Fitness with Yoga Exercises - Energy Meditation Zeal Rigour Excercise

Exercises for the back

One of the most important areas of the body, which can make your life hellish, is a bad back. Until it is ok we rarely bother about it, but once it starts giving you pain, your whole life ends up revolving around it. To keep the back in good condition, practice the following postures which are easy to do and yet keep your back in a good shape.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Lie on your stomach, your legs straight, your feet together, your soles upward and your forehead on the floor

• Place your palms below and to the side of the shoulders, the elbows tucked in close to the body

• Inhale, slowly raise your head and upper body, keeping your navel on the floor and your elbows bent as shown

• Hold, breathing normally

• Exhale as you slowly return to start position

• Now place your palms by your chest, the elbows tucked in

• Inhale and raise your upper body till your navel

• Straighten your arms, raise your torso as shown, tuck your toes in and look up

• Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally

• Slowly resume start position.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Stand on your knees, knees together with your arms by your side, your feet tucked in

• Slowly lean back, reach back with your right arm and grip your right heel

• Inhale, raise your left arm, slowly arch backward stretching your arm behind you as shown

• Hold for a few seconds breathing normally

• Slowly raise your arm, straighten up and resume start position

• Repeat with the other arm

• Get down on all fours, your arms straight, palms under your shoulders, fingers facing forward, knees in line with your hips.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Get down on all fours, your arms straight, your palms under your shoulders, the fingers facing forward, your knees in line with your hips

• Inhale and raise your head and look up as you create an intense dip in your back

• Hold the position and your breath for a few seconds

• Exhale and drop your head down and arch your back as shown

• Hold your breath and maintain the position for a few seconds

• Resume start position

• Do about 10 - 15 rounds.

Exercises that help you stretch your muscles

Yoga works on the principle that a person’s body should be stretched in directions which is not normally done in day to day life. As the body has hundreds of muscles, each muscle needs to be stretched and stimulated in order for the whole body to be healthy. The following postures will work on your shoulders to bring back an upright posture and basic flexibility.

Exercise 1

EXERCISE 1

* Sit with your legs stretched out
* Place your palms behind you, as shown, with your fingers pointing away from your body
* Pushing down on the palms, slowly push the chest forward, arch the back and drop the head back, as shown
* Hold the position, breathing normally
* Slowly return to the start position.

Exercise 2

EXERCISE 2

* Kneel down, with your palms directly under your shoulder, your fingers facing forward, your knees in line with your hips and your soles facing upwards
* Curve the back, as shown
* Looking straight ahead, inhale and raise one arm, as shown. Raise your shoulder up to the level of your ear
* Hold the position for 30-60 seconds
* Repeat with the other arm.

Exercise 3

EXERCISE 3

* Repeat the first two steps of Exercise 1, keeping your hands on your hips
* Raise one arm over your head, with the palm facing up, and bend backwards as far as you can. Look up
* Hold the position for 10-30 seconds
* Repeat with the other side.

Techniques to improve flexibility in upper body

Almost any movement of the body requires a movement of the spine. Until the upper body is able to move freely, a person will always feel restricted in his or her sense of movement. These postures will create flexibility in the upper body by stretching the back and sides.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Stand straight, with the feet together and arms by the side
• Raise one arm sideways to shoulder-level. Turn the palm up and stretch the arm up
• Exhale, stretch the arm over the head, bending the body to one side
• Hold for 10-30 seconds and inhale
• Repeat with the other side.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Stand with the legs wide apart, the arms by your side
• Raise one arm up to the side and up to the ear. Exhale; stretch the arm over the head, bending the body to one side, the palm facing down
• Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally
• Inhale and go back to the start position
• Repeat with the other side.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Kneel on the floor with the knees a little apart
• Bend the body to the left side and place the left palm to the side as shown
• Raise the right arm and stretch it over the head, parallel to the floor
• Hold for 10-30 seconds
• Return to the start position
• Repeat with the other side.

Techniques to improve flexibility

Yoga is not only meant for flexible people, it is meant for any person of any age and of any fitness level. As we grow older our bodies tend to get stiff, so this series has been designed specifically for people who hate to move their bodies due to stiffness or low energy, and also for people with very low levels of flexibility. Start now and soon you will see changes in your body that you never thought could happen.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Stand straight, your feet together, your palms joined in front of your chest

• Inhale, keep the palms together and bend the back, stretching your arms over your head

• Breathe normally.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Turn the body to one side; bring one foot forward two to three feet ahead of the other

• Inhale, raise both arms straight above the head. Exhale, bend forward, interlock the hands around the upper foot and pull the toes up, the heel on the floor. Lower the head and look at the toe

• Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally

• Repeat with the other leg.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Stand straight with your legs together

• Bend one leg and bring the foot to rest on the inner thigh close to the groin

• Maintain balance by focusing on a point in front of you and raise the arms to the sides

• Raise the arms up, keep them straight, keep the palms joined

• Hold for 10-30 seconds

• Repeat with the other leg.

Exercise 4

Exercise 4

• Stand straight, the feet together

• Exhale and bend forward from the hip

• Place your palms on the floor and your head on your knees

• Keep your knees straight

• Breathe normally.

Meditation techniques

There are many ways to make the mind precise and to stop it from its non-stop thinking. The mind should be the servant and not the master. Similarly, an individual should control his or her thoughts and not be controlled by the thoughts. The process of mediation is the process by which all thoughts which come into our mind get deleted and you are once again in a position to choose the subject of your thought. These meditation techniques will take some time but will take you into Dharna (object based meditation), which will increase your ability to concentrate.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Place a lighted candle at arm’s length on a table in front of you at eye level
• Make sure there is no draft and the flame is steady
• Sit in any meditative asana with the back straight
• Close your eyes and relax the body
• Then open your eyes and gaze steadily at the tip of the wick
• Try not to blink or move your eyeballs
• When the eyes get tired, close them and try to visualise the after-image of the candle flame in your mind
• After a minute, open your eyes and continue to gaze at the flame
• Repeat this cycle twice or thrice
• Practise for a total of two minutes, slowly going up to ten minutes
• As you are finishing, close your eyes and watch the dark space in front of your eyes. Be aware of and just watch any thoughts that come up
• Then open your eyes and blow out the candle.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Sit as in padmasana, the eyes closed, the body relaxed
• Inhale. As you exhale, chant ‘Om’ emphasising the ‘M’ sound for as long as you can draw the breath out. Listen to the sound vibration of ‘Om’ in the body as you chant.

Postures to increase focus

The breath and mind are totally connected. The ancient yogis discovered that the breath has an edge over the mind because thoughts cannot control the breath. But, if the breath can be controlled, so can your thoughts. If you have noticed, changing your breathing pattern changes your mood. An angry individual can become calm by taking a few deep breaths. Similarly, any mind that is restless cannot focus. Through the practise of Pranayam we can centre the mind, thus increasing its ability to focus and thus increasing concentration.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Keep your eyes closed, your body relaxed. Gently insert your thumbs in your ears and place the fingers on the head as shown
• Inhale deeply, exhale slowly through your mouth making a humming sound like a bee
• Listen to the sound vibrations as they travel through the body
• Repeat three times.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Sit in padmasana. Sit with legs stretched out, the back straight
• Bend one leg; place the ankle on the opposite thigh close to the groin. Bend the other leg and place the ankle on the thigh of the bent leg, close to the groin. Place your hands on your knees
• Bend the forefinger and the middle finger of your right hand. Close your eyes and practice deep breathing
• Close the right nostril with the thumb, place the ring finger between the eyebrows and inhale to a count of five
• Close the left nostril with the ring finger. Hold your breath to a count of ten
• Raise the thumb to between the eyebrows, exhale slowly through the right nostril to a count of ten
• Now breathe in again through the right nostril to a count of five. Close the right nostril with the thumb and hold your breath for ten seconds. Place the ring finger between the eyebrows and exhale through the left nostril to a count of ten
• Repeat the complete cycle for two to five minutes.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Sit comfortably, the back straight, the hands resting on your knees
• Keep the head straight
• Close your eyes, relax the face and body
• Open the eyes and focus them on the tip of the nose
• Hold for a few seconds
• Focus on a point or an object in the distance
• Focus again on the tip of the nose
• Repeat three times
• Close the eyes and relax them.

Postures to stabilise your breath

When you practise yoga, your breath and heart  rate decrease as opposed to doing other forms of exercise where your heart and lungs are working harder and faster. If you have noticed, when you are nervous or stressed your heart rate increases and your breath becomes shallow. Yoga has understood that an individual has to be relaxed and stress free in order for him or her to function at their optimum levels. It is the same with concentration. Until your heart is steady and your mind is relaxed you will not be able to focus on any thing as your system is in a state of imbalance.

The following postures will stabilise your breath and relax you so that you feel rejuvenated and alert.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Sit with the legs stretched out, the back straight
• Bend one leg; place the ankle on the opposite thigh close to the groin. Bend the other leg and place the ankle on the thigh of the bent leg, close to the groin
• Lean back on the elbows and slowly lower the head and back to the floor.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Lie on your back, your arms by your side
• Inhale and raise your right leg
• Bend the right leg, clasp the right knee with the hands, exhale as you bring the chin to the knee
• Hold the position for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally
• Repeat with the left leg
• Now, inhale and raise both legs
• Bend the knees; clasp them with your hands as shown, exhale as you bring the chin to your knees
• Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally
• Straighten legs, and slowly resume start position.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Sit with your back straight and your legs stretched out
• Bend one leg and place it so that the heel touches the groin area
• Inhale and raise arms up straight
• Exhale, bend forward to grasp the ankle or foot and bring the forehead down to touch the floor, as shown
• Hold for 10-30 seconds
• Repeat with the other leg.

Postures to relax and feel meditative

Increasing blood flow to the head is important because one third of all yogic postures are inverted by nature. The yogis realised that increasing blood flow to the head had many benefits such as a calm mind, sharp thinking process and physical benefits like glowing skin and clear eyes. A distracted and agitated mind cannot focus. Practise the following postures that will have a lasting effect on you as they bring you into a meditative and relaxed state in which it will be easier to concentrate on any subject or activity.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Sit back on your heels

• Grasp the lower calves just above the ankle region, keep the thumbs uppermost

• Slowly bend forward, place the crown of the head on the floor as shown

• Raise the hips as high as possible till the thighs are vertical and the chin presses against the chest

• Hold 5-20 seconds, breathing normally

• Slowly raise the head and upper body and sit back on your heels.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Lie flat on your back, your arms by your side

• Slowly raise the legs to a 90 degree position

• Lift hips and support them with the hands as shown

• Hold for 10-30 seconds. Breathing normally

• Slowly come back to the start position.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Lie flat on your back; bend your knees, place the feet near the hips

• Place your palms underneath your shoulders with your fingers pointing towards your shoulders

• Raise your hips; arch your back, shifting your weight onto your hands

• Pushing up, raise your head and upper body as far as you can

• Hold for 10-30 seconds breathing normally

• Slowly lower the hips straighten the legs; bring the arms down by the side.

Exercises to help you focus

The following postures are difficult and require tremendous focus, strength and will power. These advanced postures require your total attention as any hesitation on your part will not allow you to perform them correctly. Even if you cannot achieve these postures, your efforts will go a long way to build up your ability to focus, and your will power, which is equally important in developing concentration.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1

• Squat on the floor and keep your feet apart

• Rise up on your toes, place your palms flat on the floor in front of your feet, your fingers pointing forward, and keep your elbows bent

• Lean forward, so that your outer upper arms touch the inner knees

• Lean forward shifting your body weight to your arms, keep your feet together and, balancing on your hands, lift them off the floor

• Focus on the tip of your nose or point in front of you . Hold this position for as long as you can or hold for 10-30 seconds

• Slowly lower your feet and resume the start position.

Exercise 2

Exercise 2

• Stand straight, keep your feet together and your palms joined in front of your chest

• Bend one leg and place your ankle on the opposite thigh, close to the groin

• Squat down and come up on your toes, as shown

• Hold the position for 10 - 30 seconds

• Repeat it with the other leg.

Exercise 3

Exercise 3

• Sit with your back straight and your legs stretched out

• Bend one leg and place your ankle on the opposite thigh, close to the groin

• Bend your other leg, place over the thigh of the bent leg, close to the groin and keep your back straight (padmasana)

• Place your hands beside your hips with the palms down and fingers pointing forward

• Press down on your palms; lift your body off the floor as shown

• Hold for 10-30 seconds

• Gently lower your body and resume the start position

Exercises to help you focus

When the body is placed in an unstable position the nervous system has to act fast and send messages to all the required muscles to bring it back to a state of total balance and stability. By creating this situation the brain or CNS (Central Nervous System) is bypassed and the job of re-balancing is taken over by the spine or PNS (Peripheral Nervous System). This way, all thoughts entering the brain are shut down and a space is created in the mind. By practicing these postures your mind will get silent and allow you to focus.

Caution: Peple suffering from high blood pressure, heart problems, neck, slipped disc or any lower back problems should not do these exercises or consult a doctor before attempting them.

Exercise 1

EXERCISE 1

•  Lie flat on your back, with your arms on your thighs and inhale
•  Exhale and raise your legs and upper body 45 degrees above the ground
•  Stretch your arms straight out towards your toes making a 'boat' shape
•  Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally
•  Slowly lower your legs and your upper body to the starting position.

Exercise 2

EXERCISE 2

•  Lie on your back, keeping your hands interlocked behind your head
•  Bring your legs to 90 degrees and bend your knees
•  Keep your leg position fixed. Raise your upper body to meet your knees. Hold the position while breathing normally
•  Inhale as you come back to the starting position.

Exercise 3

EXERCISE 3

•  Sit with your legs stretched out. Bend your knees and bring your feet close to your body, 2-3 feet apart
•  Grip your big toes, lean slightly back and, keeping your balance, straighten your legs and arms. Focus on a point at eye level
•  Hold for 10-30 seconds while breathing normally.