BREATH OF LIFE

(T-D) Ardhachandrasan, Matsyasan and Parivrutta parshwakonasan

Health is wealth! But, in the pursuit of wealth, most us forget about our health and take things for granted. Like many others, VBS Mani would also run away from exercising or doing serious workouts. He often felt guilty for not taking his physical and mental health seriously. 

Over a period of time, his annual  medical checkup started showing the effects of occupational  stress and lack of self care in the form of high cholesterol levels, a deficiency of vitamin B 12 and frequent infections with the body losing its resistance. Fear set in within Mani. He started learning yoga at the age of 62.

Learning and practicing yoga over the past five years has made him physically and mentally very healthy, active and agile.

He says that one does more good when he feels good. This ‘feel good factor’  has come within him through and through.

He realised the real effect of yoga when he contemplated donating his kidney to one of his distant relative, a 13- year-old girl suffering from kidney failure.

She could not find any matching kidney donor either from a close relative or a cadaver. The entire family was devastated. Members of the family and the medical fraternity close to Mani were against his intention of organ donation.

Mani says, “When I went to see how healthy I was and would I survive after kidney donation, the doctor checked and confirmed  that my organs are as healthy as that of a 20-year-old boy.

My pulse rate and cardiovascular parameters were matching with that of an athlete. I was told that after organ donation, I will be as sound as I am for my life time.

This couldn’t have been possible without the help of yoga. I could give life to a young girl on January 6, 2011. I am as normal and healthy as I was before. The girl who received my kidney is also doing extremely well.”

Over the past four years, he has started trekking, atleast one Himalayan trek per year, and many around Sahyadri.

“Using Pranayama and correcting the breathing imbalance I cure myself. When I see young boys and girls of  one third of my age attending the yoga class and practicing yoga, I start feeling young.

Yoga is such a great science given by our ancestors. It is the west which has validated this science with hosts of research. There is also a perception amongst us that yoga is for women or the sick while men must not do it. We are mistaken. We have a lot to learn about the art.”

Mani not only practices yogic breathing, but performs asanas as comfortably as the young member of the batch.

Yogic ujjayi breathing

Breathing few breaths deeply can give a refreshing ‘pep-up’ when we are fatigued by the frantic pace of the day. Then with a little practice, it can become a regular feature of the day. As adults, our ‘hurry and worry’ lifestyle reflects in our shallow and rapid breaths and curtailed exhalations.

A full and unrestricted exhalation is more vital than only a deep inhalation. It is during this exhalation that the ‘relaxation and rejuvenating responses’ gets triggered, restoring the inner balance.

The smooth, quiet, relaxed and flowing breathing that is the outcome of awareness slows the heartbeat, lowers blood pressure, and produces a sense of stability, actually encouraging the heart to rest as the long exhalations slow down the heart rate.

A good exhalation results naturally in subsequent fuller and unforced inhalation. With regular practice the breath becomes free, more steady and deep, without any conscious effort on our part. This reduces stress and enhances our physical, emotional and mental health.

Technique
Airflow is restricted by keeping the voice box area of the larynx and glottis in the throat partially closed which results in a soft, uniform, low hissing sound, as the air rubs across the surfaces. The mind is focused on breathing, particularly on the low hissing sound.

•   Sit comfortably in any posture with ease.

•   Relax the facial muscles with a gentle smile. This will not only relax you but also prevent you from overdoing the practice to a strenuous degree.

•   Bring your awareness to your throat. Visualise breathing through a tiny hole in front of the throat. This way, we will partially tighten the larynx and the air will pass slowly through the throat, producing the hissing sound.

•   The sound should have a low and uniform pitch and should be pleasant to hear. It should not be audible to others but only to oneself.

•   Friction of air in the nose should be avoided so that no nasal sound is heard.

•   Initially, do Ujjayi only while exhaling, and then during both inhalation and exhalation.

Remember, it is never too late to start.

PSORIASIS CAN BE CURED - SKIN DEEP YOGA AND LIFESTYLE

PSORIASIS CAN BE CURED - SKIN DEEP YOGA

Tara Nozaki, born and brought up in Japan, came to me for a month, reading how my psoriasis had got healed. She has had atopic dermatitis for many years and remembers having those terrible urges to scratch places like the creases in her arms, legs, neck, and hands. Atopic dermatitis is a very common, often chronic (long-lasting) skin disease, which is also called eczema, dermatitis, or atopy. There is a known hereditary component of the disease, where the skin becomes extremely itchy and inflamed, causing redness, swelling, cracking, weeping, crusting, and scaling. Some of the most common triggers are environmental, such as allergic reactions to pollen, drugs, dry air, and dust mites, chemicals in cleaning products, detergent, soaps, and perfumes.

Eczema and psoriasis are the two most prevalent dermatological diseases people suffer with daily. The diseases are common, with children being more susceptible to eczema and adults to psoriasis. With many people living with the discomforts of the diseases, they try numerous methodologies for relief and cures.

Now in her 30s, Tara had dry hands of a 50-year old and a “chicken-skin” neck with discoloured creases. When she was put on oral steroids, it helped but side effects made her stop them. She had tried corticosteroid creams, local treatments, with some relief but they would prove to be a temporary fix.

She had realised that to bring a change, she needed a change, and thus she came to Pune. She knew she needed a natural detox regimen as her skin pores were the exit points for ridding the body of toxins. She came with an open mind to learn Yoga and Pranayama, with readiness to change her diet and thought process, to get her system in better shape. With the following practices, done the right way, there was noticeable improvement.

Treatment

From the yogic perspective, both psoriasis and eczema are a result of high stress levels and toxins. During stressful situations, the inflammation in the skin worsens aggravating the skin and the disease tends to spread. Internal factors, besides stress, are allergic reactions to food, poor functioning liver, and a week immune system. The cures for eczema and psoriasis involve a whole body treatment or a more holistic approach to relief – Proper breathing habits, Pranayama, Asana, Nutrition, Yogic Shatkarma, Meditation and Attitudinal changes offer promising results for all chronic skin disorders.

Mindful Breathing - The breath is inhaled slowly, deeply and evenly through the nose. The lower abdomen, lungs, and chest are filled with air. After holding for four counts, one exhales slowly releasing air from the chest, lungs, and then lower abdomen. Longer exhalations are beneficial as they allows the body to work towards an alkaline state as opposed to an acidic state. Alkalinity brings rejuvenation and relief to the body. Taking 10 such breaths every hour benefit the body and the mind too.

Asana: All postures help but those that improve the endrocrine system and massage thyroid and parathyroid glands are sarvangasana, halasana, marjarasana breathing. These should be practiced with deep breathing, holding postures for 3-5 breaths. Tara decided to do 12 rounds of Surya namaskaar everyday and continues to do so.

Nutrition & Vitamin supplements: Eat to balance Pitta dosha and some foodstuffs to avoid are meat, fish, sea food, eggs, fermented foods, nightshades (eggplants, bell peppers), overly sweet or spicy foods. Addition of Vitamins E, D, A, B12, green tea, flaxseeds helped ease symptoms of eczema.

Vaman Dhouti or yogic vomiting is one of the shatkarma or yogic cleansing methods. Vaman Dhouti balances by relieving the stomach of pitta and symptoms like heart burn, acid reflux, etc

Pranayama & Meditation: The most common and effective yogic remedy is meditation through pranayama as pranayama not only detoxifies and energises the body, but also fine tunes the mind towards introspection, self awareness and healing.

• Bhastrika: With your hands resting on your knees and arms stretched straight, close your eyes and inhale deeply through both the nostrils. Follow this with exhaling deeply till you empty out all the stale air inside your lungs.

• Kapalbhati: This is active abdominal exhalations followed by passive inhalations. Take an exhalation and an inward stomach movement per second. For results, depth of abdominal movement is more important thn the speed. Also, the practice should be as noiseless as possible. You can start off slowly; maybe do it continuously for half or one minute, stop and enjoy its relaxing effects on the mind, and then start again. You must work towards doing it for 5 minutes, three times a day.

• Baahya Kumbhak: This is holding the breaths after a full exhalation. Learning this should be with a teacher, who will share how to apply the three bandhas with it. There is now enough scientific proof to the benefits of this practice, which the Yogis recommended many years back to heal chronic diseases.

• Anulom Vilom Pranayama: Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale deeply, without any exertion, through the left nostril. Allow exhalations slowly and smoothly, but deeply, without exertion from the right. followed by inhalation through the right nostril. The cycle has to be repeated for 10 minutes, as slowly as possible, giving more time to exhalations.

• Agnisaar Kriya: Inhale deeply and exhale deeply right thereafter, pulling your stomach muscles inward, as if trying to pull your stomach in as close to your back as possible. Hold your breath here and move your stomach in and out vigorously as many times as possible, before releasing it and allowing air to fill up your lungs. Do this exercise three times daily to tone the liver and digeative system.

• Bhramari pranayama: Close your eyes and touch your tongue lightly to the roof of your mouth. After a smooth deep inhalation, hum like a bee and feel the vibrations traveling deep inside. The humming has special significance and generates energy. At this moment one gets thoroughly charged and yet be at ones calmest. Stay in this position for two to three minutes. While doing the breathing exercises direct the energy generated towards the affected parts of the skin by thinking about its well-being.

Join the group www.facebook.com/psoriasiscanbecured spread the word as we help people come out of it

MINDFUL LIVING

The body is not a fixed structure but a thinking organism. The mind is like a field of information and knowledge, which is not confined to the brain and is, present everywhere at the same time. Each and every cell of the three trillion in the body is a thinking cell. Each and every experience or thought in the body creates a neuropeptide, which acts on the body, and has an action similar to any drug.

Diseases today are nothing but the manifestations of the mind — psychosomatic stress. Emotions like fear and anxiety are known to be associated with high blood pressure; anger and jealousy with heart attack and paralysis; and greed and possessiveness with obesity, diabetes and heart failure.

To a large extent these can be controlled and prevented by living mindfully or changing the lifestyle, the body mind way. Mindful living, deals with self introspection — on eating, exercising, breathing, digestion, metabolism, eliminating, sleeping, thinking habits, feelings, emotions, relationships, memories and beliefs.

Mind it

It is a healthy lifestyle, holistic in nature. No extreme can ever lead to good health. Bhagavad Gita defines the one who lives this way— whose diet and movements are balanced, who does his actions in a proper manner, whose hours of sleeping and waking up are regular, and who follows the path of meditation, can destroy pain or unhappiness.

The tenets of mindful living are:
• Right diet
• Right exercise
• Right breathing
• Right attitude – Stress Management

Mindful Attitude

Stress is truly the reaction of the body or the mind to the interpretation of a known situation. Stress management, therefore, involves building healthy attitude and preparing the body and the mind in such a way that stress does not affect them.

Building healthy attitude

By improving the power of interpretation and analysis and by cultivating good thoughts one can change the present situation and alter the occurrence of a disease.

• Attitude of learning from experiences: every opportunity good or bad should be taken as an opportunity to learn for future betterment.

• Replacing negative thoughts is necessary as fear, doubt and persistence of negativity in the mind are the three fundamental causes for the development of diseases. According to yoga sutras of Patanjali, to remove the negative thoughts of mind, opposite thoughts should be cultivated — thoughts of love, forgiveness, compassion and happiness.

• Positive thinking and positive behaviour produce endorphins in the body which can change the health scenario of a person. Think positive and consistently and you can achieve everything in life.

Mind Body strengthening

It is to nullify the effects of stress, to reduce the over activity of the sympathetic nervous system and to reduce resting heart rate, the methodologies available are pranayama, regular exercise, having a hobby and mind-body relaxation techniques.

• Walking in nature with a silent mind and experiencing the sounds of nature can be as effective as 20 minutes of meditation.

• Pranayama and meditation helps to experience silence in the thought, speech and action. The silent spaces in between the thoughts consist of the space for a pure potentiality. Twenty minutes of meditation provides the same physiological parameters as that of seven hours of deep sleep.

Living with Awareness

To be happy and healthy, to keep away lifestyle diseases the mantra would be to live consciously. Practicing conscious awareness of each and every action will instigate to take charge of our life and participate in our health. Breathing awareness, eating awareness, thinking awareness, etc. all are the practical ways of doing the same thing.

SLEEPING HABITS CAN GIVE AND ALSO TAKE AWAY BACK PAIN

Sleeping is a prime need. The power of restorative rest is strong and wide reaching. Symptoms of diseases like fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, chronic fatigue and flu are decreased while we sleep. But did you know that improper sleep can be a cause of pain and suffering? Poor sleeping posture is the reason for this.

We all rest in various sleeping postures for five to eight hours every day! This entails 25-33 per cent of an average day or one fourth of our life time. Certain sleeping postures increase the tendency to a sway back while others give rise to neck pain.

We usually blame the mattress or the pillow for the pain and the stiffness. Let’s review the most common sleeping positions, why they are harmful and how can we correct them to help the body.

Sleeping on the belly

Sleeping on the belly can never be symmetrical as the head has to turn to one side or the other and this pressurises the neck. Even the lower back can get extremely curved as it sags into the mattress. It lets the lower back sink far inward and causes too much pressure on the back.

This creates unbalanced muscles, wherein one side is hypertonic (contracted) and the other is hypotonic (extended). This leads to neck strain, cramping, pain, tingling sensation in arms and headaches.

To sleep on the belly, follow these precautions:

• Place a rolled up towel or a small pillow under the abdomen to prevent the sagging of the lower back.

• One knee can be bent towards the chest.

• The pillow below the head should be as flat as possible so that the neck does not get arched or twisted to one side.
Begin to change the habit of sleeping on the stomach by starting off lying on your side or the back. Relaxing for a while in these positions, before turning to sleep on the belly, will gradually build in the new healthier habit. This position has to go.

Sleeping on the back

This places less pressure on the back than sleeping on the stomach. As the weight gets evenly distributed across the widest surface of the body, this minimises pressure points and ensures proper alignment of the internal organs.

If you are lying on your back and your legs are straight, then there is insufficient support for the lower back allowing it to arch too high. This can aggravate backache especially in people with increased lower back curvature and stiff hips.

If you sleep on your back with one leg bent, then you probably experience the same hip, lower back and/or knee pain as do the stomach sleepers who sleep in this way. Add a medium firm pillow under your knees and lower legs for a relaxed back. This support stretches the back and reduces the curvature.

Sleeping on the side

Side sleeping gets the votes for best sleeping position, if done correctly. Errors in side sleeping occur when one leg overlaps the other. The top leg is folded more than the lower one with the body getting twisted on the waist — the top hip trying to race with the lower hip! As the middle back gets suspended between the hips and shoulders, the broadest parts of the trunk, it can lead to tightness and pain in the low back and knees.

Then, side sleeping with hands under or over the head and scrunching the pillow so that the head is elevated can lead to neck and shoulder pain, stiffness, headaches, tingly or numbness in the arms or hands.

Side sleeping is the best because it allows the body to maintain a proper and corrective posture for several hours. What should be done is to place a pillow between the knees to create proper distance between them, thus keeping the hips in proper balance.

The legs must be parallel, so the hips remain square and there is no strain on the low back. A pillow should be placed under the head and pulled to the shoulder for optimal neck support. The hands should be parallel and below the eyes.

Placing a pillow between your knees and legs to keep hips, pelvis and spine aligned, helps a lot as this takes off the pressure from the lower hip and also keeps the pelvis vertical. This maintains the curve of the spine and alleviates any pressure or stretching.

Keep alternating the side to prevent muscular imbalance between the two sides of the body — left and the right. Who knew there was so much to sleeping posture? If these corrections are given a try, after a while the daily neck strain, shoulder pain, headaches, hip and low back pain and arm tingling may just start to correct itself.

EASE CANCER TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS WITH YOGA

This is a write up by my friend Jillian MacKee to spread awareness on the subject !

Here are some side effects of cancer treatment: Insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, aches and pains. Though, cancer treatments, such as surgery and radiation, are necessary, the side effects are almost as scary as having cancer. Even more unfortunate, many cancer patients do not know that there are ways they can relieve many of these symptoms, if not all of them.

An article from MSNBC showed that studies reported that yoga is great exercises that can also help cancer patients relieve their symptoms.

Yoga, especially hatha yoga -- the meditation yoga, is a spiritual exercise that has many benefits for cancer patients, especially patients with rare or aggressive cancer, such as mesothelioma that is triggered from asbestos exposure. In this article it lists specific reasons why yoga is not only a great idea for cancer patients, it is a must for them.

Essentially, the stretching and holding poses from many hatha yoga asanas promote the growth of anti-cancer cells, called macrophages. Even more, these types of holding poses helps the body's circulatory system, improving the blood flow that carries important minerals and nutrients to the parts of the body that desperately need it after radiation treatment.

However, because of the patient's severe condition, yoga should only be practiced under the care of a professional yoga instructor, especially one who understands its importance as an alternative complimentary cancer treatment.

Some doctors also found from various studies that yoga helps patients maintain a positive sense of well-being, which is very important during recovery. Optimistic people are typically healthier than pessimistic people. This is usually because optimism allows the body to relax, which in turn allows the brain to send positive neurological signals to the body's organs. The meditation sessions -- usually in the beginning of a hatha yoga session -- help patients clear their mind, allowing a more optimistic and courageous attitude towards their condition.

Mesothelioma treatment, and other aggressive treatments, can destroy healthy tissues and cells in the patient's body, forcing the body to work extra hard to repair itself, thus the insomnia and fatigue side effects. However, patients who practice yoga report feeling more energized and getting better quality of sleep at night, enhance quality of life, and increase life expectancy. This is mostly because yoga asanas allow for a full body workout, distributing energy to every part of the body.

As more studies are done, doctors will soon discover just how important yoga, and other types of alternative cancer treatments, is to cancer patients. Clinics across the nation may incorporate yoga therapy as a part of their patient's recovery process.

WEEKLY WATER FASTING - HEALING CHRONIC DISEASES

Fasting is a powerful tool that provides a period of concentrated physiological rest during which the body switches to repairing and strengthening its damaged organs. It allows the body to cleanse cells of accumulated toxins and waste products.

Fasting gives the digestive tract time to completely rest and strengthen its mucosal lining. A healthy intestinal mucosal lining is necessary for preventing the leakage of incompletely digested proteins and toxins into the bloodstream, thereby offering protection against autoimmune conditions.

Fasting for six-days a month can indefinitely postpone onset of type-2 diabetes in obese individuals! Water fasting releases natural chemicals and hormones to keep chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, hypothyroidism, colitis, IBS, fibroids and benign tumours and many more in control.

Obesity
Weekly water fasting is a safe and sure shot solution for resistant obesity. The aim is to create a food shortage (while water is allowed), to awaken the sleeping enzymes and chemicals that increase metabolism and burn fat. When the food supply is cut off, a switching action occurs in the body where the stored fat becomes the target of burning.

But this fat burning does not occur immediately due to the scarcity and disuse of certain enzymes needed to release free fatty acid from the stored fat, known as the hormone-sensitive-lipase (HSL).

In order to maintain adequate HSL levels, the body must know that this enzyme is needed which will happen only when a scarcity of food is produced for the body. When one does weekly water fasting, the HSL levels keep getting triggered and then increase the sleeping metabolism. Then one can actually eat the food of seven days in six days time without putting on weight!

Chronic diseases
There are other attributes to a weekly fast. On the day of fast, our daily secretion of glucocorticoid (natural steroids made by body) is doubled. This serves as a weekly pulse but without its usual adverse effects! This pulse mobilises the stored carbohydrates and also prevents hypoglycemia or lowering of the sugar.

Such pulse can prove effective in a large numbers of autoimmune disorders like thyroid disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and a number of skin problems. These patients are given steroids externally but with all the side effects of long term use. The glucocorticoids or bodily steroids are free of side effects!

Diabetes
Fasting gives a rest to the otherwise overworked pancreas which have to keep secreting insulin to push the sugar in the blood inside the cells, as we keep eating frequently throughout the day. It is found that in an obese person, the saturated fat cells release leptin which leads to spontaneous death of the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas, leading to Diabetes. On the day of a fast, the same fat cells have been found to secrete adiponectin which has growth-promoting and proliferative effect on these beta cells to thus produce more Insulin.

Even in established type-2 diabetes, a graded weekly fast can be observed provided adequate care is taken to avoid drug-induced hypoglycemia. This is possible under a supervised protocol.

Making your fast a pleasant and rewarding experience!
Most people get discouraged by the first experience of headache, acidity and irritability and resolve not to fast any more. Yes there are going to be problems at the first occasion. However, by the next week, some changes would have already occurred in the body so that the trouble is reduced to only 50 per cent, and by the third week to 25 per cent. After the fifth week, there is hardly any problem in fasting for the whole day. To make the experience of fasting a pleasant one, the following regime is suggested:

• Fix up one day in a week according to your religious belief. While the conviction gets you agreed, the belief makes you observe it regularly, religiously. Remember, you have to stick to the chosen day even in face of the greatest temptations. This is to maintain a regular rhythm with bodily functions.

• Resolve. If for example you have selected Monday, the previous night, sleep with a resolve and an awareness that you have to fast the next day. Tell yourself that apart from eating, all other activities are going to take place exactly as any other day.

Graded fasting
• The first Monday: just avoid the morning tea and the breakfast. Take lemon-water instead. Those having a tendency to get 'acid formation' may be helped by taking a solution of Amla juice or simple water instead.

• The second Monday: your body will be in a better position to tolerate the avoidance of breakfast, and you can safely postpone the lunch for at least an hour.

• The third Monday: you can skip both the breakfast and the lunch, and take lemon-water or amla juice-water or cucumber instead. This way, gradually over a period of about four to five weeks, a 24 hours fasting will be a rewarding experience and you will wait for the day to get that 'positive kick' from fasting.

Yogic Vatasara to help!
Vatasara is a forgotten technique which means drinking air. Vatasara suppresses the hunger pangs and balances the acidity too. Yoga describes drinking air through Kaki-Mudra and the Bhujagi mudra, but they are difficult to practice by many. Dr P Malshe has invented a very easy and acceptable method of drinking air, using a punctured (pierced) straw. With one-two small punctures in the top one inch of a straw, you will suck in lot of air along with the half glass of water.

Drinking air on the day of fast fills up the stomach and immediately brings about a kind of satiety for several hours. After drinking water mixed with air, doing inverted postures like Adhomukha svanasana, Shashankasana and Uttanasana for a minute, maneuvers the air to the intestines. Let us take charge of ourselves. In order to be truly transformed, you must first empty yourself — fasting can transform!

Weekly fasting leads to -
• More energy
• Healthier skin
• Better quality sleep
• Dramatic reduction or complete elimination of headaches, aches and pains in muscles and joints
• Stabilisation of blood pressure
• Stronger and more efficient digestion and bowel movements.
• Loss of excess weight

WATCH THAT WEIGHT - Figures can change on scale!

Obesity is a lifestyle disorder that is influenced by genetic factors, hormonal patterns, individual will power, and food addictions. It is now recognised as a disease by the World Health Organisation. Yoga has helped many people shed extra pounds, even some who have spent years trying to slim down in other ways without much success.


Loose out

Vinita Gupta, a 36-year-old home-maker, hearing of the far-reaching benefits of Yoga, thought of giving it a try. Little did she know that she will come out slimmer and healthier, with a sense of control. As a large part of yoga is personal transformation, both on and off the mat — weight loss is just the beginning!

Vinita started with breathing yoga practices to build awareness and kick start her sluggish metabolism. A planned protocol of sustained stretches made her ‘squeeze out’ the toxins and mobilise the fat cells to get burnt up with the alternating aerobic practice of surya namaskaars.

While maintaining the poses like Naukasana, Vrukshasana, Trikonasana, Chaturanga, Parivrutta Parshvakonasana, her own body weight provided the necessary resistance to different muscle groups giving her all the advantages of a balanced weight training programme too.

She was then introduced to deep vinyasa power yoga, where movement and breath link poses together, to build heat and potentially result in greater metabolic boost and calorie burn. ‘Yoga is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me’ is what she says now!

How yoga can change the number on the scale

Yoga works on many fronts and naturally creates balance. The key to achieving weight loss goals is not merely sweating out with asanas, but in developing mindfulness. The focus on breath, meditation and the ability to be in the present moment, translate off the mat as well.

Pepped up metabolism: Yogasanas increases core strength, flexibility, and lean muscle. They don’t just burn fat and calories but by placing healthy demands on the body, they sparks the sluggish metabolism, since more muscle burns more calories. Once the metabolism gets pepped up with the deep isometric asana holding and breathing techniques, the effects are sustained to the maximum. This helps burn fat cells in a more sustained way and not only when you exercise.

Digestive strengthening: If you are not digesting properly, your body will trick you into cravings that can affect your weight loss. Yoga improves digestion and so eliminates constipation, water retention, and bloating.

Hormone balancing: Yoga stimulates and improves blood circulation to the lethargic endocrine glands (such as the thyroid and pancreas) that control our appetite, metabolism, moods and sleep patterns, as well as improved self-image.

Detoxification: The deep breathing in Yoga expels toxins and increases the oxygen intake to the cells, further increasing metabolism. Pranayama also translates into daily life, reducing stress and maintaining focus, just as it does in each asana.

Mindful Eating: Mindfulness during asana and pranayama practices eventually spills into the lifestyle! One learns to feel when you are full, and you don’t like the feeling of overeating. You also recognise anxiety and stress for what they are instead of trying to mask them with food.

Positive Self Image: Weight gain often brings with it a great deal of harsh self-judgment. Through yoga, we can counteract this by creating a safe, positive environment to reconnect with our bodies and quiet the counterproductive messages that often arise in our minds. One learns to accept oneself (and the bodies) just the way they are.

Destressing also increase metabolism: By combating stress, yoga helps normalise cortisol levels. In response to stress, levels of the hormone cortisol rise which stimulates eating and ensures that any additional calories are efficiently converted to fat, which tends to get deposited in the abdomen. Big bellies are linked to insulin resistance-a precursor to diabetes and heart disease.

Why Yoga

Yoga has the potential to be very transformative on many levels, with the physical body being a doorway to the more profound gifts of the practices. Yoga is really a process of learning about your body, being comfortable in your own skin, and knowing it is a process that you can be in for a whole lifetime.