FACIAL YOGA

Every woman in this world wishes to remain young and beautiful for ever. Even men dont like to see the youthful glow fading away with time. Yoga is a process of not only keeping the body healthy but also of enhancing one's charm.


Outer beauty attracts but what actually complements it is inner beauty. The goal of yoga is not just physical beauty, but inner happiness that shines through the eyes, expressions, and attitude towards others which makes one truly attractive. This inner beauty is something that the years can't take away.

Yoga gives flexibility to the body and the mind too when practiced with joy, proper breathing and an attitude of humility and faith. Basically all asanas have a positive effect as they correct the energy dynamics of the body and mind, giving a natural glow to the eyes and the face of the practitioner.

Some simple practices of Yoga which have a specific effect to tone up the facial muscles and improve the blood supply are –

Adhomukha Shvanasana (Downward facing dog) or Parvatasana – the body adopts an inverted V position, with the head lower than the heart. Gravity is pulling the facial muscles down creating puffy and saggy eyes and a dropping angle of the mouth. In this posture, these effects of gravity get nullified with relaxed blood supply to the face and head.

Simha Mudrasana - Inhale deeply & exhale forcefully with a widely open mouth and the tongue coming out. Roll the eyeballs up. Close the mouth & as you breathe in through the nose, close your eyes and relax. This practice could be simply called as a ‘Facelift’.

Khechari Mudra – Keep the head in line with the spine by sliding it behind. Press your tongue gently into the roof of your mouth. Now bring your chin down toward your neck while still holding the tongue against the roof of your mouth. This tones the chin and neck.

Kapaalbhati – As the name implies – A practice that brings a glow to the forehead / face. Kapaalbhati is a cleansing practice where with active abdominal exhalations, one throws out the toxins from the lungs, blood and tissues of the body. It is a natural facial with skin clearing effects. Acne and pimles cannot stay long on the face of a Kapaalbhaati practitioner!

Abdominal breathing – All pranayamic practices follow the dictum of complete and longer exhalations over inhalations – Be it anuloma viloma pranayam or ujjayi breathing. When done with ease and gentle depth without they give energy glow to the face. Mind you, overdoing to produce strain does not help.

Chanting – Bhramari and OM – Chanting produces soothing and massaging vibrations that penetrate the cells of the face and head. The deep healthy benefits cannot be achieved with the best of cosmetics and skin treatments.

Last but not the least – SMILE FREQUENTLY – That is the best Yoga of our mind with the body!

MENTAL HOUSEKEEPING (from my book - Power Pranayama)

We all long for freedom from disease and other sufferings. We do not realize that mental disturbances such as worry, anxiety and egoism are the real cause of misery and disease. One has not only to exercise and eat right, but also to get rid of the mental bacteria of anger, fear, consciousness of failure, lack of initiative and purpose, scepticism, a doubting mentality, and a solely materialistic outlook in life! This understanding and self cleansing is Mental Housekeeping!


Mental hygiene—keeping the mind pure—is very important. Our mind runs at high speed, day and night! We are plagued with sad and tormenting thoughts. When there is too much annoyance bottled up, it turns into poison. Then, we are conditioned to consider some emotions as bad and we unknowingly programme ourselves not to be aware of them. We cover them up with countless thoughts to insulate ourselves from feeling and confronting what needs attention.

Some deep wounds may be very old but still raw. Their emotional component has not yet been resolved leading to a vicious cycle of misery and disease. To resolve them, their identification is necessary. It has been said that fear fades as the facts are faced.

We usually associate our stress and its effects with the people with whom we have interacted, and with the way they have made us feel. Some make us feel good and positive, while others, whom we remember more easily, are the ones who trigger the entire event—that vicious cycle in our system—throwing us off balance. Introspection leads to a path of self-discovery, humility and happiness. A thorough mental housekeeping begins by introspecting our relationships.

Sit undisturbed and at ease, and think back on all the people you have interacted with to date. Divide them into three categories:

1. People to whom we need to be thankful.

2. People to whom we need to apologize.

3. People whom we need to forgive.

Doing this exercise itself releases half the emotional burdens from the mind. Somehow, it also shows the way to handling the person or the situation. Physical and mental health improve significantly, and people start feeling ‘weller than well’.

How does it help?

Gratitude - We also take many acquaintances for granted, especially our near and dear family members. As life goes on, we meet more people and we forget about them. Many of them have contributed to our present success and happiness. This acknowledgement will help develop humility in us, and an attitude of gratitude towards them and life. This positive emotion helps in the healing process. It is not necessary to call them physically to say ‘Thank you’—a mental attitude of thankfulness would suffice. At times, the incidents might be so old that offering thanks at the present moment would be a socially inappropriate act. Just acknowledging in the mind would be enough.

Forgiveness - Forgiving does not mean accepting someone’s wrong act. That would be unfair! Forgiveness means deciding to let go the hurt and the pain, and regaining control of our life and emotions. It eases the burden of revenge and hatred, and allows us to move ahead in life. Consider these words—‘As long as you do not forgive, who or whatever it is, it occupies rent-free space in your mind.’

Forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciling. By forgiving, we move on. We consciously step out of the trap and the episode that caused us pain. The burden of the past gets released as we decide not to let hatred or anger take over. By forgiving we release the burden of unresolved emotions from our nervous system. This washes us with a flow of positive energy that has been found beneficial for our health—by reducing blood pressure, relieving stress-associated pain, depression, etc.

How to apply mental housekeeping in day to day life -

• Prioritize. But be mindful that nothing is static.

• Be flexible in attitude - Chose acceptance over resistance

• Trust & Delegate and ask for help if required

• Give up the hesitation of knowing your colleagues & neighbours.

• Don't be a slave to your e-mail or to phone calls

• Know your weakness and strengths

• Be forgiving, especially of yourself.

• Set boundaries and learn to say NO.

• Love without losing yourself

• Practice appreciation & gratitude

• Allow decisions from head to pass through the heart

• Anything that leads to peace of mind takes us in the right direction

• Create your own personal space.

and I thought I was breathing well, until....

WISHING YOU NEW HAPPINESS THIS YEAR

As another new year begins, is there truly going to be some newness? Let's do something today, that can bring a more fresh and joyful energy to our life.

In our consciousness we have a store cupboard where we accumulate everything that we have lived through - files of childhood, experiences, relationships...when we were hurt, broken or wounded. We seem to still carry it with us. The longer we carry, the more it hurts. Why do we find it so hard to let go?

Some of our old belief systems stop us from forgiving -

- they are responsible for my pain

- my hurt is justified

- they do not deserve to be forgiven


The truth is also always simple, “It’s not them, IT'S ME”. Always.


Regardless of the nature of the event or the sharpness of the words intended to insult, our response is always our own creation. And if we feel upset, rejected or sad in any way it is always our own creation. Replaying the moment again and again, we are recreating the emotions of the past, making them our present and thereby determining our future.

PAST IS PASSED. So as we begin a New Year, let's begin with a New way of Thinking. LET GO. Enough of hurting ourselves. It's not as difficult as we think it is. Don't think about it. Just do it. IT'S ONLY A THOUGHT AWAY.

When we forgive someone, we are actually forgiving OURSELVES. We release all the negative thoughts, emotions and energies that we are so desperately holding onto in our anger.


WISHING EVERYONE NEW HAPPINESS THIS YEAR!

Create your energy account

Our body needs energy on a grand scale - One can live for two months without food, two weeks without water, but only a few minutes without the life energy we get from our breaths. Our breaths – yes, we take our breath for granted, with quick and shallow breathing as the trademark of our stress. Our bodies then get starved of the life energy and also over-burdened with toxins. There is a good news - by participating actively in our breathing, we can strongly influence our health and quality of life.


Know your breaths first

Close your eyes and simply observe your own breathing ........ Acknowledge your shallow breathing, hardly reaching the middle of the chest............ Now start breathing deeply...........you will realise how much more we can breathe............

Place one palm on the belly and as you continue deep breathing, observe your abdomen or the belly.......On a deep inhalation, is it relaxing or getting pulled inside? At the peak of the deep inhale, if the stomach is getting caved in, instead of relaxing, you are doing reverse breathing. It needs to be corrected first as it is an indicator of stress borne problems coming up!

To correct the reverse breathing -

• Place both hands on the belly region.

• Begin with an exhalation. As you breathe out … press the belly in … and release it with inhalation. The belly should spontaneously get pulled in on exhaling and not while inhaling which will happen eventually as the reverse breathing gets corrected.

• Exhale, press the belly softly with your palms and inhale to relax the abdomen without pushing it to a bulge.

Practising this several times will correct the pattern, and the body, which was fashioned to breathe paradoxically, will fully co-operate. Remember, the primary focus should be on the exhalation and the inhalation will follow correctly.


Deep energising breathing -

Place the right hand on the belly and the left hand on the chest.

1. Begin by exhaling completely through the nose. When the exhalation is complete, the belly, and the right hand placed over it, will move in. At the end of the exhalation the stomach should contract.

2. Begin the inhalation by relaxing the belly and allowing air to fill up the lower part of the lungs, which you can feel with your right hand. Continue to inhale and the upper chest will also fill up slowly.

3. While exhaling, release the air from the upper chest, then the lower chest and finally, the abdomen, one smoothly flowing into the other. Inhale, continuing to expand the abdomen, the lower chest, the middle chest and the upper chest. Continue breathing slowly and deeply for a few minutes, ending with an exhalation.

4. Focus the mind on the breath and the release of tension during breathing. Ensure that breaths are slow, continuous, smooth and flowing, without any interruption. There should be no effort or strain.

Daily practice of this breathing program has been shown to calm the nervous system, regulate heart activity, relax muscles and spasms, oxygenate the blood, reduce blood pressure, stimulate digestion and help to clean the body of toxins.

ART OF 'MINDFUL EATING'

At breakfast, the newspaper we read, reports 300 point drop in the share market; lunch consists of dashing into a fast food joint, grabbing a bite to eat or perhaps piles of work compel us to take a quick mini lunch on the desk itself or ‘cuppas’ of tea replace the food; the evening news reports the rising prices of petrol and violence eruption in the city!

  

Can we possibly enjoy, digest and assimilate food when our minds are engaged and disturbed? With our busy lives, we are eating large quantities irregularly and with much too little consciousness. Are we being nourished on the physical, mental and emotional levels? Is it any wonder that so many people routinely use digestive aids!

  

Where does digestion begin – Is it the mouth or the stomach? Most digestion actually begins in the mind ! Let us look at the effect of diet on mind. According to our ancient scientists of life, the sages – food reflects a general predominance of one of three attributes called the gunas: sattwa - balance; rajas - over activity; and tamas - inertia.

 Balanced or Sattwic food

Food that is wholesome, fresh and natural is balanced or sattwic in nature. Such food gives the body lightness, alertness and energy. It gives strength from within as it is said to nourish the consciousness. Examples of sattwic food are fresh and dry fruits, fresh fruit juice, freshly cooked home food which is mild in spices, neither overcooked nor undercooked, salads, sprouts, buttermilk, whole grain items, seeds (sesame, flaxseeds ) and beans.

 Sattwik food brings vitality and health to the body and peace and joy to the mind. It is not only simple but tasty, and is as close to their natural form as possible. When food is natural, we eat less of it; our bodies are nurtured and satisfied, and our minds are in harmony. When food is whole and unprocessed, we chew more thoroughly, releasing digestive juices to aid digestion. This liquefies the food and the work of digestion is half done! Nutrients are extracted and the remainder is efficiently eliminated. Balanced food satisfies our need and not our greed.

  

  Overstimulating or Rajsik food

Rajsik food is over stimulating and causes restlessness, disease and agitation in the body and the mind. It energizes the body but not in the sense of yielding a clear balanced energy. It tends to stimulate and push to increase the speed and indulge more in activity, sensual pleasures and comforts. In excess, it can encourage the passions to rise and the mind to become very restless. Rajsik food is rich and tasty and was actually meant for the Kings (Rajas) and the warriors.

In present times, it is appropriate for the military forces or those in the field of sports with heavy physical activity to utilize it. As most of us are leading an automated life with remote controls and gadgets everywhere,such food does more harm than good. Meat and alcohol first have a stimulating effect and then cause us to become lethargic and dull. Too much coffee can set our heart racing! Spicy, saucy and thickly gravied foods, fried delicacies, aerated drinks and fast foods, tempts one to eat more. They keep us restlessly striving to fulfill uncontrolled desires of the taste buds; ultimately leading to pain, grief and disease.

 Inertia giving or Tamasic food

Tamasic food is any food that takes away energy from the body and mind. Food that is old or cold, overly fermented, moldy, has lost its essence, has been processed and preserved, is overcooked is considered tamasic as it has no spark of life in it. Dead and decaying food cannot give us vitality and life.

  

Many cultures will not permit food to be reheated or cooked again. They understand that food becomes tamasic and looses energy. The pot of soup we had last week and just found in the back of the refrigerator probably has very little vitality left in it. Think about reheated foods lacking energy when you see burgers piled up under hot lights or frozen potatoes being fried to serve our palate!  

Such food may add matter to the body but then creates a feeling of heaviness and lethargy. One oscillates between an irritating restlessness and a tendency to fall asleep. Such tamasic food may lead to a toxic accumulation of unwanted chemicals and substances that the body is unable to use as fuel – lactic acid, uric acid or overabundance of fats and sugars which manifest as general aches and pains and ultimately disease.

  

The art of ‘Mindful Eating’ 

• Choose foods that compel chewing
• Avoid or reduce intake of processed or stored foods
• Avoid overeating
• Consume food cooked within the same day
• Avoid television while eating to enjoy the food
• Avoid cold drinks with food as they suppress the digestion

24 Hours Yoga... Part II... Healthy Standing, Sitting and Driving

Standing Healthy

• Keep the feet hip- width (ear width) apart.
   
• The feet should be parallel to each other. Most of us stand with the forefoot or the front part of the foot turned out. To nullify its harmful effects and also to activate out inner legs, standing with the forefoot or the front part turned in by half to one inch, called as pigeon toed feet, feels good as it offers stability and balance.
   
• Keep the knees soft, neutral and unlocked - they should not be pushing back into hyper extension. Standing with maximum weight on the heels locks the knee joints. So spread your weight evenly over the feet.
   
• Pull in the abdomen in by half an inch, as if zipping a pant, but never by holding the breath.
   
• Lift the breastbone and the rib cage as if a puppeteer is pulling you up on a string. This should create a good distance from your hipbone to your rib cage. As you do this, the shoulder blades will move down. Feel an imaginary thread pulling up your head towards the ceiling..
   
• Slide the head slightly back if it is jutting forward (which it usually does). This will bring the head and neck in line with the spine. The chin will be parallel to the floor.

Sitting tips

• Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair. Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.
   
• Bend your knees at a right angle. Do not sit with your knees crossed. Feet should be resting on the floor with knees and hips bent 90 degrees
   
• Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
   
• Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.
   
• When standing up from the sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair. Stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist.

Driving

• Adjust the seat so that the back is vertical. Allow your back to be supported by the seat back and your head to rest against the headrest with your chin level.
   
• Knees should be bent to reach the pedals and they should be at the same height or higher than your hips.
   
• If the back hurts after driving, move the seat close to the steering wheel to support the curve of your back. The seat should be close enough to allow your knees to bend and your feet to reach the pedals.
   
• Sit on a thin cushion – as this hip lift will relax the tight muscles there and ease the pressure on the back.