Sunday, December 28, 2008

SETU BANDASANA



SETU BANDASANA: SETU means bridge.BENIFITS:Bridge pose builds core and lower body strength, lengthens and strengthens the spine, energizes the body, and stimulates the endocrine and nervous systems.
TECHNIQUE; Lying on your back, bend both knees and place the feet flat on the floor hip width apart. Slide the arms alongside the body with the palms facing down. Interlock your fingers. and if you feel comfirt try to catch both ancles.
Press the feet into the floor, inhale and lift the hips up, rolling the spine off the floor. Lightly squeeze the knees together to keep the knees hip width apart.
Press down into the arms and shoulders to lift the chest up. Engage the legs, buttocks and mula bandha to lift the hips higher.slowly extend your both legs catch your back by your both hands.
Breathe and hold for 10-15 breaths.
To release: exhale fold your legs and slowly roll the spine back to the floor.

YOGA HEALTH SECRETS - BE HAPPY IN HEALTH


YOGA HEALTH SECRETS - BE HAPPY IN HEALTH
Health and happiness
Happiness is in the mind, and the mind is supported by the body – a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. Your happiness depends on your mind and it depends on your body. Without physical health you can't be completely happy, and without mental happiness you can't be completely healthy. Health is a positive state; not just the absence of a negative one. It's not only the absence of disease. For too long now traditional Western medicine has treated illness as only a disease: an enemy that attacks you and needs to be counter-attacked; but in reality it's nothing more than an imbalance in the natural harmony of body and mind. True healing means restoring that balance, and true health means keeping it.
Yoga means "to unify." It's the holistic approach to all aspects of life: physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga views the person as a whole; as a unique combination of body, mind and soul, and its techniques maintain that body-mind-soul harmony.
Physical health, relaxation

Stress relief

Stamina, vitality, zest for life

Clarity, concentration, memory

Motivation, willpower

Self-confidence and awareness

Creative insight

Love for all

Inner peace and happiness Prevention is better than cure
Nobody can deny that to prevent an illness is far better than to have to cure one. So it's important to live a life that prevents illness from developing, rather than to have to deal with it afterwards. We want to be healthy and stay that way.
How? There are 3 important points:
1. CleanlinessWhy should you not look after the inside of your body as much as you do the inside of your house or car? And a house or car is something you can actually replace! There's a saying that if you lose money you've lost nothing; if you lose your health you've lost something; and if you lose your peace of mind you've lost everything. "Health is wealth."
You can't be healthy without inner cleanliness. On the other hand, if you're clean internally, you won't even catch a cold.
2. Vitality
Vitality comes from the body's energy resources. We gain energy from the environment: from the sun, our food and water, and the air we breathe. That energy becomes vital energy in the body; the vitality that keeps us alive. The more vitality you have, the stronger you are, the greater your physical well-being, and the more inspired you'll feel.
3. Resistance
Resistance to disease is an automatic result of both cleanliness and vitality. If the blood is pure, the cells that fight disease can function freely, without being caught in a "traffic jam" of toxins and impurities. Resistance is an internal matter, and healing is also from within. Medicine only assists the body's natural internal resistance. Resistance also depends on your lifestyle. A well-controlled lifestyle gives physical health, mental peace and contentment.
But nowadays it's difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle – what with the pollution, the pressure of everyday life, and the lack of nourishing food and drink. Once I left a Big Mac for six months to see what it would look like. What did it look like after all that time? Exactly the same as when I bought it! Only it was hard, like plastic. Can you imagine what they put in those things. Much of the food we eat is sorely lacking in nutrition and vitality, even if it is supposedly fresh. On top of that, our ever-increasing materialistic outlook on life leaves us dull and uninspired.
So what's the answer?
Know yourself; take responsibility for your own health; be your own doctor. I'm not saying you're never going to need specialized medical treatment, but at least you can minimize the chance of needing it. "An apple a day," well you know the saying. What's the use of going to the doctor for something you can cure ten times easier yourself? Or even better, something you could have prevented yourself, with no extra demand on your time or your finances. And these are very simple things that you just need to be mindful of. But the point is that we're usually not mindful of them. Even the basic things like how to eat, how to breathe, even how to think – there's an art and science to every aspect of life that we should be aware of and make good use of.
Well, the good news is you can start from today. It's just a matter of knowing the things to do and doing them, because ultimately it's what we do in our lives that matters most. You have in your own hands the power to make your life better in every way: physically, mentally and spiritually. Yoga Health Secrets will show you how. In short, it is a simple, easy-to-follow guide of natural health for vitality, motivation, self-confidence and inspired happiness.

Monday, December 22, 2008

YOGA MUDRASANA




YOGA MUDRASANA:


First perfom BADDA PADMASASNABaddha means caught, restrained. In this position the hands are crossed at the back and the big toes are caught from behind. The body is caught between the crossed legs in front and the crossed hands behind, hence the name.Technique1. Sit in Padmasana.2. Exhale, swing the left arm back from the shoulders and bring the hand near the right hip. Catch the left big toe, hold the position and inhale.3. Similarly, with an exhalation, swing the right arm back from the shoulder, bring it near the left hip and catch the right big toe.4. If the toes are difficult to catch stretch the shoulders back, so that the shoulder-blades are brought near each other. A little practice in the swinging the arms back with an exhalation will enable one to catch the big toes.5. If the right foot is placed first over the left thigh and then the right big toe. If, on the other hand, the left foot is placed over the right thigh first and then the right foot over the left thing, catch the right big toe first and then the left big toe.Catch first the big toe of the foot which is uppermost.6. Throw the head as far back as possible and take a few deep breaths.7. Inhale deeply, and then with an exhalation bend the trunkforward from the hips and rest the head on the floor, without releasing the toes from the hand grip. Bending the head forward in Baddh Padmasana and touchingit on the floor is called YOGA MUDRASANA.8. Also move the head on to the right and left knees alternately with an exhalation. EFFECTS:Crossing the hands behind the back exp[ands the chest and increases the range of shoulder movements. Yoga Mudrasana intensifies the peristaltic activity and pushes down the accumulated waste matter in the colon and therby relieve constipation and increases digestive power.

DWI PADA VIPARITA DANDASANA




DWI PADA VIPARITA DANDASANA


Dwi Pada means both feet. Viparita means reverse or inverted. Danda means staff orrod, a symbol, authority or punishment as well as the bodyand its prostration. The Hindu devotee prostrates before the Lord lying flat upon thefloor, face downawards with hands outstretched. The Yogi on the other hand prostrates himsel in the graceful inverted arch described below.


Technique


1. Lie flat on theback .


2. Extend the arms over the head, bend the elbows and place the palms underneath the shoulders, fingers pionting the feet. Also bend and raise the knees, bring the feet near the hips and rest them on the floor.


3. Exhale and at the same time lift up the head and trunk and rest the crown of the head on the floor. Take a few breaths.


4. Exhale, extend the legs, straighten them one by one bearing the weight on the hands, head and neck.


5. Take the left hand off the floor and place it behind the head, resting the elbow on the floor. Take two breths.


6. Now remove the right hand from and place the elbow on the floor, move the hand behind the head, interlock the fingers and rest the cupped hands against the back of the head. This is the final postion. In it the head and the hands will be in the same position as in Salamba Sirsasana.


7. The diaphragm being contracted, breathing will be faast and short. Take a few breaths, exhale and raise the shoulders as high as you can a above the floor, as also the chest, trunk, hips, thighs and calves.Stretch the legs straight from the pelvis to the ankles. Dig the heels into the floor and stay in this position to your capacity from one to two minutes.


8. Move the feet towards the head, bend the knees, release the fingerlock, raise the head from the floor, lower the trunk and relax.


9. Tth neck, chest and shoulders should be fully extended and the pelvic region raised as high as possible above the floor. To start with the neck will not stay perpendicular th the floor as it should and there will e a tendency for lthe head ndforearms toslip away. So rest the feet against a wall and ask a friend to press down the elbows until the distance between the feet and the head on the floor is propertly adjusted while the spine and legs are fully extended.


EFFECTS: In this asana, the abdominal muscles are exercised and the sp[ine is toned. As the bending is more strenuous, the effect is correspondingly greater.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Adho Mukha Vrksasana


Adho Mukha Vrksasana -

Full Arm Balance (Downward Facing Tree)Inversions are important because of the effect they have on the glands situated in the brain which controls growth and the health of the body. The inversions and their variations stimulate the blood supply to the cells of the brain. They help develop a balanced temperament and contentment. They help with memory loss
, weakness, uneasiness, brain fatigue and mental disorders such as depression and emotional instability. The lungs are expanded and develop resistance so that one can acclimatize to any weather condition. Blood hemoglobin increases.The spine becomes strong. Diseases of kidneys, bladder, displaced or prolapsed uterus, intestinal disorders, headaches complaints of nose and throat are alleviated. The muscular system of the abdomen and the legs are toned. The
shoulders, arms and wrists are strengthened.Pose Practice FOR BEGINNERS.tand in Tadasana (mountain pose). Bend forward and place the palms shoulder width apart, several inches away from a wall.
Keep arms fully stretched.
Walk back several steps.
Bend one knee and swing the other leg up straight towards the wall.
The other leg will follow. Balance.
Stay for a minute breathing normally and keeping the legs fully stretched up.
Lift the head and look at the floor.
Try the pose in the middle of the room after learning to balance near the wall.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

YOGA ROLL LIVE IN EVERY MOVEMENT




YOGA ROLL LIVE IN EVERY MOVEMENT
When one of us decides to pursue the study of Yoga, we find ourselves living and learning Yoga every day. On or off the mat, Yoga students can apply their practice to the many lessons life has to offer. The result of all this learning, and applying Yogic principles to life, is a major leap in self-improvement.You can learn from your past, live the present moment in harmony, and plan your future, with an improved perspective of each. Past, present, and future are valuable, but each is important in a different way.Let's first address the past. Many people are "prisoners" to their past. When you look at past lessons, mistakes, and set-backs, each is as valuable as any form of higher education. This becomes life experience, and you should make the most of any form of education; otherwise you are wasting your life experiences, twice - first by learning them, and then later by regretting, blaming, and second guessing yourself. On top of this, you can create poor mental, physical, and spiritual health.This is the exact opposite from what you are taught in a Yoga class. Yoga teaches you to unify these components of health, and this will enable you to improve your entire being. Put past worries, adversity, and pains behind you.You can save them in a "mental file," much like a valuable book. This teaches you not to repeat the same mistake twice. Remember that the past is filled with accomplishments, too. If you can read these words, you must be accomplishing quite a bit.Be fair with yourself and try not to be so critical. Let go of guilt and forgive yourself for being human. If you start to sink into deep dark past regrets, practice pranayama; breath awareness is the key to bringing you into the present.
YOGA ROLL LIVEIN EVERY MOVEMENT
This is much similar to what you might do when holding an asana for an extended time during your Yoga practice. This will also allow you to focus on the most important time of all – the present moment.The present is the time for action, and you must be proactive in order to succeed in life. Good reactions will save your life, but proactive behavior requires planning, innovation, vision, and perseverance. You must focus on the present to see opportunities which are right in front of you.Life is filled with many obstacles and you have to be ready for the daily challenge. You cannot change the past, but you can change the present and future. Every successful person has faced criticism, failure, and self-doubt.When you let negative thoughts into your heart and mind, you cannot think clearly. You cannot act now, and this affects your ability to plan for the future. How can you visualize success, if you are letting fear and self-doubt control your life?Fill your mind with passion that motivates you to step forward and plan your future. When you meditate, take the time to visualize your success, achievements, and goals as vividly as possible. When you practice meditation and Yoga in this way, you will find yourself enjoying life, helping others, and on your path to success.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

OMKARASANA:


OMKARASANA:
This asana is most precious and having spiritual values. Chanting of OMKARA is believed to clean body and mind. This asana is a symbolic representation to provide spiritual, physical and mental discipline.
Technique
1. Perform Eka pada sirsasana
2 . After performing Eka Pada sirsasana, stretched leg should be folded and locked just below the shoulder. The entire body balance should be on the palms. The body should be straight and erect.
3. Stay in this position for about 10 to 20 seconds with even breathing and slowly come back to the normal position. Perform apposite side same manner.
Therapeutic Advantages
1. As the name itself suggests, this exercise provides physical and mental discipline . This asana no only cures physical disorders but also cures mental disorders.
2. This asana helps to increase memory power and mental sharpness. Most useful for children and students.
3. It provides strength to the shoulder and tones up the entire physical structure of the body.

RAJAKAPOTASANA:


RAJAKAPOTASANA:

Raja kapota means the king of pigeons. This is a very attractive but difficult pose. The chest is pushed forward like that of a strutting pigeon, hence this name.

1. Lie full length on thefloor on the stomach, bend the elbows and place the palms on the floor on either side of the waist.
2. Exhale, lift the head and trunk up and back by stretching the arms fully, without moving the pubic region and the legs, Remain in this postion for a few seconds, breathing normally.
3. Exhale, bend the knees and lift the feet up. The body weight will be felt by the pelvic region and the thighs. Take a few breaths.
4. Taking pressure on the right hand, lift the left hand and with a fast and deep exhalation swing the left arm back from the shoulder and catch hold of the left knee-cap. Take a few breaths. Again with a fast and deep exhalaion, swing the right arm back from the shoulder and grip the right knee-cap with the right hand.
5. Raise the chest and using the hold on the knees as a lever stretch the spine and neck still further back unitl the head rests on the soles and heels. Keep the feet togheter and the kneers as close to each other as possible.
6. Maintain the pose as lobg as you can for about 15 seconds. As the spine and chest arte fully extended while the abdomen is pressed against the grougnd, breathing will be very fast and difficult and a stay of about 15 seconds will seem like an age. The pose closely resembles Lagu Vajrasana, the difference being that the body now rests on the pelovic region and the thinghs, instead of on the legs from the knees to the toes.
7. 7 Stretch the legs straight again. Let go of the knees and bring the palms in front on the floor one by one. If both hands are released simultaneously, due to the tension of the spine one is apt to fall on the face and hurt oneself. After resting the palms by one in front, rest the chest on the floor and relax.
8. If this is difficult, place the palms on the floor and rest the crown of the head on the feet.

EFFECTS:
In Kapotasana the lumbar region of the spine feels the stretch. In Rajakapotasana on the other hand, both the lumbar and the dorsal regions of the spine benefit by it. The neck and shoulder muscles are fullystretched and exercised.As the weight of the body falls on the pubic region, more blood circulates there so that the region is kept healthy. The abdominal organs are pressed against the floor and so are masssaged. The abdominal organs are pressed against the floor and so are massaged. The thyroids, parathyroids, adrenals and the gonads receive a copious and rich supply of blood and this ensures increaased vitality. The asana is recommended for disorders of the urinary system. Along with Kandasana and Supta Trivikramasana, Rajakapotasana is recommended for controlling sexual desire.