Yoga Can Help in Lowering Cholesterol

Yoga will surely help you get rid of the cholesterol and you will be highly satisfied when after two months you go to check the level and find them impressively low.

The main factor with cholesterol is that the fats in your body don't get burned up due to lack of physical activity or improper life style.

The cholesterol flows in the blood and an increase in its amount make the cholesterol deposit on the walls of the blood vessels. The result is clogging of the blood arteries.

Yoga, uses exercises (asanas) to relax and tone the muscles and to massage the organs, breathing techniques (pranayama) to regulate the body's energy levels, meditations to calm the mind, and relaxation postures to reduce and eliminate stress and anxiety.

The practice of yoga improves the blood and oxygen flow around the body which aids in the removal of toxins and waste. For yoga to be truly beneficial to the lowering of your unwanted bad cholesterol it must be practiced on a regular basis.

Also Yoga reduces stress hormones, which in turn lowers cholesterol. That’s why meditation is similar to yoga in its cholesterol-lowering power.

Yoga will surely help you get rid of the cholesterol and you will be highly satisfied when after two months you go to check the level and find them impressively low.

Yoga and Ayurveda

Yoga - The perfect way to perfect health

Regular practice of yoga provides us with immunity against all diseases. Lakhs of People in the west have appreciated the benefits of yoga and are now regular practitioners of this form due to the benefits it brings. Though yoga was an offshoot of Hindu philosophy and was intended to bring human beings in union with the creator, it has now been practiced primarily to improve the physical and mental health in an individual. Yoga Sutra, written 2000 years ago by Patanjali, provides us with the earliest and the most authentic treatise on yoga. He dwelt at length on all aspects of yoga and has also described the eight stages of yoga discipline.

Eight principles

1- Yamas- Restraints

2- Niyamas- Observance of austerity, purity, contentment, study, surrender of ego.

3- Asanas- Physical postures or exercises.

4- Pranayama- Breathing control.

5- Partyahara- Withdrawal of the senses.

6- Dharana- Concentration of the mind.

7- Dhyana- Meditation.

8- Samadhi- Attainment of the super conscious state.

Rules and Regulations

As yoga is a time tested and proven scientific system meant for physical, spiritual and mental excellence, certain rules and regulations are to be followed for successful results.

1- Though there is no specific time for doing yoga, morning is the best time to perform yoga. One should then stick to this time regularly and should practice regularly for 15 minutes each day, 5 days in a week.

2- The place where one practices yoga alone should be neat, clean and airy.

3- Yoga should as far as possible be practiced on an empty stomach. In case one has consumed food, he should wait for at least 2 hours before practicing yoga. Hot and spicy foods, excess intake of tea, coffee, alcohol and drugs are best avoided.

4- One should relax for 5 to 10 seconds between asanas.

5- One should be neat and clean both in person and also in his dress and should neither be tired nor under physical stress.

6- The mind should be free from worries, tension and anxiety while practicing.

7- Women should avoid practicing yoga during their menstrual periods and pregnant women should practice moderately.

Asanas

Asanas are certain body postures that an individual takes in the course of performing yoga and these form an integral part of the yoga. These asanas are designed to promote the physical, spiritual and mental well being in an individual. There are several asanas and each one has a special name, form, offer particular benefits, and have a distinct way of performing. Asanas are highly beneficial and help to overhaul, rejuvenate and bring the entire body constitution in to a state of equilibrium. We give below a few of the common asanas that are widely practiced in India.

1- Surya Namaskar. This means greeting and bowing to the sun. This is the most widely practiced asana. And all asanas usually begin with greeting the sun. This form is useful in nourishing and energizing the upper part of the human body.

2- Uttham Pada Asana. In this form of asana one lifts the legs upwards. This posture is particularly beneficial in strengthening the spinal cord.

3- Paschimothan Asana. Also called the forward bend, this completely stretches the entire back of the body. Though a bit strenuous, this is a very helpful pose for the entire body right from the skull up to the heels.

4- Bhujanga Asana. This is called the cobra pose and is done to give flexibility to the spine.

5- Salabha Asana- This is known as the locust posture and is helpful in strengthening and activating the lower part of the body from the waist downwards. And to derive maximum benefit from this posture, one should practice it after the cobra pose.

6- Sarvanga Asana. This is considered as one of the most important of the asanas. In this posture the weight of the entire body is made to rest on the shoulders. This also helps to stretch the neck and the upper back regions to the maximum.

7- Matsya Asana. Also called the fish pose, this form helps to fill the lungs with air and improve the ability to float in water. It is recommended that this asana be performed after the sarvanga asana.

8- Dhanur Asana. This pose helps to give a backward bend to the spine and all the muscles of the back from neck to the lower back. It is advised that dhanur asana be performed together with the locust pose.

9- Hala Asana. This is called the plough pose. In this form the person bends forward to the maximum. This is highly useful in providing strength and flexibility to all parts of the back and neck.

10- Shava Asana. This is called the corpse pose as the position adopted resembles the posture of a corpse. This is one of the most commonly practiced asanas and is helpful in giving relaxation to the body and mind.

Benefits

Regular practice of yoga provides immense benefits to all who practice it. Its wide acceptance throughout the world is a measure of its efficacy and the help it provides in improving the physical, mental and spiritual health in an individual. Yoga alters brain wave activities reflecting in increased relaxation and a better focused mind. It is effective in preventing heart diseases. Yoga also helps lower blood pressure. It guards against insomnia and improves memory and strengthens the muscles. It brings in psychological changes that will reflect in the overall health and well being of an individual. Yoga techniques are being increasingly used as a supplementary therapy for such diseases as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, asthma etc. It helps to kick the habit of smoking. The modern world has much to gain from yoga. Yoga is the way and the means

Yoga for pregnancy

Yoga is a low impact exercise. This is important during pregnancy in order to keep both you and your baby safe. High impact forms of exercise are generally not safe for you or your baby while you are pregnant. Yoga for pregnancy can still give you a great workout without putting you or your baby in harm's way.

Yoga teaches proper breathing techniques. This is good for both your mind and your body. The unique form of breathing that is done during yoga (in some practices called ujjayi breathing) can help calm the mind and the body. In any yoga for pregnancy video you get, there will be a focus on your breath. It can focus on how to calm your breath, how to breathe into different parts of your body and how to breathe away tension and stress. This kind of focused breathing is also great for helping you prepare for childbirth.

Yoga stretches your body. This aspect of yoga for pregnancy is great for helping you get rid of any tension and stress in your body. As your body grows and changes during pregnancy, you will have aches and pains in places that you never have before. The stretching that yoga provides can help you work out these kinks and relieve the tension in those areas that get particularly stressed. Your back, legs and feet are definitely areas that will need some extra stretching during pregnancy.

Yoga incorporates relaxation techniques. At the end of most yoga classes and videos, you will find a relaxation section. When you are doing yoga for pregnancy, this is can be an especially wonderful time to connect to your baby and to let your body fully relax. Focused relaxation is always important but even more important during pregnancy when your body is undergoing so many changes. It also gives you a chance to shut off your mind and just be. When you do this fully, there are no worries or concerns, you are simply in the moment with your baby, which is a magical and wonderful experience.

Cure Diabetes Through Yoga

Diabetes in various forms affects up to 5percent of the world population with 12 million diabetics in Western Europe alone. Of the different ways in which diabetes presents, noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is probably the most commonly encountered genetic disease. NIDDM or Type II diabetes is multifactorial, depending also on environmental factors including obesity, sedentary lifestyles and nutritional imbalances.

Yoga has shown some beneficial results in curing diabetes. The yoga exercises that are prescribed for curing diabetes is different from hatha yoga exercise because it involves positions tailored to treat certain conditions, as well as meditation, relaxation and stretching exercises.

One of the studies conducted to cure diabetes was the one set up by the Yoga Biomedical Trust, founded in 1982 by biochemist Dr Robin Monro, and an Indian yoga research foundation which discovered that practicing yoga for 30 minutes a day for one month helped reduce blood glucose levels in some diabetics.

The yoga patients took part in one or two 90-minute sessions a week and were asked to practice at home. The classes included the specific yoga exercises of the spinal twist, the bow and abdominal breathing.

At the end of the 12 weeks blood sugar levels fell significantly in all patients in the group and were slightly raised in a control group which had not joined in the yoga sessions. Three yoga students managed to reduce their medication, including one man who had not changed his drug regime for 20 years.

It has been known for a long time that exercise is helpful for diabetics. Yoga therapy may help reduce stress levels which could play a part in maturity onset diabetes. But one drawback is that some patients would find it hard to keep up the regular sessions needed to sustain the benefit. All the patients said they would like to see these classes set up on a permanent basis but we don't have the money.

It is not necessarily the exercise component of the yoga therapy package which is most important, because there is not enough physical exercise to account for the changes, but stress reduction has a lot to do with it. Stress hormones increase sugar levels in the blood. People also benefit from the stabilization of their moods which yoga brings, an increased feeling of well-being and a feeling of being more in control, which may help with their diet control.