Tag: yoga body

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Daily Stretches – Touch Your Toes!

Can you touch your toes? Can you touch your toes without experiencing back pain, neck pain or pain in the knees? Can you touch your knuckles to your toes? Can you touch your wrist to your toes and place palms flat on the floor? Can you touch your elbows to your toes? Can you go even lower bringing your forehead to your shins?

You see, touching your toes is no ordinary business and it doesn’t stop there. One of the simplest and best daily stretches I like to practice is Hastapad asana (hand to feet pose), or Uttan asana (standing forward bend) and it’s seated variation – Paschimottan asana (seated forward bend).

Hastapadasana or Uttanasana – Standing forward bend
Paschimottan Asana – Seated forward bend

I start by maintaining the right body position with correct breathing and I am mindful of good pain and bad pain so as to avoid injury while performing this simple exercise.

Body Position

  1. Feet

Feet are placed parallel to each other, together or apart. Place toes together but heels two inches apart, or, keep your feet one foot apart with toes pointing slightly inwards so that the outer outline of each foot is parallel to each other and also in line with your hips. Positioning your feet is important to avoid knee and hip pain.

Alignment of your entire body depends on how you place your feet.

  1. Neck

Neck at all times is in a straight line with the spine. Keep your chin tucked in slightly to ensure the same. When in final position, we have a tendency to lift our head – this arcs the neck and can cause neck pain. Make sure the crown of your head is pointing towards the floor; this will keep your neck in line with your spine.

  1. Abdomen

Stomach is compressed and held in during the final position.

  1. Chest

Chest is pulled in towards the thighs to prevent curving of the back.

  1. Spine

Back is held straight in standing position and up to half way down. Stretching the spine works the spinal extensors (mid and lower back muscles). In the final position the back drops down straight and is relaxed. Pain in the lower back is bad pain. To avoid this pain make sure your core is strong and held in firmly. If pain persists, come out of the posture and avoid all forward bending exercises.

  1. Knees

Do not lock your knees. Especially if you have over extended knees, bend them slightly.

Breathing

  1. Deep Inhalation – We breathe in as we stretch our hands upwards, bringing our stomachs out with back slightly arced. As we lift our hands up, our rib cage expands enabling a deep inhalation.
  2. Prolonged Exhalation – Breathing out we bend forward dropping our hands towards the floor. When we exhale slowly, our stomach is pulled in.
  3. Inhale gently – Breathing in, we come up again, stretching our hands upward.
  4. Exhale gently – Breathing out our hands comes back down to the side and we relax.
  5. Normal breathing.

Note: If you are holding the pose make sure to keep breathing after you have exhaled completely.

The Instructor is seen pressing the upper back to push chest towards the thighs in order to straighten the spine and she also pushes the tailbone downwards in order to lift the hip upwards.

Muscles at work

We think the aim of this posture is to be able to touch our toes, but that is not so dearies. While this posture does lengthen your spine and eventually result in greater flexibility, the muscles at work are actually those at the back of your legs. The good pain with the correct stretch is felt in your hamstrings and calf muscles along with your glutes.

The final pose should have a straight and relaxed back with chest as close to your thighs as possible. If you are unable to reach for your toes, hold your ankles or your shins. Bend your knees slightly and pull your upper torso closer towards your legs. Then try to straighten your knees and you will feel the stretch at the back of your legs. That is good pain and you’re doing the exercise correctly and effectively. Make sure your weight is forward and you are not leaning back in the final pose – keep your hips in line with your heels.

Correct posture is highlighted in the images below:

  • Common mistakes
  • Correct posture key points
  • Correct posture key points

Benefits

  1. Stretches hamstrings and calves
  2. Keeps spine strong and flexible
  3. Works core muscles, good for flattening abdomen
  4. Relieves constipation and sinusitis
  5. Induces clavicular breathing – (ventilation of uppermost part of the lungs)
  6. Improves blood circulation
  7. Soothes the nervous system
  8. Improves hair
  9. Improves body posture
  10. Instils humility, acceptance and gratitude

Avoid this Asana if you experience:

  1. Heart ailments, high BP, Hypertension
  2. Spinal injury or abnormalities
  3. Eye disorders
  4. Pregnancy, stomach ulcers, hernia
Yoga is not about touching your toes, it is what you learn on your way down.

To conclude, the forward bend is best practiced in the mornings or on an empty stomach. Performing just one asana correctly and daily can transform you in so many ways! That is the magic of yoga. A true yogi once said, “Yoga is not about touching your toes, it is what you learn on your way down.” So folks, keep practicing, keep learning and keep transforming.

If you are a beginner, definitely practice with an instructor. Connect with me to plan a personalized yoga sequence. Our online yoga sessions are available to suit your timings. Get in touch! Call/Sms/Whatsapp +91 9820673466 for more info

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How Yoga Changes Our Body

A yoga sequence typically involves:

  • weight bearing exercises
  • stretching with bending and twisting and
  • balancing asanas

While performing yoga, being aware of your

  • posture and
  • breathing

are equally important. Making yoga a habit and fitting it into a daily routine can be challenging for a lazy person like me. So if I am not able to achieve all 5 key points, I start working on them one at a time.

All body-weight bearing yoga exercise are the real workout but on a lazy day I do some stretching only. If I’m not feeling up to that either, I get into a balancing asana. Nothing major like a handstand, just something simple like a tree pose or natraj. If I skip asanas, I focus on my posture. Being aware of how you hold your body through the day makes a big difference. But on some days, I cannot even do this much. I just concentrate on breathing.

Being lazy is one thing, but getting anxious or depressed can send your concentration and breathing for a real toss! On those days I go to sleep because did you know that breathing is optimal when you sleep? It burns calories too, kid you not! And then there are days when I can’t sleep… I can’t do anything… I can’t make sense of anything… Those are the days my friends, when I force myself, literally drag myself to the mat and DO all 5!

When the mind takes over our body negatively, it’s time for our body and our habits to take over our mind positively.

The infographic below sums up how yoga changes our body. When these 5 key points become a habit; laziness, anxiety, stress and depression go out of the window. No negative emotion can grip us, no bad habit can enslave us. With yoga, our body goes through a visible change, a change that is reflected in our entire being. Here’s how:

>> Body weight bearing asanas strengthen our muscles and bones. These are best for weight loss and body sculpting. Try them for 30 minutes daily and notice a visible change. These exercises burn fat, build muscle, give you core strength and physically transform you. Stretching is equally important. Stretches increases our flexibility by lending muscle elasticity. Forward bending, inversion and twisting of torso increase blood circulation and clear toxins. Many balance asanas are also weight bearing exercises as well as stretches. Three-in-one! Balancing improves our nervous system and mind-body coordination. It requires focus and hence helps in freeing one’s mind of negative thinking.

>> Posture awareness is essential to avoid injuries. It helps to know which muscle is working and which part of the body should not be stressed. Watch out for the neck, shoulders, lower back and knees, as these get easily injured. Distinguishing between right pain and wrong pain in each asana will correct our posture. An upright body instantly reflects confidence and positivity, and creates an attractive vibe.

> Lastly, breathing is fuel to our body and can help enhance the effectiveness of an asana. Breathing in oxygenates our cells and gives energy, breathing out burns fat. We always inhale when relaxed; exhale when in an active pose. Example, we inhale at starting position and exhale while bending or twisting or stretching. Weight bearing exercises involve slow equal breathing. Never hold your breath or forget to breathe while exercising for it may harm you instead of doing any good. When you inhale, expand your chest, with rib cage open, stomach out, while exhaling muscles contract, relax your rib cage, stomach goes in.

To conclude, body movement is essential for a healthy vibrant life. Being active and occupied keeps your body in shape and your mind creative. When you plan a yoga sequence, make sure you have full knowledge of the postures based on the 5 key points mentioned above. If you are a beginner, definitely practice with an instructor. You can always connect with me to plan a personalized yoga sequence. Our online yoga sessions are available to suit your timings. Get in touch! Whatsapp +91 9820673466 for more info.