How to Practice Yoga Poses or Asanas

Basics of Yoga Stages of Yoga Benefits of Yoga Yoga Articles Yoga Diet Yoga Mudras Pranayama Yoga Bandhas Yoga Poses Useful tips for yoga Surya Namaskar Yoga FAQ

Yoga postures are designed to cleanse, tone and purify the body, which in turn affects the mind and your ability to practice pranayama and meditation without distraction. Not to mention of the other many health benefits like:

• Improved flexibility, stamina, strength and balance.
• Better functioning of your nervous and endocrine systems and internal organ.
• Enhanced quality of your breathing.

Tips to follow when practicing yoga poses:

• Choose poses that seem appropriate to your mood and energy level.
• Begin with gentler poses and work up to stronger ones.
• Breathe evenly through the nose throughout the postures.
• Never rush into and out of a pose.
• Never strain in a pose - if it hurts, stop.
• Don't habitually practise in front of a mirror. Focus on how the pose feels, not what it looks like.
• The postures should be both steady and soft.

Explore the different Yoga Asanas

How to Practice Yoga Breathing or Pranayama

In yoga breath is said to be the interface between the physical body and the mind. The power of breathing practice to change your state of mind is extremely strong. A breathing practice can last anything from two minutes to half an hour or more.

Tips to follow when practicing Breathing or Pranayama:

• Find a quiet place where you won't be distracted. If doing the exercises inside, make sure the window is open to allow plenty of fresh air into the room.
• At first practise pranayama lying down and then gradually aim to sit upright with your spine straight.
• Breathe evenly through the nose throughout the postures.
• Never strain your breathing in pranayama.
• Breathe deeply and slowly.
• Progress slowly and carefully.
• If you feel dizzy or light-headed, return to normal breathing.
• Ask a friend to stay with you when trying out a new technique.
• Do not rush things and practice all exercises as slowly as you can.

Explore the different Pranayamas

How to Practice Mudras

Mudras are positions (mostly of the hands) that affect the body's energetic system and the flow of prana (life energy) within it. Mudras are easy and safe to learn and use. The best time to practise Mudras is during the sitting phase after a posture and breathing session.

Tips to follow when practicing Mudras:

• Don't try hard - simply allow your fingers to touch lightly.
• Allow your mind and body to be still and quiet.

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Benefits of Yoga

Basics of Yoga Stages of Yoga Benefits of Yoga Yoga Articles Yoga Diet Yoga Mudras Pranayama Yoga Bandhas Yoga Poses Useful tips for yoga Surya Namaskar Yoga FAQ

Physical Benefits:

Yoga has both its preventive and therapeutic cures over ailing mind and body. Yoga improves all the problems associated with the body, like:

• increases flexibility in muscles and various muscular joints,
• strengthens the spinal cord,
• recovers back aches,
• improves muscular skeletal conditions, digestion and elimination,
• stimulates glands and endocrinal system,
• improves heart condition,
• proper blood circulation,
• recovers breathing disorder,
• boosts immune response,
• decreases cholesterol, diabetes,
• maintains blood pressure level,
• increases the stamina and
• maintains a balance and grace all over.

Psychic Cure:

 

Yoga releases stress, fatigue which has become the seat of all disorders in a modern life. It relieves the body from any kind of muscular strain or chronic strain, refreshes the body from fatigue, stress and body aches, helps to relax the body and mind, increases concentration and awareness, and frees the spirit. 

Yoga as a Life Saving Tool: 

 

Doctors around the world have echoed that Hatha yoga can relieve a number of potential life threatening diseases like arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, AIDS, diabetes, asthma, obesity etc.

Yoga Higher Than Other Exercises:

 

Daily yoga is considered to be higher than mere performing of exercises. Yoga helps one to establish integrity among his outer self as well as his inner. If the postures are done correctly then yoga breeds a positive effect both in the inner and outer selves of an individual. Exercises like walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, biking can only look after the physical development of the body, whereas, yoga brings peace of mind, refreshes the body, releases stress, brings in good health, relaxation and happiness.

Yoga is For All: 

 

Yoga bends over all human beings of all ages with positive and happy effect.

• For children yoga is fun which enhances better memory, better concentration level, physical fitness and discipline of mind. 

• For teenagers, yoga helps them to restore their youthful energies into constructive work. 

• It creates a positive vibe around the youngster thereby preventing any negative influence and helps him to regain his inner strength. 

• In old age, yoga plays a vital role in recovering severe ailments and any muscular complications. 

• During pregnancy, yoga helps a mother to cope up with the stress and fatigue thereby resuming her energies and happiness. Yoga also promotes good health to the child in her womb. 

• Yoga is helpful in modern living as it counteracts numerous problems of modern existence. 

• Daily performance of Asanas will uplift physical condition of a man and regular meditation increases his power of concentration and other latent spiritual powers.

Internal Transformation: 

 

Besides, healing all physical disorders, yoga also heals the grossness that exists inside a mind and soul. It helps in releasing them thereby maintaining a harmony all through the body. It helps a man to strike a balance between his physical, mental and spiritual selves.

Establishes a Unity With The Divinity:

 

While your body remains in tune with your selves (physical, mental, spiritual) you start to establish a harmonious relationship with your inner self, thereby gaining a complete knowledge of one-self. This is what yoga aims at – Complete ‘self-development’ and total ‘self-realization’. Thus the mind is purified to be immersed in complete self-knowledge which results in perfect and virtuous living that every man craves for.

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YOGA ARTICLES

Basics of Yoga Stages of Yoga Benefits of Yoga Yoga Articles Yoga Diet Yoga Mudras Pranayama Yoga Bandhas Yoga Poses Useful tips for yoga Surya Namaskar Yoga FAQ

• Ten Good Reasons to Practice Yoga

• Yoga at Office

• Yoga and Pregnancy

• Yoga and Menopause

• Yoga and Asthma

• Yoga and Weight Loss

• Yoga For Men

• Yoga for Better Sex

• Yoga and Backpain

• Yoga and Constipation

• Yoga and Diabetes

• Yoga Can Cure Impotency

• Yoga and Depression

• Yoga and Healthy Skin

• Yoga for Sportsman

• Yoga Improves Memory

• Is Yoga A Medicine?

• Yoga For Children

• Laughter Yoga

• Yoga Etiquette

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Important Home Remedies from Ayurveda

Contents :

Home Remedies for 

1. Constipation

2. Indigestion

3. Common Cold

4. Headaches and Migraines

5. Insomnia, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation

6. Stomach pains and stomach aches

1. In case of chronic constipation a lifestyle change is necessary: 

• Always get up before dawn and get a long, slow walk in the morning air.
• Never wear tight-fitting clothing or belts.
• Have less tobacco, coffee, tea, hot spices & sterilized milk.
• Have more water and fresh whole milk.
• Never sleep during the day or within 3 hours of taking food.
• Fast one day a week.
• Take 3 or 5 prunes boiled 15 minutes or longer every morning.

2. Home Remedies for (Chronic) Indigestion:

• Take one teaspoon of fresh grape wine 30 minutes before meals.
• Reduce or eliminate the consumption of coffee, cigarettes and tea.
• Eat once or twice daily, never after sunset and avoid all in-between snacks.
• Fast on lemon-juice and water.
• Take a small amount of fresh pineapple after meals.
• Take 1/3 of the milk of an average coconut before breakfast.
• To alleviate immediate symptoms take a mixture of ½ teaspoon each of baking soda and oregano seeds with a dash of salt, chased with a glass of lukewarm water.

3. Home Remedies for Common Cold:

 

• Start the day with the honey-pepper mixture : grind 7 black pepper balls and mix with a teaspoon of honey, turning the spoon 108 times clockwise.
• Following the honey-pepper mixture, swallow, without chewing, one-half average garlic clove with a glass of luke-warm water.
• Take three or four times daily at the most a tea made from one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds, seven black peppercorns and one teaspoon of fresh minced ginger, which were boiled in two cups of water until one cup remains. Black tea may be added, as may sugar.
• Eat us much as possible, but avoid sour foods, cold foods and cold liquids, radishes.
• Sit facing the fire as much as possible.
• Keep the body well covered from throat to thighs

4. Home Remedies for Headaches and Migraines:

They can have many causes and there are many ayurvedic remedies.

• Apply a paste of freshly ground clay or freshly ground sandalwood to the forehead, let dry, rub off by hand and wash.
• When not suffering from a cold, drink a teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm water or fill the stomach completely with water.
• Massage forehead, temples, neck and shoulder muscles, making sure to use a little oil to prevent chafing and burning.
• If before sunrise or after sunset and the stomach is empty, do a head stand. This increases blood flow in the head and stops most forms of headache.
  

Headaches most often are caused by problems elsewhere in the body, as can be seen on the following overview :

	Pain here indicates
	A : Tension and infections of the gums and teeth. B : Over acidity (pain of the eyeball). C : Gastritis (pain of the eye socket). D : Inflammation of the stomach. E : Ulcers F : Disorders of the intestines. G : Disorders of the fallopian tubes. H : Kidney disorders. I : Disorders of urinary tract. J : Neuralgia. K : Formation of cataract. L : Disorders of the brain and the spinal nerves.

In Ayurvedic massage therapy, head massage can help to cure disorders elsewhere in the body.

5. Home remedies for insomnia, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation :

• Eat a good meal shortly before sunset, followed two hours later by a bath in lukewarm water. The patient should then go to bed, preferably listening to either drone instruments or the sound of rustling leaves.
• The milk of a nursing mother brings relief when one drop is placed in each nostril.
• Rinse the eyes with rosewater, then add a drop of ghee (clarified butter). Keep the eyes closed and sleep.
• Comb the hair before retiring.
• Massage feet, calves, nape of the neck and shoulders.
• If married, engage in sex.

 Also Read : Glory of Waking UP

6. Home Remedies for stomach pains and stomach aches :

• Take 30 grams of pomegranate seeds, sprinkle salt and add a pinch of black pepper. Chew them well and swallow.
• Take 2 grams of oregano seeds, 2 grams of cumin seeds and 2 grams of rock salt. Make a fine powder and squeeze half a lemon on it. Swallow the mixture with a glass of lukewarm water.
• For intestine troubles eat 2 ripe bananas with 250 grams of yoghurt daily for a week. Avoid fried or spiced food and fat.

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