By: Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar
Author, Columnist, Founder :Akshar Yoga Kendraa
In today’s world, women have a lot more on their plate than a few decades ago. Along with the primary responsibility of running a home and family, working women have taken up a lot on themselves, knowingly and unknowingly. However, this leads to burnout, a huge time crunch for personal care, and stress becoming an accepted part of a modern woman’s life. Though stress might seem as a mental health issue, the body also stores emotions and physical health is impacted by stress levels too. Through Yogic practices, stress can be managed in a holistic way, through postures, breathwork and meditative practices.
- Baddhakonasana: Start from dandasana (seated posture with legs stretched out and together). Bend the knees and bring the base of both feet together, forming a namaste. Pull the feet close to the pelvis, while pressing the knees towards the floor. Hold both feet together with the hands, lengthen the spine and push the chest outwards, avoid leaning forward. Hold for 30 seconds to begin with, repeat 4-5 times.
Benefits: Helps in bringing hormonal balance, improves blood flow towards the pelvic area, energises reproductive organs, regulates menstrual cycle, relieves stress.
- Balasana: Sit in Vajrasana, slowly place the palms in front of the knees, on the floor. Gently walk the palms forward till they fully extend, without lifting the pelvis off the heels, place the forehead in between the palms, keep the eyes closed and relax.
Benefits: Helps in releasing stress from the spine which is directly connected to the central nervous system, reduces anxiety and relaxes the mind.
- Anulom-Vilom: Sit in a comfortable posture with the spine straight. Place the left hand on the left knee, with the right hand block the right nostril and inhale from the left, then block the left nostril and exhale from the right. Now inhale from the right nostril while the left is still blocked, then block the right and exhale from the left. This completes one cycle. Practice 5-10 cycles, maintaining the breath as slow as possible.
Benefits: Balances both sides of the brain, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, it immediately calms the mind, reduces anxiety and regulates blood flow in the whole body.
- Shwaas Dhyaan: It can be practiced at any time to immediately calm the mind and re-focus. Sit in a comfortable posture with the spine straight, both palms facing upwards, on the knees. With eyes closed, start focussing on the movement of the breath. Inhale for 3 seconds, hold the breath inside for 3 seconds and exhale slowly in 3 seconds.
Benefits: This practice calms down an anxious mind, helpful in increasing awareness, bringing the mind to the present, reducing mental clutter and improving focus.
Conclusion
It is extremely important to bring back focus on health, physical as well as mental. Besides exercise, quality of sleep is a major factor in relaxing and restoring the body and mind. Practices like Yoganidra and Brahmari Pranayama have immense positive impact on sleep quality and are simple to apply. Yoga offers simple solutions to minimise stress and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Women are the influencers of the emotional health and lifestyle habits in any society. Yoga helps nurture healthy women for a healthy society.
Akshar Yoga Kendraa is celebrating International Yoga Day in a historic way with an attempt to set 12 new Guinness World Records in Yogasanas, adding to its legacy of 9 existing records. The grand event will take place at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, with participants from across India and around the world coming together to mark this extraordinary celebration of yoga.