Tag Archives: Health

Jan200916

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The fear of Constipation and indigestion needn’t be scary! – Part four of five

The fear of Constipation and indigestion needn’t be scary!

But we are concerned, in this chapter, with constipation and YOGAMUDRA, by increasing the peristaltic movement of the bowel, promotes internal purification. It also tones and strengthens the abdominal muscles, the colon, and the pelvic region, and so it is a very valuable and health-giving posture indeed. There is an easy version for beginners but I will describe the classical one first.

1.    Sit down in the Lotus Pose, With your hands behind your back clasp the right wrist with the left hand or vice versa.
2.    Bend forward until your head touches the floor between your knees and remain so for as long as you find comfortable.

When you are ready to straighten up do so very slowly and remain seated for a few moments with your back straight. You will experience a curiously light and peaceful sensation, as though you had just awakened from a peaceful dream.
But I can hear many of my readers protesting that the exercise I have just described is impossible. You can neither get into the Lotus Pose nor hope to reach the floor with your head. Very well, try this easier variation.

Sit down cross-legged on the floor, tailor fashion. This is the Easy Pose. Double your fists and place them firmly on either side of your navel. Now bend forward as before until your head touches the ground as near to your knees as you can. Your fists will impart a healthy massage to your abdominal organs just as, in the classical Yogamudra the upturned heels do likewise.
Yogamudra should be regarded not only as a powerful exercise to promote better elimination but also as an exercise in the calming of the mind. While your head is on the floor (and you will achieve this with patient practice) you should keep your eyes closed and try to empty your mind of all worries and fears. Practise repose and soon it will become a habit.

The following exercise should also be practised for the relief or prevention of constipation and/or indigestion. It should present little or no difficulty to the beginner, though perfecting it might take a little patience.

Called the Janu Shirshasana or in English the HEAD TO KNEE POSE, it tones up sluggish bowels, strengthens the legs, and adds to your energy and vitality.
1.         Sit down on the floor, both legs stretched out. Bend the left knee and place the left foot as high up as possible against the right thigh.
2.        Inhale deeply, slightly raise your body from the waist upwards to pull in your stomach, and complete your inhalation.
3.    While exhaling bend slowly forward and get hold of your extended right foot with both hands. The forehead should touch the right knee.
4.    Remain in this position for as long as you comfortably can {which will be only a second or two at first) and then straighten up, at the same time straightening out your left leg. Repeat with the same leg and then change legs and repeat, twice bending your head towards the other knee.


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Jan200915

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Be rid of Constipation and indigestion, follow these steps, – Part three of five

Be rid of Constipation and indigestion, follow these steps,

Bellows Breath
1.           Sit down in your chosen position, rest your hands on your thighs, and look straight ahead.  First empty your lungs by bending your body forward to aid this action.
2.    Take a deep slow breath through your nose and at the same time straighten your body gradually until you are in the starting position.
3.    Complete your inhalation and as soon as your lungs are completely filled expel the air through your mouth with force, bending your body forward once again.
4.    Without a pause the next intake of air follows at once and the whole process is repeated four times.

When you can perform the Bellows Breath four times without the slightest discomfort you may hold your breath for a few seconds every fourth intake of breath. When you can perform this exercise more than four times you know you are on the way to the breathing control which will be so beneficial to your health and spirits. I mention the word discomfort because if you are not used to deep breathing this, and indeed any other Yoga breathing exercise, might cause a slight dizziness which is a sure indication of how undernourished the blood is with oxygen. The dizziness will soon wear off but do not continue the exercise if any discomfort is felt. Lie down flat on the floor and close your eyes, leaving the exercise until the following day.
Increase the number of Bellows Breaths you take until you are performing the exercise twelve times, and remember to hold your breath after every fourth inhalation. This exercise stimulates the circulation of the blood, increases the flow of Prana or life-energy and, by increased oxygenization of the blood, the nerves are purified. And most important of all to sufferers from consti¬pation, the bending forward and straightening up action of the exercise massages the internal organs and the viscera thus promoting digestion and evacuation.

Squatting Pose
This pose is exactly what its name implies. 1 want you to practise squatting like the people of the Orient do. They feel more comfortable in this simple position than they would sitting on a chair. You though may not, and especially at first, find it at all comfortable, but as an exercise for constipation it has few equals. The method is simple.
1.    Stand up straight with your feet about twelve inches apart, inhale deeply and rise on your toes.
2.    Complete your inhalation and begin to exhale immediately at the same time as you slowly bend your knees until you are sitting on your heels.
3.    Hold the position for as long as you comfortably can and then, without inhaling slowly, rise to your feet. Then take a deep breath and repeat up to four times.

Practice this simple Squatting Pose for a few days and then try this slightly more difficult version. Proceed as above but this time do not raise your heels from the ground. Bend your body forward as you squat so that you do not overbalance, and bring your hands and arms forward over your knees so that your fingers touch the floor.

The third version of the squatting pose is even more difficult but with careful practice you will soon be able to do it. Proceed as for version 2 but this time keep your feet close together without raising your heels off the ground. You may wish to perform the three variations of this exercise and if so you should repeat each one twice. If you do only one, repeat it six times and do remember your breathing carefully.
If your knees are stiff or you are afraid of overbalancing you may steady yourself by holding on to a chair or anything convenient that will support your weight, until you feel more confident. After performing this exercise lie down on your back, stretch out your legs with your feet together, and relax for a few moments.
And now for an exercise which has an intriguing strangeness about it.

It is called YOGAMUDRA and I have demonstrated it in figure 10. As you can see, it has an appearance of supplication about it and indeed, in the higher stages of Yoga the spiritual value of this asana cannot be over-emphasized. In some cases advanced Yogis hold this pose for an hour or more to help the awakening of the mysterious Kundalini or Serpent Power which I have already mentioned.


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Jan200915

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The pain of Constipation and indigestion, let’s fix that now, – Part two of five

The pain of Constipation and indigestion, let’s fix that now,

After practising UDDIYANI for two or three days try the
ABDOMINAL  LIFT.

1.    Stand feet apart, inhale deeply and use force to expel as much air from the lungs as possible.
2.    Without inhaling again repeat the same upward and backward pull of the abdominal muscles as though trying to make as large a hollow as possible under the ribs. And this time keep your muscles pulled in.
3.    Place your hands, palms down, on your thighs, bend your knees a little and then slightly tip your trunk forward but without lowering it. You will find that your diaphragm then rises easily.
Do keep your hands pressed firmly against your thighs when leaning on them.
4.    Stay in this position for as long as you can without breathing and then relax. Repeat this exercise once more as it should not be overdone at first.

I reiterate the warning about strain, that there should be none whatsoever while performing this exercise. Muscular control can only be gained by constant practice and not by forcing flabby or rigid muscles into sudden, unaccustomed activity.
Very gradually increase the number of times you do this exercise, adding one ABDOMINAL LIFT each week until you are doing it seven times a day. At the same time try to increase the number of seconds you hold this position without breathing until you can hold it comfortably for ten seconds.
If, when you first attempt the Abdominal Lift you feel that ten seconds is an absolute impossibility, let me assure you that it can be done with perfect ease after careful practice.
Make sure that you are pulling in your abdominal muscles properly. You can either feel the hollow under your ribs with your hand or, better still, do the exercise in front of a mirror which has been tilted slightly backwards so that when you bend your trunk forward you will be able to see properly. Be sure not to bend your knees too much. And a word of warning.

The Abdominal Lift should not be attempted by anyone suffering from heart, circulatory, or abdominal troubles.
If you find that the practice of UDDIYANI or the ABDOMINAL LIFT is too strenuous for you in a standing position, you may perform them sitting down in one of the classical poses, the Easy Pose or the Gupasana are recommended.
Chronic sufferers from constipation will benefit from the following internal cleansing method which is used by the Yogis. Internal purification is as important, if not more so, as external cleanliness. Take several glasses of water with a quarter of a teaspoon of salt per glass. The water must be at room temperature, never iced. Then do the contracting and relaxing movements (Uddiyani) while standing feet apart, then sitting on the floor with the spine straight and finally while lying fiat on the floor. This is known as the ‘avalanche technique’ of taking an enema without any apparatus.

I have already discussed the importance of breathing in relation to health and each Yoga breathing exercise performs a different function in the body. Let us then consider a breathing exercise which will help to combat constipation and in addition will cleanse the lungs and the bronchial passages.

It is called the BELLOWS BREATH or in Sanskrit, Bhastrika.
You have a choice of three positions for this exercise and you may adopt the one which you find most comfortable. You may either:
(A) sit down cross-legged on the floor,
(B) sit on your heels, or
(C) sit on a hard chair with your feet on the floor, close together.
I need hardly say that whatever position you adopt the spine must be held erect. Not only in Yoga but always should the spine be straight whether you are sitting, standing or lying. Apart from your appearance, your health will improve as well.


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Jan200914

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Another cure for Backache and aching legs due to bad posture – Part six of six

Another cure for Backache and aching legs due to bad posture,

The following breathing exercise added to your daily asanas will help to strengthen weak ankles, improve flabby calves, and soothe painful or fallen arches.

The Arched Foot Breathing Exercise

1.    Stand erect, with your hands on your hips. While inhaling slowly and deeply hook your left foot round the back of your right foot with the toes pressing against the ankle of your right foot.
2.    At the same time rise up on the toes of your right foot and remain  balanced  in  this  position  while you  complete  your inhalation, and hold your breath for as long as you can.
3.    When the impulse to exhale appears do so and at the same time slowly lower your right heel to the floor and unhook your left foot. Both heels should reach the floor at the same time.
4.    Repeat this exercise with the legs reversed.

The Arched Foot Breathing Exercise taxes your sense of balance but as in all such exercises it can be used as a valuable exercise in concentration. You will wobble about at first but gradually you will be able to remain balanced on the toes of one foot with your hands on your hips, and remain so for as long as your breath allows you. The practice of this exercise will not only improve your balance but fine down calves and ankles that may be a little too heavy for your liking.
Any exercise which tones and stretches the leg muscles and the sciatic nerve will bring relief from aching legs and so do not omit from your daily practice schedule the exercises described in the following chapter on lumbago and sciatica. And if you suffer from that most distressing and common complaint, varicose veins, nothing could be more helpful than the habitual practice of the Shoulder stand.
Also do not omit the simple, leg stretching exercise described in. Remember the basic principle regarding the relief of aching legs and feet. Put them up higher than your head for in this position your legs are not subject to the downward pull of gravity and are therefore being rested. As you lie there with your feet higher than your head try to calm your mind and still your thoughts so that this period of rest becomes a powerful exercise in mind control and mental stillness.

As a general rule people who study and practise Yoga do not worry overmuch about their looks, in fact they have a natural beauty of face and figure which comes from pure living and mental serenity. But if you suffer from bad feet and aching legs, as your condition gives way under Yoga’s gentle persuasion, you will find that your looks will improve in a surprising way.

Those wrinkles of pain, tiredness and discomfort are soon ironed away from your brow and around your eyes and your general well-being cannot but be affected by the improvement of your means of getting about from place to place. It is a constant source of concern to me that so many people neglect their legs and feet yet spend dollars and valuable time on their hair and their clothes. If you want all to be well with your world get to work now on those bad feet of yours and remember the old and wise saying,
”A man’s temper is only as good as his feet’!


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Jan200914

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Your problem with Backache and aching legs due to bad posture can be cured. – Part five of six

Your problem with Backache and aching legs due to bad posture can be cured.

Variation of the Bow Posture

In this variation half the body is kept straight and half bends backwards. Lie face downwards, bend the right knee and catch the toes of the foot with your right hand. Slowly pull the foot towards your head bending only the muscles on the right side of the back. The left arm should be held outstretched and the left foot likewise. Seen from the side this posture has all the grace of the lovely BOW and something else all of its own.

And now here is another breathing exercise which will help to counteract bad posture, drooping and round shoulders, and curvature of the spine. It also improves flabby upper arms, and excessive flesh on the shoulders will slowly be squeezed away. It is called the
ARMSWING BREATHING EXERCISE.

1.    Sit back on your heels with your spine straight. Lace your fingers together and then turn those palms upwards.
2.    Inhale deeply and at the same time bend forward until your chin is touching the floor.
Swing your arms upwards as high as you possibly can trying again and again to swing them just a little higher. Hold this position for as long as you can without exhaling. When the impulse to exhale appears do so as you straighten up again. Relax and repeat from four to six times, after which lie down for a few moments and take a few deep recovery breaths.

If your knees are very stiff or if for some other reason you are unable to sit on your heels you may perform the Arm swing Breathing Exercise standing up in which case you lean forward from your waist as far as you can and bring your arms with the fingers interlaced, as far forward as you can. The movement from the waist will help to remove fatty tissue in this area and help the spine towards a new suppleness.
The warning not to jerk any movements is reiterated here as you should not try to swing your arms over violently as you may well injure a rigid muscle which would discourage you from ever attempting this valuable exercise again.
Nothing is more painful than a muscle spasm. Practise this exercise every day and you will soon notice a marked improvement in your posture and a new feeling of freedom from backache and a new feeling of lightness as your straightening spine allows your lungs to take in more oxygen. All parts of the body are interdependent.

Cure your backache and your chest complaints are eased, your temper improved, and your looks enhanced. Do not under-estimate the gravity of bad posture. It may not be an illness but it has a well-deserved place in this book on Yoga and health because it can, ultimately, undermine the health of the entire organism by restricting breathing, and cause an unhealthy complexion due to too little oxygen reaching the blood cells.
Attack your bad posture and its resulting backache like the enemies they are.
Many people suffer from bad posture and an ungraceful carriage because of weak legs, ankles, or feet. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to the consideration of these particular conditions and I will explain how they can be greatly helped by Yoga’s methods.


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