Yoga Archives

September 29, 2022 By Dr. Viral Thakkar 3 Comments

7 Yoga Asanas For Good Heart Health

Stress, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can have serious long-term health consequences. High blood pressure and high cholesterol are just two among many of the consequences of not treating your body well. Just know that even during the current times, you can make a positive U-turn and get active! Try yoga for good heart health!

How Does Yoga Help Heart Health?

Yoga, as a practice, emphasizes on breath, focus and meditation. Apart from building awareness of your mind and body, yoga also helps heart health by boosting blood circulation, keeping blood pressure in check and relieving stress.

Let’s take a look at 7 Asanas you must practice for good heart health.

1. Virabhadrasana or The Warrior Pose boosts energy in the body and mitigates stress. It is ideal for heart patients as it keeps blood pressure in check.

2. Sukhasana greatly improves the breathing pattern, which in turn enhances blood circulation.
3. Uttanasana helps relax the muscles and eases the mind. It lowers high blood pressure and ensures that your heart remains healthy!

4. Setu Bandhasana or The Bridge Pose is an excellent yoga asana for heart patients as it improves blood circulation, lowers blood pressure level, and stretches chest muscles. It can lessen depression, stress, and anxiety too.
5. Trikonasana or Triangular Pose relaxes the mind and calms down anxiety levels. This pose also opens and strengthens the chest area, and improves the digestive system.
6. Shavasana is another ideal asana for heart patients. This asana helps in repairing cells and tissues. It reduces blood pressure and assists in developing a better balance of the air element in the body.
7. Bhujangasana or The Cobra Pose is good for heart patients as it expands the chest area and relaxes muscles. As a result, blood circulation gets better and the heart feels reinvigorated.

In my practice, these Asanas are beneficial! But, before you begin practice, consult your doctor or physician especially if you have had any major/minor surgeries or other health issues. If you’re a beginner, check out some of these Myths and Facts about Yoga. For live sessions on yoga, practice with experts on GOQii Pro within the GOQii App, who will guide you on the correct form and posture in real time.

We hope this article has helped you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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September 27, 2022 By Falguni Bhojak 1 Comment

5 Yoga Asanas To Relieve Bloating and Gas

Most of us feel bloated after a heavy meal or when we have some digestive problems or when we are stressed out. There is a feeling of fullness and tightness in the abdomen which may cause abdominal pain. Practising yoga improves digestion by increasing blood flow to your digestive tract and twisting poses compress and massage your internal organs, which help relieve bloating and gas.

Poses To Aid Digestion and Relieve Bloating

Try the yoga asanas below to help improve digestion and relieve bloating:

1. Apanasana
This asana is also known as the ‘wind relieving pose’. It not only helps to release the build-up of gas and improve digestion but also helps in detoxifying the entire system.

Lie down on your back and place your hands on the knees
As you exhale, hug your knees to your chest
Rock your knees from side to side to maximize stretch
Do this for five to ten breaths and release your knees
When you inhale, loosen your grip to allow your legs to move away from your stomach

2. Supta Matsyendrasana
Also known as the Spinal Twist, this pose is great for digestion as it helps your blood flow through your body, especially your gut.

Lying on your back, bring your arms out to the sides with the palms facing down in a T position. Bend the right knee and place the right foot on the left knee
Exhale and drop the right knee over to the left side of your body, twisting the spine and lower back
Gently push your right knee using your left hand to touch the ground
Make sure your right arm is extended out to the side at shoulder height
Breathe and hold for 6-10 breaths
To release, inhale and roll the hips back to the floor, and exhale the leg back down to the floor. Repeat the same process on the other side.

3. Malasana
Also known as the Garland Pose, it is good for digestion as it helps you release all the gas out of your system that is blocking your intestines from functioning normally.

Begin in the Mountain Pose (Tadasana), with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart
Bend your knees deeply, sinking down until your hips are lower than your knees, a few inches off the floor
Bring your palms together at heart center and wedge your elbows one at a time, to the inside of your knees
Push your elbows into your knees to open your hips and gently press the inside of your knees into your elbows
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to a minute
To get out of the pose, either sit back onto your buttocks or push back up to standing

4. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Also known as the Bridge Pose, it will open up your gut, allowing blood to flow smoothly and subsequently, will help relieve bloating and pain.

Lying on your back, place your feet flat on the floor
Fold your knees and keep your feet hip distance apart on the floor, 10-12 inches from your pelvis, with knees and ankles in a straight line
Keep your arms beside your body, palms facing down
On inhalation, press the back of your shoulders and your feet into the floor and lift your hips up
Lengthen your tailbone, slide your shoulder blades down your back and keep your neck neutral
Keep your bottom firm up in this pose; Keep your thighs and feet parallel
Hold the pose at the top for 30 seconds each time before releasing
To come out of the pose, release the arms and roll your spine down while breathing out

5. Chakravakasana
This pose, also known as the Cat-Cow Stretch, helps relieve bloating by stretching and contracting the abdomen with each motion.

Keep your hands and knees in the table pose, and your spine neutral
First begin with the Cow Pose by inhaling as you drop your belly towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest, and look up towards the ceiling
As you exhale, come into the Cat Pose while rounding your spine outward, tucking in your tailbone, and drawing your pubic bone forward
Release your head toward the floor, but don’t force your chin to your chest
Inhale as you come back into the Cow Pose and exhale as you return to the Cat Pose
Hold each pose for a breath before moving into the other one. Do this for 15-20 breaths

We hope these yoga asanas help you relieve bloating, gas and any other associated pains. Before you begin any yoga practice, do consult your doctor, physician or personal trainer. Kindly ensure that you perform these asanas under proper guidance if you’re a beginner.

For more on yoga, check out Healthy Reads or join live, interactive sessions with our experts on GOQii Pro. Book a class from the GOQii App now: www.goqii.com/app

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September 16, 2022 By Pradnya Shinde 4 Comments

5 Powerful Ways Of Meditation

We know that meditation is very very good for health, especially mental health. But sometimes, we get confused about what exactly to do. So here’s a guide to help you begin. Try these powerful ways of meditation to improve your health and wellbeing!

Powerful Ways Of Meditation

1. Concentrative Meditation
As the word suggests, you are supposed to concentrate on one point so you won’t think about other things. When thoughts are scattered, it creates no impact, but sharp attention is a powerful tool. One way to do it is to focus on your own breathing cycle. See how you inhale through the nose, how you feel inside the body and how you exhale. Another way is to focus on sounds like any word or phrase or the sound of a bell. You can also focus on a candle’s flame. Sit in front of the candle, look at the flame and close your eyes. Behold the picture of the flame in front of your mind. When the picture fades, open your eyes and repeat the process.

2. Contemplative Meditation
Instead of trying to stop thinking, contemplative meditation includes focusing on a single thought. Instead of too many different thoughts, it’s thinking about one subject and one thought with complete awareness of the thought. For this, you can contemplate any sentence from a religious scripture or contemplate objects like a flower or a tree. Think about the shape of a particular flower.

Another way is asking a question to yourself, believing in your inner instinct and waiting for an answer to come up. The questions can be:

What am I looking for?
What is it I am resisting?
Knowing I will die, how should I live?
What is my greatest mission?
What do I love?
What do I have fear of?
Who am I?

3. Witness Meditation
Watch your thoughts as if it’s a movie. Let the thoughts come, simply observe them, but do not react or try to reject. Be neutral. This is called being the witness of your thoughts. What does it do? It reduces your attachment from your thoughts. You no longer feel pain with those repetitive thoughts. This is a great technique to let go of resentment from the past.

4. Chanting Mantra
Chanting mantras repeatedly is one way of meditation. Mantra is a sanskrit word. Man means mind and Tra means release. Mantra is supposed to be a set of words which releases your mind from all it’s anxieties. It has been said that chanting mantras provides spiritual growth. But make sure you are paying attention, because that is all what we want. You can chant OM or Gayatri Mantra.

5. Movement Meditation
If you think you can’t sit at one place and focus, practice meditation through body movements. Self defense practices like Tai chi and Qigong are used as a form of meditation for a very long time. Yoga is one excellent example of movement meditation. Yoga involves being fully aware of your breathing and understanding the basic nature of self. But not only this, we can also practice meditation through simply walking or dancing. Just be attentive, pay close attention to your steps, body movements and surroundings.

Next time, when you sit to meditate, you can try something new. Keep it mind, sometimes we might get a little restless but be patient. Don’t get frustrated. Slowly get back to your point of concentration.

We hope these 5 powerful ways of meditation help you! Do leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. For more on meditation and yoga, check out Healthy Reads or join live, interactive sessions held by our yoga and meditation experts on GOQii Pro within the GOQii App.

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July 22, 2022 By Bhumi Mehta Leave a Comment

Yoga Therapy To Fight Viral Infections

Monsoons and the subsequent change in weather often result in low immunity and viral infections such as a sore throat, cold, fever, etc. which drain us. Yoga therapy has a holistic approach, works on 5 different levels i.e. Physical Body, Energy Body, Mental, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual level, which can help you overcome these ailments. Let’s look at how these levels help fight viral infections.

How Does Yoga Therapy Help?

1. Physical Body

Here are some Yoga Asanas you can practice to remove the physical symptoms of the infection.

A. UttanasanaHelps in clearing out the sinus passages, thereby clearing out blockages and allowing for more complete breathing. It invigorates the nervous system and relieves stress and tension.

B. SetubandhaasanaOpens up the chest. It also sends fresh blood to the head, which helps open up the sinuses further. This asana also activates the thymus glands, one of the main organs of the immune system.

C. Viparit Karni The Legs Up the Wall Pose is a great pose to practice to counter respiratory ailments. When you practice this asana, you might find relief from headaches or backaches that accompany a cold. Practicing this asana calms the mind and makes you strong as your body deals with the cold and helps in reducing fatigue, which usually follows common cold. This asana helps the immune cells to move through your body.

D. Adho Mukha SvanasanaIn this asana, your heart is placed higher than the head. There is a reverse pull of gravity that happens when you do that, and this aids in the proper circulation of the lymph and the blood. The mild inversion allows a free flow of white blood cells throughout the body and also helps to drain out the sinuses.

E. Ustrasana This asana opens up the chest and clears out all the passages. It is essential to try and breathe as much as you can while you are in this pose. This will help open up all the blocked areas that are causing the cold.

F. Matsyasana When you assume this asana, your chest is raised and your throat is opened up. This improves your breathing and might help alleviate a cold. During colds, one can support the upper thoracic back with a cushion, bolster, or yoga blocks, aiding optimal recovery.

2. Energy Body

Pranayama is practiced to eliminate mucus and any agitations in breathing. Practices for this are as follows:

Kapalbhati Pranayama: Helps unclog the respiratory tract. Improves blood circulation and uplifts the mind. 2-3 rounds twice a day gives you renewed energy to combat common cold.
Bhastrika Pranayama: Involves forceful exhalation that aids in clearing the nasal passage.
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama: Helps open up a blocked nose. It also facilitates better flow of oxygen to the lungs and keeps your mind calm and peaceful.
Ujjayi Pranayama: Helps increase lung capacity, as well as releases toxins with each exhalation.

3. Mental Level

Simple Dhyana Meditation is practiced to keep one relaxed in the physically stressful time. Just sitting in a quiet place with closed eyes for a few minutes and meditating can help boost the immune system and help fight any kind of infection.

4. Intellectual Level

Observing part of the self while practicing Yoga increases the awareness of self. This awareness eliminates agitations of mind, which brings self love and compassion

Shavasana: This is a deep resting pose. Sometimes, when you have a cold, all you need to do is to rest your body. It energizes it and helps it fight better against the cold-causing viruses. It shifts the focus on oneself, and increases awareness, which helps relax the mind and body.

5. Spiritual Level

Mediation, Prayers and Chanting can help you boost your immunity and keep you mentally strong during the time when the body is suffering with an infection.

Practicing the yoga therapy based module for viral infections not only strengthens the immune system of the body, but it also improves mental health, which is very important to heal and recover. Staying strong mentally helps our body fight any infection better. Yoga Therapy works on our overall health. It gives one a strong body, a strong mind and a strong spirit to overcome most things.

For more on yoga and healthy living, check out Healthy Reads. To practice yoga under the guidance of an expert, subscribe to a live, interactive session on GOQii Pro within the GOQii App.

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