Yoga Asanas

Yoga Asanas That Will Keep Your Skin Looking Beautiful Inmates Of Puzhal Jail Learn Yoga Asanas Working On Your Fitness: Yoga for Pregnancy And New Moms

Recently yoga programs were conducted by Isha Yoga Center for Puzhal prison inmates to help them overcome stress and suffering from isolation. Uyir Nokkam, a simple yet powerful yoga program was conducted for the prisoners of Puzhal jail. Women inmates participated from May 17 to May 19 in which 25 prisoners took part, for men the program was conducted from May 20 to May 22 where 30 inmates participated. Yoga conductors from Isha Foundation said that Uyir Nokkam includes Yoga namaskar and meditation. Doing these practices regularly can improve their physical and mental health. It enhances physical and mental well-being, equipping prisoners with a simple tool to cope with stress and improve the quality of their relationships. It helps them establish joyfulness as a natural state of being. Following Chennai, the free yoga programs will be conducted in Madurai, Palayamkottai and Coimbatore prisoners. The program has been functioning since 1992 and over 15, 000 prisoners have been taught yoga practices under this program.
Yoga Asanas


How Learning The 8 Limbs Of Yoga Can Help Quiet Your Mind—on And Off The Mat:


If you’ve been to any yoga class ever, you’re probably familiar with terms like a downward facing dog, Namaste, and savasana. But, unless you’ve gone through an intensive yoga teacher training or you’re a total yogic knowledge nerd, then there’s a chance you haven’t heard of the eight limbs of yoga.

“The eight limbs of yoga are from Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, which many consider akin to the yoga bible,” says Claire Grieve, a yoga specialist, and certified health coach. “They are beautiful philosophies that are meant to be guidelines for living a meaningful life and are considered necessary to attain enlightenment.”

Um, sounds amazing—so why aren’t most yoga instructors expounding this knowledge from their spot at the front of the studio? The reason you don’t often hear about the eight limbs during a yoga class, Grieve explains, is that it can be a bit confusing and overwhelming, especially if you’re totally new to the practice. After all, the purpose of going to a yoga class is to zen out and get your sweat on, not add more confusion to your life. “Regardless of whether or not you’re aware, these concepts will be central to any yoga class you take part in,” Grieve adds.

That said, the eight limbs of yoga aren’t meant to just be practiced during yoga. They are principles that you can bring into all areas of your life and can be practiced on and off the mat.

1. Yama

There are a total of five yamas that comprise the first limb of yoga: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, non-excess, and non-covetousness. “They are the integrity and ethics that are the foundation for a life of union,” Grieve says. 

You can practice Yama by speaking kindly to others or giving a stranger a genuine compliment. Even releasing attachment to your belongings can be a way of practicing Yama in your daily life. In other words, Marie Kondo-ing your home might just be the first step towards becoming your most enlightened self. If that’s not enough inspiration for some spring decluttering, we don’t know what is.

2. Niyama

The second limb, Niyama, is about self-discipline. The five niyamas are the purity of the mind, contentment, self-discipline, self-reflection, and devotion to God. “To practice niyamas, select one to focus on each day,” Grieve says. Daily niyama practices she recommends include reciting positive affirmations, going on a judgment detox, journaling, and praying. Heck, just showing up to your yoga class a few times of the week is a great way to practice self-discipline.

3. Asana

“Asana is the movements and poses that you perform while in a yoga class,” Grieve says. “Their purpose is to prepare the mind for meditation. Patanjali believed that one’s body must be strong and without strain in order to allow for proper meditation.” She recommends getting your asana on for at least 15-30 minutes a day to deepen your connection—even if that means doing a few yoga stretches at your desk during your lunch break.

4. Pranayama

“Pranayama is the practice of breath, which is thought to be the current of life,” Grieve says. “Taking deep, focused, and rhythmic inhalations and exhalations are a practice of pranayama.” So any time you meditate or flow through your yoga poses, you’re practicing the fourth limb of yoga. 

And if you want to squeeze in some pranayama while in line at the grocery store, you can also practice a little breathing exercise Grieve recommends. It involves breathing in slowly and deeply for six counts, hold for two to three counts, and slowly exhaling for eight counts. “Try doing this for five minutes and increase in duration as you become more comfortable with the practice,” she says.

5. Pratyahara

The fifth limb of yoga is about shifting your focus away from external chaos. With so much going on in the world coupled with our constantly buzzing cell phones, this is no easy feat; but it’s essential for living your best life.

“By turning off your reaction to external stimulus and even your senses, you are able to better move towards spiritual mastery,” Grieve says. “Heading to the studio, turning off your phone, and focusing on your practice for an hour can be a form of pratyahara.”

6. Dharana

Once you’ve mastered blocking out all the external stimuli with the fifth limb, you can take things to the next level with the sixth limb of dharana, which is all about concentration and eliminating mental chatter. “Dharana is the ability to focus in on one point,” Grieve says. Again, this is not easy (like, at all). Hence why it’s called a yoga practice. You need to do it over and over again in order for it to click. Grieve also suggests bringing a mantra to your meditation practice to help quiet your noisy mind.

7. Dhyana

With the seventh limb of yoga, dhyana, we’re diving deeper into spiritual territory. “In dhyana, you begin to flow with an awareness of your focal point,” Grieve says. “You are able to contemplate the focus without attachment or judgment.”

In layman’s terms? Things are about to get trippy. While dharana is about focusing on a single mental object (like a mantra, or a visualization), dhyana (which is often used interchangeably with meditation, although they’re slightly different) is about becoming so fully immersed in the experience you no longer separate your self from the act of meditating. 

8. Samadhi

“The ultimate goal of yoga is a complete transcendence from the notion of self or separateness,” Grieve says. That’s what the eighth and last limb of yoga is all about: finding pure joy and ecstasy. It’s about becoming one with the act of meditation.

“You can begin to practice this limb by simply noticing your joy and what circumstances allow you to be in that state of being,” she says. “Savasana pose, too, will help you to open yourself to oneness.” 

Whether you reach enlightenment or not, it’s safe to say that practicing and living the principles of the eight limbs of yoga can help lead to a happier, more high-vibe life.

Meditation an entirely new ballgame for you? Here’s how to get started. And if you fall asleep at first, don’t sweat it—here’s what happens.

Working On Your Fitness: Yoga For Pregnancy And New Moms:

In her pre-royal days, the former "Suits' star said in a video interview to a media house that “As I’ve gotten older, running has become hard on my knees, so I can’t run outside the way I used to." She said that this motivated her to switch up her routine and practice yoga workouts instead.

Yoga A Good Exercise Option for Pregnant Women

Meghan is still practicing yoga during her pregnancy. As per a number of studies, prenatal yoga can help women stay relaxed and sleep more soundly. It also helps in dealing with pregnancy-related symptoms, like headaches, nausea, back pain and more. However, there are certain poses pregnant women should also avoid, like lying on the belly, backbends, aggressive twists, and more. We recommend that you do whatever but check with your doctor and yoga instructor first.

Yoga Can Improve Sleep Quality

Another good thing about yoga that Markle raved close to Best Health: improved sleep. The National Sleep Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit organization also agrees and says yoga can be extremely helpful for people with insomnia. They stressed that a daily yoga session can help people fall asleep more quickly and sleep longer.

It is not just Meghan who is a fan of Yoga, there are so many others on foreign shores including Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Jessica Biel, Beyonce and from Bollywood, well almost everyone including Kareena, Shilpa, Bipasha, Kangana, and the list goes on. We have attached some links to what our yoga experts have shared as well. We hope this article gives you a boost to practice this form of exercise. After all, there has to be a reason why the Yoga wagon is increasing by the day.
Disclaimer: Views expressed during this article square measure the author's own and MSN doesn't endorse them in any method. Neither will MSN severally verify any claims created within the article. You should consult your MD before beginning any weight loss or health management program to work out if it's right for your desires.

Easy-to-use Yogic Practices To Create Greater Health And Happiness:

Prenatal Yoga Tip: Ujjayi Breathing.

Inhale and exhale through your mouth a few times. While exhaling, tone the back of the throat to constrict the passage of some air. Feel as though you were fogging glasses.

After you are comfortable with toning the throat with exhales, try doing it with inhales too. That will create a distinct sound. Practice and master toning of throats with both inhales and exhales.

If you are able to control both the inhales and exhales, the next step is to do the same while breathing through the nose and the mouth closed. There will still be the distinct sound, although a little muffled due to the closed mouth.

Learn to inhale completely to fill the lungs and exhale till the stomach cramps a bit.
This is one in every of the primary yogistic techniques that you just learn in Yoga categories for physiological condition fitness. Breathing absolutely is directly coupled with deep relaxation and furthers the reason for well-being. This is essential when it comes to meeting the physical demands of labor and delivery. Emotional balance may be achieved with this respiration apply.

Prenatal Yoga Tips

Even if you're within the trimester, drink a lot of water when performing yoga poses. This need to be done before, after and during the performance of yogic poses. This is important to keep the body hydrated.

Do not take any pain or discomfort gently whereas playacting the yogistic poses. Make slight modifications or ask your instructor to recommend a different pose.

In the second trimester, do not perform the poses that strain your joints for long. You can step by step cut back the time for holding the create as currently your joints area unit loosening up.

Take care to be light once playacting the yoga poses within the trimester and use props and different supports to assist you in playacting the various poses.

When in the trimester, your belly is therefore mature that it's recommended to stay to solely Ujjayi or different light respiration practices. Yogic poses can also be performed with caution. You can rest yourself to the wall or use a chair for support when performing the poses.

Read more articles on Pregnancy Exercises.


Why one yoga retreat weekend has the potential to improve your mental health. (Photo: Photo courtesy of The Isha Foundation/Swami Chitranga)

Most of us will spend 90,000 hours — about one-third of our lives — working. Our days are often defined by and scheduled around our jobs and, as a result, the inner work we need to do to achieve holistic health and happiness may be put on the backburner.

Whether you are an avid yoga practitioner ready to level up or you are a beginner looking to kickstart your practice, a weekend retreat could be the catalyst you need. Stepping away from your daily routine and dedicating a weekend to self-transformation can provide the nurturing space you need to disconnect from distractions and dive into harmonizing your mind, body, and emotions.

Step away from the daily grind and unwind

Modern technology has made it easier to stay virtually connected around the clock — making it more difficult to leave work behind when you leave the office. We walk around with mobile computers in our hands. We make innovations and engineer the world around us to accommodate our wants and needs. But what about our inner needs?

“We have built all kinds of facilities in our society to take care of our physical, psychological and social needs,” world-renowned yogi and mystic Sadhguru explains. “What is lacking is infrastructure that addresses the inner wellbeing of human beings.”

Putting a weekend yoga retreat on your calendar is a chance to change that — to disconnect from the incessant stream of outside info and barrage of notifications and, instead, turn your focus inward. The Isha Foundation offers numerous courses and a special four-day Inner Engineering Retreat that incorporate easy-to-use tools, yogic practices and practical wisdom that can be learned and applied to create greater health and happiness in your life. Sadhguru describes inner engineering as a “technology for your inner wellbeing.”

Connect with a like-minded community

Spending a weekend at a yoga retreat means spending time with teachers and fellow yoga practitioners. Whether or not you have a yoga community at home, a retreat offers a dedicated, supportive space for practitioners to meet, exchange ideas, and grow together. The stunning natural setting of the Inner Engineering Retreat at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences located in Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau is much more than a serene escape to practice yoga for a weekend —  there are also ample opportunities for attendees to connect with one another through a variety of activities such as moonlit meals, live music and guided hikes to nearby waterfalls and viewpoints.

Take home new tools and techniques to create the life you want

A weekend retreat is not just about what you do and experiences onsite; it’s also about acquiring new techniques and tools you can take with you to improve your yoga practice and your life. At the Inner Engineering Retreat, teachers trained by Sadhguru lead you through guided meditations, group discussions, and the Shambhavi Kriya — a 21-minute breathing and meditation technique intended to purify your energy and align your mind, body, and emotions.

Improve your health

In addition to the physical benefits of yoga, the practice has been shown to help people improve themselves from the inside out — reducing stress and relieve anxiety and depression. The majority of more than 500 people surveyed after practicing Shambhavi Kriya regularly for at least one year reported a wide range of mental, physical and emotional benefits including:

alleviation of chronic conditions.
reduced anxiety.
improvements in productiveness, emotional balance, mental clarity, and energy.
The Isha Foundation Inner Engineering Retreat takes a holistic approach to improve attendee health, with healing meditations in Mahima Hall — the largest meditation hall in the western hemisphere — and optional healthy cooking classes for those interested.

If you’re ready to take your yoga practice to the next level with a weekend retreat, you can register for one of the upcoming four-day Inner Engineering Retreats at the Isha Foundation of Inner-sciences in Tennessee. There are two retreats available, so you can choose one that works with your schedule: May 30 - June 2 or June 27 - 30.

And if you can’t get away for a weekend yoga retreat right now, you can still get started with the Isha Foundation Inner Engineering program from wherever you are:

Inner Engineering Online includes seven, 90-minute sessions and guided meditations. There is no prerequisite and it’s perfect for those that require some flexibility to complete the course in their own space and time.
In-person Inner Engineering Completion is available in multiple cities across the U.S. and Canada. Rather than a four-day weekend, this completion course involves a one or two-day in-person program to learn the Shambhavi Kriya purifying breathing and meditation technique. If you’d like to attend the Inner Engineering Completion program, you must first complete the Inner Engineering Online course.
If you’re looking to dive into an in-person, four-day training but can’t make it to the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences in Tennessee, the Isha Foundation also offers an in-person Inner Engineering Total program at various locations across the U.S. and Canada. This comprehensive course covers Inner Engineering and Shambhavi Kriya and there is no prerequisite to attend.

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