The way we sit, walk, bend or stand is hugely dependent on one very vital organ of the human body; the spine. The spinal column provides strength and support to your entire framework. It has nerves, muscles, bones and tendons; all of which enhance proper functioning of your body. The human brain sends signals to the nerves in your spinal cord, a mass of nerve fibers and tissues ensconced within the spine, which further prompts every single part of your body to perform minute and notable actions all the same. A spine injury can, thus impair your health; in many cases it can even turn out to be fatal. Care should be taken to avoid sources of spine shock or injury. If an injury has already been acquired, it should be treated either through exercising or through medical assistance. 

A few postures to reap the benefits of a fit spine:

1. Twist your spine either early in the morning or after a tiring day: Fold one leg while the other leg remains perched on the folded one. If the left leg is folded the left elbow should be rested on your perched right knee and the right palm should be placed on the yoga mat behind your right hip. This posture can be repeated by folding the right leg as well. It increases spine mobility by twisting it to the end of its range sideways. Muscular spine aches can be remedied by following this posture once each day.
  
2. Do not slouch but sit straight: Some people are in the habit of slouching when they sit or stand. This is an absolutely wrong thing to do if your spine health is of any concern to you. Stretch out your shoulder blades and remain erect while standing and the same should be followed while sitting. Bending one's spine, unless it is necessary, can be very harmful.  
    
3. Stretch your spine in three directions: This exercise is a good way to allay the tension your spine has to undergo every day. Sit with folded legs, intertwine your fingers and stretch your arms upward, in front and at the back to expand your spine to the full. 
  
4. The downward doggy posture can relieve back pain: In this yoga posture, one is expected to stretch his or her legs according to the width of the person's back and stoop forward by placing the palms on a yoga mat. Knees and elbows should not bend.

Postures for a Fit Spine

Yoga has been touted amongst the best and most effective, time tested and natural way to eliminate various diseases and problems with the body as well as the mind. It is an antiquated craftsmanship that strengthens the body as well as relaxes the brain with the right dose of mindfulness as well. Yoga tends to stimulate the nervous system and the endocrine, digestive and circulatory systems and improve the functioning of the same. 

The postures mentioned below affect at least one of these systems, thereby clearing the path for a strong immune system. These postures are as follows:

Shishuasana (child posture): Shishuasana is a phenomenal stance that de-congests the abdomen and constructs a superior and stronger immune system.
Setu Bandhasana (bridge posture): Setu Bandhasana opens the heart and enhances the blood flow. It increases the energy in the body to build a strong resistance against pathogens.
Halasana (plow posture): Halasana is a pose that requires a backward bend. It discharges white cells in the body and strengthens the immune system.
Bhujangasana (cobra posture): Bhujangasana is a mid-section opening posture which discharges white cells that enhance the body s resistance.
Dhanurasana (bow posture): Dhanurasana is yet other posture that enhances the flow of white cells by putting weight on the working of the digestive system.
Matsyasana (fish posture): Matsyasana stretches the abdomen and chest and strengthens the thymus. This enhances the body's invulnerability level.
Vinyasa Adho Mukha Svanasana (flowing downward facing dog pose): Begin with the plank pose, palms lying on the floor just underneath your shoulder and extend the legs backwards. The whole body should form a straight line like a board. Taking a full breath, lift your hips off the floor. Hold yourself on the hands and heels. Your head needs to point towards the ground. Take full breaths, two or three times, as you hold the position. Breathe out a deep breath, relax and return to the plank posture. Gradually bring down your body. Slide your hands backwards, allowing your palms to rest alongside the chest. Toes need to be in contact with the mat or the floor.
Yoga is a holistic routine that strengthens the body physically and also mentally. Subsequently, the body s immune system additionally enhances in such a condition. A sound life can be effortlessly accomplished if we figure out how to embrace a healthier way of life, healthy food decisions, and standard routines of yoga and meditation. Ayurveda, yoga and meditation are the perfect variables to carry on with a sound life.
Yoga is not an alternative option to medicines. It is a careful step to keep infections under control. Along these lines, one need not sit tight waiting for the seasonal flu to affect the body because it can be cured effortlessly with yoga.

Yoga - How it Can Boost Your Immunity?

A number of health problems are rooted in mental instability. Frequent bouts of anger and frustration can lead to stress and related problems. One of the most efficient ways of dealing with this instability and stress is meditation.
Vipasana is an ancient meditative technique that promises to allow a person to see the true nature of things. In Buddhist tradition, it literally translates to insight to the true reality of nature namely impermanence, suffering and the realization of non self. It focuses on self observation and the connection between mind and body and aims to eradicate mental impurities.
Vipasana meditation can be broken down into four stages.
Discovering Vitakka and Vicara: The first stage of Vipasana explores the connection between body and mind. This is done by concentrating on inhaling and exhaling and the feeling of air passing over the skin in front of the nose. Vitakka and vicara refer to the concentration and thought required to feel the connection between mind and body.
Disappearance of Vitakka and Vicara: In the second stage, the connection between mind and body is felt effortlessly. Thus, in this stage both vitakka and vicara fade away. This is known as anapana meditation and helps develop control over the mind.
Happiness: When a person reaches the third stage of vipasana, he stops focusing on emotions like pity, sadness, exuberance and only feels happiness. This frees the mind of negativity and hence purifies it.
Equanimity: The fourth and final stage is characterized by mindfulness and leads to clarity. At this stage, a person feels the desire for freedom and understands nature to be ever changing.
Vipasana is taught at a ten day residential program. Here, participants must adhere to a code of discipline that includes absolute silence and abstaining from any form of communication, sexual activity and substance abuse. Participants are taught the basics of the meditation technique and how to practice it but to benefit fully from it, regular meditation is necessary. Advanced vipasana students may attend 20, 30, 45 and 60 day courses to practice vipasana. An introduction to vipasana is also given to children in the form of short 3 day courses.
Ultimately, vipasana enables the practitioner to experience peace and harmony within oneself and with the rest of the world. It frees the mind from craving and hence also helps people abstain from social evils like stealing and killing. Thus, vipasana has the capacity to change minds and character and helps practitioners lead fulfilling, healthy lives. 

Vipasana - See The True Nature Of Things

If you are looking for an effective immunity boost in your body, you should choose Ayurveda and undertake ayurvedic procedures and remedies. Good health, according to Ayurveda, involves balancing of your doshas such as vata, pitta and kapha and making sure that your agni or digestive system is working smoothly. There are several Ayurvedic ways using which you will be able to boost your body s immune system and its capability.

They are as follows:

Keep your immune system in proper balance by eating proper food: A weakened immune system makes you prone to all sorts of illnesses and diseases. In case the immune system becomes overactive, it targets your body s own tissues, confusing them for foreign invaders and attacks them. Your diet is very important for balancing this fighting response within your body. If your body gets the right nutrients and eliminates toxins effectively, the immune system gets strengthened. You should consume leafy vegetables, whole grain, nuts, legumes and highly pigmented food.

Detox: According to Ayurveda, ama is a primary factor, which leads to the development of diseases. Ama is the name of stored toxins in Sanskrit language and if your body has unhealthy ama, an environment is created where invaders thrive. Ama may occur due to both mental and physical indigestion. Ama and indigestion prevent essential nutrients from reaching your tissues, which weaken your immune function. You need to detoxify your body at regular intervals if you have unhealthy eating habits or get exposed to harmful environmental toxins.

Keep your agni strong: The digestive system or agni is very important for your health and it highly influences your immunity and immune system capability. The ability of digestion, assimilation and absorption of nutrients by the body also determines your immune strength. If your agni gets impaired because of an imbalance within the tridosha, your metabolism is affected, which weakens the immune system and body s natural resistance. Eating food items which are harmful for the digestive system leads to excess ama formation. A toxic environment is created in the body. This factor interferes with the natural intelligence of every cell which is encoded with the will of living healthy and working as a whole, together. Ayurveda aims at restoring this intelligence factor. You can boost your agni by consuming hot water and ginger tea regularly.

Yoga and meditations are important for boosting immunity, according to Ayurvedic traditions. Yoga and meditation help in reducing stress and positively affect your immune system.

Immunity - How Ayurveda Can Help You Restore it?

It is often said that Ayurveda is a science and Yoga is an implementation of that science. In treatment, both these connected branches speak for the consistent practice of breathing techniques and medication along with indulging in body purification processes, use of medicinal herbs, well regulated dieting as well as chanting of mantras for uplifting the mind and body. In Yoga, the physical purification processes are known as 'Satkriyas' whereas the same in Ayurveda is called as 'Panchakarma'.

Understanding Yoga and Ayurveda
Yoga and Ayurveda are two interrelated branches of Vedic knowledge that encircles the whole universe.

1. The formation of Ayurveda: Ayurveda is one of the four secondary Vedic teachings called the Upavedas that constitute Gandharva Veda, Dhanur Veda and Sthapatya Veda as well. Each of these Ayurvedas is directed towards specific walks and aims at the Vedic quest for liberation. Ayurveda is by far the most important of all four as it addresses all the disciplines of healing as well as holistic well-being of the mind and body.

2. The birth of Yoga: Ever since its formation through the Yoga, it has been widely accepted as one of the six branches of Vedic preaching. It advocates the authority of the Vedas and aims at systematizing the true meaning of the Vedic preaching.

In this classical Vedic system, Ayurveda is specifically developed for healing purposes and there is no other branch of the Vedic system that can offer such comprehensive healing benefits.

Integral relationship between Yoga and Ayurveda
The term Yoga means combining, harmonizing and above all uniting. Thus a Yogic approach is an inherently integrative approach that harmonizes the body, mind and senses, and is not involved in implementation of sideline techniques but incorporates a synthesis of all aspects of the healing processes. This is the reason why Yoga originally has an eight-fold path directed towards bettering the quality of lives. Otherwise, it is caught in similar variants of physical reductionism that are often addressed in modern medicinal therapies.

Asana is referred to as the internal medicine of Yoga as it brings the vital energy directly into the body. It is aimed at alleviating the nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems of the human body. It is crucial to integrate Ayurveda and Yoga for bringing out the total spiritual and healing potential of the human body as well as each of these vast branches of Vedic knowledge.

The Connection of Yoga and Ayurveda

Yoga is a complete workout of body and mind, and is a combination of stretching along with deep breathing and meditation. It is a way of keeping yourself fit without doing strenuous workouts and lifting heavy weights.

Ayurveda is the ancient Indian medical science, which treats an illness or a disease using natural ingredients. Ayurvedic treatment has been proven to be the most effective in cases of asthma, paralysis, joint pain, headache and gynecological issues. The following points emphasize the relation between Yoga and Ayurveda:

1. Aim at ensuring mental peace: Yoga and Ayurveda both are extremely powerful in treating medical issues as well as in delivering mental peace. Ayurveda uses diets, herbs, shrubs, meditation and pranayama for treating purpose. Both of them are interrelated branches of India's ancient knowledge.

2. Based on similar principles: The principles of Trigunas i.e. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and the principles of panchamahabuthas i.e. fire, water, air, space and earth are the base of Yoga and Ayurveda. Both of them are based on the basic principles of the body, such as working procedures of the body and effects of food and medicine on our body.

3. Share common beliefs: Both Yoga and Ayurveda have a common belief regarding healthy body as the two believe that a healthy and balanced mind result in a healthy body. Both of them have the similar metaphysical anatomy and physiology that consist of 7 primary chakras (centers of energy), 5 bodily sheaths, 72,000 nadis (subtle channels) and the Kundalini Shakti (energy). Yoga and Ayurveda both believe that in order to fulfill the four aims of life it is necessary to keep your body healthy. The four aims are:
i. Dharma (duty)
ii. Artha (wealth)
iii. Kama (desire)
iv. Moksha (liberation)

4. Similar treatment measures: For the purpose of treatment, Yoga and Ayurveda, both use meditation and pranayama practices. For improving the mental and physical health, both of them use body purification procedures, herbs & natural ingredients and chanting of mantras. The body purification procedure is known as 'Shatkriyas' in Yoga and as 'Panchakarma' in Ayurveda.

Many Yoga practitioners add Ayurvedic remedies to your daily routines because Yoga and Ayurveda together are powerful mediums that maintain your body, breath, senses, mind and chakras. Together Yoga and Ayurveda work excellently and cure you naturally with no side effects.

Yoga and Ayurveda Connection

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