Yoga is becoming one of the biggest trends in health and fitness these days. This is due to its various health benefits that help in bringing the body and mind together. Yoga comes in many different styles and forms, but generally, it involves some amount of stretching and meditation.
Once you start practising yoga, it has the ability to change your life for the better.
Yoga Poses for a Healthy Body
1. Uttanasana – Standing forward bend
Benefits of Uttanasana
- Stretches your hips, calves and hamstrings
- Calms your mind and soothes the nerves
- Improves digestion
- Eases tension in the neck, spine, and back
- Strengthens your thighs and knees
- Lower blood pressure
- Eases symptoms of menopause, headaches, asthma, and insomnia
- Reduces stress, depression, anxiety, and fatigue
Read- How Yoga cures Anxiety and Depression?
Method
Step 1– Grab a yoga mat and stand straight. Keep your hands on your hips. Slowly inhale.
Step 2- Exhale. Soften your knees and bend forward. Make sure to counterbalance the weight on your body. For that, move your hips and tailbone slightly backwards and let the rest of your body move forward.
Keeping your knees soft while doing this allows your buttocks to point up as well as makes your hips forward into the upper thighs.
Step 3- Rest your hands on the ground. Place your feet parallel to each other and make your toe point forward. Your chest should float over your feet. Widen the space between your pubis and chest bone.
Feel the stretch from your hip bone. If you are feeling it from the rounding of your lower back, then understand that you are doing something wrong.
Step 4- Feel the stretch in your hamstrings. You can extend your knees a bit more if you are not yet feeling the stretch.
Step 5- Stay in this position for up to 1 minute.
Step 6- Return to your initial position.
2. Trikonasana – Triangle pose.
Benefits of Trikonasana
- Strengthens your back and neck
- Relieves stress and anxiety
- Therapeutic for flat foot, sciatica, osteoporosis and menopause symptoms
- Stretches your hips, calves, spine, hamstrings, and groin
Method
Step 1- Stand straight and separate your feet wide apart.
Step 2- Turn the right foot out 90 degrees and your left foot in by 15 degrees.
Step 3- Align your right heel to the arch of your left foot.
Step 4- Make sure that your body weight is equally balanced on both the feet.
Step 5 – Take a deep breath and bend your body to the right side, downward from the hips. Raise your left hand up while touching your right hand to the ground. Make sure to keep your hands in a straight line.
Step 6 – Without moving your waist, keep your right on your ankle. Stretch your left arm up in line with your shoulders. Take deep breaths and with each exhalation relax your body.
Step 7- Bring your hands to your sides and straighten your feet. Come back to your initial position.
Step 8- Repeat the same on the opposite side.
3. Balasana- Child’s pose
Benefits of Balasana
- Alleviate stress and anxiety
- Stretches your hip, thighs, and ankles
- Normalizes blood circulation
- Relieves neck pain and lower back pain
- Encourages steady breathing
Method
Step 1- Kneel down and sit back on your heels.
Step 2- Move your hands forward. Make sure that they are not directly underneath your shoulders.
Step 3- Bring both your elbows and forehead down and feel the stretch throughout your hips back and forth. Try to reach forward as much as you comfortably can.
Step 4- Take a deep breath and relax.
Step 5- Come back to your initial position.
4. Ustrasana- Camel pose
Benefits of camel pose
- Reduces fat from thighs and abdomen
- Corrects posture
- Improves flexibility of the spine
- Eliminates toxins from your body
- Helps overcome menstrual discomfort
- Stimulates your nervous system
- Helps in the mobilization of the digestive system
- Strengthens back and shoulder muscles
- Prevents lung diseases
- Manages thyroid and diabetes
Method
Step 1- Kneel down with your thighs perpendicular to the ground. Make sure to keep the knees and feet hip-distance apart.
Step 2- Inhale and draw in your tail-bone towards pubis (as if it is being pulled from the navel).
Step 3- Arch your back and then slide your palms over your feet until your palms are straight. Do not strain or move your neck.
Step 4- Remain in the same posture for a minute and then slowly come back to your initial position.
Suggested Yoga for Common Health Problems
There are many yoga asanas for different diseases. If medicines have failed all your faith, there is yoga with an impressive plethora of mental and physical benefits.
This is suitable for people of all age groups and can also be used as a form of complementary therapy in the treatment of various diseases. Guess what? There are even anti-aging facial yoga exercises! Unbelievable, right? A list of yoga poses for common health problems are given below.
Arthritis
- Balasana- Child Pose
- Adho Mukha Shavasana – Downward facing dog pose
Lower back pain
- Supta Matsyendrasana – Supine Spinal Twist
- Vrikshasana – Tree pose
Diabetes
- Ardha Matsyendrasana – Half Spinal Twist
- Chakrasana – Wheel pose
Indigestion
- Apanasana – Knee to chest pose
- Paschimottasana – Seated forward bend pose
Migraine
- Padmasan – Lotus pose
- Sirsasan – Headstand
You can practice these yoga for common health problems to achieve a healthy and happy life.
Things to Note Before and After You Do Yoga
Before Yoga
Make sure to do yoga poses on an empty stomach. Do not eat heavy food in less than three hours before you practice yoga. Also, do not drink too much water right before you do yoga.
This is because filling both your stomach and bladder before you practice any kind of physical exercise can make you feel uncomfortable and nauseous. Wear loose and comfortable clothes.
After Yoga
Once you finish doing yoga for the day, rest for 10 to 15 minutes in Shavasana. Just close your eyes and eliminate all the tension from your body and mind.
This can make you feel relaxed. Take a shower to cool down your body. Re-hydrate yourself by drinking plenty of water or juice. Eat nutritious food after a gap of 30 minutes.
Just like adults, there are yoga postures for kids as well. You should not perform yoga in a state of exhaustion, illness, hurry, or an injury. Talk to your doctor before practising yoga because a doctor knows what is best for you.
If you are too busy to go to a hospital, consult a doctor online, according to your convenience. Let your doctor know if you have problems such as diabetes, dizziness, heart problems, etc.
