Yoga is an art consisting of asana (poses) while focusing on breathing. It is the door out from obesity, unhealthy lifestyle & bad health.
You must have often thought about practicing yoga but never had the time to look for yoga classes or actually found it tiring/boring to go to one. Some of you might feel shy thinking I wouldn't be comfortable doing such poses in a group’. So here’s a blog about how you could do yoga at home & still expect positive changes in your body.
1. Basic Requirements:
Create a tranquil atmosphere. Make sure you have enough floor space to move forward, backward, left & right without running into or hitting anything.
If you don’t already have this space, you may need to clear out some clutter.
If you want, you can add to your atmosphere by lighting candles or incense.
2. You will also need to purchase a yoga mat, which may be found on the internet or local stores.
The full routine should be done two to three times a week.
#1. Mountain Pose (tadasana)
Stand with your arms hanging straight at your sides, feet together in tadasana (mountain pose). Close your eyes & take 5 to 10 slow breaths. Inhale & bring palms together overhead.
#2. Four-limbs Staff Pose (chaturanga dandasana)
Inhale & step your feet back into plank position, then exhale & bend your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor in chaturanga dandasana (four limbed staff pose).
#3. Upward-facing Dog (urdva mukha svanasana)
Inhale & push your chest forward while pressing the tops of your feet into the floor & straightening your arms in urdva mukha svanasana (upward-facing dog).
#4. Squat (malasana)
Stand with your legs hip-width apart. On an inhalation, raise your arms above your head & press your palms together. Drop your tailbone, exhale & with your knees splayed, lower your hips as far as possible, trying not to let your heels come off the floor. Lower your hands, keeping your palms together, until they’re in front of your chest in prayer pose. Take one deep breath in & out, then inhale & return to standing, raising your arms (palms still together) overhead. Repeat five times.
Form fix: if you have trouble keeping your heels on the floor, widen your stance & turn your toes outward to ease the tension on your Achilles tendons.
#5. Bow (dhanurasana)
Lie on your stomach & bend your knees, bringing your feet toward your buttocks. Reach back & grab the outsides of your ankles & draw your knees toward each other. Inhale & left your feet toward the ceiling & your thighs & chest away from the floor. Take three to five breaths & then gently release the posture.
Form fix: to maintain the alignment, do not your knees splay wider than your hips.
#6. Plow (halasana)
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms down. Take three breaths. Exhale, push your palms into the floor, rock your legs up over your head, & touch your toes to the floor behind you (place palms on the small of your back for extra support). Take 5 to 10 breaths. Slowly roll out of the posture, one vertebra at a time, until you’re lying flat on your back again.
#7. Fish (matsyasana)
Lying on your back, inhale & slide your hand, palms down, just below the base of your spine. Then inhale, pressing your elbows into the floor, & lift your head & chest off the floor. Exhale & relax your neck backward, resting the crown of your head on the floor. Take 5 to 10 breaths & then inhale out of the posture: tuck your chin toward your chest before returning to the starting position.
Form fix: if your neck feels compressed, place a blanket under it.
#8. Corpse (savasana)
Lie flat on your back with your legs slightly apart & your arms at your side, palms up. Focus on relaxing every muscle, from your toes to your tongue. Remain in this position for 5 to 10 minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees & roll onto your right side; lie in a fetal position for a few breaths. Place your palms on your floor & slowly push yourself up into a seated position.
Form fix: let your mind relax but remain present (in other words, don’t fall asleep)
Be patient & stick with this regime. The benefits of yoga are too many to list here, but with a regular practice you will reap them all. Keep in mind that is not about whether or not you can do a particular pose exactly like the person on a video or in a picture. It’s about the journey towards the pose, enlightenment, or whatever your goal is. Keep an open mind & heart at all times.
Yoga Food
The food that you consume forms an essential part of your journey towards betterment.
Although there are no special dietary rules for asana practitioners, there are many recommendations with the main ones being to eat natural foods & eat in moderation. Yoga advises a vegetarian diet, particularly as it is preparation for the higher forms of yoga.
Vegetarianism has been found to promote inner calmness & harmony between the body & mind, whilst meat had been linked with inner, tension, anger, disharmony & an increase in desires. Vegetarianism is the basis of a sattvic diet.
ISHA MODY
BPT (2)
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