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Yoga for the beginners: Some myths and benefits

Triangle-PoseCouple of months ago I had written a blog on meditation.(http://goqii.com/blog/author/parwage/). I now follow this written piece with a blog on Yoga which is also one of the ways to get stress free in your life and relax. I have been practicing Yoga for the last 8 years and have full faith in this form of exercise. Yoga can bring about positive changes in your life if practiced well. I personally feel the ‘Power of Yoga’.

Yoga is a precious gift given to us by our elders and can be practiced to better our lives. Originated in India, almost 26,000 years ago, Yoga is believed to have evolved during the period of the ‘Sat Yuga’, also called the Golden age. The term yoga can be derived from either yujir yoga (to yoke) or yujsamadhau (to concentrate).

While Yoga originated in India today, many people across the world practice yoga. Yoga in a way is helping many to achieve their physical fitness goal. Through this blog post, I would like to talk about the myths that are attached with Yoga and the benefits of Yoga for one and all.

A strong and flexible body, glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health – whatever you may be looking for, yoga has it on offer. Yoga helps you to achieve your overall fitness level. If you do follow Yoga regularly you are not just physically fit but, also mentally and emotionally balanced.

Ten minutes of yoga during the day can be a great way to get rid of stress that accumulates daily – in body and in the mind. This will also help you to achieve your inner peace. Some of yoga asanas are effective techniques to release stress.

Some myths regarding yoga :

  1. There is only one type of yoga:Vinyasa is the most popular type of yoga right now and involves using your breath with movement. Hatha yoga is slower with more static postures. Power yoga is more strengthening and cardiovascular. These are just a sampling of the many available styles today.
  2. Yoga requires time-commitment:If you give 10 min in a day daily to yoga, you can change your life.
  3. Yoga is only for women: This is not true. It has been proven by many schools of yoga that one and all can practice Yoga
  4. You have to be extremely agile: Yes, it’s true that there are some difficult yoga positions but, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be super agile to practice yoga. Most postures can be modified to fit all skill levels or you can choose a position that isn’t so hard on the body.

Benefits of Yoga:

Yoga has both physical and mental benefits to the body and mind.

Health Benefits:

Physical benefits: Yoga improves flexibility and muscle joint mobility (Moving and stretching in new ways will help you become more flexible,).

Tones, strengthens and builds muscles; corrects posture; strengthens the spine (Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg (such as in Tree Pose) or supporting yourself with your arms (such as in Downward Facing Dog). Holding poses over the course of several breaths also builds strength.

Eases back pain; improves muscular-skeletal conditions such as bad knees, tight shoulders and neck, swayback and scoliosis; increases stamina; boosts immune response; stimulates the glands of the endocrine system; creates balance and grace; improves digestion and elimination; increases circulation; improves heart conditions; improves breathing disorders; decreases cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Mental benefits:

Mental Calmness, Stress Reduction, Body Awareness

Asanas are good for developing coordination and helps to improve your concentration levels and memory. Regular practice can enable young people to keep their natural flexibility for many years. There is no age bar for Yoga.Yoga allows each and everyone who is practicing it to retain mobility and relieve problems such as arthritis and poor circulation. During pregnancy, yoga promotes good health in both mother and the unborn child. Yoga asanas lessen the effects of problems such as overweight, backache, and depression.

Here are some Yoga Asanas for the Beginners:

Mountain Pose (Tadasana) :Stand tall with feet together, shoulders relaxed, weight evenly distributed between your soles, arms on the sides.Take a deep breath and raise your hands overhead, palms facing each other with arms straight. Reach up toward the sky with your fingertips.

Downward Facing Dog (Adhomukhasvanasana): Get on all fours with your hands and knees and shoulder-and-hips-width apart. Walk with your hands a few inches forward and spread the fingers wide, pressing the palms into mat. Curl toes under and slowly press hips toward ceiling, bringing your body into an inverted V, pressing shoulders away from ears. Feet should be hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold for 3-4 full breaths.

Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana): Stand with legs 3 to 4 feet apart, turning right foot out 90 degrees and left foot in slightly. Bring your hands to your hips and relax your shoulders, then extend arms out to the sides, palms down. Bend right knee 90 degrees, keeping the knee over the ankle; gaze out over right hand. Stay for 1 minute. Switch sides and repeat.

Tree Pose (Vriksasana): Take mountain pose. Then shift your weight onto your left leg. With your hips facing forward, place the sole of your right foot inside your left thigh and find your balance. When you’re there, take a prayer position with your hands. To kick it up a notch, reach your arms up as you would in a mountain pose. Be sure to repeat with the other side.

Bridge Pose (Setubhanda): Lie on the floor with your knees bent and directly over the heels. Place the arms on your sides, palms down. Exhale, then press feet onto the floor as you lift your hips. Clasp hands under lower back and press arms down, lifting hips until thighs are parallel to the floor, bringing chest toward chin. Hold for 1 minute.
Make it easier: Place a stack of pillows underneath your tailbone.

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana): Take warrior pose on your right side without lunging into your knee. Then touch the inside of your right foot with the outside of your right hand. Reach up to the ceiling with your left hand. Turn your gaze toward and pass your left hand to stretch your back. Don’t forget to repeat it on the other side.

Upward Facing Dog (Urdhvamukhasvanasana): Lie face down on the floor with your thumbs under shoulders, legs extended with the top of your feet on the floor. Tuck your hips downward as you squeeze your glutes. Keeping your shoulders down, push up and lift your chest off the ground. Relax and repeat.

Pigeon Pose (Ekapadarajakapotasana): Start in a push-up position, your palms under your shoulders. Place your left knee on the floor near your shoulders with your left heel by your right hip. Press your hands to the floor and sit back with your chest lifted. You can also lower your chest closer to the floor for a stretch. Try it on the other side.

Child’s Pose (Balasana): Sit up comfortably on your heels. Roll your torso forward, bringing your forehead to rest on the bed in front of you. Lower your chest as close to your knees as you comfortably can, extending your arms in front of you. Hold the pose and breathe.

What are you waiting for, get up, plan your day and bring Yoga into your lifestyle and stay stress-free lifelong.

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Green Banana flour: 9 Reasons to switch to this Super food today

benefits-of-banana-flour

Green banana flour is slowly but steadily joining the superfoods wagon in India due to its numerous health benefits. It is made by drying unripe green bananas and grinding them to a fine powder.

It has a mild nutty taste and is very similar to wheat flour, thus making it an ideal replacement in gluten-free recipes. Since it has a high starch content it allows you to use less flour than required in your everyday recipes. So whenever it is used as an alternative to wheat flour, the quantity of banana flour to be used should be 30% less than the quantity of wheat flour mentioned in the recipe.

One of the primary reasons for the numerous benefits of green banana is the presence of resistant starch in it. Most starches are broken down by enzymes in our small intestine into sugar, which is then absorbed into the blood. However resistant starch is a type of starch that isn’t fully broken down. Instead, it gets fermented in the large intestine and produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).  SCFA are known to provide a host of benefits such as inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria, promoting colon health, increasing nutrient circulation etc.

Resistant starch is only present in raw green banana. The ripe yellow ones have undergone the natural process of hydrolysis wherein their starch has gotten converted into sugar thus making them sweet to taste.

Some of the benefits of Green Banana flour are:

  1. Heart health: It is an excellent source of potassium which helps to control the electrical activity of the heart. It also helps lower cholesterol and aids nerve and muscle activity.
  2. Diabetic friendly: Since the young bananas are picked before they ripen, their sugar content never fully develops. Hence they are lower in natural sugars.
  3. Ideal for weight watchers: The resistant starch in green bananas slows the release of food through the gut. This slows the insulin response and prevents that sugar spike and consequent sugar crash. Thus, ensuring that we feel fuller for a longer period of time and avoid binging on unhealthy snacks in between meals.
  4. Aids in digestion: The high content of prebiotic fibre in banana flour helps to support the good bacteria present in the gut, bowel, and colon. This, in turn, promotes a healthy digestion and bowel movement.
  5. Inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria: RS II, (Resistant Starch subtype II) present in green banana flour, breaks down into short chain fatty acids & raises the pH level of the large intestine which creates adverse conditions for pathogenic bacteria while favouring the growth of beneficial bacteria.
  6. Increases absorption of minerals– especially calcium which can aid in preventing Osteoporosis.
  7. Promotes colon health: Resistant starch increases faecal bulking which promotes colon health and also acts as a re-hydrating agent for those suffering from diarrhoea
  8. High in essential minerals and vitamins including zinc, vitamin E, magnesium, and manganese
  9. Gluten Free: Ideal for those suffering from gluten intolerance especially since it behaves very similar to wheat flour and serves as an ideal replacement in wheat containing recipes.

 

** Banana flour is available in our GOQii Store 

 

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Foods for healthy bones

Fruits-and-Vegetables

Bones are a crucial part of our body. They are responsible for many of our body’s crucial functions, including movement, organ protection, production of blood cells, storage of minerals, and support for the rest of our body. Strong bones are like the foundations and support walls of a building; if they are strong the building is strong and can weather all sorts of conditions for years to come. Healthy, strong bones enable us to lead long, healthy life.

A balanced diet rich in fresh, whole foods is the foundation for good bone health. For strong bones, the key nutrients we look for is Protein, calcium, vitamin D, Fruits and vegetable (antioxidants).

Protein

  • Protein helps to form collagen fibre which is the framework for bones. Adequate intake of protein is necessary for healthy bones. Low protein intake can create a risk of bone fracture

Calcium

  • Supports your bones and teeth structure, while Vitamin D improves calcium absorption and bone growth.

Fruits and vegetables:

  • Most of the fruits and green leafy vegetables are a good source of potassium which helps to promote the bone health
  • Fruits and vegetables are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals …thus help to maintain muscles and support them

Good food for bones

Foods Nutrients
Dairy products: Milk, curd, buttermilk, Paneer, Chesse Calcium
Ragi, Til, Rajgeera, coconut Cereals
Lean Meat: fish, chicken and  egg whites, Sprouts and pulses Protein
Sunlight Vitamin D
Banana, sweet lime, orange, muskmelon Fruits  ( High in potassium )
All green leafy vegetables like methi, cabbage, cauliflower leaves, kale, collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, aluwadi (Colocasia/Taro) leaves Vegetables ( source of potassium )

Tips to increase bone health

  • After your 30’s keep a check for vitamin D and calcium levels in your body.
  • Have foods that are rich in calcium, proteins, vitamin and minerals
  • Quit Smoking as smoking increases bone loss. Limit your drinking. Decreased estrogen level in women thus leads to low absorption of calcium which leads to loss of bones and drinking hinders the calcium absorption.
  • Avoid table salt (avoid too much of sodium) in food as it leaches the calcium from the bones (Restrict processed food where salt is used as preventives), use tomatoes, tamarind pulp, lemon to restrict the salt intake.
  • Stay active. Walking is the best exercise or try weight-bearing exercise against gravity as it strengths the bone by stimulating bone cells which helps the bone to become denser and stronger.

Not looking after your bones can increase your risk of breaks and this can impact your health. A break can affect your quality of life and even cause severe pain or disability.

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Confused about eating healthy? Follow these 13 Strategies to eat healthy

eat-healthy

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and stabilizing your mood. There are loads of information and dietary advice floating out there where if an expert tells you that certain food is good for you, you’ll find another one saying exactly the opposite thus confusing you totally. But, let me give you some simple tips by which you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, varied, and healthy food habit at work.

A healthy diet is good but, a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. What is moderation? In essence, it means eating only as much food as your body needs. You should feel satisfied at the end of a meal and not stuffed. Moderation is also about a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.

  1. Simplify: Measure portion size and do not be concerned about counting calories. Think of your healthy meal in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make a healthy choice. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your food will become healthier and more delicious.
  2.  Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your food healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different colour vegetables) to your daily routine once a day or switching from peanut butter to olive oil when cooking. As this small change becomes a habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your lifestyle.
  3. Every change you make matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate the foods you enjoy in order to have a healthy diet. Your long-term goal should be to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.
  4. Think Smaller Portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entire plate, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small. In case you are not satisfied at the end of the meal try adding more leafy green vegetables or rounding off the meal with some fresh salad. Visual cues can help with portion sizes–your serving of Egg, fish, or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards and half a cup of mashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the size of the small bowl.
  5. Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savouring every bite. We tend to rush through our meals thereby forgetting to actually taste the flavours and feel the texture of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
  6. Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty or hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
  7. Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
  8. Avoid eating at night. Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast for 10-12 hours until breakfast the next morning. These simple dietary adjustments such as eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day will only help to regulate your weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories, but some healthy options like mixed vegetable soup, salad, and buttermilk is good.
  9.  Most of us consume too much salt in our diets. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to other health problems. Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt.
  10.  Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.
  11.  Be careful when eating out. Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium. Some offer lower-sodium choices or you can ask for your meal to be made without salt. Most gravy and sauces are loaded with salt, so ask for it to be served on the side. Opt for fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables. Cut back on salty snacks such as potato chips, and nuts. Check labels and choose low-salt or reduced-sodium products, including breakfast cereals.
  12. Slowly reduce the salt in your diet to give your taste buds some time to adjust.
  13. Go high on Fibre – In general, the more natural and unprocessed the food, the higher it is in fibre. Good sources of fibre include whole grains, wheat cereals, barley, oatmeal, beans, nuts, vegetables such as carrots, celery, and tomatoes, and fruits such as apples, berries, citrus fruits, and pears—all the more reason to add more fruit and vegetables to your diet. There is no fibre in meat, dairy, or sugar. Refined or “white” foods, such as white bread, white rice, and pastries, have had all or most of their fibre removed. An easy way to add more fibre to your diet is to start your day with a whole grain cereal, such as Fibre-One or All-Bran, or by adding unprocessed wheat bran to your favourite cereal.

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]