Reduce Water Retention (Edema) And Dehydration:

Many ancient philosophies such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Yoga, and Tarot talk of the classical elements which were believed to reflect the simplest components that constitute all physical matter, including the human body. These were water, air, earth, fire and a fifth esoteric element of ‘quintessence’ which was called ‘aether’ in ancient Greece and ‘akasha’ in India. Not only water, one can balance all 5 elements with ayurvedic eating rules.

An imbalance of these elements is said to be the cause of diseases and pain in the body. For example, excessive fire in the body, brought on by a poor diet and eating habits, could cause acidity and heartburn.

Another illustrative example is water, the most abundant element in the body and a necessary vehicle to maintain equilibrium in the body. It constitutes cells, lymph, blood, mucus, saliva, digestive juices, enzymes, and cerebrospinal fluids.

Excess or insufficient water element in the body causes a whole host of ailments and disorders and wears the body out at the cellular level. Yoga offers the following mudras which use the little finger (which controls the water element) to restore balance and health.

Inadequate consumption of water sabotages the efficient functioning of cells and organ systems. In addition to drinking more water, this mudra increases the water element in the body.

Mudra for Dehydration:

This mudra for dehydration rehydrates tissues at a cellular level and helps overcome associated disorders like constipation, cramps and skin ailments.

Jal Vardhak / Varun Mudra:

On both the hands, place the tips of the thumb and the little finger together.

Perform this mudra for 45 minutes at a stretch or 15 minutes thrice a day for ten days.

Mudra for Water Retention:

Water retention is caused by an excess of water which doesn’t drain through natural methods like urination and sweating.

This is usually caused by hormonal imbalances, lack of exercise and strong medication like steroids.

Symptoms of water retention condition include bloating in the belly, hyperacidity, runny nose, and clammy hands and feet.

Jal Shaamak Mudra:

Place the tip of the little finger at the base of the thumb and press the thumb onto the little finger applying gentle pressure. This amounts to suppression of the water element in the body.

Perform this mudra for 45 minutes at a stretch or 15 minutes thrice a day for ten days.

Awareness is important, not solely because we don’t want to get run over as we cross the street but because it provides us with an opportunity to live a happy and blissful life.

Asanas are about the alignment of the body. Even the Tadasana (standing straight) forces us to focus on every aspect of the body: “Feet together, big toes touching, ankles touching. Spread the feet wide and distribute the weight evenly through the feet. Pull the arches of your feet and the muscles of the legs upwards. Engage the muscles above the knee by pressing into the base of the big toe.”

And these are the instructions only for the legs. In a perfectly aligned asana, the muscles, joints, bones and even the skin are all set in a particular way. This takes some effort, but eventually, we become aware of every part of the body.

Pain and awareness:

The other aspect of yoga that forces us to focus is the pain. As the muscles stretch, we will feel pain; more pain when we first begin and less as we progress.

When we feel pain, an ache or an internal stretch of a muscle our awareness immediately shifts to this area.

It is hard to be thinking about the box of chocolate in your fridge when your hip joints are aching as they open outwards.

Balancing:

Many asanas require us to balance – on our feet, arms, or heads.

When we move our bodies into positions that we are not familiar with, the mind is forced to be in the present. If it is not fully focused, you will fall!

Breathing and awareness:

From your first class, your teacher will be reminding you to breathe. At the beginning this seems like a silly instruction, I mean, we must be breathing, otherwise we would be dead. But if you observe more closely, sometimes we hold our breath or don’t breathe deeply. Maintaining a long, deep and even breath throughout the practice is harder than you think.

Dristi or Gaze:

Every asana has a gaze point, or dristi – your fingers, toes, between your eyebrows or your navel. The outside world is distracting, especially if there is a cute guy in the corner of the studio. By directing our gaze to parts of our own body we bring our awareness inwards.

Power of the present:

Day dreaming that Kate Middleton’s wardrobe has suddenly, miraculously been gifted to you is far more blissful than being aware that you are in a huge traffic jam, right? But if you spend the day and the night dwelling on this and imagine yourself walking into the next party wearing an Ellie Saab, you might feel a little disappointed when you open your cupboard.

The gap between our reality and our desires can only lead to unhappiness. Our desires for the future, our nostalgia for the past pull us away from the moment. It is by being aware and present in the moment that we learn to accept and appreciate the beauty of life as it is.

As Eckhart Tolle puts it, “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”

Tortoise Breathing Technique:

Right breathing techniques are for optimum health. We breathe 20 percent less oxygen as we grow older or when we are sedentary in our activities. The tortoise breathing helps more breath per breath increasing your oxygen delivery to vital organs and reduces oxidative stress which makes you calm and tranquil.

How Emotions Change Breathing Patterns:

Abdominal breathing is parasympathetic; it decreases heart rate and relaxes you. Breathing pattern changes in different emotional situations. During anger our breath becomes chaotic, during depressive state our breath becomes sluggish and if we are anxious the breathing becomes rapid and shallow.

Our breathing centre is in the brain stem, the lower part of cerebrum, the thinking brain. We human beings breathe unconsciously throughout our lives.

For example, breathing during deep sleep. But breathing in or inhalation is an effort. So we need to consciously breathe unconsciously; that’s the paradox.

Another example, during anger, if we take deep breaths and then take a pause, anger disappears because you change your breath from chest to abdomen pattern, that is converting sympathetic to parasympathetic way.

Similarly during anxiety and depressive states if you take deep rapid breathing it increases your minute ventilation (ventilation per minute). This washes carbon dioxide, keeps you in respiratory alkalosis (increases pH of the body) and makes you feel tipsy.

The tortoise breathing exercise comes from the Chinese meditative practice known as Qigong or chi kung, which combines breathing and exercise to achieve a higher state of awareness. Tortoise breathing, also known as Kuei hsi or “swallowing the breath” aims to mimic the slow, deliberate breathing of the tortoise, which is a symbol of longevity in China. Using the tortoise breathing technique, with time and practice we should be able to comfortably slow down your breathing rate to our three or four breaths per minute.

Tortoise Breathing Steps:

Tortoise breath is a more breath per breath technique. A tortoise lives up to 400 years; the real reason of longevity is they breathe only 3 to 4 per breath.

1. Begin by either sitting or lying down on your back. Take a long breath, inhaling slowly and deeply until you feel the air inside your neck.
2. Swallow your breath by taking the air in your neck and forcing it down, as if you were swallowing a piece of food.
3. Exhale deeply and slowly through your nostrils, not your mouth, immediately after swallowing. Repeat this inhale-swallow-exhale cycle seven times.
4. Swallow the saliva in your mouth following the seventh breath. Move your tongue around the inside of your mouth to collect it and swallow several times.

Deep Breathing Benefits:

The benefits of deep conscious breathing are:

1. Breath = life. The better (fuller) you breathe, the more energy you will have. Taking deeper breaths will bring in more oxygen into the body and improve your energy levels.

2. Deep breaths = less stress and better digestion. Slow deep breaths help to activate parasympathetic nervous system which is when the body gets the chance to recuperate, regenerate, and heal.. 

3. Deep breaths = less inflammation. Deep breathing is said to reduce the acidity level of the body making it more alkaline reducing your risk of infection

4. Deep breath = more awareness. The more awareness you have in the present moment, the more likely you are to connect with your intuition or internal teacher.  It is a matter of learning to listen to that voice and understand it.

5. Slower breaths = better relationships. Most relationships would be better if people were less reactive. Can you imagine if instead of saying something mean, you were able to mentally step back and chill before talking?

Diaphragmatic Breathing For Anxiety And Other Problems:

A regular and committed practice of Yoga strengthens multiple systems of the body, circulatory, digestive, respiratory and others. Abdominal breathing is one such yoga. Yoga uses its understanding of the connection between the body and the mind to harness and discipline the mind.

Historical texts like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and references in the sacred Hindu Upanishads and Vedas define yoga as a way to quieten the mind. Traditional yogic practices follow an eight-limbed path ( astanga) which does not stop with laying down rules about physical movements such as posture ( asana) and breath control ( pranayama), but also emphasises the cultivation of attitudes such as non-violence ( ahimsa), commitment to truth ( satya) and contentment ( santosha).

Abdominal Breathing Benefits:

1. Reduces stress. It helps you relax, lowering the harmful effects of the stress hormone cortisol on your body.
2. Lowers your heart rate. It helps lower your blood pressure.
3. Improves your core muscle stability.
4. It improves your body’s ability to tolerate intense exercise.
5. Lowers your chances of injuring or wearing out your muscles.
6. Slows your rate of breathing so that expends less energy.

One of the biggest benefits of diaphragmatic breathing is reducing stress.

As any athlete, musician or hard-working student would tell you, discipline sharpens focus and allows you to be present more in the moment. From a yogic perspective, this helps in the achievement of the ultimate goal, which is self-realisation. For psychologists’ point of view, this will pave the way for self-actualisation.

Though yogic practices can vary, any journey of yoga can begin with only one step: connecting with your breath.

Abdominal Breathing Steps:

Here is a simple yet powerful way to practice abdominal breathing:

1. Lie down on a mat with your eyes closed and body relaxed.
2. Just observe how the body moves as it breathes.
3. Place your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your navel.
4. Now gently expand the abdomen as you inhale and contract it by drawing the navel in as you exhale. Pretend that it is a balloon that you are filling and emptying of your breath.
5. Try not to expand the chest, shoulder or rib cage.

Do this for a few minutes at a time and repeat it during the day.

How To Do Surya Namaskar Step By Step:

The series of 12 poses of Surya Namaskar are all linked in a Vinyasa. In yoga, we believe that the right step comes on the heels of the right thought. That is how to do Surya namaskar. With the Surya Namaskar, this means that we must concentrate on the right breath so that the alignment and breath in the following pose are correct.

The literal translation of Surya Namaskar is salutations to the Sun. However, if you look carefully into the etymological meaning, it has a deeper meaning that relates to each posture that the asana involves. “Surya” means “One who expands and illuminates the world”. “Namaskar” refers to: “I bow my head with complete gratitude and offer myself to you wholeheartedly without any bias in my heart”.

When we practice this way, we are mindful of all our movements. It is best to learn the steps to the Surya Namaskar from a good teacher, who will give you variations that are suitable for your body.

Surya Namaskar Benefits:

In a sense, the Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is the core of yoga. The Surya namaskar benefits of both Asanas and Pranayama can be attained in this series of 12 postures.

It should ideally be done early in the morning, facing the rising sun, and each movement of the body is synchronized with breath, exhaling at the folds and inhaling as you lengthen or stretch out the body.

However, nothing in yoga is cast in stone, and it may be practiced at any time, as long as it’s on an empty stomach.

1. It improves overall body strength
2. Induces deep and rhythmic breathing
3. Loosens up the joints in the body
4. Tones the muscles and massages internal organs
5. Removes lethargy, alerts mind
6. Builds stamina
7. Develops flexibility.
8. Sun salutations are also a very good cardiovascular exercise, helping to increase the metabolic rate of the body, and in turn, aiding in weight loss.
9. A full body workout
10. Burns extra fat in the body when done briskly.
11. Balances the respiratory, circulatory, reproductive and endocrine systems.

Those who are from the Hatha Yoga school know that it is an essential part of the asana practice.

12 Poses Of Surya Namaskar:

The 12 postures in Surya Namaskar indicate devotion to the Sun God and other elements of nature, science also backs it up with unbelievable physically strengthening and psychologically uplifting health benefits. The 12 poses of surya namaskar names and steps are as follows:

1, 12. Pramanasana (Prayer Pose):

• Stand on the edge of your Yoga mat and look straight.
• Place your feet together balancing your whole body-weight equally on both the feet and relax your shoulders.
• Exhale; bring the arms to the prayer position between your chest.

2, 11. Hasta Uttanasana:

Inhale; lift your arms up and back. Make sure your biceps are close to your ears. And bend your body backward as much as you can.

3, 10. Hasta Padangustasana:

Exhale; bend forward from your torso and place the palms beside the foot.

4, 9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana:

1. Inhale; take your left leg backward and stretch it as much as you can as you bend your right knee with your palms still flat on the ground.
2. Arch your back now. Tilt your head backward and see straight ahead.

5, 8. Parvatasana:

1. Inhale; take your right leg back and place it in position with your left leg.
2. Now, raise your buttocks and keep your head between your hands.

6. Ashtanga Namaskara:

1. As you hold your breath bring your body forward.
2. Let it touch the ground at 8 points – 2 Feet, 2 Knees, 2 Hands, Chest, and Chin.

7. Bhujangasana:

Inhale and raise your body with the help of your hands tilting your head backwards and see straight up.

Now, go back through five to one and that completes a cycle of surya namaskar.

Precaution:

People with fever, acute inflammation, blood toxicity, high blood pressure, spinal disc herniation, back pain and having had surgery in the recent past.

Make Sure You Do Surya Namaskar Right: