Author: Ayurved

Your skin reflects the state of your overall health. If you are physically fit and mentally calm, your skin will naturally be supple, flawless and glowing with life. If on the other hand, you are suffering from some physical disease, or are mentally stressed out, your skin will also lack the luster of life.

Unhealthy dietary practices including intake of junk food and aerated beverages, exposure to various pollutants in water as well as air, and over exposure to the sun are some of the most common factors that squeeze out the natural health of the skin and cause various types of skin diseases. A sedentary lifestyle devoid of physical activities compounds the problem.

If your skin has also started showing the effects of all these factors in the form of blemishes, wrinkles, and other skin problems, it’s high time you paid attention to it. Yoga provides you with possibly the best-integrated skin care regimen. It balances the secretion of hormones in your body and promotes the flow of oxygen enriched blood to your skin. This neutralizes the effects of all those factors that affect the health of your skin and leaves it glowing with natural health. Yogic practices nourish the skin at the cellular level and detoxify it. They activate all internal organs, particularly the endocrine glands, and optimize their functioning by stimulating them as well as by lowering the stress levels.

The essentials for the rejuvenation of your skin are better blood circulation, improved oxygen supply to the skin cells, and lowered stress levels. Yoga has a twofold way to achieve this – pranayama and asanas. Here are some pranayama which best for skin care. Practice each for a minimum of five minutes, on an empty stomach. Be consistent and patient, for the results will start showing only after three-four weeks:

Bhastrika: It is the simplest of pranayamas and provides a sort of warm up at the beginning of a session. Simply inhale as much air as you can and then exhale slowly to remove even the last traces of it from your lungs.

Kapalbhati: This pranayama detoxifies your body by concentrating on the process of exhalation. Just blow out air from your nostrils in short bursts. Keep the pace moderate, ideally, one burst every second.

Anulom Vilom:  This consists of breathing in from one nostril and breathing out from the other. Breathe in with the left nostril keeping the right closed with your thumb. Breathe out with the right, keeping the left closed with your index finger. Keep the mind concentrated on breaths.

Shitli Kumbhak: Fold your tongue in a way that it slightly protrudes from the mouth. Inhale slowly from the mouth, experiencing coolness in the interiors of the neck. Hold the breath for a few seconds and then exhale in the normal way through the nose. This pranayama is especially good for the skin. Practiced regularly it can reduce wrinkles and skin blemishes by purifying the blood.

Some asanas that are more beneficial for the skin are:
•    Surya Namaskara
•    Yoga Mudra
•    Trikonasana
•    Virabhadrasana
•    Bhujangasana
•    Pavanmuktasana
•    Sarvangasana
•    Ushtrasana
•    Halasana

Of these, Surya Namaskara is a complete set of twelve poses that combine the benefit of all the yogic asanas. The remaining ones are individual asanas found especially beneficial for the skin.

Practiced regularly, these pranayamas and asanas of yoga can infuse your skin with natural health and impart an unusual glow to your looks. They need no costly equipment and require just a few minutes of your time. Just be persistent and patient, and continue the practice even after you have achieved the desired results for continued benefits.

Memory: A Dynamic Process of the Mind

Memory goes beyond merely retaining information and recalling it when the need arises. It is a dynamic faculty of the mind that actively analyzes the assimilated information and processes it to be used by us and our body, consciously or unconsciously. For example, out of the vast mass of information we come across daily in our lives, it sieves out the irrelevant part and retains only that part which is, or may be, useful to us. That’s why a good memory is said to be the key to a healthy and wealthy life.

Need to Train the Mind to Sharpen Memory

The importance of memory in our daily lives needs no reiteration. Every moment of our life floods us with new information, developments, happenings and facts that have to be taken into account. In order to cope up with all this, we have to train our mind in a way that strengthens the dynamic aspect of memory. However, most methods and techniques to improve our memory sorely fail in it, as their stress is only on the static process of retaining information.

Why Yoga Is the Best Way to Improve Memory

Yoga is perhaps the only method that takes into account both the static and the dynamic aspects of memory, thus strengthening all the faculties of the mind – retention, analysis, and recall. The asanas and other yogic practices bring about attention, sharpen the audio-visual perception, strengthen cognition, and facilitate the processing of sensory information. The yogic practice of hath yoga – a combination of asanas, pranayam, and various meditation techniques – stimulates blood supply to the brain. This facilitates the overall health of the brain and enhances concentration. This results not just in better memory but improved cognitive abilities in general.

Yogic Ways to Improve Memory

Yogasanas: Two great asanas that address all physical and mental problems to facilitate general well being are Sarvangasana and Bhujangasana. Both these provide a great boost to memory as well. Shirshasana is a specific asana for improving the functions of mind including memory. Its regular practice greatly sharpens memory while improving concentration and attention. Asanas involving forward bends, like Uttanasana and Pashchimottanasana, also improve memory by acting on the spinal cord and the nervous system.

Pranayams: Pranayam focuses the mind on the breath as it goes in and comes out of the lungs. The process elevates the level of oxygen in the body and stimulates the flow of spiritual energy, or prana, in the mind, thus giving a boost to memory. Kapal Bhati, Bhastrika, and Bhramari are the three best pranayams for memory. Different pranayams control breath in different ways, the most common being breathing in with one nostril while keeping the other closed, and breathing out with the other nostril while keeping the first closed.

Meditation: Meditation in Siddhasana, Padmasana or Sukhasana is a great help to memory. The effect increases manifold when the meditation is done while chanting some mantra. It is not necessary to use long mantras with difficult pronunciation. Simple omkar, or the chanting of om, is enough for the purpose.

Dharana: This is the yogic practice of concentration. It yokes the wandering mind and curbs its tendency to waver. The result is increased mental strength and improved work efficiency. At the same time, it takes stress off the mind and induces peace and calm. Its daily practice proves beneficial to the body as well as the mind in multifarious ways.

These yogic practices, taken together, go much beyond merely improving memory. They provide mental strength and impart a clear, focused and directional thinking, along with improved memory.

The Word of Conclusion

According to Joan Shivarpita Harringan, Director, Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care, if you practice yoga regularly and religiously, it can shift the automatic patterns of your nervous system over time. It can change the physiological processes and stimulate positive neurotransmitters in the brain to lay down the foundation of a calm and peaceful life with clarity of purpose as well as receptivity and retentive power of the mind. Yoga Sutra aptly sums up the relation of yoga to mind: Yogah Chittavritti Nirodhah – yoga paves the way for the cessation of the fluctuations of mind; and a firm and stable mind is a clear and focused mind with optimum memory and problem solving abilities.

Work, as the saying goes, is worship. We all need to work not just to survive and support our families, but also to carry out our larger responsibilities towards the society. However, the nature of work today has made it an enemy to our health. Most of us spend hours locked up in offices, scanning files or keeping glued to computer screens. This puts not only our eyes but also neck, shoulder and back muscles to unwarranted stress, leading to gradual stiffness in them. This, along with hundred other stresses and tensions at work, may lead to headaches, backaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, mental fatigue and irritation. If left unattended, these myriad problems may adversely affect your efficiency at work, thus forming a vicious circle that may well make your life a hell.

While we cannot wish away our work, nor can we change its nature, we can certainly incorporate some techniques of Yoga at work that would not only prevent these health problems but also make work a pleasure. And it is never too late to start. Even if you have already developed some of these problems, techniques of Yoga in the office can well alleviate pain and relieve other symptoms by facilitating the release of tension from the mind as well as the body, while strengthening muscles and increasing their flexibility at the same time.

Doctors and psychologists alike have asserted that incorporating simple Yoga techniques in work routine not only provides much needed physical exercise but also relaxes the mind and enlivens the spirit of the tired employees. These techniques can easily be performed while sitting on the chair, at any time of the day. All it requires is just a few minutes’ time during short breaks from work. Here are some Yoga-based exercises that will help you adopt correct posture at work, and alleviate stress, relieve your eyes, and strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles:

Correct Posture

Our posture at work plays a very important role in avoiding undue stress on various muscle groups. However, most often we develop the habit of being in the wrong posture, whether sitting or standing. Here are some tips that will help you adopt the correct posture at work without consciously trying for it:

• When you are standing, see to it that your feet are hip distance apart.
• When you bend while standing, look down at the feet. They should be parallel.
• When you are sitting, see to it that the hips and knees form right angles.
• Sit straight and tall, maintaining this right angled posture, at the edge of the chair.

To maintain correct posture, it is important to keep the upper body relaxed. The Warrior Pose is an excellent exercise to help achieve it:

• Raise the arms to the sides, pointing outward with fingers.
• Step forward with the left foot, lower the body while bending the knee.
• The right leg will now be tilted with the foot firmly planted on the floor, and knee straight.
• Breathe normally, make your upper body relaxed and stay in this pose for a few minutes.
• Now repeat the pose while switching the legs, this time, you will step forward with the right foot.

De-stress through Breathing

Do you feel stressed out at work? Do you yawn heavily at the beginning of the day, or after lunch? Do you feel sleepy while working? These are sure signs of being unable to withstand stress at work. Here is a simple breathing technique that will provide an outlet to the stress, preparing you afresh for the work.

• Slightly press your right nostril with your right thumb.
• Inhale deeply through the left nostril.
• Now, use your right index finger to close the left nostril in a similar way.
• Exhale through the right nostril.
• Practice this technique, known as pranayama in yoga, for at least one minute, or more if you have time.

Neck Exercises

It is your neck that bears the brunt when you sit working for long hours at your desk. No wonder most people today are found complaining of pain in the neck and, in more severe cases, developing spondylitis. Here is a simple technique that can help you prevent this problem, or even get rid of it:

• Keeping the body straight, put hands on the waist and lower your chin slowly till the neck feels relaxed.
• Breathe naturally for two-three breaths in this position.
• Gradually straighten the neck to bring the head in its natural, upright position.
• Now tilt the head right towards the right shoulder. Take two-three breaths.
• Next, tilt it left towards the left shoulder and again take two/three breaths.
• Finally, rotating the entire neck first clockwise, and then anti-clockwise, bring the head back to its natural position.

Shoulder Exercises

Shoulder pains often become a nagging problem when one sits for long hours in the same position. Here is another technique that will keep your shoulders free of any pressure or pain:

• While inhaling deeply, stretch hands on both the sides and bring them up to the level of ears.
• Now exhaling, let the hands drop to their normal position.
• Repeat a few times.
• The process should be smooth and without jerks. Breathing pattern mentioned above must be followed while raising or dropping the hands.

Eye Exercise

Your eyes mirror your soul. Any sign of stress or tension first gets reflected in them. Overstraining them by staring at your computer for long, or working in improper light, can cause irreparable damage to them. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to take proper care of them at work. Here are a few ways that would help your eyes recover from ill effects of strain at work:

• Look straight ahead.
• Keeping the head and the neck in its natural position, slowly raise eyes to look at the ceiling. Inhale while doing this.
• Now, slowly bring eyes to look downward at the floor with head and neck in the same position. Exhale while doing this.
• Repeat at least five times.
• Now blink a few times and then close your eyes to relax.
• Repeat the same technique, looking up and down, towards the right side, blink and close eyes. Repeat again for the left side, blink and close eyes.
• Finally, rotate eyes first clockwise, and then anti-clockwise. Blink and close eyes at the end of every rotation.

Shava, in Sanskrit, means corpse or a dead body. Thus, Shavasana is a pose that simulates a corpse. That is why it is also sometimes called Mrtasana, mrta in Sanskrit, means dead. It is often practiced at the end of a yoga session but can also be practiced at the end of each asana, or pose, to relax the body and prepare for the next asana. Some practitioners also practice it in the beginning of the session for better concentration and focus during the practice of various asanas. It can also be practiced as a standalone asana to relieve stress at any time of the day.

To practice Shavasana, follow these steps:

• Lie down on the back, spread arms and feet at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from the sides of the body. Slightly tilt the head backward to rest it comfortably. Make yourself comfortable. In winters, if you feel necessary, you can place a blanket over the body to keep yourself warm.
• Close the eyes and slowly deepen the breathing. Concentrate on the breathing and feel the whole body laying its weight on the floor and relax.
  Continue reading “Shavasana: The Corpse Pose”

Shirsha means the head, and Shirshasana is a pose in which the body stands inverted on the crown of the head, held straight with the support of the forearms. As a result of its immense benefits, it has earned the title of the king of all asanas, or yogic poses.

To practice this pose, follow these steps:

• Spread a comfortable mat or blanket on the floor. Fold double, if necessary, to provide extra cushion.
• Kneel down and interlock the fingers of both the hands; place the arms, joined at fingers, on the floor. Keep the elbows shoulder width apart, so that the arms look like the sides of an equilateral triangle.
• Place the head inside the hollow space created by the palms so that the crown of the head touches the floor while the back of the head touches the palms. Head should not be on the palms.
• Move a little towards the head, on the knees.
• Inhale. Slowly placing body weight on the arms and the crown of the head, raise the legs up.
• Retaining the breath, slowly straighten the legs till the whole body becomes straight and vertical. Slowly exhale; breath from the abdomen, slowly but deeply.
• Concentrate on the brain, or between the eyebrows.
• Hold the pose for as long as you comfortably can, but not too long in the beginning. Then, bend the knees, lower one leg, then the other, and come down slowly.
• Shirshasana must be followed by Balasana, the child pose, and Tadasana, the palm tree pose, in that order. This is required to slowly bring back the body into the normal mode before you resume the normal activities, or go on to other poses.

Being an inverted pose, shirshasana increases blood flow to the brain with accompanying benefits in the sphere of mind and intellect. Alongside, it also rejuvenates the body and stimulates the flow of spiritual energy, called prana, in it. In fact, it has so many benefits that they have to be discussed under separate heads, as follows:

Physical Benefits

• Improves blood circulation in the head
• Relieves pressure and pain in the lower part of the body in general, and lower back in particular
• Improves overall physical balance

Mental Benefits

• Facilitates concentration and improves memory
• Increases intellectual capabilities
• Sharpens senses

Spiritual Benefits

• Helps one develop a deeper insight into life and its different aspects

Precautions

However, Shirshasana is an advanced pose and requires great care. Don’t attempt it unless you have sufficiently practiced poses involving forward and backward bends and twists, developed sufficient strength in neck, back and shoulder muscles, and improved breath control and balance. In the beginning, it is always advisable to practice it under the supervision of an expert.

You can take the help of a wall, or specially prepared props, for support in the beginning. Practice Ardha Shirshasana, or the dolphin pose, before attempting Shirshasana. It will develop strength in upper parts of the body and will provide a smooth transition to Shirshasana.

Do not practice Shirshasana if you suffer from any of these conditions – high blood pressure, palpitation, glaucoma, detachment of retina, conjunctivitis, brain, neck or back injury, as well as obesity. Do not practice it if you are a menstruating or pregnant woman. Exit the pose immediately if you feel like coughing, sneezing or yawning.

Taking care of these precautions, you can practice Shirshasana and benefit from its immense physical, mental and spiritual advantages.