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What does a great personality mean to you? Does it translate to someone dressed up to the nines or is it someone who is friendly, has a positive attitude and can maintain equanimity in the trough or peaks of life? Our personality is an expression of who we are and not just how we look. Meditation blossoms your personality; it brings out the best in you. Curious to know how it works?

How does meditation work?

A Nutritional supplement for the mind – meditation

We are a bundle of energy; but for most of us we never use that reservoir beyond childhood. Meditation helps us to switch on that supply. When we get in touch with our core, we radiate and shine like a star, our charming qualities blooms, enhancing us—both physically and mentally. Read on to know how meditation makes our personality more attractive.

Stop worrying by meditating

Worrying is by far our worst enemy and it pulls us down like nothing else does. And what do we worry about – usually about something that hasn’t happened! And then we live in constant fear and anxiety.

We can stress ourselves out, fret, and be worried sick, losing our health, glow, and spark or we can prepare ourselves for surprises. We can plan! We can hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

This is where meditation helps in a big way. It reduces our stress, worries and fears and brings serenity, which gets reflected on our face and personality.

Widen your Horizons

Challenging yourself and heading out towards greater things in life will enhance your personality and make you fearless.

Meditation changes the personality through positive affirmations

To achieve anything you need to have complete confidence in yourself. How do you ensure that? By telling yourself

“I can do it!”

“I feel terrific!”

“I am responsible!”

These are not just words; you can convert these words into an experience. How?

First, you have to find what’s holding you back? Failures? A lost chance, perhaps! Not been able to live up to expectations of others and your own?

Moments when you have felt low, doubted yourself, questioned your faith! But did you notice that these were just moments in our life that don’t exist anymore? Holding on to those few moments and memories will do nothing to pull you up; instead they make you more despondent.

When you meditate, it is easier to let go of hurtful experiences. “Meditation makes you live in the moment making you feel completely new. This moment has immense possibilities”, quotes Priya Rao, a meditation teacher.

When you experience how powerful you are, then, needless to say, you feel confident. Meditation makes you experience that confidence and courage.

Meditate to discover your life’s purpose

Have you noticed the difference in your approach when you do something out of love and when you do something out of obligation?

Radhika Srivastava, International Faculty, the Achieving Personal Excellence (APEX) program believes that while commitments have their own place in our lives, knowing who we are and what we really want from life makes us aware of our limitations and helps us strive for excellence.

“In meditation, we get in touch with our higher self. You discover your passion, something that gives you a splash of freshness in this mundane life,” remarks Priya Rao.

Everthing’s perfect. The room is quiet, devices are on silent mood and you’re easing into the lotus posture, ready to get into the world of meditation. A dim memory of a bill payment looms up, out of nowhere. Was it due today? No wait, it’s not until four days. Will mark my calendar, right after meditation.

The smile appears on the face, again, and silence starts seeping in.

Wait, what’s that smell? Have I switched off the stove? Hmm, now that I’m thinking, need to add to the list of groceries for tomorrow’s dinner. Wait, come back!

This happens. Sometimes, thoughts just drizzling in the mind before meditation and before you know it, there’s a downpour. Something that happened yesterday, going to happen tomorrow, planning for the day…happiness, pride about something that went well, anxiety about the outcome of something else… everything snowballs. It’s normal for it to happen. Thoughts don’t seek our permission and knock on our door. Yet meditation is the act of relaxing you and stocking you up with more energy and focus. And yes, it’s easy to help yourself to free yourself from thoughts when you’re meditating.

# It’s Alright:

Accept all thoughts when you meditate. Let them come. Thoughts come and go away too. Observing this phenomenon will settle the mind. What helps is sitting to meditate in a state of surrender. When you meditate, simply let go and enjoy. With this you will find the mind gradually coming to rest.

# Observe:

When sitting to meditate, simply observe the thoughts come and go, like passing clouds. It’s easy to want to hold onto a thought, mull on it. When you’re meditating, just let it go. The trick is to not get into a conversation with the thought. Tempting as it may be, let’s not think about whether it’s a really great idea or “How could I have just said that about my boss?” - even if it’s in my head! Let’s not label thoughts. Just observe.

# Practice Makes Perfect:

It maybe be easy…to find reasons not to meditation daily. Yet, don’t. It will turn out to be one of the best things you do for yourself. Just set the time aside as your ‘me’ time, your date with yourself. The practice of meditation will nurture you from inside to really be your best in everything that you choose to be. So just honor that commitment and time you’ve decided to put aside for meditation.

# A for Awareness:

During meditation, awareness about just one mantra could really help bring focus and ease into the practice. For the time you’re meditating, just remember: ‘I am nothing; I want nothing; I do nothing’. No lawyer, baker, sportsperson. No lists of what I need to buy next season. No cooking, cleaning, mailing and shopping. Just for the time of your meditation. The awareness of this one simple mantra will truly bring back the mind, every time it decides to go for a walk.

# It’s Truly Delicious:

We are what we eat. The adage, though clinched, is true. Food affects our thoughts. And the spicier the food, more busier is the traffic of thoughts. Usually. So making little changes in your lifestyle, food patterns will, over time, yield results. A little fasting will also cleanse the system and give it a break. You might even want to get a pulse reading done and find out more about your constitution.

There are many who have benefited with the Ayurvedic way of life – you might want to venture into the fascinating world of healing herbs and therapies. These don’t interfere with your current patterns of doing things. Yet complement what you do – with some stunning results.

# Time for a headstand:

If you’re really feeling restless, a little bit of yoga and pranayama would go a long, long way. You could do some warm ups or following some interesting sequences from The Sri Sri Yoga Studio. Yoga and breathing techniques help to remove the restlessness from the body-mind and get you ready for meditation. If you’re pressed for time, even ten minutes would help. And you could gradually build upto a more longer, challenging sequence.

Are you trying to learn how to concentrate on studies? This blog covers some of the best natural ways to increase focus and concentration through yoga, meditation, and other ways to help you stay focused and calm during your study sessions. Learn how a few simple tips can enhance your mental clarity and productivity. Increasing focus and concentration is essential for success in various aspects of life, such as work, education, sports, and personal relationships. But it is important that you look for ways other than consuming supplements if you’re looking for how to concentrate on studies. Adopting natural methods for increasing focus and concentration can have numerous benefits for your mental and physical well-being. Here are some methods that you can try! #1. Practising yoga daily A student's life can be challenging, with increased distractions and high competition leading to stress. Students often search for tips to concentrate on studies but end up elsewhere getting distracted by receiving false information online or from friends. 

Improving the ability to concentrate is crucial, and yoga can be an effective solution for how to concentrate on your studies. Practicing yoga asanas regularly can help build physical fitness and calm the mind. Because of the hyper-functionality of our mobile phones, most people live a life that lacks any kind of physical activity. Children's studies and leisure activities revolve primarily around digital screens, and often wonder how to concentrate on studies. 

This is where yoga comes in. The asanas and techniques increase one’s concentration power and aid in building physical fitness. Moreover, yoga also provides a sense of tranquillity to the mind, ensuring that students can focus on their studies and be relaxed simultaneously. Here are 5 asanas for improving concentration.

A. Tadasana (Palm-Tree Pose) Tadasana is a simple yet powerful yoga pose that helps improve posture, balance, and focus, especially for people who are tied to their screens for long hours and are looking for an exercise to increase concentration.

B. Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)

Vrikshasana

(Tree Pose) is a balancing yoga posture that promotes stability, strength, and concentration. Practice this if you are looking to maintain balance in your life.C. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose)

Paschimottanasana

Sudarshan Kriya, is one of the most invigorating, powerful, and transformative methods of meditation humanity have ever practiced. It boasts both ancient roots and modern relevance, and its efficacy for treating everything from depression to body pain has been backed up again and again by both hard science and thousands of personal testimonials.

Annelies Richmond, a senior Art of Living instructor and a passionate practitioner of Sudarshan Kriya, recently joined Michelle Bosch on the inFlow podcast to talk about sudarshan kriya, silence, and the power of our breath. She shares her experiences as a young dancer in New York City, where she started her meditation journey with the goal of centering and re-energizing herself. But when she signed up for a local Art of Living Happiness Program, she found so much more. Healing the body and mind with meditation“[At] the end of those four days, I felt incredible! Everything was completely recharged: body, mind, spirit, emotions. I didn’t expect that. I thought I was just going to learn a nice technique or practice, but even physically. I was halfway through my dance career. I was in my mid to late twenties, and my body hurts every day. After those four days, even though there was barely any physical yoga in the course, it was mostly breathing techniques and this incredible meditation technique called Sudarshan Kriya, my body felt better than it did when I was 19 years old. It was mind-blowing! It did a lot more for the mind and my resilience. Any of the politics at work stopped phasing me so much, any conflicts I used to run into in the workplace… I started suddenly feeling like, “Oh! It’s not such a big deal.” I felt it really impacted the way I react in situations: I started responding instead.“I just remember feeling like I went into this effortless, incredible meditative state, and I had no idea how I got there, and I was just like, floating in this incredible state. And I was like, “This is like magic. This is what everybody would like to get to, at least as a way to step away from their crazy life. And it was so easy!”The power of the breath“Your breath is intimately linked with your state of mind and your emotions. Most meditative practices or journeys are not using this power of the breath yet. But because the founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, is a great yogi, definitely a meditation master, he’s pulling some things that are so old from the yoga tradition.“There are references to practices like Sudarshan Kriya thousands of years ago in old texts on yoga. So he’s pulling stuff that has been working for thousands of years and somehow is just now resurfacing. But if you look in your own life, you’ve already noticed that your breath is intimately connected to your state of mind.  like when you’re angry, how do you breathe? Have you noticed? Or when you’re sad… we have this long exhalation. When you’re happy, you’re joyful or in a pleasant state, if you really pay attention to it, the inhalation is actually longer and pronounced.“So there’s this really incredible phenomenon that’s happening in our system automatically, and that phenomenon is that every emotion or state of mind that you have has a corresponding rhythm in your breath. Normally, it’s an unconscious function. You’re in a state of mind, you’re irritated, and your breath starts going in a certain pattern, and that dictates to your physiology, and it lets certain hormones come out, and a lot of times, what happens is that our systems stay stuck in that state. Notice when you’re irritated: you often stay irritated for hours, right? But when a child is irritated, it’s like, a minute. Or maybe a couple minutes, and then it’s gone. They’re smiling and laughing.

Do you hear yourself often, ‘only if I were more intuitive’? Especially when you are  at crossroads of life, where you do not know where to go. Or during times of trouble, when you are desperately looking for an answer but your inner voice seems to be as unresponsive as a dormant volcano.

Yet, intuition is not just a torchlight in the darkness. It is a tool that can help make better decisions at work and in relationships. It can also help you create a life that is uninfluenced by your and society’s prejudices and biases.

Fortunately enough, there are concrete ways to enhance the subtle power of intuition.

Still the mind

We all have intuitive abilities. We all have that tiny voice that tries to guide us through life. However, the world fills our head with so many thoughts that we eventually lose the habit of listening to that voice. A daily meditation practice is a way to still your mind every day. When you silence your thoughts every day, you are able to listen to your inner voice with more clarity and ease.

Acknowledge the limitation of logic

Our logic depends on the knowledge that we perceive from our senses. This makes our knowledge limited. Our logic cannot be beyond what we know. Thus, logic and knowledge are intertwined in the same pool. When we recognize the universe and the truth are beyond that, we give a chance to our intuition.

Practice Sun Salutations

Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations are a set of 12 yoga postures. Its regular practice affects a mass of nerves in your stomach called the solar plexus that directly influences your intuitive abilities.

Feel contented

I was 20 when I experienced an Advanced Meditation Program (AMP, also called the silence program) for the first time. It had been three years since I had learned Sudarshan Kriya and it had been quite a while since I wanted to experience an AMP. I had heard about a lot of great experiences from my friends. Someone felt super light after a stressful period of time. Someone was able to make the right life decision that they were holding for so long.

Yet, I was apprehensive. How would I stay silent for so long? I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to sit through the long meditations. But not only were the meditations smooth for me, but I also enjoyed the silence thoroughly. Since then, I have experienced several advanced meditation programs, each of which has helped me in some way or another.

Following are some common challenges people face while doing an Advanced Meditation Program and ways of overcoming them.

Staying silent

This is a fear that most people have. The first few processes in the program do prepare you to go into silence. On the first day of silence, you may experience a lot of restlessness and a bombardment of thoughts. See that as a release of impressions. With time, the intensity of these thoughts will fade away. Balls of muddled thoughts will unroll and give way to clarity, peace, and bliss.

Pro Tip: Start your Advanced Meditation Program journey with short silence programs (3 days program) and then gradually start going for longer ones. For beginners, getting into silence may seem hard. But the only solution is to be patient and go through it because it will pay off well.

Long meditations

If you are scared about sitting for long periods, here is good news for you.

The truth about meditations in an Advanced Meditation Program is that they don’t seem so long. If the meditation is for 20 minutes, it may seem even shorter because that is the impact of deep meditation. And your silence makes it easier for you to go deep. Also, the program doesn’t just consist of meditations. You will enjoy well-timed breaks, seva (physical activity), and nature walks as well.

Pro Tip: Carry cushions and a meditation chair with yourself to make your body feel comfortable during meditations.

Quality & deep meditations

In my first Advanced Meditation Program, it felt like I was the first to open my eyes after a meditation session, in a crowd of hundreds. I noticed people in deep meditation, sitting with their eyes closed, long after the instruction was over, and who seemed to be enjoying a secret revealed only to them. I wondered why my meditations weren’t that deep. Over the years, I realized that the more regular you are with yoga, Sudarshan Kriya, and meditation in your daily routine, the deeper you can go into an Advanced Meditation Program.

Pro Tip: Commit yourself to a daily practice of Sudarshan Kriya and meditations for fifteen days before your silence program begins.

No WhatsApp and communication with your dear ones

Before you are initiated into silence, you will be asked to talk to your dear ones and let them know about your silence program. Thus no one will be worried about you while you keep your phone in silence during your silence. This time period is really about being with yourself, and halting your communication for a few days will only help you go deeper and enjoy your meditations better.

Pro Tip: Before going into silence, delegate your work and make it clear that you won’t be available. Talk to your dear ones before and after the program gets over.

Simple food

What you eat affects your mind and body. That’s why simple sattvik food is served during the residential silence program. It helps curb restlessness in the mind, increases awareness, and aids your silence and meditation. Having this kind of food may seem hard for some. Here is a tip for those.

Pro Tip: Eat your sattvik silence meals slowly. Chew a morsel 30 times or more. You will realize the food is not that bad, and in fact, is delicious. You can also motivate yourself in the beginning by promising yourself a meal at your favorite food joint after the program gets over.

Sharing rooms

Most of us are accustomed to enjoying our privacy in our single rooms. The idea of sharing rooms, especially with strangers, is uncomfortable. But most of the time, you will be out of your rooms participating in the program. You will only share your morning routine and sleep time with your equally silent roommates and it will be only for some days.

Pro Tip: Fix your morning time slots with your roommates before you get into silence. This will avoid confusion. Share any other concerns like switching off the lights during bedtime and so on with your roommates. In most cases, people are understanding and don’t want anyone else to feel troubled because of them.

Getting up on time

Watching the waves lashing on the surface of the ocean is always a delight to relish. Indeed, a noise that nature creates from its depths, yet soothing for our souls, and meditative!

Meditation for stress relief

Life is a beautiful journey, more often perceived to be under the clutches of stress. Stress, typically, is the inability to respond to life situations, triggered internally or through external factors; reasons, any or many. Stressors could be as simple as the laundry list of to-dos within a short span of time; or it could be because of susceptibility to illnesses or traumatic experiences that are beyond our control. We see people go through it in all shapes and sizes. Even thoughts or fears due to external conditioning could be one of the factors of stress. The medical fraternity speaks of the impact of stress on different levels - physiological and psychological. Physical conditions could have an effect on the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems and impact the immune functions of the body, while emotional strains may cause confusion, anxiety, and depression depending on the level of extremities of stress that one is exposed to. Whatsoever, the sooner such stressors are removed, the better it is. The fight or flight response triggered by our parasympathetic nervous system could affect our health, if stress becomes distress in the long run. So, it is important that we keep a watch on it before the *amygdala hijack happens, where the ‘feeling brain’ gets cut off from the ‘thinking brain’.

*Amygdala is that part of the brain that stimulates an emotional response, while the frontal lobes enable cognitive thinking. Stressors may cause the amygdala to trigger its fight or flight response. But, when the emotional quotient is high, it is quite under control and we respond to situations rather than react. Astonishing indeed, when we read about the lifestyle of generations before us that seems to have been more peaceful and harmonious. Spiritual sadhana and meditative practices are proven to be the common thread that paved the way for a healthy lifestyle with an intuitive mind. Adaptability, flexibility, just letting go, and being at ease with oneself helps balance the prana (the life force within the body) and brings a subtle sense of calm. No wonder our rishis of yore have given us such profound wisdom to be imbibed through spiritual practices. Our consciousness is subtler than air and water; it can spread around and flow in all directions. Similar to how trees grow upward while still rooted through gravity, a few minutes of meditation helps elevate the level of prana in our body. Our breath then becomes rhythmic and the mind quietens, opening us to subtler intuitive realms, even when amidst the daily buzz of routine activities. How does meditation for stress relief work Scientific analysis of meditation states that when the subject of meditation and the object of meditation are nullified, there is only pulsation – a pure form of energy, a wave function that helps manifest through pure intention and focus; where all factors of stress are removed and what exists then, is the pure being within us, from where all solutions emerge. The Eureka of Archimedes or the elevation of Newton happened in this space.

One can be said to be in a perfect state of health when one is physically fit, mentally calm and emotionally steady," says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Beyond just physical fitness, yoga strengthens mental and emotional capacity.

A yoga practice inspired by family fitness goals

Growing up with a father who was a sports enthusiast, I used to tag along with him on the tennis court. My father would often bring home trophies after winning tournaments in basketball, tennis and bowling. While I did not become a professional tennis player as my dad secretly wished, I eagerly shared his goal of achieving fitness. For me, this meant playing sports, joining dance lessons and learning yoga and meditation to boost my energy levels.

Yoga boosts fitness at all levels

Fitness is also about being able to handle changes in life as they happen with a calm mind. Yoga keeps us fit on different levels of our existence: the body, breath and mind. On the level of the body, we get a total body workout through practice of yoga postures. Practicing breathing exercises called pranayamas boosts lung capacity. Through attention on the breath, yoga postures and meditation help to calm the mind when emotions run high and low at different times.

With a more peaceful, clear mind, better decision-making happens and the mind is able to stay more focused on a task for a longer time, boosting mental capacity.

When something happens that is different from an expected result, a common response is anger. But how long should that anger last? According to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, “It should last only as long as a line drawn on the surface of water. Some carry over anger from the previous day, previous month, or ten years ago. The mind suffers. Meditation will help. Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya and yoga are the answers.” Yoga & the body-breath-mind link

Vitrushnasya vashikara sanjna vairagyam

The mind that gallops is an obstruction. An expectation in meditation is an obstruction. You have heard somebody's experience that light appears, somebody comes from heaven and takes them by hand and you see it with your eyes closed. All these ideas are the construction of fiction.

Your desire for pleasure or happiness makes you unhappy. You examine that whenever you are unhappy or miserable, behind that is your wanting to be happy. You got it? Craving for happiness brings misery. If you do not even crave for happiness, then you are happy. You crave for happiness and you invite misery. When you do not care for happiness, you are liberated and when you do not even care for liberation, you attain love. The first step is when you do not care for happiness. The second step is param vairagya (supreme dispassion). When you do not even care for liberation, then you are free. You are liberated.

If you have whatever you wanted, then are you happy?

Happiness is just a mere idea in the mind. You think that if you have this you are happy. If you have whatever you wanted, then are you happy? Vairagya is putting a stop to craving for happiness.

That does not mean you must be miserable. It is not that. It does not mean you should not enjoy yourself, but the craving for joy, only when you retrieve your mind from it, only then can you meditation. Then yoga happens.

Your dreams and fantasies, just shatter them. All your dreams and fantasies, offer them to the fire. Burn them. What great happiness do you want to have? How long can you have it? You are going to be finished. It is all going to end. Before this earth eats you up, become free.

Free yourself from this feverishness that is gripping your mind.

Free yourself from this craving for happiness

Look into every craving you have closely and remember you are going to die. Your craving for sweets, sugar, food. Ask yourself if you want to keep eating them. Ok, eat for as long as you like. See consciously, what can they do? Nothing. What else do you crave for? Beautiful views? Keep on looking at the view. How long you can go on looking?

Sex. How much sex can you have? Then you will see that there is nothing in it. How long? Few moments later, the body looks like styrofoam, that which was so attractive before.

What other thing? All these substances you see have limitations, but your mind is not ready for limitations. It wants unlimited pleasure, which the five senses cannot give you. It is impossible. You simply get burnt down, over and over again.

A dancer by profession, yoga came fairly easy to Rashmi Ramesh for whom movement is a part of who she is. And then yogalates just happened when she decided to put pilates and yoga together to create a holistic body workout. Today, she teaches this technique in Mumbai to people who come to her for a physical workout but end up enjoying the mind workout too. Here, in a brief chat, Rashmi shares all about yogalates with Pranav Desai. Excerpts from her interview:

Pranav: So what exactly is the idea behind yogalates?

Rashmi: It's just getting pilates into yoga or yoga into pilates. That is what yogalatesis. The whole idea behind combining the both is that it gives a complete workout. It helps strengthen and tone your body and even works on your breath and mind levels.

Yogalates is normally more focused on the core muscles. Let me give you an example. When we do Naukasana (Boat Pose), it helps tone our abdominal muscles. At the same time,we are focusing on our breath and the core muscles. So it would work both at the body level, when people want to really work out, and as we do pranayama and meditation, it works on the breath and mind levels also.

Pranav: This is amazing! So how did the idea of yogalates strike you?

Rashmi: I never thought I would be doing what I'm doing right now. After I finished college, I was very confused because I was exposed to so many things so I didn't know what to choose. Sometimes you feel like, "Oh I could be jack of all trades, master of none". So what are you going to be your master at (laughs)? Then yogalates just happened.

I learnt pilates at dance school and later when I came for my Sri Sri Yoga Teachers’ Training Course (TTC), I thought what if we combine the two to form something that gives a good holistic workout.

I googledyogalates and saw that there were a lot of people abroad who were already doing it.So I thought,“Why not start teaching yogalates in India?” Now I take formal yogalates classes in Mumbai but back then, when I first started my own practice, it had no name. I was just combining yoga and pilates and I used to think that this really works for my body, it helps me understand my body better, tone it better, works on my breath, on my mind, gives me an overall strength.So maybe I should also teach people because it works for me. That’s when I started taking classes and it still had no name!

Only as I kept doing it, I realized this is what I'm doing. So this is what I should call it. That's when I thought of the term ‘yogalates’.

I have seen it work for a lot of people. They love it and we do things right from pranayama to meditation to really working out.

Most people who come to me either want to lose weight or shed flab around the armor belly region, but nobody thinks,“Let me do a meditation.”Yogalates combines all of that. And it's a fun workout for your body and mind is what I would say.

Pranav: I’ve heard about a technique called zipping and hollowing in yogalates. Could you speak more about it?

Rashmi: Zipping is pulling in your pelvic muscles. Hollowing is pulling in your abdominal muscles. So you really hold everything tight with every exercise that you do.

For instance,normally in Surya Namaskar, you would just hold the asana and observe the breath and your mind. But when you apply the zipping and hollowing principle to this set of asanas, you do the same thing (the normal procedure of doing Surya Namaskar) along with taking attention to your core abdominal muscles and activating them.

Pranav: So what is your normal routine like and how much time do you practice yogalates?

Rashmi: I start my day at six in the morning, that's when I start taking yogalates classes - an hour-long session each -for about three hours in the morning. Most of the days, I take classes twice a day - morning and evening. And then at times, I have rehearsals for dance shows since I perform as well. I also work on productions for kids –four to eight-year-olds. I teach them dance, speech and drama for big productions. So it gives me that break from being with adults (laughs).It's fun!

Pranav: And where do you get the energy to deal with kids as small as these?

Rashmi:  From my yogalates!

Pranav: I was wondering whether you have a 24-hour clock or a 48-hour clock? You are into so many things...

Rashmi: Sunday is my freeday! I don't do anything on Sunday, unless there's a show that I have to dance at. But I try and keep myself free on Sundays as much as I can.

Pranav: Do you see a craze for yogalatesin India? Is it picking up?

Does your routine day involve traveling to work, staring at the computer screen for hours, being stuck in traffic jam on the way back home and feeling too exhausted at the end of the day to spend time with your loved ones? Are you unable to pursue your hobby over weekends because of an over-stressful week at work? If yes, then your body is probably suffering from low prana or energy levels.

Salamba – Supported, Bhujang – Cobra, asana – pose

Pronounced: SA-lumb-aa-BHu-jung-AAhs-uh-nuh

Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx pose) is a modified version of Bhujangasana to help beginners ease their way into it. This pose is also good for people who have lower back ache as it has less arch and therefore reduces the pressure on the spine.

How to do Sphinx Pose:

1. Lie on your stomach with your toes flat on the floor and forehead resting on the ground.

2. Keep your legs close together, with your feet and heels lightly touching each other.

3. Stretch your hands in front of you with palms facing downward and arms touching the ground.

4. Taking a deep breath in, slowly lift your head, chest and abdomen while keeping your navel on the floor.

5. Pull your torso back and off the floor with support of your arms.

6. Keep breathing with awareness, as you curve your spine vertebra by vertebra.

7. Ensure that your feet are still close together and head facing straight ahead.

8. Breathing out, gently bring down your abdomen, chest and head back to the floor.

Benefits of Sphinx pose:

The Sphinx pose helps strengthen the spine and stimulates the abdominal organs. It also expands the chest and shoulders. This yoga posture also helps in improving blood circulation while relieving the body of stress.Contraindications and cautions of Sphinx pose:

Sphinx pose should be avoided if you are pregnant, have fractured ribs or wrists, or recently underwent abdominal surgery.Follow-up poses

The Superman Pose is similar to a flying superman high in the air. This is where this yoga posture gets its nickname.

viparita = inverted/ reversed; shalabh = locust; asana = pose/posture

It is pronounced as Vip-a-RHEETH-uh shah-lah-BHAAHS-uh-nuh

This posture is particularly helpful in strengthening your lower back muscles.

How to do Superman Pose / Viparita Salabhasana

Lie on your stomach with your toes flat on the floor; chin resting on the ground.

Keep your legs close together with your feet lightly touching each other.

Now stretch your arms out to the front as far as you can.

Take a deep breath in and now lift your chest, arms, legs and thighs off the floor.  You resemble a flying super hero - Superman! Spread the smile on your face – superheroes are always happy, especially in flight. Rather than making an effort to raise your hands and legs more, make a gentle effort to stretch your arms and legs away from your torso. So, feel the pull that is occurring at both ends. Ensure that your elbows and knees are not bent.

Keep breathing with awareness; keeping your attention on the stretch.

As you exhale, gently lower your chest, arms and legs.

Viprita Salabhasana video - Superman Pose

Benefits of Viparita Shalabhasana - Superman Pose

Stretches and strengthens the muscles of the chest, shoulders, arms, legs, abdomen and the lower back

Tones the abdomen and lower back

Massages the spine and keeps the back supple

Helps stretch the chest

Improves blood circulation

Also works at the mind level – when you take off, you can't but stay in the present moment. Even if you want to, you can't think about any problem!

Can be a good workout for the abs and stomach

In the Padma Sadhana sequence, Superman Pose (Viparita Shalabhasana) forms the fifth pose, after Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose).

Contraindications of the Superman Pose (Viparita Shalabhasana)

What does Yoga have to do with Football? This rather rugged game of football is associated more with the likes of Beckham or Messi or Ronaldo, huffing and puffing during rigid and tough fitness routines on the ground; rather than them stretching their hamstrings and tucking and flexing their toes to strengthen their ankles in a serene room. Lately the regular fitness regime of these “Fit & Flexible” footballers we so much admire and swear by has drastically altered. With yoga and meditation taking the world by storm, the game and the players have not been spared either!

Yoga and meditation could look like no more than a series of variations of people lying down in a tracksuit, to the uninitiated. But this is a just naïve perception. Many major football teams have incorporated yoga and meditation in their pre as well as off-season traditional rigorous training regime. What more?! Some major sports teams have been pushing their players to practice yoga and have even added yoga instructors to their staffs. Players from these teams begin their day with yoga & meditation and practice yoga stretches post the game too, to help heal injuries, cramps or spasms. For noted player and coach, Ryan Giggs, yoga has proved to work like a balm for not only the persistent hamstring injuries, but also get over a lost game! Players have developed greater will power, great inner focus & overall spiritual well-being, along with all the added physical benefits yoga can have.

Here’s how yoga and meditation can add value to your game if you are a player yourself or even a football enthusiast!

Kick it Yoga Style:

Given the amount of running, sprinting and kicking that soccer players do, most of them would benefit from yoga asana that emphasize improving flexibility of the legs, and improving stamina. Improving flexibility and loosening the tissues around the hips, thighs and calf is most important to develop a player’s athletic performance.

Yoga Poses for Soccer Players:

Vasistha is the name of one of the most revered saints who was also one of the Saptarishis or Seven Seers. He was the chief author of Rigveda’s Mandala 7. Vasistha had in his possession a cow named Kamdhenu and her child, Nandini. This divine cow could grant Vasistha anything and thus made him wealthy. Hence the name Vasistha derived its meaning - wealthy.

Vasistha – wealthy; asana – pose

This particular pose aids in improving the body’s upper strength and balance.

How to do Side Plank Pose - Vasisthasana

Come into Dandasana (Plank pose).

Slowly shift your weight on the right arm and foot as you swing your left arm and foot on it.

Rest the left foot on the right foot and let the left arm rest on the hip.

The right hand should be a little in front of the shoulder and not exactly below it. Also, ensure that the palm is pressed firmly against the floor and the arm is not bent.

As you inhale, slowly raise your left arm till it is perpendicular to the floor with fingertips pointing towards the ceiling.

Now turn your neck towards the raised arm and gaze at the fingertips for a few breaths.

As you exhale, bring the arm down to rest on the hip.

Slowly come back into Dandasana and rest for a few breaths.

Repeat the process on the other side.

Benefits of Vasisthasana / Side Plank Pose

Strengthens the arms, wrists and legs.

Strengthens the abdomen.

Improves balance.

Contraindications of the Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)

Wherever you go today, you hear people talking about the multiple benefits of yoga and attesting to its indispensability in daily life. It is no surprise, considering the significance of yoga in the resolution of physical and mental problems all over the world today.  When you hear the word ‘yoga’, chances are that an image of people twisting in, seemingly, impossible poses may pop into your head. Perhaps you never dreamt that any non-acrobat could bend and twist like that!

While yoga asanas are immensely effective and helpful, yoga is more than the asanas or poses it is known for today. It is, also, not just a passing modern fad that evolved over the last few decades. The fact is that it dates back as far as a few millenniums! Yes, incredible as it may sound, yoga goes way back to BC times. So, it is no wonder that so many around the world are attracted to such a time-tested practice.

But, let’s start at the beginning with the very meaning of yoga. What is yoga? What do we mean when we say it is more than asanas? And from when has it been practiced? What is yoga?The word yoga was derived from the Sanskrit word yuj which means ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. This union is not, merely, about your nose touching your knees as you bend to touch your toes! The union referred to is that of your mind with your body. You integrating with your surroundings and nature. And, finally, your individual consciousness with the universal consciousness.

Many people are falling prey to depression today. The reasons could range from hectic and unhealthy lifestyles, hormonal imbalances, stress and an inability to deal with traumatic life experiences. The symptoms of depression could vary according to the severity and the individual. This is a difficult experience for the person and the people around. According to the World Health Organization, globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression.

The good news: there are some simple lifestyle changes like yoga, meditation and better eating habits that could help overcome feelings of depression. How does this principle work? According to Ayurveda, depression is a sign that the body-mind complex has low prana or life-force energy. Prana is responsible for enthusiasm, happiness, and peace. Regular practice of yoga and meditation help to increase the prana levels, thereby removing the symptoms of depression. In fact, several scientific studies have found yoga to have healing effects on people with depression.

More than a dozen published studies have documented significant relief from depression in individuals who learned and practiced the Sudarshan Kriya and accompanying breathing techniques (SKY). These studies have demonstrated a 67-73% success rate in relief from depression, regardless of the severity of depression.