Whether you have two minutes to spare or 15 minutes, a yoga flow session is the perfect AM routine to start your day on the right note. Just before diving into your to-do list a yoga and meditation session will help to boost your creativity, happiness and alertness. Requiring concentration and focus, the practice allows you to centre your mind and focus on your internal energy.
We know that the ancient practice of Yoga is the way to better physical and mental wellbeing. While working on surface sculpting, yoga also helps in rejuvenating your body and finding a deeper connection with your mind and body in turn leaving you with a calmer self.
Taking out time for yoga on a daily basis works wonders to increase flexibility, endurance, stretch out your body and even aids with weight loss. Additionally, yoga combats health illnesses like PCOS, digestion issues, heart problems and many more.
We caught up with Dr. Deepashree M R, Wellness Advisor at Atmantan who believes that, "Yoga is not only to be practiced by individuals who have health issues, want to reduce weight, senior citizens & those who are saints! But YOGA is for EVERYONE. When we say yoga is for everyone, it is for every age group of humanity." She further weighs in on how yoga benefits different age groups.
For Children (5-13yr) : Yoga which can be practiced in a playful way as well, helps very effectively on children by improving their cognition, develops awareness of body, mind & breath, helping them to arrest their wandering mind, builds concentration power & creativity which is very much in need at this competitive world. It also helps them to overcome negative emotions, mental & physical fatigue.
Yogasanas to practice by Dr. Deepashree M R, Wellness Advisor at Atmantan: Balancing postures (Vrikshasana, veerabhadrasana, garudasana, navasana, sarvangasana, shirshasana) Chakrasana, dhanurasana, halasana etc.
Adolescence (13-20yrs): As we know the present lifestyle of youngsters is quite unhealthy but not easy to explain verbally. But if yoga is introduced daily for 1 hour, brings a drastic change by making them understand themselves, which is very important when there is hormonal changes occurring at this stage to cope with studies, personal & social life balanced. It makes them aware of their physic & healthy eating habits.
Yogasanas to practice by Dr. Deepashree M R, Wellness Advisor at Atmantan: Suryanamaskara, Balancing postures, matsyasana, setubhandasana, adhomukha shvanasana, pavanamuktasana, baddhakonasana, pranayamas, etc.
Adulthood (21-45yrs) : A major stage of life of every individual filled with loads of responsibilities, tensions, frustration, anger, hopeless situations, where individuals feel that a day with 24hrs is too less or too much (among exceptional). This is the right time to start yoga & pranayama practice daily as yoga helps you to understand your potentials & limitations building confidence within, calms down, helps to attain right attitude with a great discipline & awareness on once own lifestyle rectifies 80% of issues faced in personal, work & social life. Yogasanas to practice by Dr. Deepashree M R, Wellness Advisor at Atmantan: Everything mentioned for teens, & all the variations of poses with pranayama (Nadishodhana, brahmari etc..) 20-25min daily.
Seniorhood (45-70yrs ) : A best stage of life to start yoga practice or to deepen the yoga practice. Firstly, as we grow older, the efficiency of the immune system deteriorates,
paving way for various diseases with hormonal imbalances, lifestyle disorders, muscle stiffness etc... Secondly, due to spending long hours at home after retirement, which is mainly making one feel lonely, helpless, unimportant, etc. This is the right time to give at least 2 hours daily to gain supreme benefits by strengthening physically & mentally. As there are various range of yogic practices like general yoga, props yoga, rope yoga, chair yoga etc... elders can adopt any form of them according to their comfort & start will simple practice & improve gradually.
Yogasanas to practice by Dr. Deepashree M R, Wellness Advisor at Atmantan: Asanas can be decided, based on individuals physic & health by a professional.: Asanas can be decided, based on individuals physic & health by a professional.
With International Yoga Day is just around the corner (21st June), we've curated a list of 15 benefits of yoga.
1. Yoga Poses To Release Stress and Anxiety
It's easy for our stress levels and anxiety to boom right now given the uncertainties the future holds. How can we unwind and calm our mind during these times? The age old practice of yoga can offer a holistic approach to combating stress, anxiety, depression and exhaustion. Here are a few yoga poses that help to relieve stress and anxiety at the mental, physical and emotional level to promote an overall sense of wellbeing and positivity.
a) Balasana or Childs Pose
This pose calms the body and mind through mindful and conscious breathing. It stretched out the neck, shoulder and back relieving it of any strain. while relieving the back and neck of
b) Ustrasana or Camel Pose
Ensuring enhanced blood circulation through the body, stimulating the nervous system and increasing flexibility of the spine, this is an excellent pose to combat anxiety.
c) Half Spinal Twist
Increases spinal flexibility while releasing tension from the spine. The stretch calms the nervous system and silences the mind to achieve a state of calmness.
d) Cobra Pose
The cobra pose has proven to be helpful in stimulating digestion. Effective in treating stress symptoms like fatigue and headaches, it's proven to be a good relaxation technique.
2. Yoga for glowing skin
Your skin in a direct reflection of your body from the inside, and the traditional approach of yoga focuses of removing toxins from your body. Achieving glowing skin through yoga is directed by focusing on the digestive and circulatory functions. Hence, the first step to get closer to restored skin health is correcting these. Overtime consistent yoga practice helps to achieve wrinkle-free, youthful and glowing skin. Pranayam and surya namaskar are two asanas that can help with skin health.
3. Yoga for PCOS
Every 1 out of 10 women in today's day and age suffer from PCOS. While some don't mind taking hormones and contraceptive pills, for others staying away is their preferred choice. It's not unknown that every medicine has its side effects, while the negative side effects may be lower than the positive one it doesn't come without any. Yoga has proven to be extremely helpful to combat PCOS. Here are a few yoga poses that can help with PCOS. The Bhujangasana is one effective asana to treat menstrual disorders like PCOS.
4. Yoga to energise the body & increase blood flow
Inverted poses like downward dog, shoulderstand and headstand are recommended to awaken and energise the body. there is a direct flow of rich blood oxygen to the brain, which in turn improves brain functioning. Yoga increase the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. It thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and reduces the level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This intern can decrease the chance of blood clots and avoid heart attacks and strokes.
5. Yoga for flexibility & muscle strength
Not only does yoga improve flexibility but holding each asana focuses on building muscle strength. The warrior poses focus on developing leg strength with the cobra asana works on the to improve digestion and reduces fatigue and headaches.
6. Yoga perfects your posture
Sitting upright with an erect spine and meditating or stretching your body helps you correct your posture.
7. Yoga to remove toxins and knots
Suryanamaskar is the best workout there is. Helping you stretch your entire body and sweating it out its releases all the toxins while openings up the tight muscles and knots in your body.
8. Yoga for blood pressure
It is found that yoga helps to reduce blood pressure. The Corpse Pose or savasana has prove to reduce blood pressure among people.
9. Yoga helps your sleep better
Yoga Nidra, Savasana, pranayama, and meditation provide downtime for the nervous system in turn encouraging better sleep patterns.
10. Boosts immunity
Pranayama and meditation work wonders to boost immunity.
11. Yoga improves lung function
The practice of yoga focuses on breathing through your nose, which filer outs the pollutants in the air removing the pollen and dirt that are not good for lung function.
12. Yoga for digestion
Twisting yoga poses help to combat IBS and digestive health concerns. Moving the body facilitates more rapid transport of food and waste products through the bowels and twisting poses may be beneficial in getting waste to move through the system.
13. Yoga for bone health
Various yoga poses require you to lift you own bodyweight. Some poses like upward and downward-facing- dog help to strengthen the arm bones.
14. Yoga helps you to stay calm, focus better and relieve stress.
Yoga helps you relax, slow your breath, and focus on the present that allow you to focus better and stay calm. Poses like the camel pose and the bridge pose are found to be effective in relieving stress. Meditating and breathing exercise also work to help you focus better and feel relaxed.
15. Yoga to keep viruses away
Focused breathing exercise and Kriyas, or cleansing practices help with internal cleansing of the body.
For all those of you who have been practicing Yoga regularly, Dr. Deepashree M R, Wellness Advisor at Atmantan, also shares a few Yogasanas, which helps different functions of our body:
1.Nervous system (Improves overall blood circulation & brain health): Sirshasana, sarvangasana, adhomukha svanasana 2. Endocrinal system (Hormonal imbalance) : Matsyasana, setubandasana, ushtrasana 3. Respiratory & Cadiovascular system (lung & heart health) : Gomukhasana, bhujanagasana 4. Digestive & excretory system (Improves digestion) ; Jataraparivrittasana, Uttana padasana, pavanamuktasana 5. Reproductive system (strengthens pelvic muscles) ; Baddhakonasana, upavistakonasana, Malasana. 6. Musculo skeletal system (Overall muscle & joint strengthening) ; Suryanamaskara