Issue-2 Free Weekly E-magazine on Health & Spirituality 1

Health Benefits of Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

I n S a n s k r i t , “ b h u j a n g a ” means serpent or s n a k e a n d “” means pose; hence the English, cobra p o s e . T h i s i n v i g o r a t i n g Gayatri Yogacharya was n a m e d s u c h b e c a u s e Bhujangasana reflects the posture them if this feels uncomfortable. stretch evenly along your spine. of a cobra that has its hood raised. Rather, extend through and deepen Breathe calmly and hold here for 5 to Getting into Cobra Pose: your stretch to create a graceful, 10 breaths. As you exhale, gently Start by lying flat on your stomach on even arc in your back. Use the release your body back to the floor. a comfortable level surface. Make stretch in your legs and back, Benefits of Cobra Pose: sure your feet are together with the instead of exerting yourself to gain Stretches muscles in the palms, tops of them against the floor. height and risk overarching the wrist, shoulders, chest and Spread your hands on the floor spine. Press your tailbone toward abdominals. under your shoulders and hug your your pubis and lift your pubis toward Decreases stiffness of the lower elbows against your rib cage. Close your navel, narrowing your hips. back. Strengthens the arms and your eyes and inhale slowly, deeply. Keep your shoulders broad, but shoulders. Increases flexibility. Feel the stability in your pelvis, relaxed, with the blades low on your Improves menstrual irregularities. thighs and tops of your feet. Imagine back. Elevates mood. Firms and tones the them rooted to the ground Lift from the top of your sternum, but buttocks. Invigorates the heart. throughout Bhujangasana. avoid pushing the front of your ribs Stimulates organs in the abdomen, As you inhale, steadily straighten forward. Rather, puff your side ribs like the kidneys. Relieves stress and your arms and lift your chest from forward and keep your lower back fatigue. Opens the chest and helps the floor. Be mindful as you extend relaxed. Your face must be parallel to clear the passages of the heart your arms. Do not fully straighten to the ceiling with eyes stretched and lungs. Improves circulation of and looking up. Try to distribute the blood and oxygen, especially throughout the spinal and pelvic regions. Improves digestion. Strengthens the spine. Soothes sciatica. Helps to ease symptoms of asthma because of chest expansion in this pose. Strengthens your spine: Since the snake pose in is helpful in offering a good stretch to your back, it is very helpful in strengthening your spine. It is designed in such a way that your lower and upper back is stretched. It relieves cervical pain also. But if you suffer f r o m chronic back Contd. on page 4 Issue-2 2 Inquiry into the Self for Complete Eradication of Miseries A great Indian from likes and sage known as u n i o n w i t h M a h a r i s h i dislikes is the K a p i l a h a d , cause of all right from the m e n t a l b i r t h , t h e d i s o r d e r s qualities like - which inturn Vimal Wadhawan medicine and all sorts of Yogacharya V i r t u e s , cause an imbalance in the K n o w l e d g e , three faults and thereby comforts." Renunciation and Power. Born cause physical disorders The argument offerred by endowed with these qualities also. All psychological and Maharishi Kapila alongwith the and seeing the world sinking in psychosomatic diseases are complete spiritual solution to profound darkness and miseries, called mental miseries. completely eradicate the he became filled with love and 2. External (Adhiboutika) miseries is - “Manifest means compassion and taught the miseries : These are caused are not permanent. They are knowledge of twenty-five neither certain nor final. principles - knowledge, There is every possibility about the constitution of of recurrance of miseries our body, from which again and again after you proceeds the eradication treat, cure and eradicate of miseries. once. These means can Human beings - packed in not finally eradicate whatsoever bondages of miseries with certainty. If caste, colour, creed and one has a desire to various attachments, completely eradicate the have miseries manyfold. misesries of life, he needs by other living beings like to undertake complete efforts of Thus, living in miseries is a humans, animals or trees common feature of all living inquiry into the self. This is the etc. unmanifest means of eradication beings. It is not possible to count 3. Divine (Daivik) miseries : down all such miseries. of miseries.” These are caused by the act Maharishi Kapila's suggestion of Maharishi Kapila categorised the of God beyond the control of miseries in three :- h u m a n - 1. I n t e r n a l ( A d h y a t m i k a ) beings, like - miseries : It is again twofold - m i s e r i e s (i) physical, and (ii) mental. arising due to Physical miseries like fever, h e a t , c o l d , dysentery and other bodily rain, storm, diseases/disorders that arise e a r t h q u a k e inquiry into the self is 'Sankhya due to the imbalance of either etc. of the three faults (doshas) - Darshan' i.e. the doctrine based Maharishi Kapila suggested to on number of elements used in wind (vatta), bile (pitta), and make an inquiry into the self to phlegm (kapha). t h e c r e a t i o n o f m a n . I t eradicate these miseries. discriminates between manifest Mental miseries arise due to On this suggestion one can likes and dislikes. Separation and unmanifest elements also pose, "The inquiry into and thereby takes a person to the the self is superflous Supreme Unmanifest Power since there are number of within and without manifest body. manifest or evident means to cure, treat and e r a d i c a t e t h e s e Our Yoga Courses introduce the miseries. We have 'Sankhya doctrine' - the method money to purchase of inquiry into the self. Issue-2 3 Methods of Hydrotherapy In the last i s s u e , w e published an article "Healing Properties of W a t e r " . T h e present article l i s t s s o m e M e t h o d e s Hydrotherapy. Reduction in the quantity of fresh water on open eyes under the supervision of an Water element in the body or improve the eye-sight. Even expert. consumption of polluted water can during the day, eyes should be 8 Hip bath is also an easy water cause many types of diseases such washed 3-4 times. In summer, therapy that is very useful in a s d i a r r h o e a , d y s e n t e r y, keep a pack of cold wet cloth on managing the diseases of constipation, obesity, diabetes, eyes in order to prevent the urinary system, reproductive heart problems, high or low blood effect of heat stroke on eyes. system, menstrual disorders pressure, skin diseases, etc. 5. One must drink 4-5 litres of and constipation, etc. The important methods to water in the summer season. 9. Serious constipation can be maintain a balance of water element Otherwise, the deficiency of relieved by taking water in our body are as follows:- water in the body can cause enema. These should also be 1. Dry or wet friction of the body serious problems. Cold-drinks p e r f o r m e d u n d e r t h e i.e. rubbing the whole body with cannot be a substitute of water. supervision of an expert. dry or wet palms, before taking The presence of chemicals in Enema takes care of the bath with fresh water every day these drinks does more harm problems of large intestine. benefits the body a lot. Even 10. Swimming is also an after the bath, the body important method of water should be rubbed and dried therapy. It is beneficial for properly with a dry towel. muscles, blood-circulation Warm water should be used and digestion. only in case of excessive 11. In case of exhaustion weakness or diseased or fever, hot foot bath for 5 conditions. Even in that minutes helps a lot. In hot case, one should pour fresh foot bath, legs are dipped in than good to the body. Even in water after taking bath with tolerable hot water. Before winter, at least 2-3 litres of warm water. Every one should doing so, drink 1-2 glasses of water must be consumed. clean private parts with water fresh water and cover the head Water regulates the body thoroughly while bathing. with wet towel. temperature. The proper 2. Of course, taking bath in Ganga 12. Steam bath is a substitute for method of drinking water is - does not absolve one of one’s Sun bath. The person is made every sip of water must be kept sins but the water of Ganga to sit in a wooden box with head in the mouth for a few seconds river is full of such minerals as outside the box. Steam is before drinking. Thus, take at help in curing many diseases. supplied in the box from the least four to five minutes to Similarly, consuming Ganga bottom. Sweating starts in 5-10 drink a glass of water. In this water is good for health minutes. Of course, the Sun manner, diseases like High provided it is not polluted. bath is natural and does not Blood Pressure and Diabetes 3. After getting up in the morning, lead to any harmful effects. can be managed easily without one should drink 3-4 glasses of 13. Drinking hot water also benefits any medication. water every day. This is called the body on many counts, 6. If any part of the body is burnt Usha-paan. It helps in clearing whereas, tea, coffee, etc. do a accidentally, that part should be the bowels. lot of harm by disturbing the dipped in cold water until the 4. After Usha-paan, splashing digestion process. burning sensation dies down. 7. Perform kunjal at least once a week to get rid of the toxins deposited in the stomach. Similarly, jalneti helps in cleaning the nasal region. These should be performed Issue-2 4 : A Simple Guide to Practical Spirituality - Michelle Russell non-religious and spiritual. Heck, in my book, you can even be an atheist and be spiritual. You just have to feel that there is something out It’s not time-consuming to be there bigger than yourself. meditating regularly for a while, spiritual. You can practice it, of Here’s my own definition of you probably will want to devote course, but at its heart the spirituality: a decent chunk of time to it. By spiritual life isn’t about ticking off 1. You believe that something then, you’ll likely be getting so a mandated list of to-do items. It’s fundamental knits the world much out of it that you’ll feel the a b o u t m a i n t a i n i n g a n together, whether that’s God (by time spent is a great investment. a w a r e n e s s — w h i l e f u l l y any name), some type of But if you’re new to meditation or immersed in the outer life—of the universal consciousness, just picking it up again after a subtler inner life. nature, or the human spirit. hiatus, it’s perfectly fine to start Spirituality is about valuing and 2. You’re generally self-aware with just a few minutes a day. In deeply connecting with whatever and inwardly working on fact, many say it’s advisable. The you hold sacred in yourself, other yourself. only caveat is that to build the beings, and the vast, rich world 3. You are doing something to habit, it’s best to pick a specific you are a part of. improve the world around you. time of day and stick with it. And here’s another truth . . . Spirituality can offer you joy, That’s easy to do if you link it with You need not be religious to be peace of heart and mind, and a an existing habit, like . . . well, spiritual sense of meaning . . . but only if sitting up in bed in the morning. Spirituality can certainly exist you stay focused on it. And with Or brushing your teeth or putting within the context of religion, it the way the mind works, it’s far on your pajamas at night. doesn’t have to. too easy to lose that focus in the We will continue with some of the You can be agnostic and daily crush of events. factors supporting meditation in spiritual. You can be adamantly Fortunately, it’s not difficult or next issues. time-intensive to refocus yourself. Just start meditating daily. You may be thinking, “meditation is time-consuming.” Let me clarify. If you have been Contd. from page 1 Health Benefits of Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) pain, it is recommended to consult a of yoga. Snake pose in yoga is manage depression and insomnia doctor to make sure that you don’t considered to be one of the best also. have any contraindication. for getting a flat belly. Improves circulation: Good blood Stimulates abdominal organs: Bhujangasana benefits are c i r c u l a t i o n i s t h e p r i m a r y Bhujangasana benefits are not extended to your beauty because of requirement to stay energetic and limited to physical benefits, but it is the stretching of the abdominal a c t i v e . O n e o f t h e m a j o r extended to physiological effects as muscles. Bhujangasana benefits is that it well. Bhujangasana is very useful for Manage stress: If you are suffering helps in improving blood circulation. people who suffer from digestive from problems like anxiety or Once you have proper blood disturbances. The stretching pose depression, here is the good news! circulation, your body cells will be helps in giving a gentle massage to Practise bhujangasana as it is found supplied with enough nutrients and the internal organs and will stimulate to be very useful in treating the oxygen. Improved blood circulation the digestive system to function well. symptoms of stress like fatigue, will also help in keeping the Reduces belly fat: Even though we headache and weakness. Along hormone balance. It also helps in claim that we practise yoga for a with that, it is effective in managing facial stretching. It is good exercise perfect living, all beauty freaks depression as well to certain extent. for eyes also. secretly admire the beauty benefits It is a good supporting exercise to