How Yoga can help you?

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice designed to promote relaxation, health and flexibility. By using a series of poses and breathing techniques, yoga also works on the practitioner’s balance, strength and overall health. It has been shown to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, diminish back pain and improve cardiovascular health.

Depending on the type of yoga you do, yoga can be an aerobic, anaerobic or stretching exercise or all three. Essentially, yoga tones and stretches all your joints and muscles. Not only does this unique form of exercise deliver physical benefits, it also reduces stress while promoting relaxation. When it comes to aging well, yoga is one of the best activities you can do.

Yoga is one of the most famous and globally widespread of India’s traditions. It has existed as a system of exercise, breathing, and meditation for over 5,000 years.

The word “Yoga” means “to join or yoke together” – bringing the body and mind together into a harmonious experience. The exercises are designed to apply gentle pressure to the glandular system thereby toning the glands and improving total health. The breathing techniques are based on the principle that the “breath” is the source of life in the body. Meditation calms the mind and body and prepares one to handle stress.

Yoga has increased in popularity in recent years, with an estimated 6 million Americans currently engaging in regular yoga workouts. Part of yoga’s popularity is simply that it provides so many health benefits. Yoga assists a person in becoming more aware of their body: their posture, their alignment and the way they move. Yoga helps people become more relaxed and centered, less prone to stress, more energetic, happier, healthier, and more peaceful.

Most yoga classes consist of performing the asanas (yoga poses) either individually or linked in flows (known as vinyasana). At the end of each yoga class there is a short period of meditation or relaxation in shavasana (the corpse pose) where participants lie on their back in a rest and meditation.

There are several forms of yoga. Generally different forms of yoga produce different benefits. For example, Iyengar yoga is for correct bodily alignment, and often utilizes props (including blocks, straps, or cushions).

Bikram yoga is also known as hot yoga, as it’s performed in a heated room. It generally consists of a set of 26 poses done in a particular order. These are both forms of Hatha yoga and are commonly practiced in the US, as they focus on the use of strengthening and breathing exercises.

What can yoga do for you? Firstly, it is extremely beneficial in the promotion of excellent flexibility, and is also excellent for circulation and development of muscle strength. However, yoga’s benefits extend beyond the physical, by promoting relaxation and calm. One of the basic tenets of yoga is that it helps to balance all areas of a person’s life by improving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Practising yoga through mass media without proper guidance can do more harm than good

“Do you sit and perform complicated yoga postures day after day at home with only TV as your instructor? It may be time to turn the idiot box off, as experts warn that practising yoga through mass media without proper guidance can do more harm than good.

"Yoga needs very close concentration and two-way communication is essential; so the best way to perform yoga is with an instructor. The asanas (postures) and prakriyas (processes) somebody is imitating from TV may not be suitable for them and can create trouble," said Yogi Shri Ashish Chatterjee, president of Satya Foundation.

Yoga is India's traditional physical and mental discipline which is associated with meditative practices.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word which is derived from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', meaning to control, to yoke or to unite. However, in general yoga is typically associated with hatha yoga and its asanas or as a form of exercise.

Manoj Kumar, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Moolchand Hospital, New Delhi, said: "There has been quite an increase in the number of people coming with injuries caused by doing yoga in inappropriate postures as they just watch it on TV and try to imitate it."

"At least three to four patients come with such complaints every week," says Kumar.

R.S. Bhogal, principal of prominent meditation and yoga institute Kaivalyadham in Lonavala, said: "Of course, practising yoga through TV or DVD can create lots of problems as the person cannot get proper feedback and he can either overstretch or have too much contraction."

Bhogal added: "The best way to practise yoga is through one-to-one interaction, so that communication can be easy and efficient. However, it is not always possible to conduct a one-to-one yoga programme; so in my opinion the ideal ratio between instructor and student would be of 30:2 (one yoga instructor, one assistant and 30 students)."

Bhogal also feels it would not be right to practise yoga through mass media.

"The reason behind it is that these asanas have spiritual value. Though it looks like simple exercise, it is not. The different asanas lead us towards peace," Bhogal said.

Rachna Rana, an MBA student who has practised yoga through TV, said: "I was thrilled to see yoga on TV and started practising it every morning, but in a few weeks I got my knee sprained and it took long to recover."

Yash Gulati, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, said: "One yoga posture cannot be beneficial for all kinds of people. So it is very important to consult an expert before practising, as the effectiveness of yoga depends on various factors like age, physical condition, etc."

While Chatterjee admitted that the TV has helped yoga gain popularity, he said: "TV is distorting the spiritual aspect of yoga and it is not doing any good to people; rather it is causing complications."

Make Your Own SaMake Your Own Salad Dressings and Sauces.lad Dressings and Sauces.

Toss those store-bought sauces and dressings, and top your foods with homemade versions instead. That way, you can control the fat — and perfect the taste.

Flavorful salad dressings and sauces can bring healthy eating to a whole new level — they make vegetables, lean meats, whole grain pastas, and other foods taste even better. And since store-bought products can be loaded with fat, calories, and sodium, learning to make your own sauce and salad dressing recipes is an important part of healthy cooking.





6 Secrets of Homemade Salad Dressings and Sauces

Follow these guidelines when whipping up your own healthy recipes:

Cut down on oil. A homemade salad dressing should contain more vinegar, lemon juice, or orange juice than oil to keep calories in check, says registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, author of The Flexitarian Diet and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. You’ll need to adapt standard recipes, which usually call for more oil.

Opt for flavor over fat. When making salad dressing recipes, Blatner recommends varying the vinegars and oils you use to keep your taste buds satisfied without adding a lot of extra fat. "Try balsamic, sherry, or apple cider vinegar, and experiment with olive, walnut, flax, and sesame oils," she suggests. With both dressings and sauces, Blatner says that fresh and finely chopped herbs can add a huge flavor boost, as well as healthy antioxidants.

Choose low-fat ingredients. When using ingredients like sour cream, mayonnaise, or yogurt in your salad dressings and sauces, choose low-fat or non-fat versions to lighten the caloric load. And consider skipping fattening ingredients altogether. "Puree roasted vegetables, such as roasted red peppers, with a splash of broth for quick sauces," says Blatner. (Remove the charred skin before processing.)

Limit the salt. Healthy recipes for salad dressings and sauces should not be loaded with sodium. This means adding little or no salt, and choosing low-sodium or no-salt-added ingredients, like low-sodium tomato paste or sauce.

Skim off fat. When you make a meat-based sauce, cool it in the refrigerator before you use it to separate out the fat. You can then skim the fat from the top of your sauce (where it will often harden) to dramatically reduce the fat content.

Use low-fat thickening agents. Instead of using a butter-based roux to thicken a sauce, cut back on fat by thickening it with a small amount of cornstarch or flour. You can even get more creative. "For creamy dressings and sauces, use silken tofu or pureed cashews and water as the base," says Blatner.

Always have containers of your favorite homemade salad dressings and sauces available when you need them. Blatner says that you can keep a supply in the fridge for up to a week, and many sauces can be frozen. But don’t overdo it: Simply use them to add moisture and flavor to fresh vegetables and cooked dishes.

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