Kapalbhati Pranayama(Detoxify Internal Organs & Let Skin Glow)

November 9, 2018 by Harshitha Leave a Comment

Cleanse Your Body And Mind With Kapalbhati:

Kapalbhati pranayama is an internal cleansing technique for both body and mind.

‘Kapala’ means skull and ‘Bhati’ means light. The light in this context means perception and knowledge.

The process starts with short, explosive exhales alternating slight longer, passive inhales. The exhales cause contractions in the lower belly, between the pubis and navel, pushing air out of lungs. The inhales release the contractions sucking in air into the lungs.

These contractions and release of lower belly muscles massage the internal organs and help detoxify them.

Kapalbhati Benefits:

There are numerous kapalbhati benefits and so it is said to be practised first in the morning.

Kapalbhati pranayama detoxifies the brain and body.
With the detoxification, the skin, hair will improve radiantly.
A cleansing technique that calms your mind and you sense a clutter-free lifestyle.
Improves blood circulation.
The practice massages internal organs and improves kidneys and liver functionality.
Vigorous in and out of air removes stress from the eyes.
It also improves digestion with massage.
Increases metabolism and thus good for people who want to lose weight.
Rejuvenates brain pumping oxygen and energizes the whole body.
As the abdominal organs are massaged and soothed, any acidity and gas-related problems are resolved.
It also improves memory and concentration.

Kapalbhati Pranayama Steps:

Sit in a cross-legged posture with your spine and head comfortably straight, relax your shoulders and close your eyes.
Keep your palms facing sky resting on your thighs in Gyan mudra.
Focus on the lower abdomen.
Inhale; breath in slightly longer and passive filling up the lungs and pushing the abdomen out.
Exhale; breath out short and explosively at once pulling the lower abdomen in and letting all air out. (Tip: In the beginning, it might be difficult to contract only lower abdomen. You can make a fist with one hand and place the other over it and put it on the lower abdomen to push gently while exhaling to feel the contraction.)
Steps 4 and 5 are one cycle. Start with 8 – 10 cycles continuously in the beginning. Later, on sufficient practice, increase the pace at 2 inhale-exhale cycles per second.

Start with 25 – 30 cycles slowly at first and gradually increase to 100 or more.

Precautions:

People suffering from acid-related gastric issues like ulcers, cardiac problems, spinal disorders and hernia should avoid Kapalbhati pranayama.
Also, women around their pregnancy period must avoid doing kapalbhati pranayama.
People of age above 40 should do the practice at a slower pace and increase until it is comfortable to do.

Take Away:

Kapalbhati pranayama is an internal cleansing technique. It has numerous benefits such as weight loss, reducing hair fall, skin problems and also other serious issues such as acidity, digestive issues etc.

Finally, don’t forget to keep the focus on the lower abdomen. The contractions and release of lower belly muscles, massage the internal organs thus detoxifying the whole body.

Blouse Sleeve Pattern (Kalamkari Blouse Design With Belt)

November 8, 2018 by Harshitha Leave a Comment

Saree Blouse Design with Belt:

If you are searching for ‘blouse stitching near me’ with a fancy and trending blouse sleeve pattern. Well! here I’m to take you through how I happened to stitch this saree blouse design with trendy full sleeve and back knot blouse to make your choice. And you can check my previous trendy evening wear saree blouse design.

Kalamkari prints have been making waves these days. Kalamkari blouses are a wardrobe must-have this summer for their comfort level and style. Kalamkari blouse designs are versatile and can be paired with plain sarees or subtly printed cotton sarees to make a contemporary statement.

Saree is now a trendy option and not just Indian traditional wear, with these very trendy blouse designs for every occasion. Kalamkari blouse design became very trendy from 2017. Every woman wants to look beautiful in their saree but the blouse is the major part.

A saree blouse style takes more effort than choosing the saree.

Having a lot of sarees doesn’t serve the purpose unless there is a perfect saree blouse-style for it. Of course, the saree is important too, but blouse-style can actually change the look of saree outfit, be it an office look, traditional wedding look or even a party look.

Kalamkari Blouse Design | Blouse Sleeve Pattern:

Here’s the kalamkari print full flare elbow length blouse sleeve pattern for you.

Kalamkari Saree Blouse With Belt:

There are a plenty saree blouse-styles available on the internet for anyone to select from.

But this has been an inspired idea of mine from many on the internet. This is a saree blouse with belt.

Saree blouse styles have varied designs to have the saree look as per occasion you want. V-neck, square neck and round neck designs maybe basic, also tassels and butta work make it exquisite and elegant.

Sometimes a simple blouse sleeve pattern with a blouse belt like in this case gives a trendy look.

Accessories and jewelry you wear, hairstyles to show off lovely back neck design, embellishments for the saree blouse-styles matters for the look of the outfit.

Here, I didn’t use any.

But any black metal jewellery with a glossy or matte look from any of online stores like Amazon, would finish up the look.

Bhastrika Pranayama (Oxygenate Whole Body-Clear Sinuses)

November 5, 2018 by Harshitha Leave a Comment

Fire Up your Body With Bhastrika Pranayama / Bellows Breathing:

Bhastrika, a Sanskrit word, meaning leather bellows which are used to increase airflow in furnaces. This breathing exercise, bhastrika pranayama, increases the fire in the body. This practice heats up the body.

Not enough Oxygen to the Brain?

Bhastrika pranayama is one of the best ways to pump more oxygen to the brain. It also improves the circulation of blood and oxygen throughout the body.

Why Bhastrika Pranayama:

Best done early in the morning, Bhastrika Pranayama is one of the most effective breathing techniques that can help you calm your mind, bring all your doshas (vata, kapha, and pitta) into balance. The best feature of this breathing technique is that it helps oxygenate the entire body and relieves any congestion you might have in your nose, throat, and sinuses.

You can avoid diseases such as the common cold, respiratory-related problems like asthma. You can also fight low blood pressure.

This type of pranayama is also great for those who suffer from stomach-related disorders like indigestion, gas, acidity. Bhastrika is one of the most important pranayamas.

The movement of the stomach (due to the rapid exhalation and inhalation of air) stimulates the walls of your intestine, helping it eliminate waste matter and function optimally. This asana is perfect if you want to achieve a calm mind and good digestion.

Bhastrika Pranayama Benefits:

Improves lung capacity
Oxygenates the brain and body
Improves overall body immunity
Detoxifies the whole body
Eliminates stomach disorders
Brings tranquillity and peace to your mind
Purifies breath and improves your heart health and hence good for low blood pressure patients.

Bhastrika Pranayama Steps:

This pranayama is a combination of Ujjayi Pranayama and Kapalbhati Pranayama and is done using diaphragm movement.

It is a breathing technique where breathing is forcible and through the nose, with equal time for inhalation and exhalation.

Sit in a cross-legged posture in sukhasana or padasana with your spine and head comfortably straight, relax your shoulders and close your eyes.
Keep your palms facing sky resting on your thighs in Gyan mudra.
Inhale; as you breathe in through both nostrils, push your abdomen out releasing the diaphragm.
Exhale; as you breathe out through both the nostrils, pull your abdomen in contracting the diaphragm.
Steps 3 and 4 are a cycle. Do it deeply and vigorously with pulling abdomen in and out as quickly as possible at a frequency of about two to three times per second.

Begin with 25 to 30 cycles and gradually increase to 100 or more cycles.

Some Tips To Do Bhastrika Pranayama Correctly:

Some steps have to be followed to achieve perfection in this type of pranayama.

When you sit in sukhasana or padmasana. Inhale through your nose, making sure your back, neck, and chest are straight and that you inhale as much as you can.
See that your stomach does not expand due to breathing in and your chest expands instead.
Hold your breath for a few seconds (preferably five counts), and then exhale forcefully, contracting your stomach.
When you inhale your shoulders should be relaxed and not rise as you inhale. Breathe into your lungs and not your stomach.

Precautions:

People with High blood pressure and acute heart problems should avoid this practice.

Take Away:

Don’t just gulp some coffee every time you feel dull, instead try bhastrika pranayama. This breathing exercise clears your nadis, nostrils, and sinuses with deep breathing. It also energies your body circulating more oxygen and blood.

Types Of Needles(Sewing Machine Needle Sizes, Colors)

November 2, 2018 by Harshitha Leave a Comment

Types Of Needles For Sewing Machine:

For beginners, how to identify sewing machine needles is a common question. There are various types of needles for various purposes, but the parts of a sewing machine needle differ in their construction. This post is an overview and check out more elaborated sewing needles codes definitions etc on types of needles for sewing machines.

Many people know that there are different types of thread depending on your project, but did you also know there are different sizes and types of needles. Different Types of Needles for Different Fabric. Regular Point Needle (Sharp): Universal Point Needle: Ball Point Needle: Embroidery Needles: Quilting Needles: Topstitching Needle: Wedge point Needle etc… Whether sewing by hand or machine, you will find that there are sewing needles for every task.

Here’s the anatomy of sewing machine needle to identify it better.

- Shank: The shank is the head of the needle that sits into your sewing machine socket. Set the flat side to the back.

- Blade: The blade determines the needle size. We’ll look into needle sizes further in this post.

- Shaft: The shaft is the body of the needle which has an eye at the end to run the thread through.

The point varies according to the type of the needle based on usage.

Types of needles:

There are different types of needles for different types of materials. The needles differ in shape at the tip. Types of needles, how they work, what they are used for etc… You should select the types of needles based on the type of textile (i.e. knit vs. woven)

Selecting the correct needle for your project is just as important as selecting the fabric, thread, and stabilizer. The different sizes and types of needles are as follows.

Universal:

The point is slightly rounded. Very good for woven fabrics like cotton. It is sharp for knits and good for woven fabrics.

Ballpoint:

This needle is good for knits. It is rounded point slightly such that the needle passes between the fabric threads rather than pierce them. Also suitable for heavy knits and spandex.

Quilting:

It has a tapered point designed for thick layers and intersecting seams. This is the best choice for perfect machine quilting. Quilting Needles can also be used for piecing.

Sharp:

This needle has a sharp point and narrow shaft for piercing wovens. Suitable for finely woven fabric like chintz, silk, lightweight faux suede, and microfiber. Also great for heirloom sewing or any other type of topstitching.

Leather:

The leather needles have a wedge-shaped point which is ideal for sewing leather, suede, vinyl, heavy faux suede, and thick non-woven fabric. This needle leaves permanent holes. Avoid backstitch so that the fabric doesn’t get perforated. Instead, tie the thread ends. Not for use with knits.

Denim:

Denim Needles have a sharp point and strong shaft. These needles can stitch through many layers without breaking. Use on heavy, tightly woven fabric, like denim, canvas, and duck.

Topstitching:

It has an extra large eye, large groove, and sharp point for heavy decorative threads, embroidery thread, or 2even two strands of all-purpose thread.

Stretch:

These needles are for lightweight knits such as Silk Jersey, Lycra, or anything with high elasticity. For these fabrics a ballpoint needle may skip stitches, so switch to stretch needle.

Serger:

These are specifically designed for Overlock machines. It has sharp point and used on all fabrics.

Embroidery:

These are needles for machine embroidery, when sewn with Rayon, Acrylic, or speciality threads.

Metallic:

It has an extra large eye, large groove scarf, and sharp point which goes well with monofilament and metallic thread. This needle must be used when sewing metallic thread.

Wing:

It has flared ‘wings’ on each side of the shaft. Used for heirloom and decorative stitches on Batiste and linen.

Twin:

It has a single shaft connecting two needles. This needle is used when the sewer wants perfectly parallel stitches. Usually seen on jeans and decorative stitching.

Triple:

This needle only comes as a universal needle. Just like the Twin needle, the Triple needle has a single shaft connecting three needles. The machine must be Triple needle capable.

Spring:

This needle is most commonly used for free motion sewing, embroidery, and monogramming. the wire coiled shaft acts as a presser foot to depress and release the fabric. Only available in universal, stretch, and quilting.

Sewing Machine Needle Sizes:

After you’ve identified the sewing machine needle, what puzzles you are, are sewing machine needles universal. Well, No! there are different sizes and colours for different materials to sew.

What size sewing machine needle for cotton/ satin is a question after you’ve ruined your lightweight satin by stitching it with a wrong sewing needle. For example, a size 75 needle has a blade that is .75 mm in diameter.

Here’s a table with the fabric types with suitable needle types and sizes. The fabric types include cotton, linen, silk, wool, synthetic, rayon, blends and listed in the order of weight.

Fabric Type	Machine Needle Type	Machine Needle Size
Sheer to lightweight: Batiste, Chiffon, Georgette, Organza, Voile and all microfiber or micro denier fabrics.	Regular Point	9/70 or 11/80
Lightweight: Challis, Chambray, Charmeuse, Crepe de Chine, Gauze, Handkerchief Linen, Silk, Taffeta, Tissue Faille.	Regular Point	11/80
Medium-weight: Broadcloth, Brocade, Chino, Chintz, Corduroy, Flannel, Linen, Poplin, Satin, Synthetic Suedes, Taffeta, Terry, Velvet	Regular Point	14/90
Medium to Heavy-weight: Coating, Damask, Drapery Fabric, Fake Fur, Gabardine, Ticking, Woolens	Regular Point	16/100 or 18/110
Denim and Canvas	Denim/Jeans	16/100
Sheer to Lightweight Knits: Jersey, Single Knit, Spandex, Tricot	Ball Point	10/70 or 12/80
Medium to Heavy-weight Knits: Double Knit, Sweatshirt, Sweater Knit	Ball Point	14/90
Speciality Fabrics: Leather, Suede, Buckskin	Wedge Point	14/90 or 16/100

90/14 – Mid-heavy fabrics, like Corduroy, raw Silks, bottom weight fabric.

100/16 – Heavy fabrics, like Denim and Duck Cloth.

110/18 – For Very Heavy Fabric, like Canvas or tapestry.

120/19 – Heaviest Fabrics, like luggage handles and boat canvas.

Sewing Machine Needles Color Codes:

And what do the colors on sewing machine needles mean? Here’s a picture with details of sewing machine needles color codes.

Singer Number And Color Codes

Singer colors and numbers its needles with the following system of codes to indicate the needlepoint type and shaft size:

Code And Shank Color	Needle Point Type
2000 – uncolored	a chromium-coated regular point, for high-speed embroidery stitching
2020 – red	a regular point, for woven fabrics (most common Singer needle type)
2022, 2053, 2054 – uncolored	overlock needles, only for overlocking machines
2044 – uncolored	embroidery needle
2045 – yellow	ballpoint, for knits
2026 – blue	a heavy-duty point, for denims
2032 – brown	chisel or wedge point, for leathers
2025 – uncolored	twin needles
2040 – uncolored	hemstitch or wing-needle, for “heirloom” or decorative sewing, best on woven cottons and linens

Shoulder color	Shaft size
green	9
orange	11
blue	14
purple	16
gray	18

Kenmore color codes

Kenmore colors its needles with a different system of color codes which indicate the needle’s size:

Shank color	Shaft size	Shaft size (Europe)
blue	11	75
orange	12	80
red	14	90
purple	16	100
green	18	110

Schmetz color codes

The colored band on some types of Schmetz needles indicates the needle type.[2]

Shank color	Type
yellow	Stretch
blue	Jeans
green	Quilting
red	Embroidery
purple	Microtex (sharp)

The types of needles are varied in the shape of the point for different materials and the shaft that fits into the required type of sewing machine.

How To Set Fitness Goals: Stop Fancying-Try 3 Step Sensible Goals

October 30, 2018 by Harshitha Leave a Comment

Know Yourself And Set Sensible Fitness Goals:

Here’s how to set fitness goals using SMART technique and Cost-benefit analysis.

It is important to know yourself and set realistic fitness goals. By realistic fitness goals, I mean set goals that are required to you for a healthy life. This avoids a lack of action or inspiration caused by the unhealthy influences from various sources like social media, owning others’ goals.

The interest of getting fit and breaking fitness barriers has increased these days. Many have become health conscious which is a good sign.

Social Media Fitness Influence:

Social media influence has both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to influencing fitness goals.

Setting fitness goals on the influence of social media fitness or celebrities lifestyle and owning their goals will be a disaster.

To set sensible fitness goals you must know the type of your body, what exercises suit you etc with thorough introspection and mindfulness.

How to set fitness goals?

Ask yourself whether the set plan is a well-designed health goal for you or check is it a goal inspired from others’ goals.

It is not bad to get influenced by social media, but it is recommended to check if it suits you for better results. Here’s how to set fitness goals by SMART goals for fitness:

1. SMART goals for fitness:

SMART is basically the acronym of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. So, you measure your goals on the scale of how SMART the goal is accessible and its results can be achieved.

Be specific at what you want and plan a relevant goal such that its progress is measurable and attainable in a given time frame.

You can’t just go about spending a lot of money on a personal trainer or at a gym.

2. Check Sustainability:

Do a cost-benefit analysis too for your fitness regime. Some programmes are excessively expensive in all standards. It can sometimes be too long and unworthy for the requirement.

Check your sustainability for the food and lifestyle changes that are in the programme.
Is the activity more prone to injuries, which may add to your hospital bills?
Mostly any athlete fitness goals are an impossible reality. Select your goals relevantly and get results better.

3. Don’t Rush – Respect the process:

Don’t just blindly follow the process. Measure and make sure you take care that the process serves the purpose. If you just follow the programme it may sometimes cause more harm than good.

For example:

If you’ve got a weak upper body, you start your process with simple pushups and build required strength for further processes. Do not jump to lifting heavy weights as you start.
Participating in a Marathon? Then, it is common sense to build your capacity and longevity to cover the mileage with standard training. Do not challenge yourself directly at the event.

Fitness is a process, each person has their own limitations and is not overcome by a single action. Get into the process and enjoy it experiencing the change.

Realistic Fitness Goals Checklist:

Run, lift, cycle, jump, dance do anything you want.

Make sure you use your body, fully into the process mindfully.
Push the boundaries sensibly.
Make sure you sustain the change for the long run.
Each term goal must add to your physical, mental and emotional health.

Also, power up yourself and apply your strengths where needed. It is important to know the difference between strength and power to use them properly.

Strength is an absolute requirement for health because basic movements need strength. Power is a skill-related fitness parameter those involved in a sprint or jump or an explosive movement require power.

You have to develop your strength before you can develop power. If two individuals do push-ups and end up doing the same number, both are strong, but the one who takes less time to complete is powerful. To hold the racquet requires strength, but to hit the ball requires power. To carry the shot requires strength, but to putt it requires power.

Take Away:

Any realistic fitness goal set should add value by having a better change in your life with sustenance, but not as just a short-term fancying.