Trikonasan (Triangle Pose)

Procedure

• Stand up straight—in an upright position—with both feet joined together and arms by your sides, i.e. Saral Tadasan.
• Now, spread your feet about 3-4 feet apart, with the toes pointing forward.
• Breathe in and raise your arms sideways to the shoulder level, with the palms facing downward.
• While breathing out gently bend down rightward from your waist, and try to touch your right foot with right hand.

 
 

• Do not bend either forward or backward; also make sure the hips, back of the legs, and the backbone stay in aligned.
• Keep your knees and the elbows locked.
• Straightening your left arm, align it with the right hand; ensure the right palm faces forward.
• Slightly twist your head to look at the left palm.
• Remain in this position for 15-20 seconds with normal breathing.
• With a slow inhalation return to the central position; now outstretch both arms horizontally.
• Practice on the left side in the similar manner.
• This finishes one round; complete two more rounds.
• Lastly, come into Shithil Tadasan and relax.

Benefits

Here are my top five reasons for practicing Trikonasana every day, and why you should start doing it too!

1. It stretches the side waist.

This pose is amazing for opening the sides of your waist, which for most of us is an oft-neglected area of the body.
It is very easy to get good at stretching the back of the body, and forwards folds are what most people think of when they think of stretching—you may even get fancy and become proficient at opening the front of the body by bending backwards.
But how often do we lend adequate time and attention to our waists? Chronically tight side bodies can cause alignment issues, as well as pain and discomfort, so getting a good opening is important. Triangle Pose will offer a deep opening to this area of the body that most people totally forget about.

2. It opens the side hip.

Like I mentioned above, most of us have become proficient at stretching forward and backward—opening the gluts and the hip flexor region.
However, many of us have forgotten to stretch out those muscles that live on the sides of our hips. This area of the body tends to be overly tight in those who walk, run, or cycle, so Triangle Pose is going to be extra important for you if you are someone who uses your lower body a lot in your day-to-day life.
You may find that opening the sides of your hips helps you to feel less overall hip pain in your life.

3. It teaches external rotation of the standing leg.

The external rotation of one or both of your standing legs is a very important position to master, and Triangle Pose offers a great place for you to practice doing so.
Many of us are used to standing in parallel, or even having our legs slightly internally rotated, and this external rotation will help strengthen different muscles in the legs, hips, and pelvis that help offer a balanced strength in your lower body.
What’s more, this foundational rotation will help you master more ‘advanced’ postures as you continue on with your Triangle practice.

4. It opens the heart.

Most people do not think of Triangle Pose as a heart-opening pose, and it certainly is not an extreme one. But if you are practicing it true to tradition, then you will be rotating your chest up towards the ceiling, creating a slight arch in your upper back.
I really appreciate the subtle upper body opening this posture offers, and getting to a place where you can really sense this opening is worth the longer hold.

5. It strengthens the core muscles.

Finally, when you are practicing your Triangle with precision, you will be getting a great core workout.
This pose requires that you extend through your bottom ribs and hold your chest slightly open, while balancing on a tightrope with your feet. Your abdominal and back muscles will be working quite hard to keep you standing and balanced.
Be sure that you use your core to hold you up, rather than placing too much weight on your bottom hand, and you will be building strength and stamina in your whole upper body.

Contraindications

• People with poor back conditions, and/or those who have undergone a recent abdominal surgery should avoid this asan.

 

Ardh Matsyendrasan (Half Twist Pose)

Procedure 

 

• Sit down with your legs outstretched and joined together in front; keeping the back erect, place your palms on the floor behind the buttocks with the fingers pointing backward. 
• Fold the left leg and place the left foot flat on the floor against the outer side of the right thigh (near the right knee).
• Fold your right leg and bring your right foot under the left buttock; also make sure the outer side of the lower right leg (especially the outer right foot) touches the floor and also not to sit on the heels.
• Inhaling ,raise your right arm vertically and stretch the shoulders.
• Exhaling ,twist the waist to the left and place the right arm on the outer part of the left knee.
• Now, catch hold of either the left toes or the left foot with your right hand, resting the right triceps on the outer side of the left knee.
• Move your left hand behind the back while twisting the trunk and head leftward, try to touch the right hip with your left hand.
• Maintain the posture for 15-20 seconds with normal breathing.
• Slowly letting go of your arms, come back to the starting position.
• Repeat the method on the other side.
• This is one round; do it for three rounds.
• Finally, come to Shithil Dandasan and relax.

Awareness

• On the breaths synchronized with your bodily movements
• On  the stretches and strains of the spine
• On the movement of the abdomen

Benefits

• Ardh Matsyendrasan tones up the spinal nerves to perfection and makes the back very flexible. 
• Basically, it relieves backache and helps prevent the adjoining vertebrae to develop osteophytes. 
• It even helps alleviate digestive ailments.
• It is recommended for diabetics as well as it regulates the secretion of adrenaline and bile juice.
• It is also helpful in curing cervical spondylitis, colitis, menstrual disorders, bronchitis, constipation, and sinus related cases, as long as it is done comfortably. 
• It is an invaluable aid for rectifying sciatica, peptic ulcer, hernia, hyper thyroid, and slipped-disc condition—if done carefully under the guidance of a Yoga expert.

Contraindication

• Women who are in the second or third month of their pregnancy should not perform this asan.

Harvard Study Shows Meditation Actually Builds Brain Cells

Harvard Study Shows Meditation Actually Builds Brain Cells

4 Reasons a Glass of Warm Water Can Change Your Life

If there was one recommendation I could make to all of my clients and students to immediately and greatly improve their lives, it would be to drink a tall glass of warm water in the morning,at least 20 minutes before eating.

When I first adopted this habit, it felt a bit odd and definitely took some getting used to, but after a few years of doing it just about every morning, I feel strange when I don’t do it.It’s incredibly simple, yet extremely powerful.

Here are four reasons a glass of warm water can change your life.

1. It gets things moving.

Take it from me, constipation is a BUMMER!

Drinking warm water in the morning flushes your system, stimulates your bowels to move, and hydrates you, which leads us to the next point.

2. It helps you start to recognize the difference between thirst and hunger.

A lot of us are fortunate enough to not really know what REAL hunger feels like.
Unfortunately, drinking a lot, especially cold drinks,alongside a meal dilutes your digestive juices and makes them less effective.This causes your food to stay longer in your stomach and duodenum and everything is just more sluggish.
Furthermore, drinking when you’re not thirsty might be as questionable a practice as eating when you aren’t hungry (read: you probably shouldn’t do it).
On the other hand, treating tall glasses of water, or simple herbal teas like ginger or peppermint almost as a separate meal, allows your body to properly digest the fluid. You end up more effectively hydrated, and your body-mind learns a good lesson about thirst vs. hunger.

3. It stimulates your digestive fire.

You know that gunk that collects on your tongue while you sleep? Actually, your whole digestive tract releases build-up like that during the night. A big glass of warm water flushes through your digestive system and washes that coating into the bowels for elimination.
In addition, the warmth of the water contributes to your body’s internal fire which is responsible for maintaining your body temperature and the digestion of everything you take in.
When your body is properly hydrated, your digestive tract also has the proper lubrication to assimilate nutrients and move waste products through.

4. It’s medicinal.

Even without herbs, drinking boiled water while it is still warm is considered very medicinal by Ayurveda. It is said to be good for the throat, easily digested, and a great cleanse for the urinary bladder.
In addition, classic Ayurvedic texts say it relieves hiccups, bloating, and aggravation of Vata and Kaphadoshas, help reduce fever and easing cough and asthma, help the body get rid of accumulated, undigested food, and soothe pain in the hips and back!

How to Start Your Day With Warm Water

Just boil your water. Bring it to a full boil. If you have the time, let the water continue to boil for 10 minutes. You can boil enough for the whole day all at once and keep it in a covered container or jar.If you really want to give your water some oomph, consider some simple herbal additions.

Cumin, Coriander and Fennel Seeds

Add about five seeds of each for every ½ cup of water you are boiling. Strain out the seeds before drinking. This blend is particularly good for stimulating digestion during gentle cleanses.

Ginger

A pinch of ginger powder in your morning glass of water enkindles your digestive fire and can be helpful for reducing Vata and Kapha excess.
Now try this advice for warm water in the morning out for size, and see how much better you feel as you make this a daily habit!