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Hormonal Imbalance and Meditation

Kristin Russel

Meditation is a method of calming the mind and focusing the attention inwards. Instead of centering on the outside world you focus on your, feelings, sensations, thoughts, breath, mantra, images, etc., and hook up with the self on a deeper level. There are hundreds of natural ways, through which you can remove the hormonal imbalance.

Practicing meditation leads to improve immune system, fit cardiovascular system and balanced physiology. As we age, production of some hormones declines. The hormone, or endocrine, system is so intricately linked with the nervous system and our cognitive functioning and psychology that the interconnected web of chemical messaging that goes on is nothing short of mind boggling.

Meditation offers a deep absorbing capacity into human consciousness, psychology, and experience. It offers relationship between intellectual states and body physiology; emotional and cognitive processing; and the biologically linked religious experience.

Hormones-and-meditation

Meditation increases gamma wave in the brain.The gamma brain waves are known as “feeling of blessings”. Dr. Amit Ray in the book “Om Chanting and Meditation” suggested the application of Om mantra for developing gamma waves.

Breathing exercises like Ujjayi pranayama, and Khechari mudra is the easiest way of balancing the hormones in the body.

There are many things that can disrupt the harmony of the hormone system. Stress greatly affects hormone balance. Indeed, the stress reaction is an evolutionary, protective hormonal response. In our contemporary world, this still functions, but rather than running from tigers, we run from the clock. By switching into chronic stress mode, elements of our hormone system get altered resulting in many possible imbalances, including adrenal depletion, thyroid over or under function.

Easy ways of eliminating hormonal imbalance

NATURE – has been proven to reduce blood pressure when we experience it, either vicariously or actually. Blood pressure is controlled in part by hormones, and effects many elements of the hormonal system (particularly stress). To use: Open your awareness to the natural forces around you. From ants and birds, to trees and wind. Take some time to recognise the natural world around you.

YOGA – is the ancient rishi practice passed from wizened Himalayan yogi to the Western world. Yoga balances the body/or mind complex and I would question if anything better exists to help balance hormonal function! To use: Find a qualified practitioner who’s classes you enjoy. Attend two to three classes a week to learn the correct alignments and get the most from the practices. Find yourself a yoga book you love reading and drink deep!

MEDITATION – is the art of cultivating mindfulness and increasing awareness. By cultivating calm, we help to balance the mind-body complex and consequently support hormonal balance. To use: Meditation must be practiced to be effective. It is with regular practice only that the results will occur. With practice, meditation can become more fulfilling. Find a good teacher to help you.

COCONUTS – are actually from the grass family, the fruits of which are profoundly great for us. In terms of hormonal health, fresh coconut meat provides the building blocks for various sex hormones, including the anti-ageing hormone DHEA. To use: Eat young green coconuts straight from the nut, or include in smoothies.

UJJAY BREATH – Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. The “ocean sound” is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a “rushing” sound.

Hormonal Imbalance and Meditation

There are various types of meditation. Popular among them are mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation, yoga and vipassana meditation. Meditation techniques vary from silent, guided, sound making, with music etc. However, they can be classified into two broad groups; concentration meditation and open monitoring meditation.

During concentration meditation the yogi focus their attention on a single object. In mindfulness meditation practice, every aspect of experience is welcomed and respected. Mindfulness meditation is also known as insight meditation. The purpose is to increase insight into the true nature of reality.

With concentration practice, you give the attention to a target that keeps you anchored in the present moment. The target can be a physical object, a mantra, prayer, image, or just the breath. You give the mind something steady to focus on and this becomes the object of concentration.

Whatever is used as the object for the concentration, the aim is to keep the mind focused on the selected object as much as you can.

Experiencing the divinity through meditation is the central part of spiritual life. Hormones are chemical messengers secreted by the brain cells or the glands. Endocrine glands are responsible for releasing hormones within the body.

Hormones Meditation and Science

Scientific studies conformed that, when we are in deep meditation and in divine love with God, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins are the key hormones generated in the body. Divine love is the most lifting of all human emotions. The main hormones associated with meditations are as follows:

Dopamine stimulates ‘reward circuit’ by triggering an intense sprint of happiness.

Oxytocin is a powerful hormone released during deep meditation. It develops feelings of attachment towards the object of attention.

Vasopressin is another vital hormone in the long-term commitment towards the object of meditation. Vasopressin is released at the later part of the meditation.

Serotonin is known as the well-being chemical. It is important for the feeling of happiness. The pleasant experiences of serotonin have a calming influence throughout the body.

Endorphins are responsible for developing high-feelings of euphoria. If there is pain in the body due to long sitting posture, endorphins are released which gives a pleasant feelings.

Meditation benefits us in many ways. It makes our body strong and healthy. It makes our mind balanced.

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Scientific Measure of Spiritual Consciousness

Kristin Russel

Spiritual consciousness is that part of the human being that is capable of transcending animal instincts. Every person is resonating at a specific levels of consciousness. Dr. David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD developed a scale of the levels of human consciousness that uses a testing technique called Applied Kinesiology (AK) to measure the state of spirituality. The research was scientifically-validated and published in Dr. Hawkins’ doctorate dissertation titled Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis and Calibrations of the Level of Human Consciousness, an elaborate discussion of the Scale of Consciousness and its significance as outlined in his groundbreaking book, Power vs. Force: The Anatomy of Consciousness (Veritas Publishing, 1995).

Spiritual Consciousness  Levels:

The scale varies from 1 to 1000. Thousand is the Highest Level of pure consciousness humanly possible. Lords Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus Christ all calibrate at 1,000. Dr. Hawkins points out that the two greatest spiritual growth barriers seem to be at level 200 and 500.  The state of self-realization has been estimated to calibrate at 700-849. Surprisingly, most of the well known saints, sages, prophets and avataras are at the level of 550 to 650. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi calibrates at 760.

References:

1. Dr. Hawkins Calibration
2.Levels of Consciousness
3. Map of Consciousness
Calibrated Reading List

 

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Namaste Yoga

Kristin Russel

Yoga means union. Union with the supreme soul, the soul of all beings. Namaste is the gesture and the opportunity to unite with the supreme soul. What is the meaning of the word Namaste? It is a Sanskrit word. It means (nah + mas + te = namaste)  “The Love and Light within me Honor the Love and Light in you.”  In namaste the  hands are kept together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of spiritual love energy.  Sometimes hands are placed together in front of the third eye center to increase  the flow of wisdom energy.

Namaste - Yoga
Namaste – Yoga

In namaste  yoga, the mudra is practiced in different locations of the body to balance the parana – the chi energy. The basic is that two hands should be joined together. Hands represent our brain, when we join two hands together, it balances the energy of that center. It brings balance between the left-brain and the right-brain.

In namaste mudra, I honor the spirit in us where the entire universe is connected, I honor the energy in us where the entire universe resides, I honor the wisdom in us, the light, love, truth and peace in us. I honor the wisdom that there is no division; there is no I or you. There is only the one and the supreme.

Namaste is a balancing mudra. The concepts and wisdom of namaste are quite complex and deeper, and can be expanded upon almost endlessly. The two hands represent the two sides of dualism. Everything in this world is dual in nature. By joining the left and right, we can make the energy towards a new balance that are beneficial for all in this universe.

namaste-mudraNamaste is also known as the Anjali Mudra, paying homage to the God. Our brain is linked with the nerves and the muscles of  our hands. The fact is that we are either left-brained or right-brained. Hence, it is important that we improve the less-dominant side of the brain. Namaste is the mudra of activating and balancing both the hemispheres of the brain. Our brain works on the principle of “use it or lose it”.  The more we use it together, the better it gets.  Namaste mudra is the simple way to improve the balance and the coordination between both sides of the brain.

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Top Ten Yoga Quotes

Kristin Russel

Best Yoga Posture

I’m experiencing the benefits yoga every day. The practice helps me to expand my consciousness. It helps me stay grounded and strong. Here is a list of my ten favorite quotes of the great masters.

#1: “Yoga is the practice of undisturbed calmness of mind. It is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked. ” ~ Patanjali

#2: “When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves a healthy and long life. Therefore, one should learn to understand the quality of the breath.” ~ Hatha Yoga Pradipika

#3: “Yoga is not possible, for the one who eats too much, or who does not eat at all; who sleeps too much, or who keeps awake. ” ~ Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

4#: ”The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind & the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

5#: “Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul. Yoga is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.” ~ Amit Ray

6#: “Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.” ~ Krishnamacharya

7#: “Yoga is essentially a practice for your soul, working through the medium of your body.” ~Tara Fraser

8#: “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” – Jason Crandell

9# “Under the bright sun, many of us are gathered together with different languages, different styles of dress, even different faiths. However, all of us are the same in being humans, and we all uniquely have the thought of “I,” and we´re all the same in wanting happines.” ~ Dalai Lama

10#: “Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.” ~ Buddha

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Eight Stages of Anapanasati Meditation

Kristin Russel

Vipassana meditation is part of Ananpanasati Meditation. Use of the breath is the central to Ananpanasati Meditation. Observing freely where the mind wanders is vipassana. Developing focus on breath is ananpanasati. The word derives from a verb, sarati, meaning “to remember” – remember your breath.

Ananpanasati was originally taught by Gautama Buddha. A smaller area of awareness = greater resistance to our minds and sharper awareness into the subtler realities.

Sri Amit Ray expressed that developing inner peace and inner beauty is the first step of Ananpanasati Meditation. Inner beauty comes from love and compassion and inner peace comes from  let go, positive thoughts and by activating the awareness muscles of the mind.

ananpana sati

Eight Stages of Anapanasati Meditation

There are eight stages of meditation through which a meditator usually progresses, more or less in order, though it is quite possible to sometimes fall back to an earlier stage.

[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in long’; or breathing out long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out long.’

[2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in short’; or breathing out short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out short.’

[3] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in experiencing all bodies.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out experiencing all bodies.’

[4] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming the body fabricator.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming the body fabricator.’

[5] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in experiencing rapture.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out experiencing rapture.’

[6] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in experiencing pleasure.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out experiencing pleasure.’

[7] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in experiencing the mind fabricator.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out experiencing the mind fabricator.’

[8] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming the mind fabricator.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming the mind fabricator.

Here, ‘experiencing all bodies’ (sabba kaya), simply means experiencing both the breath & the (internal) physical (external) body together.

Here,  ‘bodily fabrications’ means any ‘tension’ felt anywhere in the body subtle or gross.

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Meditation and Pain Management Techniques: Five Yoga Exercises

Kristin Russel 1 Comment

Our brain circuit is a very complex subject involving a great deal of biological, cognitive and social functioning. Brain produces different chemicals that causes the feelings of pleasure and pain. When certain part of the brain is “turned on” or “turned off” , we fell pleasure or pain.  We feel pleasure when we we enjoy something like eating good food or being in love.  Our brain has its own reward system. When we do certain things, the brain rewards us by making us feel good. Reward is a great way to encourage us to do something repetitively. Similarly, there is a pain circuit in the brain. When certain things happen in our body or mind, the brain punishes us by developing bad feelings, so that we should not repeat that next time. Yoga and meditation helps people consciously control the perception of pain and pleasure.  The new understanding and perceptions relieves pain.  During pain the blood vessels serve as a radiator to cool the brain, overheating can cause neuron death.

Five Yoga Exercises Pain Management:

#1: Observe your normal breathing patterns

Try to observe your normal breathing patterns.  Do not try to control, remove or diminish your negative sensations or the private events of your life.  Try to accept the unpleasant sensations or thoughts while still persisting with your chosen tasks.

#2: Breathing Exercises:

You can breathe into the area around the pain sensation or around the belly. Yoga literature proposed several breathing techniques to overcome pain. The easiest one is;  place one hand on the chest and another on the belly.  Take a slow and deep breath, take as much air as possible. You can press the belly a little bit, with one hand. After holding the breath for a few seconds, exhale slowly.

#3: Present Moment Awareness

Present moment awareness is the most efficient and the most ancient meditation technique for pain management. Yoga literature is flooded with present moment awareness meditation techniques for pain management.  You can just bring your awareness to the activities you are doing.  Khechari mudra is a great way for pain management.  If  the khechari mudra is perfect, one can withdraw the mind from the body.

#4: Yoga Nidra for Pain Management

Yoga nidra is a very ancient meditation technique for pain management. In modern literature there are various forms of muscle relaxation techniques. This technique involves slowly tensing, briefly holding, and then releasing each muscle group in a systematic fashion. It starts  with the muscles in the toes and moving upward. During this exercise, the person should notice the differences between tension and relaxation.

#5: Meditation and Visualization for Pain management

Visualization involves imagining a scene in which you feel at peace, free to let go of all tension and anxiety. You may meditate with eyes open or closed.  Select a simple geometrical shape or symbols, with  some specific color. Think of something which may be symbolically meaningful for you in some way.  For example, you can select some green circles. You can chant any mantra of your choice during visualization meditation.

Meditation and prayers are the great ways to overcome pain. Acceptance is very important in pain management. Mentally, you may say, “It is unpleasant but I can accept it”. Pain is always unpleasant but mediation changes the nature of pain before it is perceived.

Sources:

1. “Meditation: Insights and Inspirations”  By Amit Ray

2. “Handbook of Pain Management: A Clinical Companion to Textbook of Pain”  By Ronald Melzack

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Kundalini Yoga: Dangers and Beauty

Kristin Russel

Kundalini is a spiritual potential energy or life force located at the base of the spine. The means and practices to awaken this spiritual energy are known as Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini yoga awakens the “Saraswati Nadi”, the hidden channel in the spinal column.

Kundalin yoga artThere are hundreds of practices. The practices are flexible. It is not a rigid path. As you practice and go forward, you need to adjust and add new flavors to it.  Rigidity is the only problem. If you are too rigid to the steps and practices, you can not progress much. It will be some mechanical exercises. Kundalini yoga is like good cooking, you have to learn it and modify it gradually to get the best out of it.

History of Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga was first described in the Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad, which is one of the 108 Hindu texts of meditation.  It is a part of Yajurveda. Most probably it was written around 1000 to 1400 years before the Birth of Christ. (BC).  The classical literature of Kashmir Saivism also discusses more about the nature of this kundalini energy. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gherandha Samhita and Shiva Samhita are three famous books of kundalini yoga.

In the late 1800s John Woodroffe, an Oxford graduate, in his famous book “The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic” discussed this occult science of tantra and kundalini energy awakening practices. He translated some twenty original Sanskrit texts under the pseudonym Arthur Avalon and became a major contribution of the time to the appreciation of Hindu philosophy and spirituality.

In 1935 Sri Swami Sivananda wrote a detailed, but esoteric portrayal of some historically classic Kundalini Yoga practices in a treatise called Kundalini Yoga.

Sri Amit Ray expressed that the core teachings of  kundalini yoga lies in your inner peace and inner beauty and that beauty comes through meditation, exercises, loving kindness and proper lifestyle.

Obviously, there are many schools of thoughts about the nature of practices. Different cults, sects and gurus have their own methods. However, packaging may be different but the core teachings of the Kundalini yoga are same.  It is a journey of Divine energy from Muladhara Chakra (lower end of the spinal column) to the Sahasara Chakra at the top of the head.  Kundalini yoga is a science, it is not a static thing, new discovers, new experiences adds new dimensions to it.

Dangers of Kundalini Yoga:

Awakening of the kundalini energy brings joy, pure knowledge and love, but like all powerful scientific experiments, if you do it wrongly it may cause problems.  Hence, you must take necessary precautions before doing Kundalini Yoga. In yoga sutra (1.29), Sage Patanjali said “OM” chanting removes the obstacles of yoga.  This is valid for all yoga techniques, including Kundalini Yoga.

Precautions and safety practices of Kundalini Yoga:

Safety #1:

You are your own judge; do not rely too much on external teachers. They may have their own agendas. You have to apply your intelligence and commonsense in every moment.

Safety #2:

Do the practices one by one. Do not be in harry.  Give sufficient gap between two practices. Learn gradually.

Safety #3:

Learn the basic techniques first. Modify them according to your needs. As my teachers say “Kundalini yoga is not a static concept. You need to re-discover it in every moment. ”

Safety #4:

Forceful kundalini awakening is dangerous. It creates imbalances in the mind. So avoid these forceful techniques. Forcefulness comes from ego. Ego enjoys it. However, you have to go beyond the ego.

Safety #5:

Do the practices with patience and love for the Divine energy.

Beauty of Kundalini Yoga:

Benefit #1:

Brings balance in life.  It provides peace and stability of mind.

Benefit #2:

Releases accumulated emotions such as anger, fear and insecurity.

Benefit #3:

Re-establish our natural bio-rhythm.

Benefit #4:

It develops the feeling of joy and happiness along the spinal column.

Benefit #5

It provides more Strength and Energy.

Conclusion:

Kundalini yoga techniques are developed for greater physical and mental fitness, which prepares one for higher wisdom. It ignites the creative energy of our system. It guides the energy flow in the brain and it is best way for self healing.

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Inner Peace and Beauty: Teachings of Sri Amit Ray

Kristin Russel

Amit RayDr Amit Ray is known to the world for his teachings on meditation, yoga, peace and compassion. He is best known for his Om meditation and integrated yoga and vipassana meditation techniques. He is author of several books on meditation and other spiritual topics. Ray has many useful things to say about beautification of life. Here are 7 of my favourite fundamentals from Amit Ray.

1. Beautify your inner dialogue

“Beautify your inner dialogue. Beautify your inner world with love light and compassion. Life will be beautiful.” – Amit Ray

True Beauty, comes from within. Inner beautification refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep us strong in the face of discord or stress. It is a state where our mind performs at an optimal level positivity of joy, happiness and tranquillity. It is associated with bliss, happiness and contentment. Inner beautification is the opposite of being stressed or anxious. It is freeing the mind from negative energies of anger, depression and frustration. It is also freeing the mind from inner critic.

2. Living in the moment

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” – Amit Ray

Living in the moment eliminates stress, strain and anxiety. Generally, we remain excessively preoccupied with our thoughts of the past and plans for the future and that drains our energy. Best way of living in the moment is focusing on a single-task. Focus on what you’re doing. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. If you are too fast, learn to live slowly. Let your breath act as an anchor in every stressful situation of life.

3. Send positive energy to the world

“It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.” – Amit Ray

In this fast paced, technology driven world often life brings new challenges which creates stress, strain and anxiety. Moreover, newspaper, television and the media are continuously pouring negative information. If we live from the surface of our mind, we will be unable to handle the situations of life. We need to learn go deep and go within and that will give us positive energy which we can spread to the world.

4. Take action and extend your limit

“It is not over. Champions extend their limits and make things happen.” – Amit Ray

We need to take action. Without taking action very little can be done. It is very easy to get locked into a reactive mindset. It is easy to get lost in the middle. The resistance to action comes from your imagining negative future consequences – or reflecting on past failures. And so you get lost in your circumstances. You tend to feel powerless and like you are just drifting along. But you can rule the circumstances, if you are proactive.  Taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance. But living proactively is much more rewarding and exciting.

5. Live with Compassion

“When the Sun of compassion arises darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.” – Amit Ray

Compassion brings lasting happiness. Compassion is the desire and actions to reduce the suffering of others. Living with compassion means striving to maximize the good we accomplish, not following a rigid set of rules or trying to fit a certain label. It is everyday doing something good for the benefit of all beings. Make someone happy.

6. Take care of your Thoughts

“Your thoughts are your message to the world. Just as the rays are the messages of the Sun.” – Amit Ray

Just pay attention to your thoughts. You can see that many thoughts are primarily fear-based and judgmental. Removing the activities, tasks and thoughts that are not so important frees up time and energy for you to do more of what you really want to do. Try to be choiceful about your thoughts.

7. Know your-self

“Self-observation is the first step of inner unfolding.” – Amit Ray

Self-discovery is the highest journey. The idea is to know yourself better. It is building a connection with your soul.  It is an effort to understand your strengths and weaknesses, your passions and fears, your desires and dreams. It should be done in a non-judgmental way. It is to love yourself as you are and not as you should be. When you love yourself, you will know your uniqueness.

 

 

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Three Easy Pranayama for Relaxation

Kristin Russel 2 Comments

Pranayama (relax yoga breathing exercises) teaches us the appropriate way to breathe. However, often it is not possible for us to do regular pranayama in a systematic manner. Here, I am trying to give three very simple but effective pranayama techniques, which can be done at any place and almost at any time. It greatly reduces the stress, strain and anxiety. It requires no equipment. Although you can do these exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while doing the exercises.

Relax Breathe Counting:

If you are in stress and strain or in challenging work and wanted get out of that, try this simple technique.

  • Sit in a comfortable position with the spine straight and head inclined slightly forward. Gently close your eyes and take a few slow-deep breaths. Then let the breath come naturally without trying to pressure it. Ideally it will be quiet and slow, but depth and rhythm may vary.
  • To begin the exercise, count “one” to yourself as you exhale.
  • The next time you exhale, count “two,” and so on up to “five.”
  • Then begin a new cycle, counting “one” on the next exhalation.

Never count more than “five,” and count only when you exhale. After five, gain start from one. Try to do 3 minutes of this form of meditation.

Abdominal Pumping and Relax Breathing:

The steps are as follows:

  • Sit, or stand in a relaxed position.
  • Slowly inhale through your nose and count up to three.
  • As you breathe in, your shoulders will rise. Increase your lung capacity by expanding your abdomen. When you breathe in, practice the expansion of your abdomen as a habit. It is actually the key to good breathing.
  • When you exhale, push the stale air out by squeezing your stomach down in the pelvic area. This muscular action (abdomen pumping) has the beneficial effect of activating the organs in your stomach, improving their functioning. Repeated abdomen pumping also disperses any excess adrenaline, which may have been triggered by stresses.

Use abdomen pumping for three to five times, whenever you feel under any stress.

4-7-8 Relaxing Breathing:

  • You may put the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.
  • Exhale completely through your mouth, making a “shuuoooo” sound.
  • Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
  • Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  • Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
  • This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply. Among these, you may practice ujjayi pranayama for establishing balance in life.

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Best 5 yoga exercises to stay young

Kristin Russel

Staying Young:

Our body’s balancing systems are monitored through a series of chemical messengers called hormones.Hormones regulate the our aging process. Hormones are produced in our glands. Excessive stress, fatigue, pain, depression,nutritional deficiencies damage glands. HGH (human growth hormone) is the main hormone for staying young and long life. It improves breathing capacity and the skin glazes. This HGH hormone is largely generates during deep sleep. HGH repairs the tissues during the sleep. In the neck area, the thyroid gland generates the thyroid hormones responsible for weight-loss and regulates the body’s metabolic speed.

Four Steps of yoga:

Step 1: Warming up: Do a few joint movements to warm up.
Step 2: Stretching to the limit: Do a not overdo anything, but stretch a little more than your usual ability.
Step 3: Correct Breathing. Do normal breathing in a relaxed manner.
Step 4: Closing: Rest for a few minutes in corpse pose before undertaking normal activities.

Proper yoga exercises regulates the growth hormones. Do stretching exercises before bed to relieve tension. It helps you to relax tension. Five most important yoga exercises are as follows:

Five Yoga exercises:

1. Twisted Chair Pose
Act as if you are sitting in an imaginary chair. Keep your heels in firm contact with the earth. Bend your knees and move your upper body forward at 45 degrees. Do this five times in the morning and six times in the evening, in empty stomach.
2. Upside-Down Relaxation
Lie down on your back and extend your legs up the wall.

Wall Yoga Pose

3. Goddess Pose (Hip Opening Pose):
Stand in a position with the feet 2 feet apart.Turn the feet out 60 degree towards the wall. Bend the elbows at shoulder height and turn the palms facing each other and open the chest. Do this exercise in the morning 5 times daily.
4. Half-Moon Pose
Straightening the left leg towards the sky, then right leg one by one.
Do this exercise along with cobra pose in the morning three times.

5. Hanumanasana (Monkey Pose):
This is the king of all yoga poses for staying young and long life.
The yogi pushes one leg forward and one leg backwards until they are in the splits position. Once the yogi has moved the legs into position, there are several variations of arm and upper body position including various systematic kriya yoga  mudra.
If you can not do anything, you must do monkey pose once per day. If you can’t do it once per day do it at least once per month. Along with yoga poses you may practice some kriya yoga pranayama.

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