Yoga can Ease Nerve Pain in the Leg

How to Heal a Pinched Nerve with Yoga

Overview
A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues. According to the Mayo Clinic, a pinched nerve is most commonly caused by injury, obesity, overuse, poor posture and stress. Yoga, a practice of gentle stretches (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama), has been shown to be effective in healing a pinched nerve by relieving pressure on the nerve and restoring the mind and body to a calm and peaceful state.

Step 1
Lay out your yoga mat in a quiet space. Turn your phone, television and radio off so you will not be interrupted or disturbed. Lay your mat where you have plenty of space to stretch your body.

Step 2
Lie down on your back with your legs stretched out long and your arms a few inches from your sides. Close your eyes and take three long, slow and deep breaths, letting out a sigh or any other sounds that want to release on the exhale.

Step 3
Raise your arms over your head and feel the stretch at the sides of your body. Breathe--inhaling and exhaling five deep breaths. Continue to stretch your body long and notice where you feel release and relief.

Step 4
Draw your right knee toward your chest as you inhale, and hold your knee with your fingers interlaced for three deep breaths. On your third exhale, draw your right knee over (with your left hand) to the outside of your left hip for a twist. Your right arm should remain outstretched to feel a wonderful release in the right shoulder and upper chest. Breathe deeply for five breaths. When finished, come back up to center and release the right leg out straight. Breathe.

Step 5
Draw your left knee toward your chest as you inhale, and hold your knee with your fingers interlaced for three deep breaths. On your third exhale, draw your left knee over (with your right hand) to the outside of your right hip for a twist. Your left arm should remain outstretched to feel a release in the left shoulder and upper chest. Breathe deeply for five breaths. When finished, come back up to center and release the left leg out straight. Breathe.

Step 6
Draw both knees in toward your chest and gently rock from side to side, massaging your lower back and tailbone area. If it feels good to you, you can also turn your head from side to side, releasing any tension in your neck and upper back. Do this for at least one minute.

Step 7
Release your legs out straight so that you are lying on your back with both of your legs outstretched and your arms a few inches away from the sides of your body (palms face up). Close your eyes and breathe deeply for three breaths, allowing any sighs or other sounds to release on your exhale. After three deep breaths, begin to breathe naturally. Let go of trying to control anything, and lie quietly resting for at least five minutes.

Step 8
Roll to your right side into a fetal position and then slowly press yourself up to a seated position. Sit quietly for a few breaths. Notice how you feel in your body. Notice the quality of your mind. Transition slowly to standing and take your yoga peace with you into your next activity, whether it be work, home or sleep.


Tips and Warnings
If the symptoms of your pinched nerve don't seem to respond to the practice of yoga, contact your doctor for an evaluation.
If you choose to practice yoga in a class, speak to your instructor ahead of time and let him know about your pinched nerve. There may be some postures that are not appropriate for you to practice (i.e., that could aggravate your pinched nerve). Get advice and assistance from your instructor regarding how to modify any postures to suit your needs.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/74193-heal-pinched-nerve-yoga/#ixzz1CBCXvSJr

Gong Xi Gong Xi

Our Yoga class will be closed on 5 Feb only for the CNY holidays.

Lion 's Lunge by Sadie Nardini

Lion's Lunge by Sadie Nardini

To help you access and then amplify your voice, you've got to make some noise. I use Lion's Pose with a lot of my core poses, to open the channel between my foundation, my core, and the courage it takes to express myself so that people can hear.

The muscle meridian closest to our skeleton, called the Deep Core Line, moves from the arches of the feet; up through the legs, hips and spine; and ends at the tongue. Doing Lion's Pose draws energy and tension up and out through this line, which is why it's considered an immensely detoxifying pose on a very profound, pranic level. Life force and your ability to speak from your inner knowing will increase as you dissolve obstacles to your inherent freedom and flow.

Come into a High Lunge with the front knee over the heel and the back leg long behind you, supported on the ball of your foot. If you want more stability, step your feet sitting-bone-distance apart.

Inhale through your nose and reach your arms either back behind you or up into the air, fingers wide. Exhale through your mouth as you stick out your tongue and say "Aaaaaaaaahhh," as loudly as you can. Really get into it, letting the sound be another way to say what you really need and want to express from your deeper creative center.

Repeat 3-5 times or more. Then take Dog Pose or Child's Pose for a few moments, and move to the other side.

Parsvakonasana for Sciatica

Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) with Core Circles Variation



When you go straight into Side Angle Pose from Warrior 2, the tendency can be to enter the asana with a over-curved lower back, front ribs jutting forward, and the back body constricted. To re-enter the pose with a more centered alignment and free the habitual hip, low back, upper back, and shoulder tension it can create, we need to exit it, or as I often say in class, back off to move forward.

First, come into the pose from Warrior 2 with your forearm on the front thigh and your other arm over your ear. Notice how your lower back and shoulders feel. Are you core-connected or are your shoulder blades, back muscles, and legs doing most of the work?

Begin to circle your top arm back behind you. Take it down toward the floor and, as you do, turn your torso toward the floor and draw your low belly away from your front thigh and upward, into your sternum. This will activate your core strength, bring length to the tailbone, support to the lower back, and also open the gateway of your front hip joint. You're not pressing out the low back curve at all with this move, but supporting it from the front of the spine as well as from the back.

Continue to sweep your arm forward now and back up over your ear. Press your feet down strongly; maintain the stability, shoulder fluidity, and core awareness you cultivated during the transition; and enjoy new strength, freedom and areas of stretch releasing in your new, more intentional goal of a pose.
Anatomical Focus
Legs
Ankles
Groins
Chest
Lungs
Shoulders
Spine
Abdomen
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Therapeutic Applications
Constipation
Infertility
Low backache
Osteoporosis
Sciatica
Menstrual discomfort
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Benefits
Strengthens and stretches the legs, knees, and ankles
Stretches the groins, spine, waist, chest and lungs, and shoulders
Stimulates abdominal organs
Increases stamina
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Contraindications and Cautions
Headache
High or low blood pressure
Insomnia
If you have any neck problems don't turn your head to look at the top arm; instead look straight ahead with the sides of the neck lengthened evenly, or look down at the floor.

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Beginner's Tip
Beginners often have two problems with this pose: they can't keep their back heel anchored to the floor as they bend their front knee into the pose, and then they can't easily touch the fingertips of their lower hand to the floor once they're in the pose. To solve the first problem, brace your back heel against a wall. As you bend the front knee and then lower your torso to the side, imagine that, with your heel, you're pushing the wall away from you. For the second problem either rest your forearm on the top of the bent-knee thigh (instead of trying to touch the hand to the floor), or use a block outside the front foot to support your hand.

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Variations
You can also perform this pose with the lower arm in front of the bent-knee thigh. This will help create more stretch in the front groin. As you lower your torso to the side, bring the back of your right shoulder against the inner knee, and press your fingertips to the floor. Push the shoulder firmly into the knee and lean your torso back against the inner thigh. Lengthen your side ribs along the inner top thigh.

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Modifications and Props
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Partnering
A partner can help you get a feel for the work of the back leg in this pose. Perform step 1 in the main description of this pose. Have your partner stand at your back leg, facing you, and loop a strap around your back inner groin (she can also brace your back heel with the inside of one foot). As you bend the front knee your partner should firmly pull the strap against the inner groin, resisting it opposite to the movement of the front leg. Then as you lean to the bent-knee side, she should continue to pull on the strap, helping you to keep your weight back, on the back leg and heel.


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Deepen The Pose
Even for advanced students, the body's weight tends to shift forward onto the ball of the front foot, unbalancing the pose. Once in the pose, lift the ball of the front foot off the floor and re-affirm the anchor of the back heel by pressing the head of the back femur bone deep into its socket and lifting the inner back groin deep into the leg. Then soften the ball of the front foot onto the floor again.

Low Lunge

Low Lunge with Cat/Cow Variation



Come into a Low Lunge position with your right foot forward. Your front knee is stacked over the heel, not out in front of it, to avoid knee pressure. The back knee stretches comfortably behind the hip, not directly under it. The front foot and back knee are hip-distance, or about two fists-width apart.

Keep your hands on the floor, framing your front foot at first. Take a moment to back off the hips, since you don't want to sink too far into this pose. This can cause you to overstretch the connective tissue. Instead, lift out of the pose a bit until you can ground the foot and knee, draw in the low belly, and bring your torso upright, hands onto the knee or thigh.

You should now feel a stretch in the center of your muscles, not in the back hip crease and front sitting bone only. Your legs are also working to maintain the buoyancy of the pose.

Inhale, carve your tailbone long, and arch your spine. Keep the back of your neck long, and lift the chest sky-high. As you do this move, pull your shoulders back and slide your shoulder blades closer.

Exhale and round your back. Remember to keep the length in your lower back and roll more through the upper back and shoulder area. Gently lower your chin for a mindful neck stretch.

This pose is meant to lift through the back of your heart and spread the shoulder blades wider apart than it is to press out your lower back curve. So although you will activate the low belly fully on your exhalation, lift it in and up towards the chest, rather than squeezing it back towards the spine only.

Repeat the spinal motion with your breath for 5-10 rounds, then return to a Down Dog or Child's Pose, and repeat on the left side.

Utkatasana

Chair (Fierce) Pose (long-held variation)



Stand at the front of your mat, feet together. Bend your knees and touch the floor with your fingertips. Send your sitting bones back and wide, root your tailbone long, and, lifting through your lower belly, roll up with bent legs until your chest and arms reach for the sky. If this becomes hard on your neck, open your arms to the sides or press the palms together at your chest.

Look down at your feet--if you can't see your toes, shift the pelvis back until you can. Lift all 10 toes to activate your inner arches, and as you ground the ball and heel down, draw energy up from the Earth to help sustain you. Breathe slowly and deeply.

Stay in this pose until you think you need to come out. Then, stay for another 3-5 breaths. Afterward, take a few moments each in Standing Forward Bend and Child's Pose to stretch your legs and low back, neutralize the spine, and take the time you need to process.





Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)

Still sitting in your chair, scoot away from your desk and bring your feet together flat on the floor. Lift your low belly in and up toward your chest to support your spine as you lift your butt off the chair. Inhale and reach your arms overhead. Exhale, bring your palms together at your chest and twist your upper body, bringing your right elbow onto the left knee.

Keep your tailbone long and your belly engaged as you take 5 inhales and exhales in this position. Then inhale your arms to center, and switch sides.

Between sides, or after both sides, you can bring your fists into the opposite elbow creases, and fold forward over your legs. Straighten them as much as is comfortable to release tension from your lower back and improve focus.


Ankle-to-Knee Chair(Eka Pada Galavasana Preparation)

This pose leads to taking flight in the arm balance of Eka Pada Galavasana, but for our purposes, we're going to start where we are. Running too fast into the Void can cause you to miss out on the information coming at you from the core, and from your environment, a conversation that needs your full attention.

Come to the front of your mat, feet hip-distance apart. Bend both knees and generate as much lift from your lower belly as from your lower back. Keep your spine long as you ground into your left foot and lift your right knee mindfully into your chest. Don't rush; rather, make every moment of this pose an opportunity to find balance again.

Once you're stable, cross your right ankle over your left knee. Roll the thigh outward so your right knee lowers, and sit down deeper. Bring your hands to the chest, palms together in anjali mudra, which celebrates your connection to the Divine, or universal energy. Offer your heart forward as the hips move back to anchor you in this new place of balance and freedom.

Take 5-10 breaths here, then return to Chair Pose, and fold forward over bent or straight legs for a few moments before repeating the balance on the other side.

Yoga changes Brain Chemistry

New Research Says Yoga Changes Brain Chemistry

November 17, 2010

by Nora Isaacs

Yogis have known for centuries that a yoga practice makes us feel calm and centered. But science is finally catching up with what we've all experienced on the mat and the cushion: yoga changes our brain chemistry, which in turn helps improve mood and decrease anxiety.



A new study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary medicine reports that yoga triggers the release of the brain chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, a chemical in the brain that helps to regulate nerve activity.

The findings establish a new link between yoga, higher levels of GABA, and improved mood.

The study, led by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine (the lead researcher is a yogi!), brings us one step closer toward harnessing yoga's power of prevention and relaxation. Who knows: maybe this can lead to a wider acceptance of yoga in the medical community as a tool to help people struggling with anxiety and depression. Prescription for yoga, anyone?

Bhujangasana - an Insight by Shiva Rea

Shiva Rea teaches flow (vinyasa) based yoga integrating alignment and intuition, strength and fluidity, meditation and wisdom in action at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, California. She is the author of the home practice CD, Yoga Sanctuary, and leads workshops and adventure retreats worldwide. She can be contacted through www.yogadventures.com

Like many backbends, Cobra Pose is a heart opener, subtly releasing held emotions within the rib cage to bring greater joy within the body.

"Few of us have lost our minds, but many of us have long ago lost our bodies," says transpersonal psychologist Ken Wilber. It is quite common for human beings to live in a disembodied state—for our thoughts to be separate from the experience of our bodies. This loss of the body takes many forms, from not being able to stop the train of thinking mind to catching ourselves hunched over or sick because we haven't paid attention to the many warning signs we were given by our bodies. One of yoga's many benefits is the experience of greater embodiment.

Embodiment is the spreading of one's consciousness throughout the body, from the crown of the head to the toes, the surface to the core. It is learning to listen and understand the language of the body. It is re-membering ourselves by exploring and excavating who we are in our own skin. When you begin to take a yoga class or learn from a book or video, the instructor will invite you to move places in yourself that may have been forgotten or never realized: big toes, kneecaps, thigh bones, sternum, and kidneys, as well as places that you may be very aware of due to tightness or pain, such as the lower back or the sides of the neck. The asana that we will explore, Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), is fundamental not only for embodying your spine but for learning to move as an integrated whole. Bhujangasana is an essential pose for developing the strength and flexibility of the entire back, while toning the legs and buttocks, increasing circulation, and assisting in kidney function. Like many backbends, it is a "heart opener," subtly releasing held emotions within the rib cage to bring greater joy within the body.

Familiar Landmarks

Before we begin to do the pose, let's trace some of the important landmarks within the body that are key to activating not only Cobra but many of the asanas. Sitting comfortably in a chair, wrap your hand around the nape of your neck and rest the side of your hand along your occipital ridge, where your spine and skull meet. You will feel two bony points with a hollow space between them. Collapse the back of your head into your hand. This crunching of the neck is something to watch out for in Cobra as well as other poses. Try to extend the back of your neck in alignment with your spine (your chin will drop slightly). Now bring the other hand to your lower back and touch your tailbone, the base of your spine. Turn your tailbone up as if to sway your back like a duck. Feel how this jams your sacrum (the triangular bone of which the tailbone is the base). Then, notice how turning your tailbone towards the earth creates space there. Pause and feel the whole line of your spine—from your tailbone up your vertebrae and nape of your neck all the way to the crown of your head.

Now release your hands and bring your awareness to your shoulders, drawing them up by your ears. This is the consummate tension pattern that we might go into at our desks, in traffic, under stress, out of habit. Bring your awareness to your shoulder blades, those wings that slide up and down your back with the movement of your shoulders. Now rotate your shoulders, consciously drawing your shoulder blades (scapulae) down your back. Maintain the downward grounding of your shoulder blades and feel the space between your neck and shoulders. Touch your sternum (the bony plate between and below your collarbones) with one hand. Feel it spreading open as you move your shoulder blades further into the body. Finally, straighten your right leg, lift it slightly off the floor, and put your right hand on the top of your right thigh. Now point your toes, firm your kneecap, and feel how your entire leg comes alive. The ability to work your legs is essential for supporting the spine in backbends. Press your thigh bone back and activate your right leg even more. Remember the sensations of these landmarks in the body to assist you in greater embodiment in Cobra, other asanas, and life in general.
Coming into Cobra

Let's come to the floor and find the pathways between these landmarks within Bhujangasana. Lying flat on your belly, bring your hands under your shoulders with your forehead touching the floor. Begin some of the actions of the full pose while you are still in the starting position: Draw your shoulder blades down your back, lifting the shoulders off the floor and creating space around your neck. Hug your elbows back and into your body. Now activate your legs by pointing your toes away from you and pressing the tops of your feet into the floor. As you firm the tops of your thighs and ground your feet, let only your knees lift off the floor slightly. Then press your pubic bone (the bony point several inches below your navel) into the floor to stabilize your lower back and broaden the sacrum. Pause for a moment and feel your awareness spread throughout your body.

On an inhalation, begin to lift your chest off the floor while maintaining your connection through your pubic bone to your legs. Coming into Cobra, it's tempting to go for height and push the torso up with the strength of the arms, but height isn't the goal; the goal is extension in the spine and opening in the chest. To find the height at which you can work comfortably and strengthen the back instead of straining it, take your hands off the floor for a moment, so that the height you find will be through extension. Replace your hands under your shoulders, squeeze your elbows in, breathe into your chest, and on an exhalation lower down. Try several rounds of inhaling slowly up into this basic Cobra and then exhaling down to the starting position. As you do this, see if you can feel all of the alignment landmarks coming alive—sternum to pubis, crown of the head to your toes, until it feels as if there is one current running up the front of your spine and down the back of your legs. You can also stay for five to 10 breaths in this basic backbend, strengthening your back, opening your heart, and relaxing more deeply into the pose even though it is quite active.

Eventually, with the guidance of a teacher, you can begin to press down through your hands, straighten your arms, and extend up into a full Cobra. But beware: It is easy to get drawn into the allure of height in a backbend before the necessary strength and flexibility are in place, and to jam the lower back. So be patient. Think of creating extension within your spine first and foremost. When you are done with the pose, rest on your belly with your head to the side and enjoy the positive residuals of Bhujangasana, when the entire body is like a dry field freshly irrigated.

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Experience the Power of Bhujangasana/Cobra Pose

Cobra Pose can help strengthen the back, open the heart and lungs,soothes sciatica, improves asthma and make you feel more connected to the ground.
Traditional texts say that Bhujangasana increases body heat, destroys disease.
boo-jang-GAHS-anna)

bhujanga = serpent, snake

Step by Step

1. Lie prone on the floor. Stretch your legs back, tops of the feet on the floor. Spread your hands on the floor under your shoulders. Hug the elbows back into your body.

2. Press the tops of the feet and thighs and the pubis firmly into the floor.

3.On an inhalation, begin to straighten the arms to lift the chest off the floor, going only to the height at which you can maintain a connection through your pubis to your legs. Press the tailbone toward the pubis and lift the pubis toward the navel. Narrow the hip points. Firm but don't harden the buttocks.

4.Firm the shoulder blades against the back, puffing the side ribs forward. Lift through the top of the sternum but avoid pushing the front ribs forward, which only hardens the lower back. Distribute the backbend evenly throughout the entire spine.

5.Hold the pose anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, breathing easily. Release back to the floor with an exhalation.

Beginner's Tip
Don't overdo the backbend. To find the height at which you can work comfortably and avoid straining your back, take your hands off the floor for a moment, so that the height you find will be through extension.

Benefits
Strengthens the spine
Stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen
Firms the buttocks
Stimulates abdominal organs
Helps relieve stress and fatigue


Contraindications and Cautions
Back injury
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Headache
Pregnancy


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38 Ways To Get Fit With Yoga

If you're a passionate yoga practitioner, you've probably noticed the ways yoga works— maybe you're sleeping better or getting fewer colds or your back ache seems to have disappeared or your knee joints are not hurting anymore or just feeling more relaxed and at ease.
To read all the 38 Health Benefits go to :-
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1634?page=1

1.Flex Time
Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won't be able to touch your toes, never mind do a backbend. Tight hips can strain the knee joint due to improper alignment of the thigh and shinbones. Tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, which can cause back pain. And inflexibility in muscles and connective tissue, such as fascia and ligaments, can cause poor posture.

2.Strength Test
Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls in elderly people. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just went to the gym and lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.

3.Joint Account
Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that normally aren't used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected areas of cartilage can eventually wear out, exposing the underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.

4. Spinal Rap
Spinal disks—the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves—crave movement. That's the only way they get their nutrients. If you've got a well-balanced asana practice with plenty of backbends, forward bends, and twists, you'll help keep your disks supple.

5.Bone Zone
It's well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, Los Angeles, yoga practice increased bone density in the vertebrae. Yoga's ability to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol (see Number 11) may help keep calcium in the bones.

6.Flow Chart
Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses, such as Headstand, Handstand, and Shoulderstand, encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated. This can help if you have swelling in your legs from heart or kidney problems. Yoga also boosts levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. And it thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting the level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This can lead to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes since blood clots are often the cause of these killers.

7. Lymph Lesson
When you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells, and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning.

8.Heart Start
When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you lower your risk of heart attack and can relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga exercises that don't get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning. Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise—all reflections of improved aerobic conditioning. One study found that subjects who were taught only pranayama could do more exercise with less oxygen.

8.Pressure Drop
If you've got high blood pressure, you might benefit from yoga. Two studies of people with hypertension, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of Savasana (Corpse Pose) with simply lying on a couch. After three months, Savasana was associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 15-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number—and the higher the initial blood pressure, the bigger the drop.

9.Worry Thwarts
Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn't sound like much, consider this. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Additionally, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call "food-seeking behavior" (the kind that drives you to eat when you're upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

10.Happy Hour
Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into King Dancer Pose. While it's not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol. At the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., found that the left prefrontal cortex showed heightened activity in meditators, a finding that has been correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function. More dramatic left-sided activation was found in dedicated, long-term practitioners.

11.Weighty Matters
Move more, eat less—that's the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help on both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. Yoga may also inspire you to become a more conscious eater.

12.Low Show
Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and boosts HDL ("good") cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.

Trikonasa helps to protect your lower back

Strengthening your side waist muscles will unlock your pelvis and protect your lower back.

The side waist muscles (also called the flank muscles), along with the front abdominal, lower back, and buttock muscles, are crucial in supporting and stabilizing the lower back and pelvis.

Sometimes people try to strengthen the flank muscles by weight lifting. Standing and holding dumbbells, they side-bend to the left, use the right flank muscles to lift the torso back up, and then repeat the action to the other side. I'm not very enthused about this exercise because it creates compression in the lower back. With so many people past the age of 40 showing at least the beginning stages of arthritis in the lower back, further compressing it really isn't a good idea.

However, I can enthusiastically recommend strengthening the side waist by the practicing of Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). But, you might ask, isn't Trikonasana a side stretch? Actually, when properly done, no. In fact, the line of the torso from the side waist to armpit should be flat, not rounded up toward the ceiling, and it is the contraction of the flank muscles that keeps it flat.

Engaging the Side Waist Muscles
Let's take a look at the muscles that comprise the flank. The quadratus lumborum sits deep in the back waist, attaching to the top of the pelvis and traveling up to the last rib and the sides of the lumbar vertebrae. When the quadratus lumborum contracts, it pulls the pelvis and rib cage on the same side closer together. The abdominal obliques also help this action. The external obliques originate on the lower ribs and insert on the pelvis and the abdominal connective tissue; the internal obliques originate on the pelvis and insert on the lower ribs and abdominal connective tissue. Some of the obliques' fibers are nearly vertical between the pelvis and ribs, so they perform a similar action to quadratus lumborum except on the front side of the body.

When you bend to one side, your flank muscles on the opposite side must lengthen. To feel this action, stand up and place your hands on your waist. If you bend to the right, you can feel with your right hand that the right waist is shortened so that your ribs and the top of your pelvis nearly touch. You can also feel that the left waist, ribs, and flank muscles are lengthening and curving, and that quite a gap has opened up between your ribs and the top of your pelvis.

As you practice Trikonasana, the two sides of your spine should lengthen nearly evenly, so there is no curve in your torso. For example, if you do Trikonasana to the right, your left ribs should stay flat and the space between your right ribs and right side of the pelvis should stay open, which helps prevent compression of the right side of your lower back.

Article By: Julie Gudmestad

Trikonasana or Triangle

(oo-TEE-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna)
utthita = extended
trikona = three angle or triangle

Step by Step

1.Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.

2.Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle.

3.Exhale and extend your torso to the right directly over the plane of the right leg, bending from the hip joint, not the waist. Anchor this movement by strengthening the left leg and pressing the outer heel firmly to the floor. Rotate the torso to the left, keeping the two sides equally long. Let the left hip come slightly forward and lengthen the tailbone toward the back heel.

4.Rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or the floor outside your right foot, whatever is possible without distorting the sides of the torso. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with the tops of your shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position or turn it to the left, eyes gazing softly at the left thumb.

5.Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up, strongly pressing the back heel into the floor and reaching the top arm toward the ceiling. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left.

Sinus & Yoga

Plough(Halasana) and Shoulder stand (Sarvangasana)






There are asanas that can help sinus problems. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal sinuses. The sinuses are hollow pockets of air located on either side of the nose, behind and in between the eyes and in the forehead. The sinuses produce mucus that cleans and moistens the membranes of the nose and throat. Each sinus has an opening into the nose that allows for free exchange of mucus and air. Sinus pressure, results when these openings get plugged. As mucus and pressure build in the sinuses, the sinus membranes become irritated and can swell and become further blocked. Then there is danger of bacterial growth. An acute bacterial infection needs treatment, either with an antibiotic or some nonallopathic treatment.

Allergic sinusitis can be controlled provided a consistent yoga practice is maintained. Yoga practice helps both in the moment (at the time of practice) and cumulatively, so a regular, daily practice is required if your student is to get lasting relief. However, if the amount of allergen is above a certain limit, no treatment will completely help, be it medicine or yoga. It may take time for nature to eradicate the allergen from the body.


Practically speaking, several poses are invaluable for relieving sinus pressure—namely, standing poses; Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/480, done on several rolled mats arranged from the shoulders to the elbows; and Ardha Halasana (Supported Half Plow Pose)http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/479. Sarvangasana and Ardha Halasana should be held for some time to receive the full benefits. The sinuses may remain blocked at first; but after some time in the poses, as the practitioner relaxes, the sinuses usually open up, bringing relief. Eka Pada Savarganasana (Plow Pose with one leg up and one down) is also particularly good: The inversions act as a natural flushing mechanism for the blocked sinuses. The blood circulates with tremendous force into the stagnated areas, clearing away the secretions to clear the passageways and restore free breathing.



Article By:
Certified Advanced Iyengar instructor Dean Lerner. Co-director of the Center for Well-being in Lemont, Pennsylvania and teaches workshop across the United States. He is a longtime student of B.K.S. Iyengar and served a four-year term as president of the Iyengar National Association of the United States.

Yoga Pranayama

Pranayama, the formal practice of controlling the breath, lies at the heart of yoga. It has a mysterious power to soothe and revitalize a tired body, a flagging spirit, or a wild mind. The ancient sages taught that prana, the vital force circulating through us, can be cultivated and channeled through a panoply of breathing exercises. In the process, the mind is calmed, rejuvenated, and uplifted.

"My first American yoga teacher, used to say that doing an asana practice without a pranayama practice developed what he called the Baby Huey syndrome," says Ashtanga teacher Tim Miller. "Baby Huey was this big cartoon duck who was very strong but kind of stupid. He wore a diaper. Basically what Brad was trying to say was that asana will develop your body but pranayama will develop your mind."


Breathing exercises or Pranayamas control the Prana (or subtle energy of the vital breath).
Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity for breathing. They breathe shallowly, barely expanding the ribcage. Their shoulders are hunched, they have painful tension in the upper part of the back and neck, and they suffer from lack of oxygen. They should learn the full Yogic breathing.

There are three basic types of breathing.

Clavicular breathing is the most shallow and worst possible type. The shoulders and collarbone are raised while the abdomen is contracted during inhalation. Maximum effort is made, but a minimum amount of air is obtained.

Thoracic breathing is done with the rib muscles expanding the rib cage, and is the second type of incomplete breathing.

Deep abdominal breathing is the best, for it brings air to the lowest and largest part of the lungs. Breathing is slow and deep, and proper use is made of the diaphragm.

Actually, none of these types are complete. A full Yogic breath combines all three, beginning with a deep breath and continuing the inhalation through the intercostal and clavicular areas.

To get the feel of proper diaphragmatic breathing, wear loose clothing and lie on the back. Place the hand on the upper abdomen, where the diaphragm is located. Breathe in and out slowly. The abdomen should expand outward as you inhale and contract as you exhale. Try to get the feeling of this motion.

Once you feel proficient in the practice of the abdominal breathing you will be ready to learn the Full Yogic Breathing. Breathe in slowly, expand the abdomen, then the ribcage, and finally the upper portion of the lungs. Then, breathe out in the same manner, letting the abdomen cave in as you exhale. This is the Yogic complete breath.

Pranayama Practises include:-
1. Kapala Bahkti
2. Nadi Soudana
3. Ujayi Breath

Upward Facing Dog in Vinyasa Flow

From Chaturanga Dandasana you can inhale into Upward Dog
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/469

The word vinyasa has become short-hand for the specific sequence of poses moving from Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) to Up Dog and then back to Down Dog. (Vinyasa is also commonly used in two other ways: to describe a step-by-step progression from one pose to the next or to signify the concept of linking breath with movement.)


The specific three-pose sequence is common to Ashtanga, flow, and Power yoga, and many students are both challenged and mystified by it. It's an important transition to practice and understand because, when done incorrectly, it can compromise the alignment of the poses it connects, whereas when mastered it tends to enhance and reinforce them.

The key to the transition is moving the chest and legs in opposition, which keeps the center (abdomen and pelvis) from collapsing and protects the shoulders and lower back.

When you move from Chaturanga to Up Dog, push your toes back so that they move an inch or so toward the back of your mat as you roll over them. Making your feet travel on a sticky mat requires some serious effort in your legs, which is useful since active legs are crucial to both Chaturanga and Up Dog.

As you slide your toes back, simultaneously pull with your hands (they won't actually move) while drawing your chest forward and up, so that your upper body and lower body move in opposite directions.

Only your hands and feet touch the floor in this transition. To keep your body from sagging toward the floor, use the strength of your arms (pulling your sternum forward) and legs (pushing your toes back). To vizualize how this works, imagine holding a piece of ribbon between your hands. When your hands are closer together, the center of the ribbon droops. When you pull your hands apart, it becomes taut. The latter image is the blueprint for your transition.

Upward Facing Dog

Upward Facing Dog. Let's understand in detail the pose that we always practise in class. Click here Yoga Journal - Yoga Basics Column - Open Your Heart


Stabilize your lower back in Up Dog to create an even arc along your whole spine.
By Natasha Rizopoulos

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog) is an invigorating backbend that opens the chest and shoulders and strengthens the arms and legs. Linking breath to movement is important when you're practicing Up Dog, because the breath animates and illuminates the pose and opens the heart.

Typically, you enter Up Dog on an inhalation. Take a deep inhalation now and notice how it feels: Your heart lifts, your collarbones spread, your pectoral muscles broaden and expand—movements you'll want to accentuate in Up Dog—and you feel energized. Of course, re-creating those same expansions in the pose is challenging. Students sometimes find Up Dog uncomfortable, especially in the lower back and wrists. Before trying the pose, get clear on the basic setup and then work on easing tightness in your shoulders and thoracic spine (upper and middle back). The following variations will help you find the essential actions and alignment of the pose so you can enjoy it to its fullest.

Pull

If you feel achy in the lower back during Up Dog, it probably means that your upper back is stiff and your lower back is overcompensating by bending too much. With backbends the aim is to have all areas of the spine participate, not just the parts that are easy to move. If either your lower back or your neck extends too much, your backbend will not be even. If you continue these imbalances over time, you'll put undue stress on the bendier parts. To remedy this, you'll need to learn to open the thoracic vertebrae. To access your thoracic spine while limiting the movement in your neck and lower back, practice a modified Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Begin lying on your belly with your forehead on the floor and your feet hip-width apart and parallel, toes extended straight back from your heels. Place your hands on the floor next to your lower ribs, with your elbows stacked over your wrists and the creases of your wrists parallel to the front of your mat. Draw your elbows back and in toward the midline of your body so that your shoulders lift away from the floor and your pectoral muscles spread. Firmly press all 10 toes into the floor, especially your pinkie toes, so that your quadriceps engage and your kneecaps pull up. Active legs are crucial to a happy Up Dog. When the legs are lazy, you tend to sit in your lower back rather than lengthen out of it, so really practice pressing down with the tops of your feet and lifting your thighs. Rotate the inner thighs to the ceiling (this broadens your lower back) and release the flesh of your buttocks toward the floor. Doing this decreases the arch in your lower back and creates more length. Both elements—active legs and the downward release of the buttocks—are critical to creating a backbend in which your lower back is spacious and protected.

Now extend your sternum (breastbone) forward and up. Make this happen by pulling your hands back (still squeezing your elbows in), as if you were on a scooter or skateboard trying to drag your body forward. Your hands won't actually move back on the mat, but this pulling action will help you find the correct alignment. The heads of your shoulders will draw back and away from the floor, the trapezius (the thick muscles at the base of your neck) will release away from your ears, and the shoulder blades will press forward and into your chest, helping to open your upper back. Continue to direct your tailbone down, and see that your chin is level to the floor so that you don't overbend in your neck. Hold for 8 to 10 breaths and then release your forehead back to the floor.

Pull and Push
Return to your belly with your hands beside your lower ribs. Press down with all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. If your pinkie toes come off the floor, your inner thighs drop, which creates compression across the lower back. Avoid this by giving extra weight to the pinkie toes.

On an inhalation, pull your chest forward and up as you simultaneously push off your hands and feet to lift your body away from the floor. Stack your shoulders over your wrists and lift your sternum and thighs to the ceiling as you release your tailbone toward your heels. Make sure your toes extend straight back and that your feet are planted rather than being dragged along when you pull your chest forward. You want to anchor the pose so that you can explore your upper back.

Use your inhalation to make the pose blossom, take the heads of your shoulders back, and spread your collarbones and pectorals. Imagine your shoulder blades are a pair of friendly hands pressing into your chest and opening your heart, and then carefully raise your gaze so that the curve in your neck is a continuation of the curve in your upper back. Balancing the bend in your Up Dog will protect your spine.


Reminders

Lengthen back of neck
Pull chest between arms
Keep arms perpendicular to the floor
Straighten elbows
Lift thighs, especially inner thighs
Press down evenly through hands and knuckles
Stack the shoulders directly over the wrists
Don't sit in the lower back.

Pose Benefits

Strengthens the arms
Opens the shoulders and upper back
Expands the chest
Tones the legs
Contraindications

Lower-back injury
Wrist issues or carpal tunnel syndrome
Shoulder vulnerability
Pregnancy (and possible pregnancy)

Classic Yoga Poses - Step by Step instruction

Click here:http://www.santosha.com/asanas.html
This website provides an Index to the common Yoga Postures (asana).
It shows the Sanskrit name, the English translation and the level of difficulty of each pose. from 1 to 9, 1 being the easiest.

Click on the name of the posture to view step-by-step instructions, photos, tips and comments.

2011 New Year Resolution

Let's challenge ourselves in the Year of the Rabbit with -
*a brighter perspective in life
*tons of positive attitude and energy
*thousands of happy thoughts
*millions of Healthy cells and strong immune system
*billions of laughter
*trillions of success in life and
*gazillions of love to be shared!

Imagine all the possibilities when you have a healthy, strong,fresh and rejuvenated body,through YOGA !