Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is amazingly complete. 

The physical benefits of yoga--widely reported in medical journals and mainstream press shows us that yoga cultivates cardiovascular health, and musculo-skeletal strength and flexibility. 

It tunes and tones each organ system-respiratory, digestive, reproductive, endocrine, lymphatic and nervous. 

Practicing yoga reduces the negative effects of stress and "dis"-ease and cultivates the body's capacity to relax.

With a regular yoga practice, we feel better, we move better, we breathe better, we sleep better, we digest our food better.  We may even begin to recover from chronic illness.

These physical benefits of yoga--may be only the tip of the iceberg. 

Regular practitioners of yoga describe a whole host of subtle transformations in their lives. 

Many experience increased mental focus and clarity, heightened perception and intuitive powers. 

Many practitioners experience an increase in energy levels, weight loss or regulation, and stamina. 

Many yogis describe feeling more emotionally "balanced".

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Why routines?

When i have a routine, I feel more balanced, energized, free & in-control.

Humans like any other species are creatures of routine. That's why children get anxious, cranky, disturbed and angry when their normal routine gets disturbed....we are born with it but somewhere we lose it on the way to a more materialistic lifestyle....Going off routine is the first step towards ill-health & maintaining a routine, the first step towards good health...

Having a routine and a consistent schedule is one of the best stress management techniques that we can adopt on our journey to better health.  And sticking to this routine even on our days off is essential. Having a consistent routine allows your body to stay in tune with your natural circadian rhythm, which in turn helps lower stress, increase energy and improve digestion.

International Yoga Festival 2012

Enriched with experience........ That's how i would like to describe my week at Paramarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh for the International Yoga Festival 2012. I feel i have grown not just as a yoga professional, but a practitioner and a person (which i feel is the most important).
Great things about the festival were internationally recognized yogacharyas, teachers, the ever helping and polite sewakas (volunteers), 500 participants from across 31 countries, smooth functioning of the whole event, good food, the ashram and Rishikesh (the abode of yoga)....

Just returned yesterday, but still enjoying the spell it cast on me.....!!!

ps: pics would follow :)

Enjoy your potatoes

Potato lowers BP because of the high potassium content. One potato with skin contains almost 45% of our daily requirement for vitamin C & has as much or more potassium than bananas, broccoli or spinach apart from a host of other micro nutrients. Therefore, please don't ban potatoes from your diet & enjoy them guilt free. Cook them right!!

Info sourced from ET Wealth

My miniyogis

That's foram, karishma & anushri in not-so-easy yoga postures & sanya in a cool lotus pose.

Days 2, 3, 4 & 5

As i was away for the weekend, i was off any kind of fasting. But to compensate in some way i list here 4 different fasts for today.

TV fast - Spend that time in some mind games instead.

Talking fast - Keeping silence for 30 minutes. See how it feels.

Newspaper fast - Try it you won't miss anything.

Shouting fast - Save your voice & your health. Not to raise voice at anyone.

Enjoy the experience........

My Kind of Fasting :-) - Day 1

This is the month of fasting in various religions. Paryushan for jains, Shravan for hindus & Ramadan for muslims. Today is the first day of Paryushan which is of 8 days. Since i am a jain i feel i should do something more for my personal growth during these 8 days. Therefore, this.....

Day 1 - Temper fast

Not to lose my cool today under any situation or with anyone.

SALADS et al...

We had a healthy discussion & exchange of salad recipes with tasting of delicious salads. Done tastefully, salads can replace your whole meal also. Special thanks to Suneera, Kruti, Devangi, Paryusha & aunty for taking the effort to make their salad :-)

Lots of benefits of salads like reducing cholesterol, cancer-fighting, immunity building, improving digestion, weight loss, lowering blood sugar etc. However its important to soak & wash them properly. It's also a good idea to include a variety of nuts, seeds, roots, lentils & sprouts in your salads apart from the dressing.

Here's to RAW POWER!!!

My Food Principles

I try to follow very simple food principles which i think contribute to health & fitness

1) Eat only upto 70% of your capacity

2) Eat only when hungry

3) Eat desserts / sweets as a separate meal

4) Drink only as much water as your system demands

5) Eat freshly cooked food as long as possible

6) Eat seasonal fruits aplenty (also mangoes)

7) Eat fruits alone on empty stomach preferably in the mornings

8) Don't eat too many varieties of foods in one meal

9) Don't just stick to wheat & rice. Also have bajra, jowar, ragi, makai, brown rice etc.

10) Milk should be had as a separate meal, not combined with other foods & without sugar, bournvita or the like

11) Avoid processed foods & sugary drinks

12) Have various mini-meals throughout the day of fruits, nuts, dry fruits, sprouts, salads

13) Eat out less

14) Eat in a happy mood

15) Eat while you eat (mono-tasking)

ps: once in a while everything is fine...........

Restorative Yoga

That's my restorative yoga class in progress..... i thought the summer month of mangoes & heat would be perfectly complemented by a rejuvenation regimen for the body & mind - YOGA SPA

You come out of the class feeling well rested, energetic, calm, composed & ready to take on the outside heat (both literally & figuratively)

It's a very relaxing & therapeutic way that we do asanas using a variety of props to support the body so that it remains well rested. When fully supported with the props, the body is able to enter into a state of deep and total relaxation.

Restorative yoga helps to engage the parasympathetic nervous system allowing for improved digestion and the reduction of muscle tension, chronic stress, fatigue, blood pressure, serum triglycerides, and blood sugar levels.

In today's day & age when life is going at a super fast pace, it is difficult for individuals to balance work, family, emotions, finances etc. This leads to a chronically stressed state of being which harms the health of an otherwise naturally creative, resourceful, and whole person. The result is a compromised immune system, injury, and/or illness. Most of us know this but we don’t do anything to change until it is “too late”.

That's why RESTORATIVE YOGA!!!

inputs have also been taken from the internet

MiniYogis

My miniyogis!!! 8 of them are missing.

It's gr8 to get your child start yoga early....... amazing how their personality, character, body & mind will shape up..........

Yoga for Children

Yoga for excellence & character building in children.

Children need a strong foundation of yoga from an early age to cope with various lifestyle related problems persistent today as also to lead a happy life.

For children who are custodians of each nation in particular & the whole world at large, I feel Yoga is the essential product of the twenty first century to lead them to perfect physical health & mental well-being. Through yoga it is possible to transform skillfully their vanity & competitive spirit into useful forms of energy. – B K S Iyengar

Why yoga for children?

o Improves circulation, vital to the proper functioning of the body
o Nourishes, stimulates & maintains balance of endocrine glands which govern their growth & development
o Helps establish a regular & easy menstrual cycle
o Improves digestion & respiration so that there is more energy available for a growing child
o Increases supply of fresh blood to the brain thus enhancing mental capacity
o Strengthens nerves thereby improving endurance
o Promotes proper structural development by working the joints
o Helps a child to become self-controlled & less prone to extreme behaviour by regulating endocrinal functions
o Corrects brooding & melancholy in girls by regulating pituitary & pineal functions
o Checks laziness & lethargy
o Builds self-confidence. Removes shyness & self-consciousness
o Controls the arousal of the emerging sexual urge
o Directs new found energy into creative outlets
o Creates predisposition towards Yogic principles of yama & niyama thus developing a child’s moral-ethical character
o Helps children excel in every aspect of life

Introducing yoga programme (Roots to Wings) for children above 8 years from 5th January 2011, every Wednesday, 5 to 6:30 pm. Each class would include yoga asanas, pranayamas, yoga games, concentration techniques, yoga philosophy through stories, role plays & much more. Please contact me for more details. Thanks!!

Celebrities & Yoga

Angelina Jolie, Kareena Kapoor, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, Lara Dutta, Shilpa Shetty, Mallika Sherawat, Aishwarya Rai, Cameron Diaz & Carmen Electra have one thing in common. They all pratice YOGA!!!

Check out this article on Yahoo - Hot Yoga Celebs

Dance Workshop

Fantastic workshop!! We had loads of fun dancing with our superb instructors Dheeraj & Tejas (Shaimak Davar group). This was a rocking Saturday morning. We learned some gr8 rock & roll (dance style) moves, pepped up our moods and got the body moving to the tracks of 'munni', 'nakhare' and the like. Dance is not just about the fun, its also meditation in motion. We were completely absorbed in whatever we were doing out there. A great workout and body mind co-ordination are added advantages......... so put on your dancing shoes and let your body move to the music!!!

That's Dheeraj & Tejas to my right & left respectively. Yes, my son aarav (he's just 2) loves to dance & watch people dance, so he too was a part of the fun for a little while.

Pregnancy Workshop

"There is only one beautiful child in this world, & every mother has it"

- Chinese Proverb

We had a nice quiet group this Saturday (23rd) for pregnancy workshop. And the workshop too went smoothly with assistance from my friends & fellow yogis sonvi & rajsi. We concluded the workshop with some healthy snacks - vegetable handavo, potato chips (roasted with little salt) and variyali drink.

Garba & Yoga

The Navratri fever was high amongst us and we thought of grooving to the tunes of garba without the space constraint of the crowded venues. Agreed you can't match that tempo, but we had loads of fun doing garba with experieced and graceful instructors - Mital & Sonvi. We also had a nice lively audience, you see in the first picture.

ps: my regular yoga practice definitely helped me during that garba nite when i slept at 2:45 only to wake up fresh after 5 hours, without any soreness. Cheers to yoga!!!

Yoga & meditation

Well, if you want to associate meditation with weight loss, let's just say that you won't crave for that chocolate bar, ice cream that you normally do.....

We had two separate sessions of meditation one last month by Geeta & Jyoti aunty and one today by my dear friend Nimisha. Both were different yet beautiful. Thanks a lot to the instructors.

I believe, if asanas & pranayamas are like cake; then meditation is like the icing on the cake. It enhances the flavor of your life. And a regular practice of meditation is like the 'Diwali cleaning' of your mind (which should happen daily & not just before Diwali :-) ). Do i need to elaborate further??? I think not !!

Crane Pose (kakasana)

Yoga is much more than just exotic postures, but when you get them, a lot changes within you!! Congrats you guys..... From the top its Rajsi, Sujal, Neetu, Sonvi & Tanvi... a very good execution of kakasana (crane pose). It is not an easy posture to get. Definitely requires a regular well-rounded yoga practice. But these girls did it & i m extremely happy for that. Improves physical emotional balance, concentration. And you'll also get those well toned arms & upper body.

Natarajasana

Nata means dancer and raja is the word for lord or king. Shiva is the King of Dancers. This pose reveals Shiva's attributes. Shiva represents transformation or change. He represents the dance of our lives, the changes, illnesses, relationships, the emotions, etc.

Shiva is also the deity of stillness, meditation, calmness, introspection and peace. Practicing this pose provides an opportunity to find the stillness within the motion. Because it's such a challenging balance, one must cultivate a quiet and focused mind. In order to remain still and balanced we must be completely present.

(from various sources on the net & books)

For me the biggest challenge was to open up the shoulders. To actually experience stillness within, the pose needs to be practiced more & held longer :)

Headstand

See the world from a totally new perspective. It broadens your vision!!! Sirshasana makes me feel calm & alert at the same time. It has huge benefits which are elaborated below.

This asana leaves so many positive effects on the body and mind that it is called King of the Asana. It enhances blood supply to the brain and calms it. It helps relieve stress and mild depression. The regular practice of this asana increases intellectual clarity, improves will power and respiration. It stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands. It strengthens the arms, legs, spine and lungs as well. It tones the abdominal organs and Improves digestion. It helps relieve the symptoms of menopause. It helps to cure minor (common cold, cough and sore throat) to major ailments like asthma, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis.