Tuesday, December 29, 2009

# 36 - Super Brain Yoga

The West has clearly articulated and successfully disseminated many glorious eastern concepts. Super-brain yoga, the sub-continent equivalent of the western "Give me five" (military) penalty instruction for push-ups, is one of them. When I was eight, I watched my father make my brother do 20 squats for not washing his hands before a meal. (Take the right hand and place thumb and forefinger on your left earlobe, then take the left hand and place thumb and forefinger on the right earlobe; now lower your hip into a squat, knees together, exhaling loudly each time). Squats have always been considered a punishment; until it was recently hailed by the western world as a "fast, simple, drug-free method of sharpening the brain". According to guardians of this age-old form of punishment/ repentance (“thopikaranam” in Tamil), besides being an excellent strategy to prevent arthritis of the knees, this simple action revives acupuncture points on the earlobes - pinching the left lobe activates the right side of the brain, and vice versa. Wish I was naughtier when I was young; at least I would be smarter...

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

# 35 - Yoga Has Evolved Exponentially

Yoga helps us make the most of what we have, and come to terms with what we don't. Although our body has an innate capacity to heal itself, our mind has greater control over what the body is or is not permitted to do at any given time, place, and age. Since 1975, yoga has evolved exponentially, despite being bastardized by the world. Different "kinds" of yoga emerged, and soon compartmentalization took place. People began to ask each other "What kind of yoga do you practice?" But, regardless of the name given to each “type” of yoga, the kind that limbers the body, de-clutters the mind, aligns our emotions, and enhances our spiritual path, is the one we all wish to pursue. In short, internal stretching (of mind and body) makes us feel good, and offers a natural solution to help bring simplicity and joy in all that we do. Most of us seek, and usually find when we look hard enough, the sweet serenity of self acceptance.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

# 34 - A Pint of Wellness

Although it is not critical for yoga practitioners to survive on aloe vera juice and cactus pies, it might be prudent to be aware of any harm that some meats, alcohol, and junk foods may do to our bodies. I find it amusing that we sometimes advocate yogic values for over an hour; and then go out and treat ourselves to “a pint of wellness” at the nearest pub. Obviously, yoga is not working for some of us, or we would not need to seek out external modes of stimulation. Especially during seasonal vacations, we need to be all the more aware of this; unless of course it is regarded sincerely as a seasonal social activity that offers sporadic highs.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

# 33 - Preventive Healthcare = 48 plus

The 48 plus ailment specific sequence is a simple low impact formula for preventive healthcare – it factors in knee bending stretches for arthritis (of the knees); chest openers for asthma prevention; lower abdominal massage for constipation; stimulating pancreatic function in upper abdominal area to help delay diabetes; moving into stillness that stops erratic rush of blood-to-brain to avoid hypertension; strengthening lower back muscles through spinal flexions to help prevent lumbago; postures that involve anal sphincter control to avoid piles; and stretches that soothe the back of the thighs to help prevent sciatic pain.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

# 32 - Props Are Like Training Wheels

Props are to yoga what training wheels are to bicycles – a temporary solution. Props and variations, while not recommended for practitioners who are already “broken in”, are helpful for beginners who may have difficulty reaching their optimum potential without external assistance. Occasionally, yoga schools are lured into purchasing a whole range of props, so instructors have no choice but to suggest that students use as many of the props as possible – in order to milk the investment, so to speak. It is up to us as students of this discipline, to try and make maximum progress with minimum props, so that we do not subject ourselves to the all-motion-and-no-movement virus. Props must be our aide, not our crutch.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

# 31 - Every Body is Different

Stretch only as far as your body allows – one day at a time and one inch per stretch. If the intensity of a particular stretch does not feel simply delicious, your body is probably not ready for this stretch just yet. Instead, try to hold postures longer for greater effect. Training a willing body to hold stretches for longer periods of time in symphony with your breath is a more accurate indication of progress than enabling an agitated body to twist itself into knots, or doing arm balances while holding your breath.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

# 30 - Names DO Matter

Much as classroom yoga is intended to improve listening skills as we keep our eyes shut in an attempt to internalize our practice, until we are familiar with the instructor’s “mistakes”, it is a good idea to keep our eyes open and watch the demo (I believe this is called "visual capture"). This is an age where the word yoga has taken a ubiquitous entity of its own (referring to pranam asana as tadasana, or tuladandasana as virabhadra III…). John Jacob Jr. or George the V, I understand; virabhadra I, II, III, or surya namaskara A, B, C I do not. Imaginative as the names sound, let us choose to research various postures before going to class, so that when the instructor mentions one name but demonstrates another, at least we would have tried to keep up.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

# 29 - If It’s In Our Genes

Since it is possible to delay eight common ailments in under 20 minutes with 48 Plus, let us stay ahead by putting off everyday ailments that may reside in our genes. Let us Stay Fit for Life naturally, with this simple, safe, low impact, structured stretch sequence, designed for busy adults with limited resources. This daily master health check up not only acts as a bridge for when we cannot go to fitness class, the resulting good health raises energy levels and lowers insurance premiums. It also helps improve staff morale and cuts down absenteeism at work. Everybody wins. For once, putting it off can actually mean staying ahead.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

# 28 - Group Practice Guidelines

Back in the studio, some simple group practice guidelines include – not stepping on each other’s mats, coming to class ten minutes early, silent deep breathing, and introverting before class begins. Learn to zone out fire engine and police sirens, as we would zone out negative thoughts. In a classroom, do as the instructor says, not as s/he does – the mirror method does not work for everyone. If the music is loud, ask to keep it down – jarring music drains us most during balance postures. Repetitions are for gyms – during yoga practice, a slow, deliberate motion that corresponds with your breath is most effective. Coordinating movement with breath helps maintain the natural rhythm of harmony in our body.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

# 27 - Staying Vegetarian

The human body is designed to stay vegetarian – our nails are not long enough to tear open animal hides; we do not have naturally sharp front teeth to tear meat; our mouth has alkaline saliva with an enzyme called ptyalin to pre-digest grains; stomach acids in humans are too weak to digest meat properly; and our intestines are far too long to allow early detoxing upon eating meat. It is not crucial to turn vegetarian in order to stay flexible; just being aware of the difference is yogic enough.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

# 26 - Nature Foods

Fruits and vegetables that retain color and crunch offer highest food value, and are best assimilated within an empty stomach. Be aware that different fresh foods may release different enzymes, so eating them separately whenever possible prevents undue strain on the digestive system. To make the most of healing properties, nature foods should be consumed within the hour of cutting them open. Since most fruits (including acidic ones) turn alkaline when they enter the body, their nutrient value is immediately absorbed into the system, as long as there is no traffic jam of unhealthy remnants blocking the system.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

# 25 - Food Heals

Occasional fruit fasts and salad fests insulate the body from harmful excesses that weaken the immune system, while giving our digestive system a well needed break. Although pulps, purees, and smoothies without ice are more healthful than pulp free juices, it is a proven fact that steamed, baked, and poached foods are also nutritious. But foods that are processed, frozen, refined, or cooked in any way using direct heat tend to lower nutritional content. In addition, not only do fresh foods look, smell, and taste better, they also bring a healthful glow to our face, monitor body weight, and raise energy levels.


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

# 24 - When Good Food Tastes Bad

Basic physical fitness is not just about stretching. It involves a healthful diet that includes nature foods to help prevent/ delay/ deter/ heal common ailments. A combination of simple, ailment specific stretches peppered with a basic fresh food diet can become an unbeatable combination when it comes to fighting back everyday illnesses. Beans for arthritis, spinach for asthma, bananas for constipation, bitter gourd for diabetes, apples for hypertension, carrots for lumbago, papayas for piles (hemorrhoids), and tomatoes for sciatica are just a few examples of healing foods. But foods that are good for our body may not always taste good to us. Therein lies the paradox. It is up to us to take good foods often enough, so that they will eventually start to taste good simply because we start feeling better.


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

# 23 - Do Your OM Work

Repetitive sounds have a tendency to repress flighty thoughts. The vibratory nature of silent chants helps clear the mind of negative debris. Consider the tri-syllabic sound OM - pronounced aum, the combined length of this sound is a+u=m (the combined strength on the other hand, is infinite). The first sound or syllable a is generated from the lower abdomen; second syllable u emanates from the thoracic region; while the final m sound reverberates within the skull area, thereby completing the cosmic cycle within all of us. Most of all, OM is not a word - it is an invocation to the divine forces that surround us, a celebration of human existence, and an acknowledgement of our own humility.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

# 22 - 48 Plus is Bridge Yoga

Everyone knows that stretching releases feel-good juices called endorphins. Getting a healthful high with safe stretching is not only delicious, but it is ideal for days when we cannot go to fitness class. These are the moments when we need a Bridge Yoga sequence like 48 plus – a seamless flow of 48 simple stretches that address 8 common ailments by targeting all major muscle groups, glands, and organs in the body in under 20 minutes. On a daily basis, 48 plus acts as a self administered master health checkup, and is specially designed to help busy adults with limited resources stay fit for life - naturally.

Monday, September 14, 2009

# 21 - Enduring Reminders

When stretching the body, it is wise to maintain barefoot practice to help stimulate nerve endings. Coordinate your breath with every stretch to channel fresh oxygen to various regions of the body. Inhale softly when you reach for the sky; exhale hoarsely as you deflate to the ground. Fold forward to refresh the spine; bend backward to enhance flexibility and strengthen the spine. Use abdominal breathing to protect your core, and hinge from the hip in forward folds. Inhale deep to nourish internal organs; exhale long to expel stale gases. During back bends, keep the eyes open to avoid feeling dizzy; in forward folds, close your eyes to internalize the experience. Use abdominal pressure to stimulate release of enzymes and maintain the health of internal organs. Balance all postures with counter postures, and stretch the tighter side first – makes it easier to forgive ourselves. And forgiveness is the essence of yoga.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

# 20 - Stretch Your Imagination

Preventing common ailments is simply a matter of raising our own body awareness. Whether or not we acknowledge it, just about every move we make, every breath we take, is an aspect of yoga; from squats, flexions, and inversions, to stretches, twists, and balance. Yoga simply gives it a Sanskrit name. Just think - raising our hands overhead to yawn is hasta uttana; folding forward to pick up a pin is pada hasta; in half squat trying to button a child's shirt is utkata...the list goes on. So let us be aware of the good it does our body every time we stretch, not to mention how good it feels. Don't just move. S-t-r-e-t-c-h.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

# 19 - Gym vs. Yoga

A balanced yoga practice complements gym work-outs. Typical gym work-outs are program paced/ strengthen muscles/ heat the body/ build strength/ use thoracic breathing/ require greater inhale/ involve additional weights/ radiate external appeal/ burn calories/ and enhance physical fitness. Yoga on the other hand, is self paced/ stretches tendons/ cools the body/ builds stamina/ uses abdominal breathing/ requires deeper exhale/ involves body weight/ radiates inner appeal/ conserves energy/ and enhances mental alertness. Together, they form an unbeatable work-out.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

# 18 - Feel Good About Yourself

All life deserves to be free of pain, but lifestyles today have a domino effect on some ailments. For instance, depression raises cholesterol levels, and high cholesterol count may lead to obesity. The 48 plus stretch concept is about spinal health and physical well-being, and seeks technique rather than perfection; so external assistance is seldom suggested. The stretching of tendons, and the subsequent release of feel-good juices such as endorphins, helps build resilience from the inside in a simple, consistent, and structured manner.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

# 17 - Warm Up to Yoga

While it is not crucial to cook ourselves in a steam room to sweat, burn calories, or knot ourselves into intricate postures, it is a good idea to thaw the body before we begin our practice. In cold weather, hot showers can help loosen the body, although the actual practice can help generate a healthful inner heat later. Warm ups that enhance our yoga practice include the following ten pre-stretches – neck/ shoulder/ knee/ wrist roll; thigh/ ankle flex; side/ back/ forward stretch; full body stretch on tip toe.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

# 16 - Take Charge

Our world has finally been hit by a healthy virus – it’s called preventive yoga therapy. Previously, when yoga was not seen as a threat to medical science, it was considered an experiential discipline. Now it has become an experimental science, and researchers have conducted extensive lab studies to measure its success. Nevertheless, postures assumed with or without professional help, may only be done so when the mind is willing and the body is able. So let us take charge, and accept responsibility for our own pain or progress, by acknowledging our weakness and exploring our strengths. Let us make the most of what we have, and come to terms with what we don’t.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

# 15 - Ground Rules

Some Do’s and Don’ts of yoga – practice on an empty stomach/ bladder/ and bowels; wear clothes that stretch and breathe; and use a thick rubber mat that is at least 2’ x 6’. Practice bare feet in a light airy space, and at the same time each day. Balance all postures with counter postures, and maintain abdominal breathing throughout. Keep the body alert, your mind calm, and make each move slow and deliberate. Do not practice right after waking as the body is still a little rigid and needs time to thaw; do not have a hot shower right after your practice, as this diverts freshly oxygenated blood away from internal organs, rushing it straight to the skin. Most of all, aim for the ultimate, but let your body decide the pace.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

# 14 – Eight Breathing Techniques

The anuloma-viloma (alternate nostril) breath is a basic nerve cleansing technique used for most common conditions, and is typically followed by ailment specific breath for greater relief. Seven other breathing techniques are better known, such as kapalbhati (skull cleansing), ujjayi (victorious), bhastrika (bellows), shitali (horizontal cooling), brahmari (bumble bee), shitkari (vertical cooling), and shanmukhi mudra (seashell or conch).

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

# 13 – Inhale Happens

When we breathe, our greatest obsession seems to be to take in as much air as possible, “take a deep breath” like we’re running out of air. In fact, it is the process of exhaling that makes the detox efforts more effective. When we exhale, we eject stale and sedentary gases from our system. So during posture practice, let us focus on longer exhales; our lungs inhale automatically to fill the void. Whether we like it or not, inhale happens.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

# 12 - Effective Breathing

Pranayama is breath control, and is ideally practiced with a qualified teacher for the first time. When we sit in padmasana (lotus posture) with palms up, or in vajrasana (diamond posture) with palms down (both times with index finger touching the thumb lightly), it helps to keep our torso upright, so that fresh air is channeled directly into various parts of the body. Only then may we begin a focused breathing practice.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

# 11 - Common Sense Yoga

Preventive healthcare is typically guided by common sense. For example, stretches that involve bending and unbending of the knees help alleviate arthritis; stretches that open up chest muscles help enhance lung function to prevent asthma; forward folds that compress lower abdomen help ease constipation; forward folds that massage upper abdominal area enhance liver/ pancreatic function to help combat diabetes; stabilizing blood flow to the brain with calming stretches helps prevent hypertension; pelvic strengtheners assist in combating piles or hemorrhoids; stretches that strengthen the lower back help combat lumbago; forward stretches that involve release of gluteal (buttock) muscles assist in easing sciatic pain.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

# 10 - Why Our Body Breaks Down

Like all engines, the human body needs to be aired, cleaned, fed, and exercised regularly to stay functional. The various body systems are so inter-dependent that, when one fails, others are impacted too. When air intake is insufficient or food intake is surplus, if hygeine is inconsistent or circulation is inadequate, the body is unable to function at optimum levels. The result is a body breakdown.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

# 9 - Fit for Life with 48 plus

We live in an era of disappearing jobs > shriveling incomes > lower savings > tighter budgets > fewer luxuries > higher stress levels > rising medical concerns > sliding wellness budgets > preventive healthcare ... our only option now is to prevent common ailments before they overcome us. So let us embrace good health with the discipline it deserves, and Stay Fit for Life with 48 plus. If only companies would give employees incentives for taking care of their health, we would all be a happier, healthier nation.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

# 8 - Where Mind Goes, Energy Flows

Where the mind goes, energy flows. The seven main energy centers in the human body are indicative of various bodily functions, such as reproductive, digestive, liver/ kidney/ pancreas, heart, thyroid, pituitary, and brain. When we place our focus on any one point, we refresh that part of our body sooner by directing fresh oxygen, which in turn expels stale and sedentary gases, thereby purifying the system faster.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

# 7 - Meat Eating and Flexibility

By staying on a vegetarian diet for 3-4 weeks, we may notice that our body feels more flexible than before. If and when we revert to eating meat again, our body feels less flexible, apparently due to added resistance in meat fiber. Curiously enough, meat eating not only reduces flexibility, it has also been known to increase aggression. The darker the meat, the greater the aggression, and so on.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

# 6 - How to Extend Life Span

When we consider the human lifespan as being entitled to 500 million breaths, barring any unnatural interventions, deep breathing can extend our lifespan simply by elongating every breath until we have used up our full entitlement. When we learn to breathe slow, deep, and deliberate, we also enjoy a greater sense of tranquility.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

# 5 - Enhancing Lung Capacity

Studies have shown that, of all the air we breathe in, only 5% gets used. Enhancing lung capacity through deep breathing allows more oxygen to enter the bloodstream. So by observing the 1:2 inhale:exhale ratio, we naturally also eject more carbon dioxide, thereby de-toxing the system more effectively.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

# 4 - Re-charging Body Batteries

Most of the 72,000 nerves in the human body end in the soles of our feet and palms of our hands. So during posture practice, by using our palms as lightning conductors and grounding ourselves with our soles to make the most of the energy around us, we help nurture a positive charge within.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

# 3 - Five Main Principles of Yoga

The five main principles of yoga are - use of gravity (to minimize the use of props); deep breathing (to eliminate harmful toxins from the blood); stretching of tendons/ connective tissue (to help release essential fluids); organ massage (to improve blood circulation); and concentration (to help channel the restless mind).

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

# 2 - We Cannot Stop a Thunderstorm

We cannot stop a thunderstorm; but we can carry an umbrella. Just imagine – if a blood relative has asthma, it is probably embedded in our genes, making our body vulnerable to painful attacks. Smoke or dust pollution may likely trigger dormant asthma genes, causing airway inflammation or painful constrictions that make it hard to breathe. Routine yoga stretches that expand the chest can help open up the airways to facilitate easier breathing. So it is with many common ailments.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

# 1 - Yoga is About Enhancing Attitudes

Yoga is not about religious chants, walking in a trance, or sitting in lotus position and going "OM". Nor is it about flexing the body. It's about flexing the mind, about enhancing attitudes, and about feeling beautiful, poised, and empowered after each practice - because these are what truly insulate us from external harm.