CHILD’S POSE (BALASANA)


Child’s pose is a go-to posture for resting, restoring and relieving the body of stress -- both physical and mental. It also stretches the hips, knees, ankles, thighs and lower back and relaxes the spine, shoulders and neck. HOW TO DO IT: Begin kneeling on your yoga mat. Keep your knees touching or open them a little wider than your hips. “Keeping the knees together provides more support and is recommended for people with less flexibility,” says yoga teacher Tracy Sharp. Lower your butt onto your heels and your torso down toward the floor, resting your forehead on the mat. Extend your arms in front of you, palms facing up to intensify the stretch, or extend your arms behind you with your palms resting faceup next to your hips. For beginners who lack flexibility in the knees and hips, Sharp recommends placing a yoga block under the hips.

CRESCENT LUNGE (ANJANEYASANA)

“I love the lunge for getting the hip into extension, because our hips are in a partially flexed position from doing a lot of sitting,” says yoga teacher Sadie Chanlett-Avery. Lunges stretch the hip flexors on the front of the upper thigh and pelvis as well as strengthen the legs and back muscles. Reaching your arms up overhead adds a level of challenge and builds shoulder strength. HOW TO DO IT: From downward dog, step the right foot forward in between your hands. Make sure your right knee is directly over your right ankle to protect the knee joint. Come onto the ball of the back foot and bring your left hip forward so both hips are in line. On an inhale, raise your torso up and extend your arms to the ceiling, palms rotating in to face each other. If this is too challenging, drop your right knee to the floor. Follow with the same stretch on the other side.

Essential Yoga Poses Everyone Should Practice

Ancient yoga tradition describes thousands -- and by some accounts, tens of thousands -- of yoga postures. But chances are, with your likely packed schedule, fitting in enough time to practice even a fraction of those postures is nearly impossible. Most of us, however, can find 10 minutes a day in a quiet place to practice a few of them. In fact, even 10 minutes a day can help you reap the benefits of yoga, including increased strength and flexibility, more energy, improved respiration, enhanced cardiovascular and circulatory health, improved sports performance, injury prevention and lower stress levels. You can always progress to include more and different poses in your practice, but start by doing these 11 essential poses, and then add to your asana arsenal as time and your body allow.

DOWNWARD-FACING DOG (ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA)

A foundational pose in many styles of yoga, down dog is the whole package. “It helps strengthen the shoulders, arms and legs; it lengthens out the spine and helps relieve pain in the upper, middle and low back,” says Atlanta-based yoga teacher Tracy Sharp. It’s also a gentle inversion, which reverses the flow of blood in the body, benefiting the circulatory and lymphatic systems and fighting the effects of gravity on the body. HOW TO DO IT: Starting from a tabletop position with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips over your knees, curl your toes under and lift your hips skyward. Keep your spine flat and extend the backs of the legs only as far as the hamstrings allow. Spread your fingers wide and gaze at your feet. “For a more advanced practitioner, you can move into down dog from a plank position,” Sharp says.

2 GARLAND POSE (MALASANA)

Americans spend a lot of time sitting with their hips at 90 degrees. “Over time, this can create a host of problems, including limited mobility in your joints,” says yoga teacher Tracy Sharp. “[Garland pose] helps open the hips and inner thighs and lengthen out the spine. It helps you keep your pelvic and hip joints healthy.” HOW TO DO IT: Start with your feet wider than hip-width apart and turn your toes out slightly. Keep your gaze forward and your spine straight as you push your hips back and lower down as if into a chair. The goal is to bring the hips as low as you can without rounding the spine. If you can’t lower down without your heels lifting off the mat, roll up a towel or blanket and place it beneath the heels. Bring your hands to prayer position at mid-chest and push into the inner knees with your elbows, further opening your hips.

3 PLANK POSE

Plank pose is one of the best ways to build core strength as well as strength and stability in the wrists, arms, shoulders and quadriceps. HOW TO DO IT: Start in downward dog. Roll forward onto the balls of your feet and lower your hips so that your shoulders come directly over your wrists and your hips are in line with the top of your head and shoulders. Keep your abdominal muscles contracted and your leg muscles engaged. Beginners can modify the pose by lowering their knees to the ground while keeping a straight, solid line through the knees, hips and head.

4 FORWARD BEND (UTTANASANA)

“Forward bends are a great counter to hunching over computers all day,” says in-house yoga teacher at Clif Bar Sadie Chanlett-Avery. And they’re great for when you don’t have a mat or a lot of space. Calming to the nervous system, forward bends also stretch out the spine, glutes and hamstrings and strengthen the quadriceps and knees. HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Fold forward at the hips, only going as far as your hamstrings allow. Keep your knees bent just a little and rest your stomach on your thighs. Advanced practitioners can straighten the legs. Chanlett-Avery recommends clasping the hands behind the back and bringing them overhead to increase mobility in the shoulders.

5 SEATED SPINAL TWIST (MARICHI’S POSE)

Twists are an excellent way to rejuvenate your body and realign your spine, especially when you’ve been sitting in front of your computer all day. “In a seated twist, your hips are anchored, so you have less chance of rotation in the hips, says yoga teacher Tracy Sharp. That keeps the twist in the thoracic spine and above for the greatest benefit. HOW TO DO IT: Sit on your mat with your legs extended in front of you. Bend your right knee and place your right foot on the mat about a few inches from your left leg on the outside of your left knee. Bring your right palm to the mat just behind your right glute. “A mistake that I see a lot of students make is they’ll place their palm out on an angle, which gives your body the opportunity to lean back, rather than keeping the spine straight,” Sharp says. Hug your right knee with your right arm or place your left elbow outside of your right knee. With each inhale, lengthen the crown of your head toward the ceiling; with each exhale twist a little deeper. Then switch sides.

Importance of Yoga for Students

The ancient practice of yoga offers a multitude of benefits to modern-day students at almost every grade level. Yoga's combination of breath and movement can help alleviate social and academic stress, clear the mind and soothe cramped bodies jammed into desks and hunched over computers. With more than 20 million practitioners as of 2013, as reported by the Huffington Post, yoga is making its way into schools with plenty of potentially positive outcomes.

De-Stressed Students

One of yoga's primary benefits for adults is the alleviation of stress. Students may be young, but they aren't immune to stress. Family pressure, financial fears, academic performance standards and peer groups can all take a toll on a student's psyche and success in school. A study published in the "International Journal of Yoga" in 2009 examined the effect of yoga on academic performance on highly stressed adolescent students. The researchers -- from MGN College of Education in Jalandhar, India -- found that seven weeks of regularly doing poses, practicing yoga breathing and participating in mediation practice reduced students' stress levels, which translated into better academic performance. A later study performed by Harvard Medical School researchers and published in the January 2012 issue of the "Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research" also found that high-school students who participated in yoga instead of traditional physical education offerings for a semester exhibited improvements in mood, anxiety, perceived stress and resilience.

Enhanced Body Image

Students often struggle with poor body image and awkwardness of movement. A study published in "Explore" in the summer of 2013 found that high-school students who practiced yoga instead of regular physical education for a semester, reported better kinesthetic awareness -- the sense of how your body moves through space -- and more respect for their own bodies. Students who participated in yoga also reported to the researchers from Osher Research Center at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Biomedicine at the New England School of Acupuncture that its regular practice could give them the incentive and strength to refuse peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol.

Reduced Conflict

Yoga may also help students get along better with one another, which fosters a more positive learning environment. A school in Milwaukee instituted a yoga program consisting of two classes per week for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. The classes emphasized respectful behavior as well as yogic breathing and movement practices. After a year, the school's number of disruptive "incidents" decreased by more than half. Yoga may teach students to better manage their emotions and reactions as well as to respect the feelings and emotions of others.
Improved Concentration

Yoga offers time for the body and mind to relax from the rigors of learning. This may help students be better at applying themselves when studying or learning in a classroom. Medical students who practiced yoga for just one month reported better sleep and improved concentration during their studies as a result in a study published in a 2013 issue of the "Indian Journal of Community Medicine." Yoga, especially breathing techniques, can also increase concentration and academic performance in students struggling academically, concluded a 2012 study published by the International Society for Scientific Interdisciplinary Yoga Research.

ഇരുപത് മിനിറ്റ് യോഗ തലച്ചോറിന്റെ ക്ഷമത കൂട്ടും

വെറും 20 മിനിറ്റ് യോഗ ചെയ്താൽ മതി, തലച്ചോറിന്റെ പ്രവർത്തനം ഞൊടിയിടകൊണ്ടു മെച്ചപ്പെടുത്താമെന്ന് ഇലിനോയി സർവകലാശാലയിലെ ഇന്ത്യൻ ഗവേഷക നേഹ ഗോഥെ. ഹഠയോഗയും ഏറോബിക്സ് വ്യായാമവും ചെയ്യുന്ന മുപ്പതു ചെറുപ്പക്കാരികളിൽ താരതമ്യ പഠനം നടത്തിയാണ് നേഹയും സംഘവും യോഗയുടെ പ്രയോജനങ്ങൾ നേരിട്ടറിഞ്ഞത്. 20 മിനിറ്റ് യോഗ ചെയ്താൽപോലും ‌വ്യക്തിയുടെ ഓർമശക്തിയും വികാരനിയന്ത്രണവും മെച്ചപ്പെ‍ടും. ഇക്കാര്യത്തിൽ എറോബിക്സ് യോഗയോടു തോൽക്കുമെന്നാണു നേഹ പറയുന്നത്.

യോഗ ചെയ്തതു കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ വളരെ പോസിറ്റീവായ മാറ്റങ്ങൾ കാണാൻ കഴി‍ഞ്ഞു. യോഗ ജീവിത്തിന് ഒരു മാർഗദർശിയാണ്. ശാരീരിക ചലനങ്ങളും അംഗവിന്യാസങ്ങളും മാത്രമല്ല ശ്വാസത്തെയും ചിന്തകളെയും നിയന്ത്രിക്കാൻ സഹായിക്കുമെന്നും അവർ അഭിപ്രായപ്പെട്ടു.

സന്ധികളോ പേശികളോ ചലിപ്പിക്കാതെ ഒരു മസിലിനു മാത്രം ദൃഢത നൽകുക, വിവിധ മസിലുകൾക്ക് അയവു വരുത്തുക, ശ്വാസം നിയന്ത്രിക്കുക തുടങ്ങിയ യോഗാമുറകളിൽ അരംഭിച്ച് ധ്യാന സ്ഥിതി, ദീർഘ ശ്വസനം എന്നിവയോട‌ യോഗസെക്ഷൻ അവസാനിച്ചു. അതേ സമയം തന്നെ എയറോബിക് വ്യായാമങ്ങളായ നടത്തം അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഡ്രെഡ് മില്ലിൽ 20 മിനിറ്റ് ജോഗിങ് എന്നിവയും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. ഹൃദയമിടിപ്പിന്റെ നിരക്ക് 60 മുതൽ 70 വരെ നിയന്ത്രിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ഒരോ വ്യായമത്തിനും സമയക്രമവും നിശ്ചയിച്ചിരുന്നു.

തുടക്കക്കാർക്ക് ചില യോഗാ ടിപ്സ്

യോഗാദിനാഘോഷം കഴിയുന്നതോടെ വീണ്ടും യോഗയെ മറന്ന മട്ടാണ് മിക്കവർക്കും. ചിലർക്കാകട്ടെ ചെയ്തു തുടങ്ങണമെന്നൊക്കെയുണ്ട്. പക്ഷേ എങ്ങനെ, എപ്പോൾ, തുടങ്ങണമെന്ന കൺഫ്യൂഷനാണു താനും. തുടക്കകാർക്കു വേണ്ടി ഇതാ ചില യോഗാ ടിപ്സ്.

 ആദ്യം വേണ്ടത് ക്ഷമയാണ്. ഒറ്റ ദിവസം കൊണ്ട് എല്ലാ ആസനങ്ങളും പഠിച്ച് സൂര്യനമസ്കാരം ചെയ്തേക്കാം എന്നു വിചാരിക്കരുത്. ശരീരം നന്നായി വഴങ്ങിക്കിട്ടാൻ കുറച്ചു ദിവസമെടുക്കുമെന്ന് ഓർമിക്കുക.

 സന്ധികളിൽ വേദനയുണ്ടാവുന്നത് ആദ്യമൊക്കെ സ്വാഭാവികം. അതിന് പ്രത്യേകം ചികിൽസയ്ക്കു പോകേണ്ടതില്ല.

 ഓരോ ദിവസവും ഓരോ യോഗാസനം വീതം കൂട്ടിച്ചെയ്യുക. ശരീരം വഴക്കമുള്ളതാക്കാനുള്ള ലഘു വ്യായാമങ്ങൾ ചെയ്യുക.

 ശ്വാസകോശം നിറയെ ശ്വാസമെടുത്തു പരിശീലിക്കുക. ശ്വസനക്രിയ യോഗാനങ്ങളിൽ വളെര പ്രധാനപ്പെട്ടതാണ്.

 യോഗ ചെയ്യുന്നതിനായി ശാന്തമായ ഒരു ഇടം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക. മറ്റു ശബ്ദങ്ങളോ ബഹളങ്ങളോ നിങ്ങളുടെ ഏകാഗ്രതയെ ബാധിക്കരുത്.

 തീവ്രത കുറഞ്ഞ പ്രകാശവും ശാന്തമായ സംഗീതവുമുള്ള അന്തരീക്ഷം നിങ്ങൾക്കൊരു പൊസിറ്റീവ് എനർജി നൽകും.

 എല്ലാ ദിവസവും ഒരേ സമയം തന്നെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കണം യോഗ ചെയ്യാൻ. ഇത് നിങ്ങളുടെ ശരീരത്തിലെ ക്ലോക്കിന് കൃത്യത നൽകും.

 യോഗയെ കുറിച്ച് പ്രതിപാദിക്കുന്ന പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ വായിക്കുന്നതും യോഗാസനങ്ങളുടെ വീഡിയോ കാണുന്നതും യോഗയോടുള്ള നിങ്ങളുടെ താൽപര്യം വർധിപ്പിക്കും.

 ഇറുകിപ്പിടിച്ച വസ്ത്രങ്ങൾ യോഗാ സമയത്ത് ഒഴിവാക്കുക. വയറുനിറയെ ആഹാരം കഴിച്ച ഉടൻ യോഗ ചെയ്യാതിരിക്കുക.

 കഴിവതും തറയിൽ പായ് വിരിച്ചുവേണം യോഗ അഭ്യസിക്കാൻ. കിടക്ക ഒഴിവാക്കുക.

 ഗുരുമുഖത്തു നിന്ന് യോഗ അഭ്യസിക്കുന്നതാണ് അത്യുത്തമം

Benefits of Yoga in daily Life

Weight loss, a strong and flexible body, glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health – whatever you may be looking for, yoga has it on offer. However, very often, yoga is only partially understood as being limited to asanas (yoga poses). As such, its benefits are only perceived to be at the body level and we fail to realize the immense benefits yoga offers in uniting the body, mind and breath. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier and more fulfilling. With all this and much more to offer, the benefits of yoga are felt in a profound yet subtle manner. 

All-round fitness 

You are truly healthy when you are not just physically fit but also mentally and emotionally balanced. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it, “Health is not a mere absence of disease. It is a dynamic expression of life – in terms of how joyful, loving and enthusiastic you are.” This is where yoga helps: postures, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are a holistic fitness package.

Weight loss

What many want! Yoga benefits here too. Sun Salutations and Kapal Bhati pranayama are some ways to help lose weight with yoga. Moreover, with regular practice of yoga, we tend to become more sensitive to the kind of food our body asks for and when. This can also help keep a check on weight.

Stress relief

A few minutes of yoga during the day can be a great way to get rid of stress that accumulates daily - in both the body and mind. Yoga postures, pranayama and meditation are effective techniques to release stress. You can also experience how yoga helps de-tox the body and de-stress the mind at the Sri Sri Yoga Level 2 Course.

Inner peace

We all love to visit peaceful, serene spots, rich in natural beauty. Little do we realize that peace can be found right within us and we can take a mini-vacation to experience this any time of the day! Benefit from a small holiday every day with yoga and meditation. Yoga is also one of the best ways to calm a disturbed mind.

Improved immunity

Our system is a seamless blend of the body, mind and spirit. An irregularity in the body affects the mind and similarly unpleasantness or restlessness in the mind can manifest as an ailment in the body. Yoga poses massage organs and stregthen muscles; breathing techniques and meditation release stress and improve immunity.

What is Transcendental Meditation?

Transcendental Meditation is the purest, simplest, and most effective form of meditation the world has known.

It is the pure technique of transcending – settling to the simplest, most powerful state of awareness – untainted by any mind control or thought process.

Transcendental Meditation allows your mind to settle inward beyond thought to the most silent, peaceful level of consciousness – your innermost Self.

How does Transcendental Meditation work?

Transcendental Meditation allows the mind to simply, naturally and effortlessly transcend thinking and to experience a state of restfully alert consciousness. This deeply restful experience of transcending rejuvenates mind and body, leading to a wide range of benefits in daily life.

How Transcendental Meditation is different

Transcendental Meditation is unique. It is fundamentally different from other systems of meditation and relaxation. A recent study on brain activity during meditation, published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition identifies three fundamental categories of meditation: focused attention, open monitoring or mindfulness, and automatic self-transcending - a new category introduced by the authors to describe Transcendental Meditation.

Benefits of meditating

• Health benefits

• Inner peace and happiness

• Stress reduction

• Creativity

Extensive research has found that Transcendental Meditation reduces stress and anxiety resulting in more inner peace, creativity, health, success and happiness.

This one simple technique allows you to go beyond thinking and contact the deep, transcendental source of all your energy, creativity and intelligence, dissolving stress and enriching mind, body, emotions and relationships.

Inner peace and happiness

Transcendental Meditation produces a coherent state of restful alertness – a state of true inner peace, for your mind and also your body. Deep within your mind is a peaceful field of pure consciousness, your own awareness awake to its own most settled state. Transcendental Meditation allows you to experience this – effortlessly.

Stress reduction

Transcendental Meditation eliminates the effects of stress internally and physiologically. When practised regularly, this results in a more balanced outlook, more energy and motivation and a deeper appreciation of one's surroundings.

Creativity

The experience of restful alertness during Transcendental Meditation creates the optimum condition to unfold your full potential for maximum intelligence and creativity.

International Yoga Day.

Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; 

thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic 

approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of 

oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating 

consciousness,it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga 

Day. — Narendra Modi, UN General Assembly.

On December 11, 2014, India's Permanent Representative Asoke Mukherji introduced the draft resolution in UNGA. The draft text received broad support from 177 Member States who sponsored the text, which was adopted without a vote. This initiative found support from many global leaders. A total of 177 nations co-sponsored the resolution, which is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA Resolution of such nature.

When proposing June 21 as the date, Modi said that the date was the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere [shortest in the southern hemisphere], having special significance in many parts of the world. From the perspective of yoga, the summer solstice marks the transition to Dakshinayana. The first full moon after summer solstice is known as Guru Poornima. Shiva, the first yogi (Adi Yogi), is said to have begun imparting the knowledge of yoga to the rest of mankind on this day and became the first guru (Adi  Dakshinayana is also considered a time when there is natural support for those pursuing spiritual practices.

Following the adoption of the UN Resolution, several leaders of spiritual movement in India voiced their support for the initiative. Founder of Isha Foundation,Sadhguru, stated that "this could be a kind of a foundation stone to make scientific approach to the inner well-being of the human being, a worldwide thing [...] It’s a tremendous step for the world. Founder of Art of Living, Ravi Shankar lauded the efforts of Modi, stating that "It is very difficult for any philosophy, religion or culture to survive without state patronage. Yoga has existed so far almost like an orphan. Now, official recognition by the UN would further spread the benefit of yoga to the entire world."

2015 International Day of Yoga

The first International Day of Yoga was observed world over on June 21, 2015. The Ministry of AYUSH made the necessary arrangements in India. 35,985 people, including Narendra Modi and a large number of dignitaries from 84 nations, performed 21 yoga asanas (postures) for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi. The day devoted to yoga was observed by millions across the world. NCC cadets entered the Limca Book of Records for the "Largest Yoga performance simultaneously by a single uniformed youth organisation" by performing at multiple venues.

The event at Rajpath established two Guinness world records awarded to the Ministry of AYUSH and received by AYSH minister Shripad Yesso Naik. The two records were for the largest yoga class, featuring 35,985 people,and for the largest number of participating nationalities (84 nations)

2016 International Day of Yoga

In India, the ministry of AYUSH released a letter to all government departments stating that "the government of India has decided to take forward the momentum created by International Day of Yoga, 2015 with greater and more active participation of youth during the current year celebrations."The ministry will organize an event titled "The National Event of Mass Yoga Demonstration" at Chandigarh, which will be attended by the Indian Prime Minister.



India's Permanent Mission to the UN will be organizing celebrations at the United Nations on June 20 and 21. A special event titled "Conversation with Yoga Masters – Yoga for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" is the centerpiece.Sadhguru will be the main speaker at the event.

Yoga and 5,000 crore Patanjali Ayurved's owner, abishek tweets and claims to have created history by leading a yoga session which was attended by one lakh people in Faridabad, Haryana.The event led by PM Modi in Chandigarh was attended by over 30,000 people this year. During the first International Yoga Day celebrations in Delhi last year, the Prime Minister had led more than 35,000 participants performing yoga at the event.