intake by your body reduces. Weight loss is, then, a natural outcome.

2: Your tummy happier with less food
Have you noticed that the minute you stop working out for a few days, you immediately tend to put on a lot of weight? This is because you continue eating without burning as much. Exercising at the gym simply increases your appetite but may not necessarily improve assimilation.

By practicing yoga for weight loss and meditation, assimilation improves and desire for calorie-rich food decreases. So you feel hungry but are satisfied with lesser quantities of food. This has a more long-term effect on the body weight. Even if you are not able to exercise for some days, you won’t start gaining weight suddenly.

3: Restore your balance
Excessive weight gain and weight loss are sometimes outcomes of hormonal imbalances in the body. Meditation helps restore that harmony in the system so that if you are overweight, you lose pounds and if you are underweight, you gain the ability to put on.

4: Doughnuts anyone?
Your craving for all kinds of food could be your biggest roadblock when it comes to losing weight. How easy is it to stop yourself from buying a doughnut each time you pass the bakery shop with the fine aromas floating around? With regular meditation, it can be slightly easier.

Meditation increases awareness so that you become more watchful of your food habits. The next time you stretch out to grab a packet of chips or chocolates, you are immediately aware that it’s not going to help you reduce weight and you can substitute them with healthy alternatives. Also, over a period of time with regular meditation practice, you will find that your cravings have dropped. So you won’t be reaching for that bag of chips or cookies all that often.

“Till about one year back, I used to eat a lot of chocolates to the extent that if I would have chocolates at-least once a day, I used to feel very restless. My weight would only increase and I did not how to stop myself. Within 2 months of regular practice of meditation, I saw my cravings drop and I found it easy to control myself to chocolates. I continue to meditate and my weight has come down by 7 kg,” shares Divya Sachdev

5: Boost your commitment
Have you noticed how easy it is to fall prey to the threats of your weight- loss program? Sleep, junk food, sweets – all of these have the power to make you drop out of your weight-control plan very easily. This is a check on your commitment where meditation can help. Daily meditation practice helps strengthen your intention to lose weight so that you become more committed to exercising, following a moderated diet and other healthy practices.

Meditation gives the strength to realize an intention.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Plank Pose (Kumbhakasana)

Also known as the plank pose this aasana is the most simple yet effective yoga exercise. It strengthens and tones your arms, shoulders, back, buttocks, thighs and not to mention your abs. interestingly this is the best aasana to get rock hard abs.  
Yoga exercise - Plank Pose

1.  Start in Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Savasana). Then inhale and draw your torso forward until the arms are perpendicular to the floor and the shoulders directly over the wrists, torso parallel to the floor. 
2.  Press your outer arms inward and firm the bases of your index fingers into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then spread them away from the spine. Also spread your collarbones away from the sternum. Do not sink into your shoulder sockets.
3.  Press your front thighs up toward the ceiling, but resist your tailbone toward the floor as you lengthen it toward the heels. Lift the base of the skull away from the back of the neck and look straight down at the floor, keeping the throat and eyes soft.
4.  Plank Pose is one of the positions in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. You can also perform this pose by itself and stay anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Explore some more yoga poses.

Monday 16 December 2013

Child Pose Yoga Posture

Shishu Asana

Yoga Asana – Child Pose

Shishu= child; asana= pose
Pronounced- shishuh-asanah


How to do Shishuasana (child pose)

Sit on your heels. Keeping your hips on the heels, bend forward, and lower your forehead to the floor.
Keep the arms alongside your body with hands on the floor, palms facing up. (If this is not comfortable, you can place one fist on top of another and rest your forehead on them.)
Gently press your chest on the thighs.

Hold.

Slowly come up to sit on the heels, uncurling vertebra by vertebra and relax.

Benefits of Shishuasana (Child Pose)

Deeply relaxing for the back.

Relieves constipation.

Calms down the nervous system.

Containdications and Cautions

In case of serious back or knee injuries avoid this pose.

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Yoga to treat diabetes

Yoga for diabetes can effectively support diabetes management, by gently massaging your internal organs, activating glandular-systems and help normalizes the blood-glucose level.
If you are new to yoga and interested to practice yoga for diabetes management, for gaining maximum benefit without injury, learn yoga tips for beginners, yoga safety tips to avoid yoga injuryand benefits of yoga pose.
Certain yoga for diabetes in this page is difficult to perform and require expert’s guidance. If you are a beginner, just practice simplified diabetes yoga for a minimum of two to three months. After gaining perfection, you can start practicing yoga in this page.

Yoga normalizes your glucose level by gently compressing (massage) and stimulating the endocrine glands (pituitary, pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid, and adrenal), the exocrine glands (sweat, salivary, mammary, pancreas and liver), and the internal organs (include stomach, intestine, pancreas, and liver), which are directly or indirectly responsible for carbohydrate metabolism. This gentle compression provides fresh nutrient-rich blood supply to the organs and thus heals it and start working as expected. Additionally, yoga improves your overall physical as well as mental well-being.
 
Start Yoga session with Warm-up
Most of the yoga masters insist to practice  warm-up exercises before yoga session, which makes your body flexible and prepare yourself to do the yoga pose at your best.
Six diabetes yoga to normalize your blood glucose

  • Sirsasana is the king of all asana; it stimulates pituitary and pineal glands, which controls the brain, nervous system, and all bodily sensory functions. It rejuvenates nervous system helps stop or repair nerve damage in diabetes. Aids proper blood circulation; help keeps sensitivity in the extremities and prevents amputation. Kindle digestion; it provides relief from diabetes signs, maintain blood-glucose level, and prevent diabetes complications. Learn more about Sirsasana.
  • Sarvangasana – is the queen of all asana; it stimulates thyroid and parathyroid glands, which are responsible for protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism. It provides all the benefits of Sirsasana; additionally it keeps you calm and cool. Learn more about Sarvangasana.
  • Halasana – it is otherwise neck named as plough-pose (consider as a tool to reveal a hidden treasure), regular practice rejuvenates the whole-body system. It revitalizes thyroid, thymus, spleen, pancreas, liver and kidney. This pose is beneficial in diabetes treatment as well as for overall well-being. Learn more about Halasana.
  • Paschimottanasana - stimulates liver, pancreas, and kidney. It is not only beneficial in the treatment of diabetes; additionally, it helps lower cholesterol, and high blood pressure. It activates nervous system, calm mind, and relieves your stress. Learn more about Paschimottanasana.
  • Ardha Matsyendrasana provides deep internal massage of the abdominal organs thus squeeze out toxins, cleanse, and rejuvenate the body. It stimulates digestion, and supply organs with fresh circulation. Ardha Matsyendrasana can massage the pancreas, kidneys, stomach, small intestines, liver, and gallbladder. Learn more about Ardha Matsyendrasana.
Finish Yoga session with Shavasana
Well-experienced Yoga Guru’s always end a yoga session with a total relaxing yoga pose called as “Shavasana,” it helps to gain the most from the yoga poses you have just performed. Furthermore, make you more relaxed; it is a much simple asana, but difficult to reach perfection.


Thursday 11 July 2013

Why Yoga ?



Yoga is a mind and body practice with historical origins in ancient Indian philosophy. Like other meditative movement practices used for health purposes, various styles of yoga typically combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation. This fact sheet provides basic information about yoga, summarizes scientific research on effectiveness and safety, and suggests sources for additional information.
Yoga
Yoga
Key Facts
Recent studies in people with chronic low-back pain suggest that a carefully adapted set of yoga poses may help reduce pain and improve function (the ability to walk and move). Studies also suggest that practicing yoga (as well as other forms of regular exercise) might have other health benefits such as reducing heart rate and blood pressure, and may also help relieve anxiety and depression. Other research suggests yoga is not helpful for asthma, and studies looking at yoga and arthritis have had mixed results.

People with high blood pressure, glaucoma, or sciatica, and women who are pregnant should modify or avoid some yoga poses.

Ask a trusted source (such as a health care provider or local hospital) to recommend a yoga practitioner. Contact professional organizations for the names of practitioners who have completed an acceptable training program.

Tell all your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

About Yoga
Yoga in its full form combines physical postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and a distinct philosophy. There are numerous styles of yoga. Hatha yoga, commonly practiced in the United States and Europe, emphasizes postures, breathing exercises, and meditation.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Yoga for Efficient Time Managemnt


Does thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of. – Ben Franklin


Developing into a fully functional adult, for me, has been nothing short of a great adventure. I had moved halfway around the world from home, far away from my family and friends, and I was expected to cook, clean, teach, do research and take courses, all at once. I plunged right in, and before long, I was neck deep in deadlines, to-do lists and appointments. I followed the advice of various time management experts; I put my activities in quadrants and prioritized and planned and organized and planned some more.

As days became weeks, and weeks became months, I found that I was taking longer to do things than I should, and that my to-do lists were frequently longer at the end of the day than in the beginning. Then I took the Sri Sri Yoga course. I learnt a lot of useful tricks, but my biggest takeaway was that feeling of pure enthusiasm and dynamism that I felt after every session. For three days, after every yoga work out, I found myself feeling inspired and focused throughout the day. I was efficient and helpful, and effortlessly so! I wanted to see if the same phenomenon could be achieved every day, so I decided to try out a few things, and it worked wonders! Here are my cherished tips; it is now the only list I carry around with me.

1. Well begun is more than half done – Start the day off with some yoga and meditation. Basic yoga stretches and warm ups help loosen me up and the meditation refreshes me, so I know that I am fully charged and ready to tackle the rest of the day!

2. A mind that says, “YES!”. A positive attitude fosters success and yoga fosters a positive attitude.

3. The balancing act – Yoga and time management are both all about balance. My yoga teacher taught me that the poses we adopt must be stable and comfortable (Sthiramsukhamasanam). I make sure that my plan for the day keeps me occupied properly, but leaves enough time for recuperation and entertainment.

4. Intuition helps prioritize well – A very powerful yoga technique, the Sun Salutations (suryanamaskar) has innumerable benefits, one of which is developing your intuition, your third eye center. This helps you choose your activities with wisdom and foresight.

5. The two o’ clock power down – After lunch, our body is spending its energy in digestion, and we tend to feel a little tired and lethargic. Yoga Nidra is a super-nap. In less than twenty minutes you feel deeply rested and fresher than from drinking any energy drink, without the unwanted side effect of a sugar or caffeine crash.

6. Smile, smile, smile! Sometimes, things just take longer than we expect, the day goes in unpredictable ways, and there are unavoidable delays and last minute changes. But as my yoga teacher would remind me as I would strive to hold my body in naukasana (boat pose), keep smiling!

Source : Yoga and Time Management