Kresent!

How To Improve Concentration And Memory While Studying:

Hard at doing well with exams? Are concentration, focus, and memory an issue? Don’t worry, here are some very useful daily activities and tips that tell you how to improve concentration and memory. Increase the reception levels and get through the exams fulfilling the purpose of it. By practicing certain things daily, here’s how to increase concentration while studying.

1. Interest in the subject.
2. Yoga and meditation for long periods of concentration and memory. You’ll see basic asanas in this post, once you perfect these asanas, you can go for some fun yoga for students and some more yoga for concentration and focus.
3. How foods that you take in, can impact your mind and body and what is a healthy diet.
4. Rest, reduce exam anxiety with yoga nidra. Yoga Nidra helps you relax completely and can effectively reduce your sleeping hours. This, in turn, gives you more time to accomplish more. Here are some more tips on how to wake up early and not feel tired.
5. Techniques like Pomodoro

Multi-tasking (trying to do more than one thing at a time), loud noises, and visual stimulation (such as from a T.V.) make concentration much more difficult, and being around them or doing them too much can put you into a habit of non-attention which can be hard to break.

1. How To Create Interest And Concentrate In Studies For School Students:

The first thing is how much the subject interests you. Some subjects really bore us. Without interest in the subject or topic, it is hard to even listen to or read through it.

You need to think of the subject application wise. From the result, where did it all start? will generate interest.

I know! Application wise?! with an uninterested subject… I faced it too.

It is hard getting backward in the process on the application level in an uninterested subject. It takes a lot of imagination to do so. Try going backward on the topic level or at an answer level.

Start analyzing how the result approached with one previous step at a time. You generate interest, thinking of what lead to this step in every step of the process and you’ll know it.

I personally tried this reverse engineering process and it worked for me. This way your interest in the subject builds up automatically.

In the process, you’ll find:

• Logical assumptions and conclusions.
• Relevant formulas.
• Laws pertaining to the application. etc..

To be on the process of learning, you’ll need concentration. For some, the interest on the subject works completely, and others to a certain level.

Long periods of concentration requires the ability to focus for that long. Here comes the importance of meditation / pranayama. The pranayama helps you calm your mind of all nonsense and focus on what you want to do.

2. Why Yoga And Meditation To Improve Concentration:

Yoga and meditation/pranayama are not just some elderly practices that are done after you reach your 60’s for your pastime. Our body needs yoga and meditation to keep in condition and work for us.

Parents should introduce yoga and meditation practices as early as possible in their lives. It should be as playing in the ground with joy. Daily yoga and meditation must be practiced, to enhance your perception and get rid of stress, anxiety. This is how to improve concentration, which is the best method to get good results.

Meditation leads to structural changes in the brain – this has been researched and studied only to confirm that the brain has the ability to modify itself if it’s trained in the right manner. A study in 2012 from UCLA found that consistent meditation helps in strengthening the connections between brain cells and a change in brain tissue so that it “folds” more. This facilitates processing information quickly, thus increasing the memory and our attention span.

Go slow with yoga when you start doing. The key is to progress into the posture by experiencing the changes in how your body and mind feel.

Yoga and meditation/pranayama will make sure your body is at ease and you can perform your activities with less friction.

Yoga For Concentration And Memory:

Here’s how to improve concentration and focus. Exercises to improve concentration are very essential. Without much of various asanas, you can practice Surya Namaskar daily to start with. As I said before doing it right is important than getting into the posture. Find out more on how to do surya namaskar correctly and check if you’re doing to right.

There is some exciting yoga for students, but here is some easy daily yoga to get used to and feel the change with yoga for beginners. After you’re through with the following simple asanas you can practice some daily yoga for concentration and focus.

Tadasana (Standing Pose) For Concentration:

This pose stretches the whole foot, especially the arch. It engages the thighs, activates the calf muscles and strengthens the knees.

It stretches and lengthens all the long muscles of the body, while also opening the spinal, shoulder and hip joints.

This pose strengthens the muscles of the neck, lower back, abdomen, and pelvis. Lung capacity increases and the respiratory muscles become firmer. Regular practice of this asana not only strengthens the body but also makes it flexible.

Tadasana looks like simple standing but there is a particular way to set every part of the body in the asana. Let’s get into detailed steps of Tadasana.

Tadasana Steps:

At first, practice the tadasana with standing against the wall to maintain the correct posture, with hips towards the wall and the ankles a few inches away from it.

1. Stand with the feet hip-distance apart grounding the feet. Lift the energy from the ground up towards the torso.
2. Gently extend the spine maintaining the natural curve, by tucking the tailbone down towards the earth and the pelvis in towards the body.
3. Roll the shoulders up towards the ears and drop them down towards the hips. Focus on the breath.
4. Inhale; raise the arms up towards the sides, with the shoulders touching the wall, and the palms facing forwards, stretching and extending the torso.
5. Exhale; bring the arms down. Repeat 5 to 10 times; relax.
6. Inhale; raise both the arms up towards the ceiling with the palms parallel, make sure the shoulders are pressing down towards the hips.
7. Exhale; bring the arms down towards the body. Repeat 5 to 10 times; relax.

Ustrasana (Camel Pose) To Relieve Stress For Better Concentration:

Backbends are very good for relieving stress. Students experience stress with long hours of sitting while studying. The camel pose relieves the pain in the lower back. With regular practice, Ustrasana helps you strengthen your back and shoulders and help you concentrate better.

Ustrasana Steps:

1. Kneel on the yoga mat and place your hands on the hips. (You may place a cushion below your knees to ease your way into the pose.)
2. Your knees should be in line with the shoulders and the sole of your feet should be facing the ceiling.
3. Inhale; draw in your tail-bone towards the pubis as if being pulled from the navel.
4. Simultaneously, arch your back and slide your palms over your feet till the arms are straight.
5. Do not strain or flex your neck but keep it in a neutral position.
6. Stay in this posture for a couple of breaths.
7. Exhale; slowly come back to the initial pose. Withdraw your hands and bring them back to your hips as you straighten up.

Pranayama For Concentration:

To channel prana and control the mind, we have to transform the activity of the body, breath, and senses to perform activities as we want.

Meditation is the most powerful of all concentration enhancement techniques if you’re looking for how to improve concentration. Learn a few simple meditation techniques and practice them at least five minutes daily such as ujjayi pranayama, kapalbhati pranayama, and bhastrika pranayama.

Trataka (Concentrated Gazing):

This is a cleansing technique of yoga for concentration and focus to clear eyes and mind. Healthy eyes are the first thing to look at. Because weak eyes or eyesight constitute many problems such as headaches, eye pain, distraction due to stress in the eyes, etc…

Items Required:

• Candle
• Table
• Bolster or a yoga mat

Arrangement:

• Place the bolster or the yoga mat on the floor and sit on it with a cross-legged posture.
• Place the table arm distance away.
• Light the candle and place it on the table.

Procedure:

1. Focus on your breath and gaze at the flame without blinking as much possible.
2. Gradually increase the gaze at flame without blinking to 60 seconds.
3. Close your eyes and visualize the flame at the point between the eyebrows.
4. Steps 1 and 3 are a cycle, repeat the cycle for two more times.
5. After three cycles are completed, sit with eyes closed and focus on breath till it gets normal.

Benefits:

When Practiced regularly, this technique enhances single point focus.

Precautions:

Not suitable for people with psychic problems.

3. Healthy Food For Peaceful Mind To Concentrate Better:

Take a food break rather than eat with a book in hand or while working at your desk because that’s likely to lead to mindless eating in inappropriate quantity

With junk food, antibiotics, irregular eating patterns, stress, our bodies are being set up for a sluggish digestive system, which in turn slows down the rest of your bodily processes.

You are what you eat!

Avoid food with too much spice or sugar and reduce the intake of fried and junk food. Include more fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, and salads in your diet.

Foods That Improve Memory | Brain Boosting Diet:

Some of the foods your brain benefits from are:

Nuts:

Almonds have vitamin E and magnesium; walnuts have manganese and copper.

Just eat 15-20g of plain nuts a day (a handful), preferably soaked, to reduce phytic acid and not more. Eating more nuts may increase phytic acid production and cause serious gastric issues.

Fruits:

Fruits are rich in natural sugars and have fiber. They have vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that boost immunity and help in all our body functions.

• Bananas
• Dates
• Currants
• Figs
• Olives
• Grapes

Vegetables:

• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Garlic
• Avocado
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes,
• Plums
• Asparagus
• Radish
• Broccoli
• Lemon
• Sprouts.

You can also check these 7 nourishing brain foods.

Few More Brain Boosting Foods:

Also, omega 3 rich foods such as fatty fish could boost mental capacity and memory. Though it is tiny, the flaxseed is mighty, packed with powerful brain boosting supplements, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Yogurt to prevent memory loss in the long term. A diet rich in yogurt can prevent loss of memory. This is because yogurt is rich in B12 vitamins. B12 stops the brain from “shrinking” with the onset of old age.

Blueberries are packed with anti-oxidants that age-proof your brain, preventing the onset of diseases. Anti-oxidants function as scavengers in the body, clearing away harmful free radicals that cause deterioration and aging. These are believed to stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, keeping the mind fresh.

A cup of milk with unsweetened cereal every morning will give you at least 25 percent of your daily intake of Vitamin D, a nutrient that has been shown to affect your brain’s inflammatory response, keeping your mood swings in check and your temperament on an even keel.

Don’t forget to drink enough water. It is essential to keep the brain and body working. It hydrates, reduces stress and keeps one healthy.

Herbal tea and green tea are good substitutes for caffeine as it relaxes the brain and induces mental alertness. Caffeine is a stimulant and too much of it can induce a feeling of edginess and nervousness.

Juices too make great brain food just like fruits and vegetables, besides the hydration benefit.

4. Effective Study Tips During Exams | How To Improve Concentration:

Here are some effective study tips for you to be active with ease and concentrate at your best.

Start with a healthy and simple homemade breakfast, preferring idli to Pongal and vada or a bowl of multi-grain porridge with fruits, nuts or banana milkshake, an egg scrambled and wrapped in a chapati or a multi-grain sandwich.

It is better to have home-cooked meals. Avoid skipping meals or eating out. Sipping one or two cups of coffee could help in concentration but more than that, it will dehydrate, make one sluggish and reduce sleep hours.

Lakshmi Vijayakumar, psychiatrist and founder of SNEHA, said, excessive stress is not good. “A certain amount of stress is good. But excessive stress will diminish capacity, cognition, memory, and performance. It will result in a lack of sleep, leading to poor concentration and loss of ability to remember,” she said. All reading should be completed 15 days or a month before the examination, she said.

Take Enough Rest To Improve Concentration And Memory:

Your brain may just need a break. Studies suggest that sleep has a huge impact on learning and memory. This is why a person who suffers from sleep deprivation has trouble concentrating and focusing on their tasks at hand. Tip: Next time you feel like you’re losing concentration, take a short nap.

It was important to take breaks in between studies, he observed. “Exercise or play games. In fact, watching television for sometime is not a bad option. It is important to keep stress away by doing something other than academics,” he said.

• When you lose sleep, it’s harder to focus and pay attention. This affects school performance and job productivity.
• Lack of sleep slows your reaction time
• sleep feeds creativity, synthesizes new ideas, and leads you to “ah ha” moments. Research shows that we need good sleep to feed our high-level, innovative thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• As you sleep, memories are reactivated, connections between brain cells are strengthened, and information is transferred from short to long-term. Without enough quality sleep, we can become more forgetful. Studies suggest that sleeping shortly after we learn new information helps us retain and recall that information later.

5. Pomodoro Technique:

Research says that sitting for too long is not good for you. In fact, they say sitting is the new smoking. Yes, sitting in one position for too long, especially for more than an hour can be very unhealthy. It causes physical and mental inertia. When you take a break every hour, you actually recharge your mental faculties and facilitate blood circulation in your legs and brain.

Each work session (called a Pomodoro) is typically 25 minutes long, and the short and long breaks usually last 5 and 20 minutes respectively.

The Pomodoro technique was proposed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s to minimize distractions that affect the workflow of workers, thus reducing their productivity.

This refers to a time management technique used to increase the productivity of people at work. It involves the breaking up of work into a number of sessions with sufficient short and long breaks in between the sessions for adequate rest.

Take Away:

Try and start working with the simple steps such as:

• How to concentrate while studying; by dealing differently with the concepts.
• A simple tadasana, yoga for concentration (when done correctly, you can feel that your body is much more alert than before)
• Trataka, pranayama for concentration (makes you look at things more clearer),
• Simple food changes during examination time that act as supplements to improve concentration.
• Sufficient rest to revive your brain to focus and concentrate better.

Finally, the Pomodoro technique to manage your time through windowed concentration.

Yoga For Belly Fat Loss:

How to reduce belly fat in 3 days? We all want it as fast as it can be possible. And it is possible with the right diet and the following yoga asanas for a flat tummy. Belly fat is hard to lose as there are various reasons, but a flat belly can be achieved with the right kind of exercise that suits you. Sometimes bloating may also make you appear fat and awkward. Check these foods to relieve gas fast. Just working out continuously may not really yield any results. This yoga for belly fat loss helps you work on your abdominal muscles to get that flat tummy. A good total body workout is the key to fat loss. Also, it is important to eat the right foods and maintain a proper diet maintain gut health. Millets have been gaining popularity for overall weight loss, check the benefits of millets and millet recipes for a healthy diet.

You can do a million sit-ups, crunches or any other exercise and it will have no effect on an abdominal definition. Yoga for belly fat loss works on the whole body. Also, you need to eat right and train more but, don’t just train your abs. One of the major functions of the core musculature is the prevention of motion.

Flat Belly Yoga Poses | Yoga Asanas For Flat Tummy:

Are you wasting your time doing abdomen crunches? This yoga for belly fat loss helps you strengthen your abdominal muscles and work on that fat to shape your waistline.

Here’s the yoga to reduce belly fat in 1 week. With the following yoga asanas for belly fat loss, you can start seeing your belly reduce inch by inch within 3 – 4 days. You need to work on the stability function, not just on flexion and extension.

1. Uttanpadasana (Raised Leg Pose) Yoga To Reduce Lower Belly Fat:

Uttanpadasana Steps:

Lie on your back with hands flat on the sides.

1. Ekapada Uttanpadasana:
   • Inhale; raise your right leg up to 90 degrees without bending the knees. (If you can’t reach 90 degrees, raise as much as you can with legs straight)
   • Hold this pose for 30 seconds or more, breathing slightly deeper than normal.
   • Exhale; lower the right leg to 45 degrees and hold this pose for 30 seconds or more, breathing slightly deeper than normal.
   • Exhale; lower the right leg to the ground beside the left leg.
   • Inhale; raise your left leg to 90 degrees without bending the knees.
   • Hold this pose for 30 seconds or more, breathing slightly deeper than normal.
   • Exhale; lower the left leg to 45 degrees and hold this pose for 30 seconds or more, breathing slightly deeper than normal.
   • Exhale; lower the left leg to the ground beside the right leg.

1. Dwipada Uttanpadasana
   • Inhale; raise both your legs up to 90 degrees without bending the knees. (If you can’t reach 90 degrees, raise as much as you can with legs straight)
   • Hold this pose for 30 seconds or more, breathing slightly deeper than normal.
   • Exhale; lower the legs to 45 degrees and hold this pose for 30 seconds or more, breathing slightly deeper than normal.
   • Exhale; lower the legs to the ground and relax.

2. Naukasana (Boat Pose) To Strengthen Belly Muscles For Flat Tummy:

This asana is slightly difficult to perform but is highly beneficial in exercising the pelvic region.

Naukasana Steps:

1. In this yoga asana, you lay down on your back.
2. Place your hands stretched in front and join the palms. Stretch your feet outside.
3. Inhale; slowly raise your legs and the upper part of your body while keeping the pelvis on the ground.
4. Hold this position for a few seconds and get back to your earlier position by slowly exhaling.

3. Kumbhakasana (Plank) For Flat Tummy – Best Belly Exercise:

One of the simplest and basic ways to reduce belly fat is performing a plank for 15-20 seconds of 5 rounds each. It tones your belly, arms, shoulders, back, buttock and thighs.

Kumbhakasana Steps:

1. Begin in a position where your elbows should rest directly under the shoulders and legs hip distance apart.
2. Take a deep breath and look slightly ahead of your palm such that your neck is aligned with the spine.
3. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged and hold them in.
4. Your hands should be perfectly flat on the ground, and the body should be straight from head to toe.
5. Try holding the posture for 15-20 seconds and then exhaling slowly to come back to the normal supine position.
6. Relax 15 seconds after you complete each round.

4. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose):

Dhanurasana is the advanced yoga pose to strengthen back. It gives the entire back a good stretch, thus imparting flexibility as well as strength to the back.

Danurasana Steps:

1. Lie down on the belly with palms facing upwards and close to the body, forehead on the floor and the feet hip-distance apart.
2. Inhale; lift the chest off the floor, squeezing the shoulders blades together towards each other.
3. Exhale; lift legs off the floor, bending from the knee. Push arms overhead so they reach the feet. Grab feet with both hands. Use a strap if need be. Place it around the ankle and hold the strap with both the hands. Pull and lift the ankles up and the away from the hips, lifting the thighs and knees off the ground.
4. Hold the pose, breathing deeply and working gradually on the lift of the chest and the thighs.
5. Release the pose and move back to child pose to relax.

Precaution:

Avoid it if you have lower back or neck pain, are pregnant or are recovering from surgery.

5. Pawanmuktasana To Relieve Stomach Gas:

This yoga for digestion asana will give the most benefits if one holds the breath while in the raised position for as long as is comfortable. For general health benefits do three to five rounds of each stage. For specific ailments such as removal of wind, more rounds can be performed at one’s discretion.

1. Bend both your knees to your chest and clasp your elbows.
2. Inhale and lift your head and shoulders off the ground and try to bring your nose in between your knees.
3. Exhale and return your head to the ground and stretch your legs out.

Repeat four times.

Take Away:

Don’t just do hundreds of crunches. A good abdominal or core program is a lot more than crunches. In fact, a great deal of your core work should be isometric exercises like front planks and side planks. This yoga for belly fat loss helps you get rid of all your belly problems.

Yoga For Spinal Cord:

Yoga refers to the spine as the ‘Merudanda’ or axis of the body, this yoga for spinal cord is about Merudanda, the pivot around which the torso, head, and limbs are balanced. The spine is made up of a series of 33 bones called vertebrae, the arches of which form a bony yet flexible cylinder to house the spinal cord. Many small muscles run down the length of the spine allowing it to pivot about in all angles and in all the geometric planes.

The lower part of the spine meets the hip joint to form a unique hip girdle that lets us walk on two legs, run, push, kick, lift, climb etc. enabling us to evolve from apes that crawled on all fours to the civilisation that we are now. Our present lives have literally been built on the strength of our backs.

However, many of us are disconnected from this strength and have reduced ourselves to feeling like we are weak creatures with flawed bodies.

Back pain has become a widespread concern with many of us refusing to exercise, dance or hike because we feel our backs are too delicate.

Yoga Poses For Spinal Alignment:

Regular practice of the following yoga pose relaxes the muscles of the lower back, removing stiffness and pain. When the body is free from pain, the self-imposed limitations of the mind also break leaving you free to explore new horizons.

1. Yogamudrasana (Psychic Union Pose):

You will need a yoga mat or towel, a flat cushion, and a rolled-up towel. This is best done first thing in the morning and just before going to bed.

Yogamudrasana Steps:

1. Sit cross-legged on the mat. If your body feels stiff, sit on a cushion so that you have some back support.
2. Place the rolled-up towel in front of you. Push your shoulders back and bring your chin parallel to the floor.
3. Clasp your right wrist with your left hand behind your back.
4. Exhale; keep your spine straight and move forward to place your forehead on the towel. Move slowly. Go to the limit your body is letting you right now.
5. Hold the pose for 10 breaths.
6. If your lower back is too stiff, move forward and come back up as you exhale and inhale respectively at least seven time.

2. Marjariasana (Cat stretch):

This yoga pose relaxes the mind and improves blood circulation.

Marjariasana Steps:

1. Stand on your four limbs like a table with palms placed shoulder-width apart and toes placed hip-width apart parallelly. Look straight ahead.
2. Inhale; raise your chin and tilt your head back, push your navel downwards and raise your tailbone. Compress your buttocks and feel a slight tingle. Take deep breaths.
3. Exhale; drop your chin to your chest and arch your back up as much as you can and relax the buttocks. Take deep breaths.
4. Then come back to table position. Do 2 and 3 alternately for a few minutes.

Yoga inversions and some planks and side planks will also help.

3. Ardha Mastyendrasana:

This pose stretches your hips, shoulders, neck. On regular practice, it strengthens your spine, digestive system, urinary system.

Ardha Mastyendrasana Steps:

1. Sit comfortably erect with your legs stretched out, toes pointing upwards.
2. Bend your left leg such that the heel of the left foot lies next to the right hip. You could also keep the left leg stretched out if you like.
3. Place the right leg next to the left knee by taking it over the knee.
4. Twist your torso, neck, and shoulders towards the right, and set your gaze over your right shoulder. Make sure your spine is comfortably erect.
5. There are many ways you can place your arms to increase and decrease the stretch. But to do it simply, you can place the right hand behind you, and the left hand on the right knee.
6. Hold the pose for a few seconds, about 30 to 60 as you breathe slowly, yet deeply.
7. Exhale; release the right hand, and then the waist, chest, and finally the neck. Relax as you sit straight.
8. Repeat the steps on the other side, and then exhale and come back to the front.

Easy Spine Twists:

The spine twists gives you best relaxation and proves effective in aligning the spine.

Spinal Twist Variation 1:

1. Lie flat on your back with palms facing upwards at 45 degrees away from your body.
2. Keep your feet together and toes pointing upwards.
3. Inhale; bend your knees keeping your calves perpendicular to your thighs.
4. Exhale; without changing the legs position twisting your spine bend your legs to the side. Make sure you don’t lift your shoulders.
5. Relax in this position for 10 to 15 deep breaths.
6. Inhale; lift the legs back to the top and exhale; bend your legs to another side.
7. Relax in this position for 10 to 15 deep breaths.
8. Inhale; lift your legs up, exhale; lower the legs to the floor.

Spine Twist Variation 2:

1. Lie flat on your back with palms facing upwards at 45 degrees away from your body.
2. Keep your feet together and toes pointing upwards.
3. Inhale; bend your right knee keeping your calf perpendicular to your thigh. Keep your left leg straight and flat on the floor.
4. Exhale; without changing the legs position twisting your spine bend your right leg to the left side to the ground over your left leg. Make sure you don’t lift your shoulders.
5. Relax in this position for 10 to 15 deep breaths.
6. Inhale; lift the right leg back to the top and exhale; lower your leg to the floor.
7. Relax in this position for 10 to 15 deep breaths.
8. Repeat the same with left leg.

How To Stop Stress Eating – By Mindful Eating And Yoga:

Stress affects the mind and behavior in a variety of ways such as fosters worrying, indecision, negativity, restlessness. Muddles thinking, impairs judgment. Triggers irritability, anger, depression, apathy, alienation, forgetfulness. Loss of sex drive, and can make one more accident-prone. Increased smoking, drinking, etc. Stress eating is one such issue and you’ll know how to stop stress eating as you read through. It is important that you eat mindfully and do some yoga to relieve stress and stop stress eating. Eating mindfully also includes eating foods that calm nerves for immediate relief.

It also alters appetite that is eating more or less. Emotional eating or stress eating is one such stress-relieving distraction that one goes for. But it has many side effects such as gaining abnormal weight when overeating and prone to lose weight when not taking sufficient food.

Emotional Eating / Stress Eating:

Stress eating means, your eating patterns are decided based on your emotional status. In this case, the food cravings are a distraction rather than a sufficing the hunger.

Stress Eating Symptoms:

Symptoms are basically any emotional stressors such as loss of loved one, boredom, feeling low, low self-esteem, etc.

Emotional stressors may vary differently for different people. It depends on the individual’s stress levels.

The first and primary symptom you can observe and identify is normal hunger is caused by the body. But emotional hunger is not connected to the body and entirely dependent on the emotion of the person.

1. Check if you’re really hungry.
2. If not, you need to address the stressor.
3. Don’t suppress the cravings, instead, eat mindfully. One aspect of eating mindfully is incorporating foods that help a good gut brain connection such as probiotics.

Yoga To Stop Emotional Eating / Stress Eating:

This yoga to stop stress eating helps you build up and balance the energies to fight your emotions and address the stress eating effectively.

1. Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior Pose 1):

This pose makes the entire body strong. It also helps one develop humility and gratitude, and connect to the power that lies within. Thus help you keep away from stress and stress eating.

Virabhadrasana 1 Steps:

1. Keep legs four feet apart, and with your hands on your waist. Open your right foot 90 degrees to the right and turn the left foot 65 degrees to the right, so that the pelvis turns towards the right leg.
2. Inhale; stretch your arms up, palms facing each other. Tuck in your pelvis and elongate the spine.
3. Exhale; bend the right knee that is directly in line with the right ankle and keep the thigh parallel to the floor. Press the left leg deep into the floor and rest the torso on the pelvis.
4. Inhale; bring the arms down and roll them back to interlace the fingers.
5. Exhale; extend the torso forward towards the right knee. Hold the pose breathing deeply for five to 10 breaths.
6. Inhale; lift the torso up and release the pose. Repeat the same on the left leg.

2. Balasana (Child pose):

The child pose is a very healing pose for the body and mind. It calms the mind as the focus shift into the breath. It releases tension from the spine and the hips. This pose releases tension and fatigue from the body and helps improve circulation.

This allows us to control our cravings as it helps us to accept and surrender to the moment.

Balasana Steps:

1. Come on the knees and join the big toes, thighs, and knees together.
2. Place the palms on the floor and separate the knees just wide enough that the chest can rest on the thighs. (If this is not comfortable, then place a bolster between the knees. If your hips don’t touch the ankle place a blanket under the feet.)
3. Inhale; raise the arms up and extend the spine.
4. Exhale; come forward and rest the torso on the floor between the knees.
5. Make a pillow with the palms and rest the forehead on the palms. Breathing deeply for one to two minutes.
6. Remember to stay still and avoid movement while you hold the pose. Inhale; raise the arms up and as you exhale lower the arms and release the pose.

3. Setubandhasana (Bridge Pose):

This pose will strengthen the legs and open the shoulders and stabilize them. It stretches the neck, improves blood circulation and balances hormones. It also makes the body and minds strong.

Setubandhasana Steps:

1. Lie down on the floor with palms close to the body and the legs, hip distance apart.
2. Bend the knees with the feet in line to the knees and chin down towards the chest.
3. Inhale; press the feet on the floor and contract the inner thighs. Lift the hips off the floor and push the tail bone towards the floor.
4. Exhale; keep the palms on the floor or slide the hands under the hips. Clasp the hands together to interlock the palms.
5. Hold the pose breathing deeply in ujjayi breath for 30 to 50 seconds. Work engaging the thighs and lifting the chest higher off the floor, so that the chest touches the chin and the shoulders squeeze towards each other.
6. Exhale; lower the chest, belly and then the hips on the floor to release the pose. Straighten the legs and rest and focus on the breath.

12 Best Tips To Stop Stress Eating:

1. Balance your food choices with physical activity to achieve ideal body weight.
2. Include exercise, yoga, meditation, prayer, hypnosis, and biofeedback in your daily life.
3. Eating smaller frequent meals ensures a steady stream of energy and has a calming effect on the brain.
4. Plan your activities and food in advance. Shop smart. Ensure access and availability of healthy foods.
5. Choose adequate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables like amla, citrus fruits, tomatoes, green peppers, green leafy vegetables, kiwi, broccoli, and strawberries to ensure good Vitamin C status.
6. Choose whole grains like oats, barley, brown rice, and whole wheat; pulses, nuts and seeds, low-fat dairy, seafood, lean meats, green leafy vegetables, and wheat germ to ensure adequate intake of Vitamin B and Zinc.
7. Minimize the intake of white flour, white rice, and sugar.
8. Avoid junk food and poor quality fat (hydrogenated trans fats).
9. Include good quality fat through natural sources like nuts, seeds, fatty fish, and cold-pressed oils.
10. Snack smart on fresh fruits, dry fruits, nuts, seeds, roasted whole grains, soups, salads, and yogurt.
11. Drink plenty of fluids and remain well hydrated. Green tea, Jasmine tea, Chamomile tea calm the mind.
12. Drink tea, coffee and alcohol in moderation.

Mindful Eating Practice:

Practicing mindful eating keeps you away from physicals ailments caused by emotional eating. It is important to see that you are not adding any physical uneasiness upon the stress. Healthy mindful eating reduces the cravings and also alleviates stress. Take time to smell, taste and celebrate. Your meal deserves more than just mindless chewing

Mindful eating is about being aware of the food we eat, giving it all of our attention and building a deep connection with what goes into our bodies. Investing our five senses in the act of cooking and eating is an intensely rewarding experience. For one, you experience food deeply, so there is satiety with a lower quantity of food than if we were mindlessly chewing, resulting in better well-being, even weight loss.

Psychologically, when you take time to look at and smell the food, it activates the salivary glands. Tasting every morsel, and chewing on the food slowly, ensures that the saliva starts acting on the starches and their digestion.

Putting more thought into what’s going onto your plate and into your body means you make better, more healthful choices for yourself. Eating mindfully makes you more closely connected with nature and the people you share a table with, be it family or friends. You learn to listen and be more receptive. Done mindfully, cooking and eating food becomes a pleasurable and restorative experience and not a mere chore we perform reflexively, or an activity done when boredom sets in.

Here are 6 ways to eating mindfully:

1. Don’t just gulp your food. Even if you’re chewing enough you need to appreciate the food in front of you with all your five senses. (Listen to the sizzle of the tempering, see the colors of the salad, smell the aromas of the spices and herbs, feel the texture of the grains, and finally, taste every morsel.) This cannot be done on the run.
2. Enjoying food won’t come easily, you need to practice with the whole family sitting down together for one meal a day, starting the meal with a note of gratefulness, either mentally or aloud (this one for the kids), being thankful for the sun, soil and water that made this food possible, are all excellent mealtime rituals that gently nudge the family towards mindful eating.
3. Make the appearance beautiful. We use the dining table as a multi-purpose area. It is often cluttered with pending homework, bills, unopened mail, newspapers of the day, and a lot more. That doesn’t quite create the perfect setting for a meal, and we end up taking our dinner to the sofa. A simple arrangement like fresh herbs, small flowers in a jar or fresh fruits in a bowl, make for a delightful centerpiece on a clutter-free table. Don’t wait for those special guests to bring out the best crockery. Even a regular meal is worth celebrating. Serve and plate the food tastefully, in a way that’s appealing to the eye. Not just for Instagram, but also for yourself.
4. Skip multitasking, although you might not go to the extent of turning off your phone, at least make sure it is beyond arm’s reach. The fake-news forwards on WhatsApp don’t need our urgent attention. YouTube kiddie videos have made their millions because many parents choose to show their toddlers these videos on loop at mealtimes. It is best to nip this habit in the bud. Also, don’t forget to turn off the telly. Give your mealtime the attention and sanctity it deserves. Tune in instead of tuning out.
5. Remember, food is not a crutch, sad over something? American sitcoms taught us that the best way to deal with this gloom is to bring the whole tub of ice cream to bed and watch a rom-com, with a box of tissues on the side. Boredom often makes us rummage the kitchen cabinets for snacks. Insomnia leads us to the fridge in search of chocolate or dessert. In all three cases, it isn’t hunger that leads us to food. Address the problem on hand creatively. Food is not the solution here. Stopping for a moment and asking ourselves if we are hungry, before reaching out for food, can be a revelation.
6. Don’t stuff in the name of not wasting food. We tend to do this even if we’re full. It is a counter-intuitive habit, making us ignore the signals from our body. Don’t make wasting food a habit though. Serve small portions and go for seconds if you feel like it more.

Pawanmuktasana Yoga Series For Joints:

This yoga for joints basically focuses on loosening up the joints of the body. Stiff joints may block up the energies and make the joints creek while moving causing joint pain. This pawanmuktasana series eliminates energy blockages in the joints of the body.

Yoga for joints helps strengthen joints and keep out of rigidness to ease movement. It improves coordination, self awareness and self confidence.

People suffering from rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart problems or other ailments who are not allowed to involve in any vigorous / strenuous physical exercise can practice this group of asanas.

Pawanmuktasana Series | Yoga For Joints:

You’re going to move the various joints. Such as by bending the toes, moving ankles forward and backward, rotating ankles. Sit in the base position as shown above. This following pawanmuktasana series is to be done around 5 to 10 times.

Padanguli Naman:

Move toes folding your fingers back and forth, 8 to 10 times.

Goolf Naman | Yoga For Ankles:

1. Move feet towards the body and away keeping tour ankle still.
2. Inhale; moving towards the body and exhale; moving away from body.

Goolf Chakra | Yoga For Ankles And Calves:

1. Rotate ankle with both feet together.
2. five times clockwise and five times anti-clockwise.

Ardh Titli Asan | Yoga For Hip Joints:

1. Bend your right knee and keep the ankle on top of the left thigh.
2. Place the right palm on the knee cap and inhale; move it up close to the chest.
3. Exhale; move down to the ground. Keep the right feet still on the left thigh while moving the right knee.

Do it for 5 – 10 times. Repeat the same with the left leg.

Poorna Titli Asan:

1. Bend your knees in, and join the heels.
2. Clasp your hands and hold your feet together just around the top, see that you’re not lifting your feet.
3. Slowly, move your knees up and down.

Mushtika Bandhan:

Stretch your hands in the front, stretch your finger out and clench alternatively.

Do this for 5 to 10 times and bring the hands down.

Manibandha Naman:

1. Stretch your hands in the front, keeping the fingers together.
2. Inhale; bend palms up and exhale; bend the palms down.

Repeat step 2 as many times as you are comfortable.

Manibandha Chakra:

1. Extend the hands in the front at shoulder level.
2. Make a fist and rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise five times each.

Kehuni Naman:

1. Stretch your arms out in the front, palms facing upwards.
2. Bend the hand at elbow and bring the palm to shoulder.
3. Repeat with alternating hands, a few times.

Skandha Chakra | Yoga For Shoulder Joints:

1. Stretch your hands out on the sides, palms facing upwards.
2. Bend the hands at the elbows, palms reaching the shoulders.
3. Now rotate from the shoulders in clockwise and anti-clockwise, five times each.