Yoga is the practice of mental and physical regulation that has come down to us from the forefathers who devised the system. These were the sages who spent their time in devotion and mediation. They found the best methods of dealing with aches, pains, and all sorts of body ailments. Using the right yoga asana or exercise, we can cure many diseases without any medicines. This makes yoga different and much sought-after by people who want a cure that is realistic and simple to use.
In this article, we discuss one important aspect of our health namely dealing with excess body weight. The benefits of yoga will take time to manifest in you. But, when they do, they are there forever. Remember two things about benefits of yoga.
The yoga asana may not be effective because you are doing something different though that is what the yoga teacher asked you to do. Second, if at any time you feel any pain, stop the asana. Ask your yoga teacher or your doctor about the pain. Then, you can proceed.
Try some change, do the asana with slower deliberation. You will know when you feel comfortable and this will lead to your cure. That said, I wish you all the luck in your journey to lose weight.
Benefits of Doing Yoga Asanas
When we do the yoga asanas, we are stimulating the internal organs. More importantly, we massage the organs so they work better. Each of the asanas is aimed at a specific organ or its functioning. By doing the yogasana, we can cure ailments and control the aches and pains. The general benefits of all yoga common you will find here.
Action on the liver
The most important organ of the body is the liver. It detoxifies and cleanses the body, purifies the blood and removes the harmful toxins. If the liver is healthy and strong, it will move the bad fats and make use of the good fats. When we exercise, the body uses up glucose.
The liver provides energy to the body by converting glycogen into glucose but this will go directly into the blood stream so that it keeps the glucoses level steady. The glucose is not used by the other body tissues.
By massaging the liver through yogasana, we make sure that the excess fats stored in the liver remains stimulated and subsequently digested. This helps you lose weight fast
Action on the Thyroid gland
The metabolism of the body remains controlled by our thyroid. This gland secretes hormones that increase or decrease the rate of the metabolism.
When we increase the rate of the metabolism, it burns the fats and this results in weight loss. You may also correct thyroid dysfunction using the appropriate yoga method.
Keeping the pH in the body at the right level When the body accumulates fats in excess, it increases the body pH making the body accumulate more fat from protection from the action of the acids.
This leads to the deposition of visceral fats in the blood vessels and inside the body organs. Yoga asana will help you keep the body pH at the desired alkaline level by stimulating the right organs.
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Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous system balance
One of the main reasons for weight gain is the imbalance between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous system in our body.
You can relieve the stress and reduce anxiety through yoga. This will help establish the needed balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
Activate internal heat
The stretching of tissues produces heat inside the body through the interaction with the nervous system. The person can become warm by stretching the internal tissues.
Through systematic burning, we can reduce the visceral fats that remains accumulated inside the organs. You can also reduce the superficial subcutaneous fat.
Add strength to the muscle
When we do yoga poses, we compress the muscles and stretch some of them for extended periods. Like this, we add strength to the muscles which makes our exercises more vigorous as time goes by.
At one stage, the rate of the exercise will make the muscles use up excess energy and begin to use the energy stored as fats. This will result in weight loss.
Improve the heart beat
You can increase the heart beat rate with selected yogasanas. This is like cardio and aerobic exercising but unlike those type of exercises, in yoga the heart beat remains sustained only for short spells. Physical activity burns calories.
This is important since this will stop the excess food we eat from remaining stored as fat. People who are overweight will find the practice of yoga simple and easy. It is not as strenuous as jogging or lifting weights but produces an equal if not better result.
Begin small with one exercise or two and then build up the list until you have a smooth flow from one exercise to another. One last thing, the results will take months to show. So, keep at it for some time.
When you begin to lose weight, things will speed along. Next, we will learn something even simpler but extremely effective – the mudras.
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Learning the Mudras
The meaning of Mudra in Sanskrit means closure. These find most use when one is meditating or doing pranayama.
The mudras help to direct the energy flow coming to the finger tips back into the body. The nerves coming from different organs and tissues within the body, end at the hands and the legs. Those ending at the hands are more significant because we actively use our hands all the time.
By redirecting the energy to specific locations in the body, we can rejuvenate the organ or give it rest. This puts our mind in a fixed state of energy. Significance of the Five Elements Our universe has five elements.
The fingers of the hand represent one element each.
● The significance of the thumb is that it represents universal consciousness. It represents the element fire.
● The index finger represents individual consciousness, it represents the element air.
● The middle finger represents connection. It represents the sky.
● The ring finger represents the element earth.
● The little finger stands for the element water. Disease happens when these mudras are not balanced properly within our body.
Remember, the mudras energize different organs and regions within our body.
1. Gyana Mudra The method of this mudra is to bring the tips of the thumb and the index finger together and keep them touching each other lightly. The other fingers remain opened and pointed outward.
The Gyana mudra is symbolic of knowledge; it helps improve the power of concentration and creativity. The upward position of the palm makes one receptive. If one rests the hand on the leg, then the person come down to earth.
2. Shani Mudra The method of this mudra is to bring the tips of the thumb and the middle finger together. This makes the connection come in direct contact with fire. It is symbolic of discipline and patience. You create stability and extra strength to work.
3. Surya Ravi Mudra Open your palm fully and bend the ring finger to touch it to the tip of the thumb. This is the Surya Ravi Mudra. This gives energy, health, and an improved sense of balance. If we do this, a positive change comes into our lives.
4. Buddhi Mudra Open your palm and bring your little finger and thumb together. This is the Buddhi Mudra. It improves your intuitive communication. Fire and water come together to enhance knowledge and openness.
5. Prana Mudra In the Prana Mudra, you touch the little finger, the ring finger, and the thumb. This mudra awakens the dormant energy in your body. You encourage the vital energy to flow through your body. You get become strong and energized.
6. Dhyana Mudra Place the palm within the palm and touch the thumbs together. This is the Dhyana mudra. This helps deep contemplation and meditation.
7. Anjali Mudra Bring the palms together face to face over your heart space. This signifies respect to yourself and towards the universe. It expresses love and gratitude. The general name for this is Namaste. You should use these mudras when you do your asanas or when you meditate.
There is no hard and fast rule about which you should use. You must choose the one you think is right at the time. Use both hands and breathe deeply when you use the mudra. Keep the mudra on for at least 2-3 minutes.
