Yoga - The Blogs onYogahave been contributed by Antara. In case you would want to contribute to Bandra Blogs please feel free towrite to us.
Adolescence Yogic Management
The origin of the word, “adolescence” is from the Latin verb, “adolescere,” which means, “to grow up.” Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs between childhood and adulthood. This transition involves biological (i.e. pubertal), social, and psychological changes. The teenage years are from ages 13 to 19. In fact, early adolescence is the most difficult phase of life, as children cannot express their problems correctly because their power of expression and their knowledge of their own psychology are not mature enough. Due to physical changes, hormonal changes, and constantly changing moods, teenaged children have many unexplained and unexpressed problems.
Common adolescent problems are:
Loneliness, feeling misunderstood, difficulty communicating new experiences, unable to talk to parents or trusted adults about their experiences, feeling isolated.
Emotional problems are:
Anger, hatred, confusion, low self esteem, low confidence, a feeling of inferiority and uselessness, feeling lost, frightened, depression, jealousy, and envy.
Other problems are:
Abusing the body with lack of proper nutrition, wrong eating habits, lack of sufficient water, alcohol, smoking, and drugs
YOGA
Yoga is the perfect balance for the changes of adolescence. Regular practice of Yoga can maintain the health of the pineal gland and add extra years to its life. It increases the flow of endorphins – the body’s natural antidepressant. Yoga should be properly introduced to children by educators in every school, just as we teach other subjects. Then young people everywhere would be well adjusted, healthy, and happy – both physically and mentally. They would be more aware of their own potential and more capable of its realization. The destiny of the whole world depends on the little children. Regular practice of Surya Namaskara (a dynamic Yoga exercise), Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (for health and balance of the pineal gland), Mantra (to challenge the child’s distracted mind), and Shambhavi Mudra with visualization (to maintain the pineal gland) are very beneficial. These practices not only help the child to maintain psycho-emotional balance, but also develop his mental growth, as well.
SURYA NAMASKARA
Surya Namaskara influences the pineal gland and hypothalamus, helping to prevent pineal degeneration and calcification. This balances the transition period between childhood and adolescence in growing children. When one performs Surya Namaskara, synchronizing the physical movements with the breath, all the muscles, joints, and major internal organs are stimulated and balanced.
NADI SHODHANA PRANAYAMA
Nadi Shodhana Pranayama induces tranquility, clarity of thought, and concentration. It keeps the pineal gland healthy for as long as possible. As long as your pineal gland is healthy, your sexual glands will remain under control. The flow of Prana, in Ida, and Pingala Nadis, is equalized. Blood is purified of toxins.
MANTRA
Relaxing the brain, through Mantra, is one of the methods of increasing perception. The superficial aspects of thoughts, emotions, or desires, which are not needed within the mind, and which need to be expressed, will be swept away by the Mantra. A proper Asana, or posture, should be selected and maintained, for the duration of the practice, so that there is no movement to distract the concentration.
There is nothing more attractive than a woman with self confidence. Her stature as she enters the room commands attention. Her self-assured smile brightens the room. This confidence is a natural by-product of the Yoga asanas. Tadasana is a perfect example of a posture for learning to stand strong, to feel grounded and to improve posture. In this pose, the body is steady, the weight is evenly distributed and the arms are at the sides. The spine is straightened and the back of the neck is straight. By practicing this pose, one begins to unconsciously stand with a confident posture.
Doing the asanas regularly invokes an inner sense of pride and accomplishment. For example, when one begins Yoga, perhaps they can’t touch their forehead to the floor during Salaam Posture. With consistent practice, the student begins to notice that they can stretch a bit closer to the floor each day, week, or month. Until one day, their forehead makes contact. This gesture promotes a strong sense of a personal achievement. Personal achievement builds confidence. Self confidence, infused with Yogic understanding of ego, is magnetic and attractive.
Yoga Promotes Positive Body Image
One aspect of yoga is that almost anyone can do it. Young, old, fit or out of shape—there are plenty of classes that offer modified poses. Yoga can be intimidating for those who have seen pictures of Yogis doing difficult poses. These photos alone are enough to prevent many from even attempting Yoga. Also, women who are out of shape or overweight have no desire to even step into a Yoga studio. They think they can’t start until they lose weight, not realizing that Yoga is a key way to get the body in shape and to slow the appetite. In fact, people with food issues often find that after a few sessions of yoga, their craving for fatty and other unhealthy food is replaced by the desire to eat fruits and vegetables.
Yoga helps attain ideal body weight and gives way to a proportionate body. Through postures, the body is encouraged to change naturally. Yoga helps remove flab in the right manner to the right extent. Yoga also removes excess fat that surrounds body organs. The abdomen tones with postures such as Urdhva Prasarita Padasana, Ubhaya Padangusthasana and Halasana. The legs are firmed and strengthened with asanas such as Padahastasana and Vrkasana. Each posture trims, tones and massages different areas of the body.
Yoga has a normalizing effect on all systems of the body. Digestion improves from internal massage produced by postures such as Pavanmuktasana and Salaam. The nervous system is toned with postures such as Cat and Salaam. As one continues with regular Yoga practice, the entire body begins to firm, tone and run smoothly.
People who take up Yogic breathing may be surprised to notice excessive fat melting away from the waistline, hips, and other places where it is prone to gather. Pranayama improves metabolic efficiency. The postures break up any fatty deposits and streamline the body.
Yoga Reduces Stress and Calms Emotions
In Western society, everyday life can be challenging. People are pulled in many directions—multitasking, thinking about errands during conversations—distracted and not paying much attention to any one thing. Consequently, women begin to feel fragmented, unfocused and stressed. Hormones fluctuate, often out of balance, causing overreactions and emotional upsets. Women can prevent or overturn out of control emotions and stress overload with breathing exercises taught in Yoga.
Moving through a series of asanas and/or meditation can bring calmness and serenity. Body, mind and breath in rhythmic alignment can dissolve intense stress and calm unrestrained emotions. Less stress leads to better sleeping patterns. Better sleeping patterns leads to waking up filled with energy. Waking up to greet the sun with Surya Namaskars is a fresh and invigorating way to begin the day.
Regular Yoga practice brings a deep connection to self. One begins to find new perspectives when regularly sitting in meditation. Self knowledge becomes self love. Self love brings contentment. This contentment becomes evident on the face as a natural and radiant beauty that is unparalleled.
All Yogic practice counters stress. So, for example, Savasana is specifically intended for relaxation. Usually included at the end of asana practice, this deep relaxation asana should be done every day.
In the United States, stress is considered to be a major killer—being related to many diseases including heart problems, cancer and immunity issues. Yoga can diffuse stress through asanas and pranayama. Even in a moment of high stress, taking a moment to do some deep breathing can redirect the stressful energy. The more relaxed one is the less stress can demand on the body.
Yoga and Anti-Aging
Yoga meditation promotes emotional-physical poise and a quiet mind. Thus, it protects against the pressures of daily living. Our ever increasing daily stress destroys health and happiness. The regular yoga practitioner remains young and active longer than those who don’t practice Yoga. There are many asanas that uses anti-gravity postures to reverse the effect of gravity and use it to our advantage.
For example, padhastasana, not only increases suppleness, tones the nervous system, stretches the spine, massages the abdominal muscles and keeps the legs firm and toned; it also add an additional supply of blood to the facial tissues and scalp, nourishing them both. The results include firmer facial muscles. This leads to reduction of wrinkles and gives a natural face-lift. Savangasana enables the venous blood to flow to the heart without battling gravity. Blood flows to the brain, the scalp and the facial tissues. It also is considered to be a rejuvenator.
Uttanasana brings fresh blood to the brain; oxygenating and rejuvenating the mind. It also revitalizes the facial tissue, is excellent for anti-aging and brings harmony and balance to the entire system. By having one’s head lowered and torso tilted, any stress on the musculature and organs of the torso is reduced. This brings balance and efficient functioning of all the bodily systems, creating inner radiance.
AtMyBandra.com, it is our endeavor to provide you information that might be be useful to you. As part of this we are starting a new series of blogs on Yoga. In our YOGA blogs we will provide tips from our specialist. Please send us your feedback on this Yoga series so that we can continuously improve our offerings.
The Blogs on Yoga have been contributed byAntara. In case you would want to contribute to Bandra Blogs please feel free towrite to us.
———————————————————————
Introduction to Yoga
Indian epic Mahabharata says yoga lessons were first imparted by Lord Krishna to his pupil Arjuna the third pandava.
To put it simply, yoga is not just a series of breathing exercises it is in fact a way of life. Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ or yujir yogey’ meaning to join, to unite, yoga is all about becoming conscious about your body, your breathing and connecting with your soul at the most basic level. So then what are the health benefits of yoga? Plenty I should say and here are few of them.
1. Stress buster: Yoga offers relief from the stress we keep gathering in our day to day living. Various positions known as asanas and gestures known as mudras have a soothing effect on our minds and bodies. Rhythmic repeat of the breathing exercises enhances the relaxation power and once you start relaxing your stress levels go down and you are once again ready to face the world.
2. Increased physical strength, stamina, and flexibility: Yoga with its various sets of breathing exercises, meditation and bending and twisting exercises boosts one’s physical strength, increases stamina, and flexibility of body.
3. Increased levels of concentration: When you start practicing yoga you will feel that your concentration levels have increased suddenly. You are able to concentrate and pay more attention to your life and your family. Your work starts improving and you gain confidence in yourself.
4. Self Control: Apart from concentration you start realizing that self control comes naturally to you now. You have started noticing your limitations and working around them for better lifestyle.
5. Healthy glowing skin: You wanted to have that healthy glow on your skin that you see on your neighbor’s face or on favorite TV/movie star. Know their secret yoga. Yes, practicing yoga gives you a clear healthy skin from within thus putting radiance on your skin.
6. Say bye-bye to acne and pimples: It is a known fact that acne and pimples are a result of impurities in the blood and yoga improves blood circulation thus flushing out all the impurities. Result is a clear skin free of acne and pimples. Believe me I tried it and it works.
7. Well toned muscles and abdomen: No amount of cardio exercises will give you such well toned muscles and abdomen as practicing yoga. That’s because yoga not only targets wholesome wellbeing it also targets specific areas of concern.
Apart from these few common benefits yoga has been known to reverse the effects of epilepsy, asthma, chronic arthritis, infertility in women. Yes to some extent yoga can treat infertility like Poly cystic Ovaries and let you have regular menstruation.
Recently, I read a report of an international model, Solange, who underwent some treatment for butt enhancement. Needless to say, the treatment went horribly wrong, and she collapsed and passed away. What is it with the beauty industry? Why do they keep providing women with false claims of eternal youth and beauty? Women, being emotional creatures, fall easy prey to these false ideas and do virtually anything to enhance their looks!
I think top models and actresses are sending all the wrong messages to the youth by being so look and figure conscious, no matter how rotten a person they are, within. I think the beauty and cosmetics industry shouldn’t try so hard to sell dangerous and obnoxious treatments to the lay person like that.
Most of the top notch actresses undergo life threatening incisions and cuts on their bodies, just for the frivolous reason of looking good. This is a bad sign. Many innocent girls and women fall prey to such indecent acts and take things too far for the common good.
The case of the model is not a norm in the industry, but I am amazed at how even doctors prescribe such dangerous treatments for women. I am not against personal hygiene or professional attire, by all means one should spend on the body and look after it as a means for our progress and life, but to gain pouting lips, thicker eyebrows, or a sharper nose are really uncalled for surgeries. These are mostly aimed at the illiterate but wealthy masses, who are too obsessed with their looks.
Doctors, beauticians, and other professionals who advocate such life threatening means are a disgrace to society. What’s the point in possessing a beautiful body but an illiterate mind and a dumb intellect?
Life, in the Indian and now global context is taking up some strange meanings. In the crudest form, life has been reduced to a series of tests. From the start of your career to the end, you have to undergo one test after another to win your coveted prize. And sadly, the ones we are tested for are some of the most over rated and undeserving candidates.
As far back as I can remember, I have been tested for everything possible under the sun. For my career, for a boyfriend, a life, my health, I think even for a respectful death, someone might just be there to test you. That’s just how cruel reality can be!
Testing is fine, but if you don’t get the returns you expected, it can be a frustrating experience. I have been tested by virtually anyone who matters in the world, and they were all none to happy for my results, as a result of which I never did quite as well as I had anticipated.
I think these so called employers and the ones who test someone are in a serious need to test themselves. I’m sure they’ll fail more than half the tests they give to others and add to the sufferings of others. I don’t know why some earthly mortals take it upon themselves to run the universe and hence, test others.
This is a capitalist trend that needs serious reconsiderations. Despite beating all odds, there are still people who never make it and there is always someone there to usurp their throne.
I think this base attitude of troubling others just points to a disturbing sadistic tendency that your critics and enemies harbour for you. If you can’t be good and a well wisher, at least spare the person concerned some of your sadism and twisted, contorted aspects of reality! This message is for all those who think very highly of themselves and take pride in sadism and torture. Dear sirs, you probably have a mental condition that you need to get rid of!
