Did you know that yoga poses help you in achieving greater flexibility rather than develop it? If you are suffering from stiff hamstrings, painful lower back and locked-up hips and tried many yoga poses without any help, then you may not have tried the right poses. When the body is stiff, it feels like you are trapped within your own body. Flexibility exercises can help in alleviating joint stiffness that may have developed due to a wide array of reasons. Here are the main asanas that are great for joint flexibility.

1. Big toe pose or Padangusthasana: This yogic pose can calm the nervous system and relieve stress and anxiety and stimulate your kidney and liver to optimize their functions. With regular practice, your calf muscles and hamstrings would stretch and your thighs would become stronger. If you are suffering from indigestion and insomnia, then big toe pose is a must try and it also helps in alleviating the symptoms of menopause.

2. Bound angle pose or Baddha Konasana: This pose offers a host of benefits that include stimulating your abdominal organs, prostate glands, ovaries, kidneys and bladder. It also stimulates blood and oxygen circulation throughout the body and improves the heart condition. It is a therapeutic treatment for high blood pressure, anxiety, mild depression, fatigue flat feet, asthma and infertility. With consistent practice, you will be able to stretch your knees, groin and inner thigh.

3. Child's pose or Balasana: This resting pose calms the mind and improves digestion to a great extent. It helps in elongation of the lower back by opening up and stretching this part of the body where all the weight is dumped while you sit and work all day long. This pose is perfect for opening up the hip and reducing hip pains and improving their flexibility.

4. Cow face pose or Gomukhasana: When performed regularly, this pose helps in deep stretching the hips, thighs, ankles, armpit, shoulders, triceps, chest and deltoid. If you had been suffering from a chronic knee pain, this pose can help relieving it. It also aids in strengthening the spine and abdominals, and its folded variations are a great way of decompressing lower spine and clearing the hip joint.

Increased flexibility is one of the topmost benefits of yoga that would surely equip you with the freedom of movement and relaxation. However, it is always important to consult an expert before you try these poses, as they can evaluate your medical history and select the ideal yogic postures that would work best for you.

Improving Joint Flexibility Through Yoga

Surya Namaskar literally translates to  bowing to the sun.  It is a combination of 12 yoga asanas, where the body, mind, and soul are brought into complete synchrony. They are done in sets, some do 12, some 15, while some 30 depending on their endurance. Scientifically too, there are multiple benefits from Surya namaskar. Read on to know the most prominent ones.
International Yoga Day 2021 will be celebrated on Monday, June 21, 2021. Since 2015, International Yoga Day is observed on June 21 to spread awareness among the masses about the importance of Yoga and its effects upon human health.

Stretching and flexibility: The 12 asanas which are part of the Surya Namaskar ensure that every part of the body is exercise. The flexibility that comes with it is to be experienced to be believed. This is extremely beneficial for the bones, joints, and ligaments of the entire body and spine.
Improves internal organ functioning: The various stretching improves blood flow to the organs and improves their functioning. The result is a better functioning digestive system and kidneys, which help in better absorption of nutrients from food and thorough elimination of metabolic wastes. Detox happens naturally, with the release of trapped gasses and improved enzyme secretion.
Weight loss: One of the best-proven ways to lose weight is to do the 12 asanas regularly on a daily basis. It is a perfect workout involving the complete body and is great for losing weight around the belly. It also is proven to improve the thyroid gland functioning, which plays a significant role in metabolism and leads to weight gain.
Bone health: Traditionally, it is done during the early morning hours, at sunrise, which ensures the body gets the required amount of vitamin D. This is essential for good bone health.
Stress buster: Stress release happens in multiple ways. Deep focused breathing is one of them. During the asanas, control over breathing is very essential and so stress control is ensured. Various muscles and bones get tense with stress, and thorough stretching helps relieve the stress buildup. The mind is also calmed during the workout, and so stress relief is further enhanced.
Cure for insomnia: People who are not able to sleep should do Surya Namaskar on a regular basis and ensure sound sleep regularly. Both stress relief and the perfect workout ensures good sleep is guaranteed.
Helpful in menstrual cycles: Women who have cramps during their menstrual cycles have shown very good improvement with the inclusion of this exercise. It also is shown to benefit people with irregular menstruation via the improved circulation. Pregnant women doing Surya Namaskars are more likely to have a normal delivery.
Glowing Skin: With the release of toxins and stress, a glowing skin is but natural.
This is not all; try the Surya Namaskar and see for yourself.

International Yoga Day - 8 Ways Surya Namaskar Is Good For Health!

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

"Adopt these most natural ways to fight Hypertension-
1. Exercise. 30 min everyday is enough.
2. Eat Bananas. Its potassium counters sodium from salt.
3. Cut Salt. Avoid processed foods and you will cut salt.
4. Don't Smoke. Avoid Alcohol
5. De-stress. It will keep BP in control.
6. Meditation or Yoga. Both are very balancing.
7. Skip Caffeine. Coffee is bad for your BP.
"

7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

8 Do’s and don’ts of meditation for beginners

While meditation can improve your overall well being considerably, it can take some time for you to master this art, especially if you're a beginner.  Follow these simple do’s and don’ts, even if you’re a novice, you can be well on your way to finding inner peace, happiness, focus and the holistic health benefits that come with the daily practice of this art (and science).

The Don’ts of Meditation

1. Don’t do it with too many expectations
It can do more harm than good if you go into meditation with a baggage of expectations. You need to go into it with an open mind, while letting go of all your hopes, goals and expectations. Most importantly, to experience inner peace and stillness, you have to persevere, even if the results do not match your expectations. 

2. Don’t worry about interruptions
Meditation is all about letting go and learning to go with the flow. So, don’t get flustered if you experience interruptions and have to get back to your meditative mindset several times. 

3. Don’t look upon meditation as a quick-fix for your problems
Considered to be an effective treatment for stress and worries, meditation should not be taken up with the thinking that your problems would be resolved in no time. The effects of meditation may not show up for months to come. Patience is the key when it comes to meditation. 

The Do’s of Meditation

4. Do meditate in a quiet spot
Whether you’re doing it alone, at home or in a group, it is always good to meditate in a place where you will not be distracted by your surroundings. Your meditation can break even at the slightest noise, so pick the quietest spot possible. 


5. Do meditate in a group
For a beginner, meditating alone can be difficult and discouraging. You require a great deal of mental effort and determination to just sit still and not do anything. So, it’s good to go at it with the help of others who have been practicing it for sometime as their struggles and experiences may teach you a lot.

6. Do take the help of technology to improve your meditation
Apart from books, even technological tools like podcasts and apps can aid in improving your meditation knowledge and skills. While podcasts on meditation can be downloaded and viewed anytime, anywhere; apps can be used to time your meditation or even to divert any calls or messages that you may receive while you’re meditating, thus, preventing any form of distraction.

7. Do experiment and vary your practice        
In order to stave off boredom that might arise from pursuing just one kind of meditation style, you could vary your practice with a myriad of meditation styles, ranging from a body targeted meditation to a breath focused one.

8. Always opt for the sitting position
It’s extremely important to get your body to differentiate between sleep and meditation. The body of a beginner can easily mistake meditation for sleep. For this reason, it is best to be always in a seated position when meditating. You could use blankets or pillows to increase your comfort level. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

8 Do’s and Don’ts of Meditation for Beginners

International Yoga Day is observed on 21st June every year to spread awareness about the importance and effects of yoga on the health of the people. The International Yoga Day aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. The United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 2014, announced that June 21 will be seen as International Yoga Day or World Yoga Day. Since 2015, International Yoga Day is been celebrated worldwide. 
Do you know about the various benefits of yoga for your body and health? Yoga is the answer for a lot of aspects which everyone desires, such as a peaceful mind, a strong and flexible body and a healthy, glowing skin. It is commonly perceived that yoga aims at weight loss, but there are numerous benefits, which you can get by practising yoga regularly. Here are the various ways in which yoga is ideal for your everyday life. It covers lots of aspects associated with your health and body functioning.

Yoga for overall fitness
You need to be physically fit, as well as perfectly balanced emotionally and mentally. This ensures that you are healthy in the true sense. Health is like a dynamic expression of life-based on how happy, loving and enthusiastic you are in life. The various postures of yoga help in maintaining overall fitness, and balance both your mind and body in an ideal way.

It helps in improving health.
It gives you an enhanced strength of mind.
Your physical power and stamina get boosted.
Your body is perfectly detoxified.
Yoga for weight loss
Yoga is excellent for weight loss purposes. The Kapalbhati Pranayama and the Sun Salutations are effective yoga practices, which help you to lose excess weight. With regular yoga practice for a long time, you become extra sensitive to the types of food your body demands. This is effective for keeping a check on your weight.

Yoga for stress relief
Some minutes of yoga every day is a good way of eliminating the stress that you experience in daily life. It refers to both physical and mental stress. Certain yoga postures, meditation, and Pranayama are ideal practices for getting rid of stress.

Yoga and inner peace
In today s hectic world and the hustle-bustle of daily life, every person desires some peace. This peace can be found within your own self and you do not always need to escape to the mountain to breathe freely. Practising yoga regularly will give you immense inner peace, which is equivalent to a mini holiday to some nice, serene place. Yoga is very essential for calming your disturbed and troubled mind.
Moreover, yoga poses massage your organs and help in strengthening your muscles. The various breathing exercises and meditation forms associated with yoga are great for releasing unwanted, undesirable stress from your system. This, in turn, improves your immune system and prevents you from getting affected by frequent diseases and health conditions.

World Health Day - Making Life Healthier With Yoga!

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