YOGA – A SOOTHING PRACTICE
It’s not easy being a woman! PERIOD.
SHE is the source of existence on this living planet and advances through diverse stages of life, right from childhood to adolescence and from motherhood to menopause. Striking a balance between work and life all through, a woman endures a lot of physical and mental strain.
Staying healthy and sane is more than necessary and ‘Yoga’ acts as a restorative medium in preparing and dealing with all these phases, changes and challenges. Having its ancient roots in Hindu scripture, this form of physical discipline coupled with breathing techniques helps women in achieving the body-mind-universe unity. It has an ability to heal, to keep you fit, to enhance your self-acceptance and beyond.
THE BODY AND MIND CLEANSER:
Yoga is a cure-all for physical, mental and emotional well-being. The amalgamation of specific movements or postures (asana) and various breathing techniques (pranayama) along with meditation (dhyana) eases tensed muscles, improves flexibility and enhances strength, balance and endurance.
Breathing Techniques
Here’s how women can benefit –
Mental Benefits:
A research revealed that regular yoga practice goes a long way towards helping your brain stay in top shape! Speaking of mental health, women are more likely to have psychological issues than the opposite gender. Such conditions are engendered by stress to balance home and work life, relationship problems and swinging hormonal levels.
Yoga can be considered as a complementary therapy that not only boosts your low spirits and sense of well-being, but also extends to more appalling female mental health issues as well, such as depression, anxiety and insomnia. This soothing practice emphasizes on the importance of being present in the moment, finding a sense of peace and reaping its umpteen benefits.
Physical Benefits:
Most of the women think of huffing and puffing away at the gym with HIIT workouts or running marathons in order to improve all-round fitness. Yoga imparts all that in a holistic manner, combining aspects of cardio, functional and strength training all together. Most yoga asanas need you to twist, bend, and invert your body which opens up the “stubborn” muscles and helps trim down your body and maintain a healthy weight in a more sustained way.
The other benefits include:
- Greater muscle strength
- Better posture
- Reduced joint pain
- Heightened balance and mobility
- More flexibility
- Increased endurance
- Improved respiration
- Lower back pain
- And some of the other less visible benefits
GRAB A MAT!
Broadly, yoga is rewarding for both the genders, but there are specific poses that explicitly benefits the female body and mind. Some of the most recommended asanas for women are
1. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose)
This pose helps in opening up of hips and engage the sacral chakra where most of us store a great deal of emotion and stress. Pigeon pose is an ideal form to find deep relaxation and surrender.
2. Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand)
This pose promotes good blood circulation, calms the nerves, decreases depression and anxiety symptoms, eases fatigue, and improves immune function. Also great for weight loss!
3. Salabhasana (Locust pose)
This pose builds spinal strength and flexibility, specifically in the middle and upper parts of the spine. It also relieves menstrual problems such as irregularities, cramps, and backaches.
4. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)
This pose destroys deadly diseases and awakens the cosmic Kundalini energy up and down the spine. It can also help in treating infertility and digestive conditions by massaging and detoxifying the lower abdominal organs.
Yoga is the panacea that today’s ‘beauty with brains’ needs! A daily dose is important!
