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January 7, 2016 By Rimjhim Chaturvedi Leave a Comment

Chandranamaskar – Moon Salutation

Chandra-Namaskar-e1437139210173

All of us have heard of Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutions) but not many know about Chandranamaskar or moon salutations. Though not as popular as Suryanamaskar, it does offer powerful benefits of its own. A sequence of 17 yoga asanas, the moon salutation is a good warm up before your yoga practice or a cool down for your evening restorative yoga session.

Difference between Suryanamaskar and Chandranamaskar :-

Moon salutation is to honor the femininity in nature. One of the key differences is that moon salutation is always done in a slow and relaxed manner. Chandranamaskar is done only 4-5 times at once unlike the Suryanamaskar which is a set of 12 rounds . In Chandranamaskar, one starts at the left and moves on to the right whereas in Suryanamaskar we start on the right side. This is because the left side represents ‘ida naadi’ ( Ida is the left channel. Ida is white, feminine, cold, represents the moon and is associated with the river Ganga (Ganges).

Originating in Muladhara or the root chakra, Ida ends up in the left nostril) which represents the moon and the right side represents the ‘pingala naadi’ which represents the sun. ( Pingala is the right channel. Pingala is red, masculine, hot, represents the sun and is associated with the river Yamuna. Originating in Muladhara, Pingala ends up in the right nostril).

Although it can be practiced at almost any time of the day, the best time would be in the evenings, around sunset or when the moon is up. The moon phases affect everything on the earth that contains two elements – salt and water.

Benefits of moon salutation: Practicing the moon salutation on days of the full moon can help balance fiery energies and calm you down if you are feeling stressed or hyper excited. It also helps channel your creative energies. The physical benefits include stretching and strengthening of the muscles of the thighs, calves, pelvis and ankles. The focus mainly remains on the lower body.

There are several variations of the moon salutation, each different from the other. What I am sharing below is a traditional form of Chandranamaskar.

Steps in Chandranamaskar or Moon Salutations:

Chandra Namaskar Sequence

1. Tadasana: Mountain pose– Stand with your feet together, body aligned with breath. Bring the palms into namaskar position, stretch the hands above the head and lengthen the spine. Stay in this position and take a few breaths before you move to the next.

2. Chandrasana: Side stretch pose- Inhale deeply and as you exhale bend to the left side. You can feel a gentle stretch on your right. Be careful to not tilt forward or back.

3. Utkata konasana: Victory squat- Return to the centre, step the feet apart and turned slightly out. Inhale and as you exhale bend your knees, bringing the thighs parallel to the ground. Keep the forearm at 90 degrees to the arms and palms facing you. It helps strengthen the back and thighs.

4. Utthita tadasana: Five pointed star- Simply raise yourself from the squatting position and straighten the elbows. Hands parallel to the ground. Relax the shoulders and chest.

5. Trikonasana: Triangle pose– Step the left foot out and slide down to the left side. Extend the right hand up. This helps improve flexibility of the spine and corrects misalignment of shoulders.

6. Parsvottanasana: Hand to knee pose- Bring the head to touch the left knee. Relax both the hands down on the left foot. This asana helps to improve posture and sense of balance. It also improves digestion and lengthens the muscles on the back of the leg.

7. Left side lunge: Bend both the knees and move into lunge on the left side. Keep looking to your left.

8. Forward facing lunge: Straighten the knee and do a forward facing lunge. Bring both the hands in front on the floor.

9. Malasana: Squat with the feet firmly on the floor and the palms joined in front of you. Maintaining your balance with the feet down and the spine extended may be a bit of challenge. ‘Mal’ in Sanskrit means impurity. Regular practice of this asana helps to improve bowel movements, hence the name.

10. Forward facing lunge: Repeat step 8 but this time bend the right knee and straighten the left.

11. Right side lunge: Bend both the knees and move into lunge on the right side. Keep looking to your right.

12. Parsvottanasana: Straighten both knees and bring your head to rest on the right knee, both hands near right foot.

13. Trikonasana – same as mentioned above 

14.Utthita Tadasana – same as mentioned earlier 

15. Utkata Konasana – same as mentioned earlier 

16. Tiryaka Tadasana: Hands in namaskar position, extended overhead, bend to your right.

17.Tadasana: Conclude one sequence, returning to where you began.

Calm down with these asanas while surrendering to the beauty of the moon !

 

 

October 15, 2015 By Rimjhim Chaturvedi 1 Comment

How to fast right? This Festive season

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Today marks the third day of Navratri and most men and women fast through these 9 days of the festival. But, does anyone know what it means to fast right? Yes! You read it right! Fasting right! One would question, what could possibly go wrong with not eating?? The answer – A lot! could go wrong.

Many people fast during the navratri for various reasons. Some for religious beliefs others to just weigh a little lighter or just give your system a break or detoxify! Whatever, be your reason for fasting, it is important to do it right !

When done properly fasting has its own benefits for the body. It helps in re-setting the electrolyte balance, detoxification and freedom from bloating and water retention.

Well, a healthy fast should not put your body through stress. It should help you achieve your goal or purpose of fasting and make you feel good emotionally and not leave you irritable or feeling drained or sick. It should give you a feeling of fulfilment and accomplishment and make you feel energetic the next day and reduce cravings.

Starting the fast –

  1. Start your day with a glass of warm water.
  2. Have tender coconut water as this will keep you hydrated and energized through the day.

Through the day –

  1. Do not stay hungry for a long period of time as that would bring about a drop in the metabolic rate, lower blood glucose levels and blood pressure resulting in giddiness and headaches. Staying hungry for a long time sends out a famine signal to the body which then goes into a conservation mode. It conserves all the energy or calories from your next meal and stores it as fat for future use fearing it might have to go without food for a long time! Bang goes your efforts to loose weight and burn fat!  Therefore, it is advisable to have plenty of fruits and cucumber through the day as it will keep you hydrated and provide essential micro nutrients to keep you going. It will also help the body balance it’s pH and stay alkaline. Make sure you include papaya as they are one of the best foods to cleanse the liver, purify blood, reduce inflammation and remove harmful toxins. Also, if you eat papaya through the day, it will help in digesting the meal that you eat later during the day. It will help prevent constipation that might occur after fasting.
  2. Drink tender coconut water or buttermilk. These would provide you with all the essential electrolytes and energy and also help the body attain an alkaline pH.
  3. Snack on unsalted nuts and dry fruits and makhana (foxnut) through the day. Makhanas (foxnut) are a rich source of fibre, calcium and potassium ad are an ideal low calorie snack. CAUTION – they are highly addictive too!
  4. Avoid sugar through the day. Have natural sugar in the form of dates, raisins, figs, apricots and prunes. Use jaggery and honey to sweeten things.
  5. Avoid dairy products like milk and yoghurt. Choose coconut milk or almond milk. A fast is beneficial when we maintain an alkaline pH and dairy or milk is highly acidic in nature. That is the reason why some people experience acidity, bloating and discomfort during or after a fast. So, have buttermilk, coconut water, nimbu pani with honey or coconut milk instead and reap the benefits of fasting.
  6. Avoid tea and have herbal teas instead. You can even sip on warm water with lemon and honey through the day. Lemons are great sources of vitamin C, which helps make glutathione, a substance needed for detoxifying the liver. They also contain a phytochemical called limonene, which enhances phase two detoxification of the liver and get rid of chemicals inside of the body.

Ending / breaking / opening the fast –

  1. Always break your fast by having a glass of water or coconut water as this would hydrate you and activate your digestive enzymes and intestines and prepare your body for the food you are going to eat.
  2. Certain fasts require you to break or open the fast by eating certain foods. In that case, have a glass of water and after 5 minutes have a small quantity of the recommended food item and then have fruits. After that you can eat a proper meal.
  3. Refrain from a fat laden meal at the end of the day and avoid puris, kachori and deep fried sago vadas as they are deep fried and loaded with fat and also a source of empty calories in large amounts which are nutrient deficient. Moreover, eating a fried dish after a day’s fast is difficult to digest and leads to acidity. Opt for healthier options like roasted or boiled sweet potato and Singhada or lotus seeds.

If you are required to eat kootu ka atta ( buckwheat flour) or singhade ka atta ( water chestnut flour) then opt for healthier options like cheelas * instead of deep fried puri, kachori or pakodi. Remember not to feast while you fast!

Besides having powerful antioxidant properties and being a rich source of beta carotene, vitamin C and potassium, sweet potatoes contain a strong chelating agent – compounds that can bind heavy metals like cadmium, copper, mercury, and lead to help detoxify the body.

  1. Use Sendha namak (Rock salt) instead of regular iodized salt or table salt. Sendha namak is low in sodium ad rich in potassium and helps in re-setting the electrolyte balance.
  2. If you are fasting for entire 9 days, one will have to get back to normal diet very gradually. Start by having coconut water. Move over to a non citrus fruit like apple or banana. Then have semi solid foods and finally progress to a proper whole meal !

Please do not fast if you have a medical condition or are unwell and / or are on medication.

So, this navratri wish you happy FASTING! Try fasting the above mentioned way and transform your body. Feel the changes at many levels and do share with me.

Feel free to write in and ask for recipes * cheela recipe, reasoning behind the tips or if you have any queries.

 

October 8, 2015 By Rimjhim Chaturvedi 13 Comments

Yoga to reduce Uric acid levels and manage Gout

yogaa

Uric Acid is a chemical (waste product) produced by final oxidation (breakdown) of purines in the body, carried in the blood and excreted by the kidneys through urine. Formation of uric acid in the body is quite normal as it is a necessary substance in food metabolism. Uric acid is known to acts as an anti-oxidant and helps prevent damage to our blood vessels lining. But, higher levels of uric acid in the blood are harmful.

The level of uric acid in the blood rises mainly because either the kidneys are not working efficiently to excrete the excessive uric acid from the body or the uric acid level is too high for the normal kidneys to excrete the excess or due to both the conditions. Whatever the condition, the result is high level of uric acid in the blood.

High uric acid level may result in attacks of gout but it’s important to note that not everyone who has high uric acid gets gout and not everyone with gout has high uric acid. Uric acid levels can be reduced with the help of correct diet and exercise like walking, swimming and yoga.

Yoga can help in reducing uric acid levels in three ways:

  1. Helps in managing weight – Extra pounds add to the joint pain and you might suffer from a flare-up. Gradual weight loss is recommended because if you drop weight too quickly, purines can attack your joints. Yoga aids gradual weight loss. It also helps to maintain weight and prevent weight gain in people who are at their ideal weight.
  1. Yoga movements are gentle- on the joints, improves flexibility and circulation thus preventing uric acid crystals from depositing in the joints, removing crystals that are already deposited in the joints by mobilising and excreting them.
  1. Making you more aware of your body – This awareness can help you follow the recommended diet to prevent another painful attack.

There are quite a few Yoga Asanas which when practiced regularly can not only help in reducing uric acid but prevent uric acid crystals from depositing in the joints, removing it and help prevent a flare up. These asanas are:

  • Ardha Matsyendrasana (The Spinal Twist Pose)
  • Bhujangasana (The Cobra Pose)
  • Dhanurasana (The Bow Pose)
  • Halasana (The Plow Pose)
  • Hastashirasana (The Hand to Head Pose)
  • Januhastasana (The Hand to Knee Pose)
  • Makarasana (The Crocodile Pose)
  • Pavan mukhtasana (The Wind Relieving Pose)
  • Pranayama (Breathing technique)
  • Tadasana (The Mountain Pose)
  • Trikonasana (The Triangle Pose)
  • Uttana Padasana (The Extended leg Pose)
  • Veerasana (The Hero Pose)
  • Vriskshasana (The Tree Pose)

So, awaken the yogi in you and practice these asanas everyday and lead a pain free life by keeping your uric acid levels well within the normal range. Normal range varies from lab to lab based on the testing method used. Usually, the normal range is 3.5-7.2 mg% but some labs have up to 5.7 mg% as the upper limit.

 

 

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