Yoga Updates

1. Balasana or child’s pose

2. Adho mukha svanasana or downward dog pose

3. Anjaneyasana or low lunge

4. Virabhadrasana I or warrior pose I

5. Simhasana or lion pose

Pranayama is control of Breath". "Prana" is Breath or vital energy in the body. On subtle levels prana represents the pranic energy responsible for life or life force, and "ayama" means control. One can control the rhythms of pranic energy with pranayama and achieve healthy body and mind.

In the yogic context, meditation, or dhyana, is defined more specifically as a state of pure consciousness. It is the seventh stage, or limb, of the yogic path and follows dharana, the art of concentration.Yoga is also said to be a way of life and when practised gives all-round benefits. Meditation is a part of yoga, which deals with mental relaxation and concentration. Here, attention is focused on thoughts and breath. Being aware of breathing automatically controls the thought process and thus relaxes mind.

Mudra means “seal,” “gesture,” or “mark.” Yoga mudras are symbolic gestures often practiced with the hands and fingers. They facilitate the flow of energy in the subtle body and enhance one's journey within. Explore mudras step by step and add something new to your practice.

Scorpion Pose (Vrschikasana) is an advanced Yoga pose which required more concentration and good flexibility. This intense backbend inversion mimics the position of a scorpion ready to strike.

Benefits : Scorpion Pose will strengthen your shoulders, arms, core, and back. It improves the flexibility of your spine and stretches your hip flexors and chest muscles. As an inversion, it is energizing as you have increased blood flow to your head.

Step-by-Step Instructions :

• Begin by balancing in forearm stand in the center of the room.
• Bend your knees and lift your head. 
• In forearm stand, the hips are pretty much over your shoulders. For your body to move into the classic C shape of a scorpion, your hips must move away from your head. This happens naturally as you begin to curve your spine into a position of extension.
• As you deepen your backbend, your knees may separate, but keep your big toes touching.
• Continue to move your toes toward the crown on your head.
• To come out, lower one leg at a time to the floor.
• You may want to perform the Child Pose to counter the intense backbend of the Scorpion Pose.

Safety and Precautions : Do not attempt this pose if you have hip or back problems, high blood pressure, or are pregnant. Listen to your body. If you feel any pain, gently come out of the pose.

Each time you practice yoga nidra meditation, you’re stilling the waves of the mind through conscious entry into the sleep state. How?

You start with sensing the body and breathing in specific ways in order to trigger the relaxation response. The relaxation response balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and balances the left and right brain. In the process, your brain shifts from beta, an awakened state with lots of brain activity, to alpha, a more relaxed state. In alpha, the mood-regulating hormone serotonin gets released, and this calms you down. People who spend little time in an alpha brain-wave state have more anxiety than those who spend more time in alpha. Think of a car: if you want to stop and turn off the engine, you first need to downshift. Shifting your brain into an alpha state starts its process of “powering down,” or coming into a rest state with slower, restorative brain-wave activity.