Yogasanas

I have already spoken about the benefits I saw with Yoga in my previous post. Yoga is an ancient form of exercise practiced by saints and commoners in ancient India. Yoga sutras were given by sage Patanjali. And Patanjali is regarded as the founder of the Yoga philosophy.

The Ashtanga Yoga is the practical Yoga taught today and is also based on the concepts from Patanjali’s philosophy.

Yoga is used to treat many illnesses and disorders to name a few like:

asthma, arthritis, back pain, constipation, diabetes, drug addiction, dysmenorrhoea, headache, heart diseases, hernia, hyperacidity, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, insomnia, memory, menstrual disorder, migraine, obesity, pile (haemorrhoids), slipped disc, sexual disorder, sinusitis, spondylitis, stress, tonsillitis, and varicose veins

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Yoga can be practiced regularly with proper breathing (generally bending backwards requires one to inhale and bending forward, exhale) and correct postures (so as to avoid sprains, etc). As I have said earlier, the Yoga master’s/instuctor’s words are to be followed in case of Yoga for treatment for the above disorders. Also, some of these exercises should not be practiced during pregnancy. I would suggest it is better to go to a class the first few days to know the techniques. Later on, you can practice it at home safely.

What do you need to practice Yoga?

1. An area to practice, with open space, preferably outside the house, on the terrace, or even a room with doors and windows open for air circulation.
2. A Yoga mat or any mat, something that doesn’t slip on the floor.
3. Comfortably fitted clothes, which allows for stretching and should not come in the way (shorts and t-shirts are the best).
4. No shoes; its best done bare feet.

I do some stretches for warming up and loosening the body before I do any asanas (postures). My favorite asana is Surya Namaskara or the Sun Salutation. It is believed that 10 rounds of Surya Namaskaras a day are enough to keep you agile, relaxed and wanting for more. Of course, people who have been practicing Yoga for long, think that 10 is too less. It is best to increase the number gradually. This I can vouch for and I rarely attempt other asanas to avoid injury.

Surya Namaskara

This is the salutation to the sun, which is the source of vitality and energy. This involves practicing 12 postures (1 round) with alternate inhalation and exhalation in a fluid movement without jerking and over exerting. In each round, the first posture (Tadasana) is accompanied by chanting a mantra to invoke the Sun God’s blessing. This is best done early morning during sun rise or in the evening during sunset. But if that is not possible this can be done any time, when the stomach is not full. It is advised to face East or North (face the sun) when doing this. Follow the video.



There are many variations when it comes to this. I like this video, mainly for the soothing music. This video demonstrates the various postures, along with names of the postures.



Health benefits

From practicing Surya Namaskaras daily, we obtain a complete body work out. It works all the joints in the body. It regulates blood circulation, respiration, strengthens the wrists, elbows, spine and other joints, improves digestion, stimulates the nerves, relieves tensions in the neck and shoulders, and tones the abdomen, back, legs, arms and chest. It regulates the functioning of the various glands like- adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid,etc.