Ayurvedic Cure & Prevention by Herbal Medicines: Obesity

Showing posts with label Obesity. Show all posts

Yoga: Surya Namaskar - Benefits and Positions

Though, I have not covered yoga in much details in my blog till date as I am not a yoga expert but it is not possible for me to stop the urge for talking about one of the best yogasana which has shown miraculous impact on body systems for various health conditions. Infact, it is considered as the best exercise for human body. Surya Namaskar consists of not only important Yogasanas and but also Pranayama. The Pranayama and its advantages are skillfully incorporated in Surya Namaskar. In all this Surya Namaskar is an appreciated exercise among people of all ages from kids to old age people.

Ideally, these exercises should be performed early in the morning, exposing your body to the sun's rays. But if, for some reason, it cannot be performed in the morning you may do so in the evening on an empty stomach, in a well ventilated room. Initially, you may start with three rounds and gradually build up the stamina for 10 to 12 rounds. Practice the exercises at the pace you feel comfortable with. If you feel tired after a few rounds, rest by lying down with eyes closed for a few minutes.

Before I start on explaining the exercise in details, let me highlight the Health Benefits of Surya Namaskar:

Surya Namaskar series of exercises activates the endocrine glands and the chakras (vortexes through which the vital life energy or prana is channeled into us) energizing the entire body in a balanced way
Surya Namaskar accords overall strength and flexibility to the body, which is why it is generally performed before other asanas
These simple exercises fight aging and rejuvenate the entire body
Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is the best way to burn the calories and reduce weight
It is often recommended for obesity reduction
Prevents Heart complaints and controls Blood sugar levels
They have beneficial effects on chronic skin problems
Relieves Stress and Tension
Improves attention and concentration

Now let us move to the different positions in Surya Namaskar:
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Position1: Inhale and maintain it in standing position with hands joined together near chest, feet together and toes touching each other

Position2: Exhale and bend forward in the waist till palms touch the ground in line with the toes. Don't bend knees while performing. At first you may find it difficult to attain the ideal position but try to bend as much as possible without bending in knees.

Do’s

While exhaling bend forward in the waist
Palms touching the ground, fingers pointing forward, thumbs at 90 degree angle
Legs straight
Try to touch the forehead to the knees
Relax the neck

Don’ts

Do not bend the knees
Do not keep the neck tense

Position3: Inhale and take the left leg back with left toes on the floor, press the waist downwards and raise the neck, stretch the chest forward and push shoulders backwards. Keep the right leg and both the hands in the same position. Keep the right leg folded.

Dos

Take the left leg backwards and touch the knee to the floor, keeping the toes erect
The knee of the right leg will need to be bent
The knee of the left leg should touch the ground
Drop the waist/ hips towards the floor
Gaze is upwards, and both arms are straight

Don’ts

Do not bend the neck forward
Do not bend the elbows

We will talk about the rest of the positions of Surya Namaskar in my next post.

Hast Mudra - Gyan Mudra, Pran Mudra and Surya Mudra

Gyan Mudra - As the name suggests, this mudra has it's most number of benefits in the Gyan or Knowledge field. If used regularly, this Mudra increases the memory of children and adults alike (with varying degree of success though) and also increases the concentration and intelligence. Not only this, it also reduces the negative thoughts content in the mind and hence reduces mental tension which is the root cause of multiple diseases. Other diseases where this Mudra is proven beneficial are headache, lose temper and insomnia.

How to practice this Mudra - Join the tip of thumb and index finger keeping all other fingers straight as per the picture shown here. Practice this for 30- 40 minutes in one stretch continuously or in 5 - 10 minutes periodical stretches in a way that you are able to practice this for at least 30 - 40 minutes total in a day for better results.

Pran Mudra - This Hast Mudra helps to improve the eyesight and is particularly helpful in reducing myopic vision rather than hypermetropic vision. Not only this, it is also beneficial for other eye related ailments like glucoma. This also helps in improving immunity of body to fight with diseases and help the body to keep itself fit and full of energy. We can also overcome our hunger or thirst during fasting by practicing this.

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Important - For better results in Insomnia, practice this mudra in tandem with gyan mudra
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How to practice this Mudra - Join the tip of little finger, ring finger and thumb keeping all other fingers straight as per the picture shown here. Practice this for 30- 40 minutes in one stretch continuously or in 5 - 10 minutes periodical stretches in a way that you are able to practice this for at least 30 - 40 minutes total in a day for better results

Surya Mudra - Surya Mudra is quite advantageous in reducing obesity, mental tension and blood cholestrol level. Diabetic patients must do this Mudra becasue this also helps in curing diabetes. This mudra is also seen as beneficial in lever disorders and improves digestion power of body. Since this increasses the heat level in the body, we should not practice this for a long time in summer season. It is also advisable that a physically weak person should practice this under proper guidance.

How to practice this Mudra - Keep the tip of ring finger at the root of thumb and press the same finger with the thumb. All other fingers should be kept straight in this Mudra as per the picture shown here.

Medo - Vridhi / Sthaulya

Medo - Vridhi / Sthaulya, which is also called as motapa in Hindi and Obesity or Over weight in English is one of the most found disease in human beings.

It is caused by accumulation of extra fat in different parts of body. Hips, belly, thighs and breasts are more prone to it. Medo-Vridhi itself is a deisease and it causes many other diseases in the body like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, arthitis among main ones.

This is mainly due to bad eating habits and people are getting mor and more conciuous about this now a days. But in most cases, they do not follow the best practices but take the easier routes like going to gymnasiums, exercising a lot or dieting which leads to nutritional deficiencies in body. Wrinkles and dark circles start appearing on the skin due to improper diet intake. Moreover, they again gain weight after they stop dieting. Another myth in this is that start taking juices. We need to know that juices contain more sugar content and no roughage. Roughage is extremely important in digestion and prevents constipation. We all know that extra sugar leads to obesity. Taking frutis instead of juices is much better option as it fills the stomach and sugar consumed is also much less.

Yes, exercising is an effective way to reduce weight but we need to know that males amd females have diferent metabolism. While males can burn fat doing high intensity exercises, females burn more fat by doing low intensity long duration exercises.

I will not go into what to eat, when to eat and what exercises are more helpful in reduction of weight but will touch upon certain foods or home remedies that can help us reduce weight and get rid of obesity. Some of them are: