Ayurveda literally translates into  the science of longevity.  It not just looks at treating the symptoms of the patient, but at getting to the root of the issue for a holistic treatment. In addition to various products, yoga is an integral part of maintaining overall health in Ayurveda.

Patrons of yoga would agree that yoga has multiple benefits, not just in treating diseases, but in maintaining the overall health. The following are some of the most obvious benefits of yoga.

Weight management: Yoga normalizes body weight by multiple ways including restoring hormonal balance, reducing cortisol levels, improving depression (which can lead to binge eating), etc. Do not worry about calories not being burned during yoga. Yoga is a very good stress reliever and people who are not stressed are rarely obese.
Pain control: Whether you have a headache or back pain, knee pain or muscle pain, try specific yogasanas. There are people who would vouch for the fact that they could completely stop their pain killers with effective yoga.
Strength: Yoga makes a person strong in addition to improving flexibility. In most forms of exercises, some may give strength, others may give flexibility. But yoga is one of the few approaches, which combines the two. Range of motion of the joints is improved, healing is quicker, and ligaments and muscles are more elastic with yoga.
Brain functioning: Yoga improves memory and cognitive functioning. Because meditation and focusing on oneself is such an integral part of yoga, it promotes brain function. It improves memory, clarity of thought, attention span, and helps in decision making.
Reduces stress: By improving overall well-being, yoga is one of the best methods for stress management. This in turn leads to reduction of a host of other diseases including hypertension, diabetes, stroke, sleep disorders, etc. There is also a heightened feeling of well-being, reduced depression, better self-esteem, improved motivation, and other effects which improve overall health and happiness quotient.
Anti-degenerative effects: The body is in a constant state of degeneration and with age, this is accelerated. What yoga does is to arrest degeneration   be it the muscle mass, the skin tone, or the joint flexibility. It has a whole lot of metabolic benefits including reducing glucose, sodium, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, and catecholamines. Simultaneously, it helps by increasing HDL cholesterol, hematocrit, hemoglobin, lymphocyte count, white blood cell count, thyroxin, total serum protein, oxytocin, prolactin, and cholinesterase among others.
Restores function: For impaired body systems, whether it is nervous or digestive, musculoskeletal or neurologic, yoga does wonders.
There is no restriction on where to do yoga. Unlike gymming, swimming, or cycling, there is no definite set-up required. So, go embrace yoga and see the benefits for yourself.

Yoga - 7 Ways It Improves Your Health!

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. 

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

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!

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

3 Yogic positions for a better sex life

Doing yoga on a daily basis can give your sex life the boost that you may be looking for while improving the overall quality of both you and your partner's sex life. The dividends that you and your partner reap can range from an increase in flexibility, stamina and sensitivity to improved self-confidence. Thus, in addition to an improvement in the sexual aspect, you can expect improvement in physical and mental aspects too. So, here are some sex positions that you can try to make yourself relaxed and lithe, enabling your body to function properly.

1. Wide-legged straddle pose - This pose is beneficial for improving blood flow to the pelvic area, leading to an increase in sex drive.

To do this, find a comfortable spot to sit in. When you've done this, spread each leg at a 45-degree angle. While stretching your upper body, take in a deep breath. When letting out the air, bend forward and to touch your toes. All the while, keep the spine stretched to its maximum.

2. Squat pose - This yoga position works by improving your pelvic joints and targets your inner thigh muscles, abdominals, and your pelvic floor. The pose is also found to be beneficial in stimulating your spleen and sex glands (gonad).

For this, you need to stand with your feet wide apart and your toes facing outward. Join your palms together in front of your heart, and slowly bring them down in the direction of the mat, stopping just before you touch the floor. Position your biceps behind your knees so that they are spread out while helping your spine to maintain its stretched position.

3. Chair pose - In this pose, your pelvic region is targeted and helps you to establish a better control over your sexual organs. It works by lifting your pelvic floor as you go about lowering your tailbone.

Begin by bringing your feet together before assuming a sitting position. Keep your tailbone stretched when you lift your pelvic floor to stretch the spine.



3 Yogic Positions for a Better Sex Life

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

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