Yoga Schedule – for the Mind and the Body.

13 08 07 Yoga

A lot of friends who read my earlier blog ‘Spiritual Visit to Kaivalyadham have asked me to share my interaction with the yoga consultant at Kaivalyadham. This blog is about the yoga schedule prescribed to me for good health and a better quality of life. It attempts to describe some of the asanas I have been asked to practice to improve my health and state of mind.

Before I proceed, I would like to put up a BIG DISCLAIMER that the asanas and the benefits discussed are purely at an individual level. I have started practicing it regularly and I am starting to see the benefits. Whether it will be beneficial to you is something you will have to decide. If you wish to take help of a professional yoga consultant, please do so. Please do not jump start with yogasanas before thoroughly understanding your body. Understanding of our body is the most essential step towards starting any activity that is designed to help our body.

My yoga schedule is divided into three sections:

1. Pranayama (The breathing control techniques) – These are to be done without fail. It takes hardly 5-10 minutes to complete the breathing control techniques. These are easy to practice and can be done wherever one is. All one needs is to adopt the right posture and start with the breathing control techniques of yoga. There are many techniques and variations of Pranayama. I am listing three that I was recommended.13 08 07 table 1

  • Kapalbhati – ‘kapal’ literally means forehead but it symbolically means the body. And ‘bhati’ means shining. It is said that eventually the practitioners will have a shining body (i.e. a body glow due to absence of illness). The focus is on exhalation that is accompanied by the contraction of the abdomen muscles. Inhalation is automatic. If done regularly, it is said to cure the body of various ailments. 13 08 07 Kapalbhati
  • Anulom Vilom – is the alternate nostril breathing technique to purify the body and the mind. You inhale through one nostril and then close the nostril with your finger. You lift the finger from the other nostril and then exhale through it. Use the nostril now for inhalation and close it with your finger when done. You can use the thumb and the first finger of one hand to control the nostrils. This process is repeated for a few times. It helps relieve anxiety and stress.13 08 07 Anulom Vilom
  • Bhramari – is making a continuous honey bee humming sound from the throat during exhalation. The humming sound should be loud and clear. It should result in vibrations felt on the forehead. This technique is said to bring calmness to the mind, almost immediately. The main benefits are reduction in high blood pressure, fatigue and stress. It helps in the better functioning of the ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) organs.

 2.     The regular yoga schedule – The regular yoga schedule is a set of very simple asanas to be practiced for approximately 30 minutes every day. None of these require a lot of body movement or stressful exertions. They focus on using the basic body postures (but to be done in the right way) to strengthen the body. The most ideal time to perform these is early morning from 4.30 am to 6.30 am. The reason being that the stomach is rested for about 6 hours during our sleep, which is vital for the yogasanas to be effective. The same set of yogasana done early morning on an empty stomach brings more benefits than done later in the evening. Even if you plan to do it in the evening, ensure that there is a gap of at least 3-4 hours between your last meal/munch and the time of practicing yoga. I am giving a brief description on some of the yogasanas recommended to me. Detailed information on them and the others is available on the internet. If you wish to practice the asanas listed here, I recommend that you find more information about them before actual practice.13 08 07 table 2

  • Niralambasana – You lie on the abdomen (stomach) with legs joined to each other. You raise your upper body and shoulders up. The elbows are touching the ground and your hands close to the face. Rest your chin on your palms. A minute or so in this position is a very helpful relaxing technique.
  • Bhujangasana – This asana resembles a cobra with a raised hood. Lie on your stomach, legs joined, heels raised and toes touching the ground. Raise your upper body vertical to the ground level (as much as possible). Place both the palms on the ground and look straight ahead like a raised cobra. The shoulder-elbow part of the hand should also be vertical to the ground level.
  • Setubandhasana – This position resembles a bridge and hence the name. Lie down on your back. Fold your legs so that the foot touches the ground completely. Let your palms touch the ground close to your feet. If possible hold the ankles of your feet with your hands. Now raise the middle body part slowly to the maximum possible elevation. Stay in this position for 20-30 seconds for good results.
  • Chakrasana – Stand straight with legs joined together at the thighs, ankles and feet. Keep your left hand straight and let your left palm touch the left knee (if possible). Raise your right hand up touching the ears, palms facing to the left direction. Bend to the left as much as you can, keeping the left and right hands in a straight line. Stay in this position for about 10-15 seconds. Now repeat the position in the other direction.
  • Konasana – This position is similar to Chakrasana, the only variation being the legs are now apart. The distance between the legs depends on your comfort level. Repeat the steps above on either sides of the body and stay in this position for about 10-15 seconds.
  • Parvatasana – Stand straight with legs joined together at the thighs, ankles and feet. Raise your hands upwards and body erect. Stay in this position for a couple of minutes for good results.
  • Brahmamudra – is the exercise of the neck in all directions possible – left, right, up, down, slant left and slant right. Turn the neck in all six directions and stay in each position for about 15 seconds. Doing Brahmamudra regularly will help solve your neck related pain problems.
  • Makrasana – One needs to lie on the abdomen (stomach), place one palm on top of another and rest the forehead on the hand. The legs have to be spread with the toes pointing outwards. It resembles the formation of a crocodile and hence the name. Assuming this pose for 2 minutes is very beneficial in controlling the stress of the mind and the body. Different variations of Makrasana are possible and should be regularly practiced for good results.

 3.     Asanas to be done to avoid back pain – These asanas will help control any back pain, provided they are done in the right manner. Please do not try them if you are having acute back pain. Please seek guidance before trying out these asanas. The best way is to practice them regularly so as to avoid back pain in the long run.13 08 07 table 3

  • Balkridasana – This is the position of the sleeping baby. One needs to lie on the abdomen (stomach), place one palm on top of another and rest the left ear on the hand. Your head should face rightwards. The right leg should be bent making a 90 degrees angle at the knees. The left leg is in the normal straight position. Stay in this position for about 5 minutes. This position is to be repeated for the left side.
  • Step Pose – This is a particularly useful position while at work. However you must be able to leave aside your inhibitions to practice this position at work. You lie down on your back; outstretch your arms sideways, palms facing the ground and rest both your feet on the seat of a chair. The legs should be bent making a 90 degrees angle at your knees. Practicing this position for a few minutes daily can be very beneficial for your back in the long run. The best part is that you can do it even in your office, if you find it hard to practice it at home.13 08 07 Pavanmuktasana
  • Pavanmuktasana – This is the wind relieving pose. You have to lie on your back, legs folded and knees pulled towards your chest. Hold the knees with your hands. Hold this position for about 2-5 minutes every day to seek relief from back pain. This position also helps in relieving digestive gases from the intestine and the stomach.

I have started doing the breathing control techniques (pranayama) since I am back from Kaivalyadham. I am slowly building up my yoga schedule so that in a few days from now, I should be doing at least 30 minutes of yoga every morning.

Due to confidentiality reasons, I cannot put the recommended asanas chart here on my blog. However if you want to have a look at the chart, you can send me an email (sachin@sachinsadare.in) or fill in the contact form with your email address. I will surely email you the scanned copy of the chart. It will help to give you a better visual representation of the asanas mentioned above, especially the variations. If you have any additional questions, write to me and I will do my best to answer them.

— Sachin

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