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Yoga - Lift your mood with yoga



Shameem Akthar, a yoga acharya trained with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, Kerala, leads you through five bends that'll have you feeling exuberant and stress-free.

Backbends are yogic shortcuts to joy. In depression therapy, backbends are advised since they open the chest. This repairs the shallow breathing that normally accompanies negative mind states, like anxiety, fear, sadness and anger.

The expanded lung capacity physiologically enhances our moods. Also by powering metabolism, backbends hike the body's nutrient absorption capacity. This in turn helps the body access key nutrients that are essential for our happiness: magnesium, calcium, vitamin B, etc.

The tension at the shoulder, again a psychosomatic response to stress, is released and relieved. The back of the neck and the upper back, regarded as the gateway to diseases in Chinese medicine and through which all the major energy meridians are said to pass, is strengthened.

In movement therapies, this region is also seen as most adversely hit by negative mind states. It is called the primary fear centre: its response to fear, anxiety, anger and stress in various forms is what causes muscular tension and stiffness in this region. Backbends wring such tension out of the body, thus clearing out the effects of our mental tension.

Points to note: Please remember to always follow a backbend with a forward bending pose. This is essential to work the musculo-skeletal system evenly and ease any tension that may have developed while bending back.

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Ardha ushtrasana (Half camel)



Sit on your heels. Raise your hips so you are now kneeling.

Inhale, holding your right hand out in front of you. Exhaling, reach back your left hand to grasp the left ankle. Keep your eyes focused on the hand in front. Hold the pose, breathing comfortably. Release and repeat thrice. Release to repeat for left side.

Avoid: If having a back problem.

Benefits: Boosts lung capacity. Ups mood. Tones spine. Shapes arms, legs and removes fat from waist and abdomen. Works out facial muscles, keeping them young.

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Ushtrasana (Camel)



Sit on your heels. Raise hips, so you are now kneeling. Inhale. Bend back to grasp ankles with both hands. Drop head back lightly.

As you continue breathing normally, keep pushing your torso outwards. This enhances the spinal curve. Hold for as long as is possible. Release and repeat a few times.

Stand up straight. Bend right leg at knee. Place sole on the inside of left thigh. Ensure the right knee is not jutting in front, but flared to the right. To hold the pose longer, focus on a spot in front of you. Breathe normally throughout. Release right foot back to ground. Rest. Repeat sequence for left side.

Benefits: Same as above, with the hands also getting a powerful stretch and work-out

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Ardha Chandrasana (Standing crescent pose)



Stand up straight, feet lightly touching from the inside. Inhaling, raise arms overhead. Exhale. Inhale and bending backwards lightly from the waist, looking up at hands. Hold for as long as is comfortable. Release pose and repeat thrice.

Benefits: This pose is used to treat backache and to tone the spine, control blood pressure, boost respiration and shape arms and legs.

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Virabhadrasana (Warrior pose, back bend version)



Jump up to stand with feet a meter apart. Inhale, spreading arms out at shoulder level, holding them parallel to the ground. Simultaneously flare out left foot, while right shifts slightly inward. Slap arms overhead with an inhalation. Exhale.

Then inhaling, bend from the hip, backwards, looking overhead at your hands. Hold this position for as long as is comfortable, breathing normally. Release and return to the centre. Repeat for the other side.

Avoid: If suffering from any spinal problems.

Benefits: Ups physical and mental stamina. Powers the spine thoroughly. Shapes the body. Moods and mind are stimulated.

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Ardha Chandrasana (Crescent, kneeling version)



Sit on your heels, raising your hips. Stretch out your right leg behind you so the back of your right foot is flat on the ground. If the ankle is stiff, you can just place your toes on the ground. Your left leg continues to be bent.

Lower your hips. Inhale, raising both hands overhead. Exhale. Inhale, bending backward as deeply as you can, looking up at your hands. Continue breathing normally. Hold for as long as you can. Release the pose and repeat for other side.

Avoid: If having spinal problems.

Benefits: Like other chest openers it stimulates the mind and lifts our moods. Boosts respiratory capacity. The stretch at the saddle region works on the uro-gential system, helping repair all problems related to it. The entire body, especially the spine, is powerfully toned, including the nerves. If you drop your head and look up, even the face feels a stretch that can keep the face and neck region youthful.

[Pallavi Sharma]

Thx for an informative post

[Mannytta]

Nice information and we need to adopt in our  daily life so that have make it good with such exercises to keep ourself healthy and strong.