Healing with yoga: 7 stories of resilience and hope

As I sit down to eat the khichdi I made (a light rice and lentil porridge), filled with delightful veggies, topped with melted ghee and ground pepper, I watch the steam rise from my plate in sheer contentment… It is a cold mid-November day. I glazed down at the plate feeling the warmth of the food in my tummy. Normally when I am absolutely famished, I can completely devour the contents of my plate, hardly taking time to breathe. But today was different. I was feeling the fullness just in the vast array of colors, the comforting smell and the sight of the drooling ghee on the plate. I wished at that moment that everybody would love khichdi the way I do and not just associate it with something you only eat when you are sick and weak. Khichdi is my favourite savoury food...I believe that what makes it tasty is when a special ingredient is added...love. For me, the art of loving food and the awareness of the love that has gone into making it, is the “Yoga of Eating”. Also, the awarenes...

Sudarshan Kriya is a compact powerful breathing technique that has immense benefits by itself. Yet, certain yoga routines can enrich your Sudarshan Kriya experience. These yoga routines increase blood circulation and open up subtle energy channels and centers in the body. That allows for deeper breaths and a more profound Sudarshan Kriya and meditation experience. The following are the yoga routines that you can choose to practice before your short Sudarshan Kriya. Sukshma Yoga for the face Sukshma Yoga for the face takes only 7 minutes. It requires you to use your facial muscles, eyes, and neck joints. Here is how you can do it. Close your eyes. Massage your head at the sides and your forehead using your palms. Pinch your eyebrows 5-6 times using your thumb and the index finger. Roll your eyes 5-6 times clockwise and anti-clockwise. Squeeze your eyes tight and then open them wide for 10-15 times. Pull your ears for 10-15 seconds. That increases awareness. Hold your ears and mo...

Our relationship with music starts long before we’re born. The hearing sense is the first to be fully developed among all the senses. When a baby is still in the womb, it can hear sounds. A newborn exhibits happiness when listening to music. An infant hums (ah-ah-ah, ooh-ooh-ooh) while sleeping to self-soothe. A toddler babbles routinely, often amusing themselves for long periods by producing strange new sounds (muh-muh, bah-bah). Also, research indicates that the best age to start learning music in childhood . Some of the reasons are - The role of music in a child’s development In the initial three years of a baby’s life, the brain grows significantly to reach the size of an adult’s brain. These years are valuable in helping the baby realize its full potential. Listening to music seems to be one excellent way to do so. Music plays a pivotal role in meeting a child's educational needs as it provides a means of self-expression, giving the child an outlet for feelings and emotions...

How to do Standing Backward Bend (Ardha Chakrasana) Stand straight with feet together and arms alongside the body. Balance your weight equally on both feet Breathing in, extend your arms overhead, palms facing each other. Breathing out, gently bend backwards pushing the pelvis forward, keeping the arms in line with the ears, elbows and knees straight, head up, and lifting your chest towards the ceiling. Hold. Breathing in, come back up. Breathing out, bring the arms down and relax. Benefits of the Standing Backward Bend (Ardha Chakrasana) Stretches the front upper torso. Tones the arms and shoulder muscles. Contraindications of the Standing Backward bend (Ardha Chakrasana) Those with serious hip or spinal problems should avoid this asana as well as those with high blood pressure and brain ailments. Peptic or duodenal ulcers and hernia patients should avoid this pose. Pregnant woman should avoid this pose. Yoga practice helps develop the body and mind bringing a...

  The lifestyle we lead today is synonymous with stressful life. We desire accomplishments, but before their time. We put too much on our plates even before finishing the already existing pile. All this and more affect us physically and emotionally.  Do you feel you are carrying a ton on your shoulders even when simply working in an air-conditioned room while being seated comfortably? Do you feel the need to be competitive to make your mark? Do you fear the troubles inside you could break you down at any point in your life? Do you feel the clutch of stress and anxiety to the point of being helpless? What do you do for stress relief?   What Causes Stress? Stress is an emotion felt by almost everyone at some point in their lives; the intensity keeps changing based on circumstances. Teachers, politicians, doctors, engineers, students, homemakers and almost everybody experience stress in their vocations. But that’s not the biggest concern. The biggest conc...

  Are you tired from the festive vacation? But did you go on one to get tired? Vacations are going to come in the future too and you are going to get tired again. What is the solution to this never-ending chicken and egg story? Read on… The dancing shoes have danced their way back into the shoe rack. The resolutions are done with, the bags unpacked from the vacation. You are charged up to take the challenges of the New Year, charting down your fresh targets and occasionally glancing at the new calendar for the next long holidays to come. Memories are still fresh from the holiday gone by. But are you? Often, people complain of neck pains, stiff back and sore legs after a long holiday. They take a vacation for a change, for or a break from monotony, to rejuvenate, to pamper their senses, but end up too tired for anything during the last leg of the vacation. Here, we bring you six  good yoga practices  to revive yourself after the festive holiday season.   Nadi Shodhan ...

  In today’s busy world multitasking is the order of the day. We drive down to work, attending calls and planning our day. We come back home and eat dinner watching TV, supervising our kids’ homework. In this rush to accomplish various tasks somewhere we are losing out on the delicate connection with the present moment. We are simply not aware of what we are doing and how we are feeling in the moment. Mindfulness: Awareness of the ‘Now’ Simply put, mindfulness is just the awareness of whatever is happening ‘right now’. It is the awareness and non judgemental acceptance of ‘What Simply Is”. Not categorizing experiences as pleasant or unpleasant or good or bad, but just observing them. It is important to note that there is nothing so great about being mindful. All it seeks to imply is being with our experience moment to moment. Practicing mindfulness is simple. You might be simply bathing. Just being aware of the moment when the water touches your body, the smell of the soa...

  Kartik, 30, is a software engineer by profession and a photographer by hobby. His average week comprises a 45-50-hour work schedule. Although a fitness enthusiast, his hectic schedule leaves very little time for him to keep his body in shape. Due to the long hours spent in front of the computer, bare-minimum breaks, and stressful deadlines, Kartik is now a victim of backache, fatigue, and constipation. At an age where one is expected to work dedicatedly, we often end up compromising our health. While many people would agree that a good fitness regime helps keep such risks at bay, it may just not be good enough. Choosing and following a good and healthy diet should also be taken into account. Irrespective of how hectic one’s life is, we can minimize the risks by selecting the right food. But is choosing the right food enough? The answer is a resounding no. Along with the right food, we must also learn good eating habits. While there are no set guidelines to follow, here are a few ...

  People with below average height long to grow taller so as to take a better view of the world. Though height doesn’t really matter in the final analysis as it doesn’t take away 0.1 mm from your inherent qualities, doesn’t dictate your personality or your achievements. In fact, some of the biggest powerhouses of the world were short in height. Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian freedom fighter was 5’5”. Voltaire, a French philosopher and writer was 5’3”. Yuri Gagarin a famous Soviet astronaut was 5’2”. Shawn Johnson is short even for a gymnast – just 4’9’’. The quirky Lady Gaga is a mere 5’1”. But what if you wish to grow taller anyway? Is there a way to increase height naturally? Yes! Yoga can make you grow taller by addressing a few key issues. Essentially, yoga stretches your spine, lengthens your back and leg muscles, and improves your posture. It also detoxifies your body, thus spurring the growth of healthy cells. A regular and consistent yoga schedule reduces stress and ...

  Meditation is a blessing for those who are troubled with anxiety, panic, endless thoughts, and restlessness. But what if these emotions do not let you meditate at peace? When you are worn out with feeling fearful and anxious all day, the body and mind crave the experience of some rest and a little peace; but more times than not, you are too restless to stop, relax and meditate! At this very acute stage of anxiety and panic, our bodies need something that can tell them that it’s ok to relax and let go! Yoga nidra – a systematic, multistage set of relaxation techniques, helps to induce a deep, meditative state by shifting concentration on the breath. It is both, a form of meditation as well as a mind and body balancing therapy. Yoga nidra allows us to reach the most profound level of relaxation possible. It actually benefits the practitioner on all the three levels of existence; i.e. physical, mental and spiritual. Relieved Physical Restlessness: By guiding your body to balance sta...

  The name of this yoga posture, Katichakrasana, literally means rotation of the waist. It gives a nice stretch to the waist and helps in making it more flexible and supple. It takes very little time to do the stretch and it benefits your body in many ways. A simple yet very effective yoga posture, Katichakrasana carries the power to heal constipation if practiced regularly and accurately. Pronounce the name of this yoga posture in Sanskrit as   Ka-tee-Cha-KRAAHS-un-uh. Kati  =  Waist;  Chakra  =  Wheel, Circular Rotation;   Asana  =  Posture, Pose How to do Standing Spinal Twist (Katichakrasana) Stand up straight with your feet together. As you breathe in, stretch your hands to the front, palms facing each other, parallel to the ground. Checkpoint: Are your palms at shoulder-width distance from each other? Exhale and gently twist from the waist to the right and look back over the right shoulder.Tip from Sri Sri Yoga exper...

  There is no doubt that practicing  yoga  is a great idea—not only for your physical body but also for your mental health and overall vitality. However, as beginners to this ancient yet currently trendy practice, one tends to make some major mistakes. The key to achieving flexibility, strength, and eventually coming into the “state of yoga” is consistency, practice, and patience. Some common Yoga mistakes beginners make include: Comparing yourself with the person on the next mat Comparing your body to how it was twenty years ago, four years ago, or even during the last class Pushing your body too hard without awareness Inconsistency in your practice Getting impatient with your body, falling into despair, and eventually quitting 1. Comparing yourself with the person on the next mat One of the most effective ways to injure yourself in yoga class is to look at what the person on the next mat is doing and try to match their stretch or reach. We all have different body types ...