Freedom from stress

December 2015

By Saraswathi Vasudevan

The judicious practice of asanas and pranayama can free the mind and body of stress, says Saraswathi Vasudevan

Yoga has always defined stress as a projection of our mind’s distorted perception of reality.

A confused, fragmented mind invariably guides us to act in ways that perpetuate suffering instead of resolving it. All painful experiences, and negative emotions get stored in the physical body, eventually leading to disease.

How can this cycle be broken?

The first step is to become aware of the problem, its negative effect on the body, breath and mind, as well as one’s environment, lifestyle, relationships and work.

The next step is to take responsibility. Take responsibility for your state of health, quality of life and actions. Avoid blaming outside circumstances for your suffering.

Yoga is a state of mind that is calm, unperturbed and clear. A mind that can perceive with clarity, and in every situation, enables you to choose peace and harmony over conflict or argument. Yoga practices help us develop immunity to stress-inducing situations. Here’s how.

Daily ritual: With consistent effort, some of the long-term effects of stress from the body and mind can be cleared. Every morning practise asanas that pay special attention to parts which absorb tension like the neck, shoulders, upper back and lower back.

Movements that include back arches, forward bends, twists and lateral stretches of the spine in standing position helps clear stiffness and accumulated tension from almost all joints in the body. Using the breath actively in asana helps deeper cleansing, removes heaviness and refreshes the system boosting your energy levels. And surprise! The mind also clears up and you will be ready to face the day with clarity and positivity.

Pranayama helps us connect more deeply with the breath – our intimate friend and ally in healing. About 20 breaths of extended inhalation and exhalation through simple throat breathing (ujjayi) with a mild breath retention after inhalation has a magical effect! Those who don’t have time in the morning will benefit from a 20-minute evening practice before dinner or at least two hours after.

This comprises some active movements similar to the morning practice but with focus on longer exhalation. Lying postures to rest the back with gentle leg stretches help clear stasis in lower extremities. Long exhalation gets rid of negative thoughts and emotions gathered during the day, clears your mind and drifts you into a blissful state of sleep.

Tadasana variation

This can be done standing or seated (except after a full meal), anywhere. Stand with your feet apart, your back against the wall (at least one-ft. distance from the wall). As you inhale, sweep your right arm back to the wall behind on the same side, opening the right side of the upper body, eyes following the hand movement. Touch the wall, pause for two seconds. Then as you exhale sweep the arm back to touch the left shoulder, eyes following the arm movement. Pause for two seconds. Inhale, take the hand back to the wall on the right side, pause for two seconds. Exhale, bring the hand back to neutral position by the side of the body (starting position). Repeat this with the left arm. Five to six repetitions alternating sides will release tightness in the neck, shoulders and upper back while clearing your mind of its clutter.

About the author :  Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specializes in adapting yoga to the individual. (www.yogavahini.com)

Source: Life Positive

Let prana flow

November 2015

By Saraswati Vasudevan

Yoga can restore the flow of blocked prana, says Saraswati Vasudevan

Our body runs on the life-giving force called prana that is constantly regenerated. Every moment it expresses itself through the breath and all the functions and activities of the body and mind. Even a single thought cannot escape your mind without the will of the prana. Every living moment, prana is generated and flows through all the layers and levels of our existence, creating change, growth and evolution. We are being constantly recreated by this energy.

“I will not forgive”, “I feel so guilty”, “I strongly resent…” the stories, complex web of memories, debilitating thoughts and emotional patterns constantly trap the vital prana, making it unavailable for even basic bodily functions. It renders the mind dull and disturbed, compromising faculties like memory, creativity, clarity and focus. This is the source of stress-induced illnesses!

Yoga disengages and releases the prana that is trapped in the body-mind complex. When the blocks are removed, prana is released. Especially in illness, unless we reclaim our trapped prana, it is difficult to find the strength to pursue practices that can help healing.

Finding blockage

In Yoga Sutra (1.31) Patanjali indicates four dominant symptoms: emotional pain, negative thought patterns, strong body sensations (pain, burning sensations, discomfort, stiffness, weakness, and heaviness). Breath, being the primary expression of prana, is invariably disturbed on these occasions.

When we notice such a disturbance, the next step is to locate the deeper cause. Here are some broad areas of energy traps and drains: Illness (of self or loved ones); relationship issues; anxieties about future (health, finances, children, work); painful memories; well-rehearsed thought and emotional patterns: “I am….,” , “I feel….”. Fill up the blanks to discover your own patterns. As you read each statement you frame, you will be able to observe sensations in your body and changes in your breathing. Observe the intensity of the sensation.

How to reclaim the prana?

Start with asana. Often, a strong body sensation indicates a powerful knot that has the prana trapped in it. When we direct our mind and breath into that part through conscious breathing and intelligent movements, the block gets opened, and a tremendous amount of energy is released which can be felt even at the physical level!

Pranayama is an even more direct method of clearing the subtle channels (nadi) and releasing the trapped prana.

Sitali with Bhramari: This is an excellent pranayama practice to extend your inhalation and exhalation and release some of your trapped prana, especially in the throat region – where we unconsciously hold strong emotions. Curl the sides of the tongue to form a tube and hold it slightly extended outside the mouth. Inhale through this tube simultaneously raising the head thereby opening the throat region. After you complete the inhalation, withdraw the tongue, close the mouth and lower the chin to the chest. Now focus on the throat, exhale using a humming sound (bhramari) like the drone of a bee. Both inhalation and especially exhalation have to be progressively extended.

Sitali, according to the classical text Hatha Yoga Pradipika reduces the effect of excessive pitta (the fire element in the body), cools and refreshes the body, removes illnesses of spleen, liver, gall bladder, reduces hunger and thirst, and even the effect of poison. It adds physical strength. And is said to add beauty and attraction to the face of the practitioner.

About the author : Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specialises in adapting yoga to the individual. (www.yogavahini.com).

Source: Life Positive

Go to sleep

October 2015

By Saraswati Vasudevan

Sleep is one of the biggest casualties of our speeded up and hypersensory lifestyles. Saraswati Vasudevan offers tips from yoga

When was the last time you woke up feeling fresh and rested?

If you have trouble going to sleep, yoga practice is an excellent therapy.

In yoga, sleep (nidra) is an important activity of the mind. When all other activities have ceased and the heavy energy of tamas takes over, nidra ensues.

When do you go to bed? Is it at least two hours after your dinner? Are you able to sleep within a few minutes or are you awake for more than 30 minutes? Do you wake up in the middle of the night? How often, and are you able to go back to sleep soon or not? How many hours do you need to sleep or stay in bed? Do you feel fresh when you wake up in the morning, or groggy and irritable? Do you tend to doze off during the day or have the need to take day naps?

There may be many reasons for sleep deprivation – illness, pain, ageing, stress, worries, excessive physical activity… Or what is more common nowadays – a sedentary lifestyle with a hyperactive mind that cannot switch off from the external world, especially social media and the resultant sensory overload!

Many of these known causes can be minimised or eliminated by modifying your food habits, lifestyle, with a little help from yoga.

If you have a physically active lifestyle, you will have to wind down your activities towards the evening. A relaxing evening practice with seated and lying postures with focus on long exhalation during asanas and pranayama will help the body and mind to relax.

If you have the sedentary lifestyle that most of us have, start the day with a rejuvenating morning practice. Dynamic asana sequences with conscious breath regulation, keeping inhalation equal to exhalation with a few seconds of breath retention after inhalation in postures, will help clear out tamasic energy.

An early evening practice which is again active with long inhalation and exhalation in a slow dynamic asana practice with a longer pause after exhalation, will shift the focus from mind to body and release stagnant energy. This can be followed by some seated and lying postures that involve staying with long inhalation, exhalation and retention after exhalation. This is best done before dinner.

Please avoid watching TV, using the computer, or checking your social networks late at night. Avoid arguments and discussions on sensitive issues at night.

Viparita Karani (half-shoulder stand) is an excellent posture for promoting relaxation and sleep. Here is a modification of the posture which anybody can do.

Place a few floor cushions against the wall and sit on the cushions one side of the body touching the wall. Turn around, lie down facing the wall with your hips on the cushions and head and chest down on the mat (use a small cushion for the neck and head if needed), stretch the legs up on the wall. Keep your arms open in the most relaxed position. You can inhale with a soft hissing sound in the throat (ujjayi) and exhale long and deep with a humming sound (bhramari) or chanting OM – keeping exhalation as long as possible. Stay in this posture for 10-20 breaths. You can do this even at bedtime about two hours post dinner.

About the author :  Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specializes in adapting yoga to the individual. (www.yogavahini.com)

Source: Life Positive

Yoga heals the blues

September 2015By Saraswati Vasudevan

Down in the dumps? Try yoga, suggests Saraswati Vasudevan

Yesterday I had a dream, and in my dream I was happy and smiling”. This was the first time in many years that my friend was feeling a streak of happiness! Illness and depression had made it difficult for him to experience joy, but the practice of yoga had lifted the cloud a bit.

One of the first changes that a regular yoga practice brings is a change in our mental environment. “I don’t have so many negative thoughts now”, “I can feel the heaviness coming but can quickly bounce back with some active practice”. Active asana practice with regulated breathing helps you open up the body and mind to experience freedom and lightness. Initially, through the teacher’s guidance, but subsequently through your own efforts, you start investing more of yourself into the practice.

A few guidelines to follow.

Initially keep the practice short, not more than 20 minutes. Keep asana movements dynamic and simple; include variations to sustain interest.

During movements, chanting on exhalation helps engage the mind and enables better breathing. Sounds such as Ha or Ra activate the diaphragm and abdomen and cause them to empty out the heavy energy in the lower abdomen. The vibrations of sound in the throat is uplifting, and activates the udanavayu. Chanting has a way of drowning the chatter in the mind, thereby helping you dwell in the present.

Practise postures where the heart centre (centre of the chest) is free to open and expand.

Holding the breath for 3-8 seconds progressively after inhalation in opening postures like back arches can activate the mind and body. This is called a Brhmana practice.

Within a practice routine, vary from standing to lying, seated to kneeling, actively moving from one position to the next in a harmonious manner.

Contra-indications

Avoid kapal bhati or fast and forceful breathing techniques because they could churn up deep-seated emotions leading to a downward spiral.

Avoid extended stay in a posture, or seated meditation with eyes closed as that gives the mind time to slide back to gloomy thoughts.

Virabhadrasana – the warrior pose

Stand with feet together, arms by the sides of the body. Take a big stride forward turning the back foot out at an angle. On inhalation, raise both arms from the front simultaneously bending the front knee to bring thighs almost parallel to the floor, bring palms together, keep head straight, gazing at the horizon. On exhalation lower arms straightening the front leg, repeat a few times and stay in this posture for a few breaths (to be done on both sides).

You can hold your breath for upto 8 seconds after each inhalation to intensify the effect of the posture.

Virabhadrasana helps to open the chest, counter a stooping back profile, improve inhalation, uplift the mind, and energise the body.

Source: Life Positive

Reboot yourself with yoga

A few simple breathing techniques coupled with yoga, can flush out tiredness and infuse new energy into the body, says Saraswati Vasudevan

Tiredness is of the mind, not the body,” a colleague once told me. That’s quite true – even without physical exertion, we could get tired just by thinking!

Negative thoughts are heavy, compulsive and pervasive, leading to weak memory, poor decision-making skills, and lack of enthusiasm. Our vital energy (prana) gets trapped in our conflicting belief and emotional patterns, and the more the prana gets stuck, the less we have at our disposal. How can yoga help release the stuck energy and overcome this kind of exhaustion? Such negative thoughts/emotional patterns could precipitate illnesses in due course, if not dealt with appropriately.

Try this next time you are feeling really tired (lying or seated position):

As your mind begins to chant, “I am so… tired/exhausted/burnt out”, take notice. Without trying to verbalise the sensations, can you observe what is happening in the body? Spend a couple of minutes on this.

On a subjective scale of 0-10, make a note of how tired you are feeling.

Observe your breath: Is the inhalation short? How deep is the exhalation? Are you holding the breath a lot? Where are you feeling the breath in the body? Allow this tiredness to take over completely. Mentally tell yourself, “It is okay, I fully allow myself to feel this exhaustion”. If you are sitting, place your palms and feet down so that you can completely ground yourself and transfer this heaviness to the earth. If you are lying down, surrender your weight to the earth completely, letting go…

Is the mind still busy? See each thought like a wave in the ocean of the body and allow that wave to sink into and merge with the bottom of the ocean. Exhale deeply and completely, releasing all thoughts and sensations. Hold your breath a few seconds after each exhalation. Observe the stillness – feel the complete, total surrender to the moment. Now focus on the inhalation, breathing into the abdomen (allowing the upper abdomen to expand) and continue to exhale slowly and completely. With each inhalation, you are inviting fresh prana to enter and fill the body. You may also hold your breath for a few seconds after inhalation to consolidate your energy resource.

Go back to your subjective scale and check the level of tiredness now. Has it shifted, even by a few points?

Jathara Parivrtti

This simple lying twist helps release heaviness and fatigue from the neck, upper back and lower extremities. Lie down on the mat with your legs bent, feet close to the hips, slightly apart. Spread your arms open to the shoulder level. Inhale, and as you exhale, begin to draw the lower abdomen in and up, relaxing the chest as you slowly lower the knees down to one side, turning the head to the opposite side. Inhale as you bring the knees and head to the neutral position and exhale as you twist to the opposite side. Stay in the twisted position for a few slow deep breaths, on either side and back to the neutral position. This posture activates the digestive fire (jathara agni), improves circulation and cleanses the abdominal organs by its squeezing action. It relaxes the hips, legs and spine till the neck. It facilitates prana sancharam (movement of prana) and prana shodhanam (purification of prana).

Bio: Saraswathi Vasudevan is a yoga therapist trainer in the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya. She specializes in adapting yoga to the individual.  (www.yogavahini.com).

Source: Life Positive