5 most important benefits of yoga

Weight loss:

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. Weight loss is one of major benefits of yoga

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.

Increased energy:
A few minutes of yoga everyday provides the secret to feeling fresh and energetic even after a long day.

Better flexibility & posture:
Regular yoga practice stretches and tones the body muscles and also makes them strong. It also helps improve your body posture when you stand, sit, sleep or walk

Improved immunity:
Yoga poses massage organs and strengthen muscles; breathing techniques and meditation release stress and improve immunity.

Say goodbye to backache with Wind-Relieving Pose

Wind-Relieving pose strengthens the back and abdominal muscles, Enhances blood circulation in the hip joints and eases tension in the lower back

How to do Wind-Relieving pose

• Lie on your back with your feet together and arms beside your body.
• Breathe in and as you exhale, bring your right knee towards your chest and press the thigh on your abdomen with clasped hands.
• Breathe in again and as you exhale, lift your head and chest off the floor and touch your chin to your right knee.
• Hold it there, as you take deep, long breaths in and out.
• Checkpoint: As you exhale, tighten the grip of the hands on the knee and increase the pressure on the chest. As you inhale, loosen the grip.
• As you exhale, come back to the ground and relax.
• Repeat this pose with the left leg and then with both the legs together.
• You may rock up and down or roll from side to side 3-5 times and then relax.

Benefits of the Wind-Relieving Pose (Pawanmuktasana)

Enhances blood circulation in the hip joints and eases tension in the lower back

Strengthens the back and abdominal muscles

Tones the leg and arm muscles

Massages the intestines and other organs in the abdomen

Helps in digestion and release of gas

Surya Namaskar for weight loss

12 yoga poses combined to form a sequence called Surya Namaskar. It is the best yoga has
to offer as far as the poses are concerned. It works on the whole body especially on the big
muscle group. A beginner can start with a few rounds of it and gradually increase the no. of
rounds. It helps to shred the weight and also known as king of the asanas.
For weight loss, one or two rounds of suryanamaskar are not sufficient. However, start with
doing one round of these 12 steps of surya namaskar on day one. Remember that one round
of Surya Namaskar means doing all the 12 steps twice- first time with right leg and second
time with left leg . Keep on increasing your rounds everyday- 2 rounds on second day, 3 to
4 rounds on 3rd day, 5-7 rounds on 4th day and so on till the time when you become
capable of doing around 20 rounds of all the 12 surya namaskar steps. You will not need to
do any other exercise to reduce weight if you can do 18-20 rounds of surya namaskar yoga
steps each day!
Practicing Sun Salutation at different speeds (slow, medium or fast) can have different effects. If done at a slow pace, it can help strengthen and tone body muscles. Use the breath as an effective tool in slow movements to bring the body, mind and breath in harmony and enjoy a complete meditative experience. A few rounds of quick Sun Salutations can be a great cardiac workout. If you are doing Surya Namaskar as a warm-up exercise, do it at a fast pace. But if Sun Salutation is included in the entire yoga posture package, you can do it at slow to medium pace.
To achieve best results, ensure that you practice Sun Salutation regularly. Only then would you be able to experience its benefits. To quote Krishan Verma, senior Art of Living Yoga teacher, “It is better to practice daily for 20 minutes than to practice for an hour occasionally.”

6 Yoga poses for weight loss

Yoga considered being more of aerobic exercise burns less calories during the workout compared to other strenuous workouts which are as effective. Yoga has its own sweet ways to cut the flab.

Yoga Warrior Pose

The Warrior Pose or Veerabhadrasana is one of the best yoga poses for weight loss that strengthens and tones the arms, shoulders, thighs and back muscles

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Cobra pose helps to take deep breaths resulting in more oxygenated blood being pumped to different parts of the body. The oxygenated blood helps to burn the fat. Helps in toning the buttocks too.

Bow Pose

Bow pose is more of an advanced yoga pose but not only helps in burning the fat but also helps in toning of arms and legs.

Surya Namaskar

• 12 yoga poses combined to form a sequence called Surya Namaskar
• It helps to shred the weight and also known as king of the asanas

Camel Pose

Camel Pose or Ustrasana is the best yoga for weight loss because it targets the tummy, back and thighs

Triangle Pose

It helps to lose weight and belly fat falls down

Downward facing yoga pose for headache

The Downward Facing Dog pose increases blood circulation to the brain and thus relieves headache.
Benefits of the Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

• This pose leaves you energized and rejuvenates the body
• It lengthens the spine, strengthens the muscles of the chest increasing lung capacity.
• It brings strength throughout the body especially the arms, shoulders, legs, feet.
• Helps to tone muscles
• It increases circulation to the brain
• Calms the mind and helps relive headache, insomnia and fatigue.

How to do Downward Facing Dog Pose

• Come onto your fours. Form a table such that your back forms the table top and your hands and feet form the legs of the table.
• As you breath out lift the hips up, straightening the knees and elbows, form an inverted V-shape with the body.
• Hands are shoulder width apart, feet are hip width apart and parallel to each other. Toes point straight ahead.
• Press your hands into the ground. Widen through the shoulder blades. Keep the neck lengthened by touching the ears to the inner arms.
• Hold the downward dog pose and take long deep breaths. Look towards the navel.
• Exhale. Bend the knees, return to table pose. Relax.

Camel yoga pose to help you lose weight

The Camel Pose or Ustrasana is the best yoga pose to reduce weight because it targets the tummy, back and thighs. Camel pose also helps for strengthening the back muscles, opening up the chest and lungs, improving the flexibility of the chest, abdomen and neck.
How to do Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

• Kneel on the yoga mat and place your hands on the hips.
• Your knees should be in line with the shoulders and the sole of your feet should be facing the ceiling.
• As you inhale, draw in your tail-bone towards the pubis as if being pulled from the navel.
• Simultaneously, arch your back and slide your palms over your feet till the arms are straight.
• Do not strain or flex your neck but keep it in a neutral position.
• Stay in this posture for a couple of breaths.
• Breathe out and slowly come back to the initial pose. Withdraw your hands and bring them back to your hips as you straighten up.

Benefits of the Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

• Improves digestion
• Stretches and opens the front of the body. It also strengthens the back and shoulders
• Relieves the body of lower back ache
• Improves flexibility of the spine and also improves posture
• Helps overcome menstrual discomfort

Padmasana for curing headache

Padmasana helps you relax and clear your mind of tensions. The Padmasana yoga pose relaxes the mind and alleviates headache.
Padmasana or Lotus pose is a cross-legged yoga posture which helps deepen meditation by calming the mind and alleviating various physical ailments. A regular practice of this posture aids in overall blossoming of the practitioner, just like a lotus; and hence the name Padmasana.

How to do Lotus Pose (Padmasana):

• Sit on the floor or on a mat with legs stretched out in front of you while keeping the spine erect.
• Bend the right knee and place it on the left thigh. Make sure that the sole of the feet point upward and the heel is close to the abdomen.
• Now, repeat the same step with the other leg.
• With both the legs crossed and feet placed on opposite thighs, place your hands on the knees in mudra position.
• Keep the head straight and spine erect.
• Hold and continue with gentle long breaths in and out.

Practising these simple yoga postures will lessen the impact of a migraine attack and may eventually stop them permanently. So, roll out the yoga mat, repose for some time everyday and shut migraine out of your life for good!

Paschimottanasana to reduce belly fat

Paschimottanasana is definitely a good exercise for those who want to get rid of belly fats.

How to do Seated Forward bend yoga pose (Paschimottanasana)
• Sit on the floor with the legs stretched out, feet together and hands on the knees.
• Relax the whole body.
• Slowly bend forward from the hips, sliding the hands down the legs. Try to grasp the big toes with the fingers and thumbs. If this is not possible, hold the ankles or any part of the legs that can be reached comfortably.
• Keeping the legs straight and using the arm muscles, begin to bend the elbows and gently bring the trunk down towards the legs, maintaining a firm grip on the feet or legs.
• Make a gentle effort to touch the forehead with the knees. Do not strain.
• Hold the position for as long as is comfortable and relax as you breathe.
• Slowly return back up sliding hands on the legs.

Benefits:
1. This asana increases flexibility in the hip joints.
2. It tones and massages the entire abdominal and pelvic region, including the liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands. Paschimottanasana helps for reduce weight.
3. It stimulates circulation to the nerves and muscles of the spine.

Vakrasana (sitting spinal twist) yoga to get relieved from back pain

The twist imposed on the spine makes the spinal column more flexible and stimulates the spinal nerves. It also has a strong influence on the abdominal muscles, alternately stretching and compressing them, as the body twists from one direction to the other.

Steps to do Vakrasana:
• Sit with the legs outstretched.
• Sit up with the legs stretched straight in front of you, keeping the feet together and the spine erect.
• Place the left hand on the left knee; right hand behind you.
• Twist to the right and look over the right shoulder.
• Hold.
• Breathing out, come back to the front.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Breathing out, come back to the front and relax.

Benefits:
1. Stretches the spine, loosens the vertebrae and tones the nerves.
2. Vakrasana relieves back pain, neck pain, some forms of sciatica.
3. A good asana for beginners, preparing the back for the more difficult spinal twists

Salabhasana to strengthen your back

Salabhasana strengthens the back and improves flexibility in the spinal muscles.The abdominal muscles become stronger, improving digestion. Stiffness is reduced in the neck and shoulders.

Step by Step
• Lie face down on the floor with the arms beside the trunk, feet together, knees straight and the toes stretching back.
• Turn the palms upward. Stretch the arms and raise them so that the hands are parallel to the floor.
• Press the sacrum downward and raise the head, chest and legs as high as possible taking care there is no back pain.
• Extend the trunk forward, the legs and arms backward and lift the chest.
• Balance on the lower abdomen, look straight ahead and breathe normally. Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds and then release and lower the chest, head and legs.

Focus
In everyday life we are continually bending forwards, but have little reason to bend backwards. Back bends help to extend the heart muscles, stretch the front side of the lungs and maintain flexibility in the respiratory muscles, thereby increasing lung capacity. They are also useful for nourishing and toning the abdominal organs and stimulating the adrenal glands.

Modification
Don’t raise the arms and legs too high, as this will cause pain in the lower backstretch the shoulders back, keeping the arms parallel. Keep the legs together and the knees straight.

If it is difficult to do the pose with the feet together, place a foam block between the feet, press the inner edges of the feet into the block and lift the legs.

In order to open the chest more, and increase the extension in the arms, put a wooden block on the palm of each hand. Imagine the blocks are heavy weights, and without actually lifting the hands any higher, push the palms into the blocks as if trying to lift them.