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Ashtanga Yoga traditionally is the eight-limbed practice introduced by Lord Patanjali. These are the eight principles of life mentioned in Patanjali Yog Sutra which are the path towards achieving the state of samadhi or enlightenment. These eight limbs or principles are described as mentioned below: Yama: Refers to the discipline of practices that are primarily concerned with the world around us and our interaction with it. This builds a great level of strength both on and off the mat. if we can learn to be kind, truthful and use our energy in a worthwhile way, we will not only benefit ourselves with our practice, but everything and everyone around us. Niyama: Refers to the discipline of practices that are related to our own selves. The prefix Ni here refers to…

Yoga for Pregnancy – A Complete Guide to Prenatal Yoga for Pregnant Women Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful phases of a woman’s life. It is a process created by nature that brings a new life to this beautiful world which is a miracle in itself. This becomes a very emotional moment not only for the expecting mother but also for everyone around her, for example, her spouse, friends, family and anyone else close to her. It is a life-changing experience for everyone especially the mother who goes through a lot of transformation in her body and mind due to hormonal changes. Why Yoga during pregnancy? Well, it is a very valid question, especially when it is about such a sensitive time of someone’s life, assuring safety is the…

What is meditation? How to do it? How can we stop our thoughts? How do we really quiet our minds? Is it really possible? Are you the one who is bothered by all these questions? Well, it is normal, as then you are someone who is never conditioned to be in a state of mind where you are in acceptance of the chaos around you but still find stillness and calmness within you. It takes a lot of effort to get there. It might look easy as it is nothing but sitting in silence for a long period of time, but is it really easy? Maybe you should experience it for yourself. So what exactly is meditation? Meditation is a technique in which we try to bring the focus and attention…

Mayurasana which means peacock pose is an advanced level posture mostly followed in hatha yoga but is also a part of other Yoga types. This arm balancing posture demands a great amount of strength of the wrist, arms, forearms, core and back. It also challenges your balancing skills, as when the legs are elongated behind, it looks like you are flying. It may look very simple in the pictures, videos or when someone is doing it, but not so easy if you are an absolute beginner at Yoga, as in this posture, the elongated body has to be balanced against gravity. How to do Mayurasana? Sit in Veeraansa with knees apart and feet close to each other Lean slightly forward and place the palm flat on the floor with fingers…

Have you been struggling to do Chakrasana, Kapotasana, or Ustrasana despite having the strength and flexibility? Is this the fear? Why is it so fearful to fall into back bends vs forward bends? Forward bends are something that we perform quite often in our day-to-day activities and also one can see where they are falling and have the security to land their palms safely versus in backbends which is not so the natural movement of the body and at the same time there is no visibility of where someone is falling and so there is always a fear of falling into the unknown. Most of us have this fraught relationship to backbends where the struggle is not only limited to flexibility and strength but also with our judging minds and…

International Yoga Day 2023 – Importance of International Day of Yoga International Yoga Day is celebrated all over the world on 21st June to raise the awareness of this ancient practice which helps to heal everyone in a holistic and natural way. The theme for this year selected by “The Ministry of Ayush” is “Yoga for Humanity”. In these testing times of Pandemic when this entire world has been through a lot of distress, yoga as a practice has gained a lot of significance in bringing the mental and physical peace that most of us seek. For most of us, Yoga is something that happens only on the mat in the form of asana practice. But in reality, it is much more than that, as asana is just a physical…

The upper back is the region between the neck (cervical spine) and lower back (lumbar spine) and is also called the thoracic spine. This is the most stable part of the spine and the range of motion in the upper back is limited due to its attachment to the ribs. Upper back tightness is usually due to the muscle tension caused by poor posture or looking downward for a long period of time. In our current lifestyle working on a computer for long hours of time or even spending more and more time on our mobile with a poor neck posture leads to tightness and tension in the muscles. To ensure good health of the upper back it is advised that one should include the below-mentioned stretching exercise regularly in…

A good yoga teacher is one who knows how to instruct you for adjustments and corrections by understanding your level and body type. However, this knowledge won’t come unless you are well informed about the joint movements, muscle engagements, and proper alignment of every posture. Besides these, there are other aspects of the human body like knock knee, hyperextended elbows and knees, etc which need special attention to ensure the strengthening of muscles without compromising the safety of joints.Having good anatomical knowledge not only reduces the risk of injuries but also prepares you to take on students who recovered from some injuries in a very safe and effective manner. A good practitioner will also be curious to gain this knowledge to dive deep into the postures and understand their own…

Hamstrings are the group of 3 muscles that run along the backside of the thighs connecting the pelvis to the knee. These muscles are used to flex the knees and extend the hips and are regularly used in our day-to-day life activities like walking, running, climbing stairs, jumping, squatting, coming up standing from a sitting position etc. The tight hamstring is a common complaint these days and it usually occurs due to nonactivity, repetitive movement or poor posture. Some of the common examples are marathon runners who don’t regularly stretch their hamstrings and suffer from a hamstring pull, a non-active person who spends most of his/her time sitting and working will have tight hamstrings which will further lead to back pain or sciatica. Yoga is to create space in the…

Chakras are the energy centers that move through our body from the crown of the head to the base of the spine. The Root chakra, also called Muladhara, is situated at the base of the spine. This chakra is associated with the earth element and linked to the ability to be firmly rooted or grounded. So, it is called the foundation of the physical structure or energy body and the foundation needs to be strong and stable to have good health and wellbeing.Anatomically, this chakra is located in the perineum, is closely associated with the genital area and has great implications relating to Life, childbirth and sexuality. This chakra is also closely related to organs of excretion like the large intestine, kidneys, rectum, and bladder. During Yoga practice, activating the…