OBESITY Obesity is defined as excessive accumulation of body fat. It may be caused due genetic or environmental factors. It is not a disease...
OBESITY
Obesity is defined as excessive accumulation of body fat. It may be caused due genetic or environmental factors. It is not a disease in itself but is a major cause a many serious diseases like diabetes and certain heart diseases. Excessive accumulation of internal fat, called visceral fat, can be prevented through regular exercise.
Yogic asanas that are recommended to prevent obesity are:
(i) Vajrasana
(ii) Hastasana
(iii) Trikonasana
(iv) Ardha Matsyendrasana
Vajrasana
Vajrasana is also called the diamond pose. It forms the base of many other asanas.
Procedure:
1. Kneel down on the floor as depicted in the given picture.
Point the toes backwards and keep the feet together.
2. Lower your body such that your buttocks rest on the heels.
3. Place your palms on your knees, keep your spine erect and look straight.
4. Hold this position for 5 minutes.moon
Benefits:
- This asana helps in digestion.
- Regular practice of this asana reduces belly fat.
- Sitting in this posture tones the hips, thighs and calf muscles.
- This asana helps to fight constipation.
- . It helps to strengthen legs and spine.
- Practising this asana improves blood circulation in the body.
- This asana calms the mind and hence, it is the preferred pose for meditation
Contraindications
1. People with knee problem and those who have undergone knee surgery recently should avoid doing this asana.
2. People suffering from spinal problems especially in the lower vertebrae should avoid practising this asana.
3. Pregnant women should perform this asana under guidance so that they don't put pressure on their abdomen.
4. People with problems such as hernia in the small or large intestine should perform this asana under expert guidance.
Hastasana
Hastasana is also called the upward salute or the upward hands pose. It is a part of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).
Procedure:
1. Stand with the arms on your side.
2. Inhale and raise both arms, stretching them over the head.
3. The arms should be parallel to each other with the palms facing each other. Keep the head, spine and legs straight
4. Exhale and bring the arms down by your side.
Benefits:
- Regular practice of this asana stretches and tones arms, shoulders, spine and lower back
- This asana stretches the stomach and hence, enhances the digestive system
- This asana helps to increase the capacity of the lungs.
- It also helps in enhancing the body posture.
Contraindications:
People with neck or shoulder injury should avoid doing this asana.
Trikonasana
Trikonasana is also called the triangle pose. There are many variations of this pose of them is explained below.
Procedures
1. Stand straight. Keep your feet apart at a distance of about 3 feet.
2. Turn your right foot out by 90° and left foot in by 15°. Ensure that the body weight is balanced equally on both the feet
3. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, bend your body sideways to the right placing the right palm on the floor near the right foot. If you are unable to place the palm, touch the floor.
4. Stretch your left arm towards the ceiling such that both arms are in a straight line.
5. Turn your head to the left, and look at your left palm. Ensure that the body is bent sideways and not forward or backward.
6. Hold this position for 30 seconds and breathe normally.
7. While inhaling, come back to the initial position. Bring your hands to the sides and straighten your feet.
6. Repeat the movements on the left side.
Benefits:
- This asana strengthens the arms, legs, ankles, knees and chest.
- It helps to strengthen the back, neck and the abdomen.
- Regular practice improves digestion.
- This asana provides relief from back pain.
Contraindications:
1. People suffering from back or neck injuries should avoid doing this asana.
2. People suffering from diarrhoea, migraine and high or low blood pressure should avoid performing this asana.
Ardh Matsyendrasana
Ardh Matsyendrasana is also called the Half Lord of the Fishes Pose. This asana is named after the yogi Matsyendranath, who founded Hatha Yoga.
Procedure:
1. Sit in vajrasana, i.e. kneel down with legs together, resting on your heels.
2. Then, shift your body and sit on your right feet.
3. Lift your left leg over your right leg and place the left foot against your right knee.
4. Ensure that your right heel is close to your buttocks. Keep the spine erect.
5. Stretch your arms out at shoulder level, and twist around to the left.
6. Now bring the left arm down around the right knee and hold the right foot. Place your right hand on the floor behind you.
7. Exhale and twist as far as possible to the left. Look over the left shoulder.
8. Hold the posture for 30 seconds while breathing normally.
9. Release the hands and sit in a relaxed position.
10. Repeat on the other side.
Benefits
- Practising this asana strengthens the spine and the hip muscles.
- It stretches the neck and shoulder muscles.
- It helps to release toxins from the body and improve the digestive system. This also helps to manage diabetes better.
- This asana stimulates the functioning of the heart, kidneys and lungs.
- Regular practice provides relief from fatigue, sciatica and backache.
Contraindications:
1. Women should avoid doing this asana during pregnancy and menstruation.
2. People who have undergone heart and abdominal surgeries should avoid practising this asana.
3. People having severe spinal problems and hermia should also avoid doing this
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DIABETES
Diabetes is a disease which is characterised by the presence of excessive sugar level in the blood stream. Nowadays many people are suffering from this disease. The common symptoms of diabetes include increased hunger and thirst, frequent urination, tiredness blurred vision, numbness of limbs, prolonged injury, weight loss, cardiovascular diseases like heart attack, etc. On the basis of these symptoms, this disease can be classified into two types diabetes type 1 and diabetes type II. Person suffering from diabetes type I experiences the above-mentioned symptoms from the earlier stages. While, diabetes type II is detected at a later stage when the patient starts to experience blurred vision or cardiovascular ailments. Hence, the treatment of such patients takes a long time
Diabetes type 1 is generally caused due to genetic or environmental factors. In this the immune system of the body destroys the beta cells of the pancreas that generate a hormone named insulin. Insulin works as a key to unlock the cells to absorb glucose present in the blood. In the absence or lack of insulin, absorption of glucose does not take place. Thus, the level of glucose increases in the blood. Modern lifestyle is the main cause of diabetes type II. Due to obesity and physical inactiveness people suffer from this disease. In this, the muscles, liver and fat cells cannot use the insulin and as a result the glucose flows through the urine. This happens mainly due to lack of insulin in the body. The cells need sufficient amount of insulin to absorb glucose. Initially pancreas fulfills this demand but gradually it cannot generate sufficient amount of insulin and thus the level of glucose increases in the blood.
Due to diabetes the possibility of heart attack, kidney failure, loss of vision and nerve damage increases. If pancreas keep working properly then diabetes can be prevented
The following yogic asanas are recommended to people suffering from diabetes:
(1) Bhujangasana
(1) Paschimottanasana
(1) Pawan muktasana
(iv) Andha matsyendrasana
Among these, Ardha matsyendrasana has been discussed earlier.
Bhujangasana
Bhujangasana is also called the snake or cobra pose. It forms part of the Surya Namaskar
(Sun Salutation)
Procedure
1. Lie down on your stomach. Keep your legs straight such that the toes are flat on the ground and touch each other.
2. Place your hands (palms downward) at shoulder level, keeping elbows parallel
3. Inhale and raise your head, chest and abdomen.
4. Arch your back as much as possible, tilt your head back and look up. The elbows should be straight
5. Hold this position while breathing normally.
6. Exhale, bend your elbows and bring your body down to the floor.
Benefits:
Regular practice of this asana improves circulation of blood and oxygen in the body. This helps to control diabetes.
- This asana strengthens the back, shoulders and arms.
- This asana strengthens the spine, helps in decreasing stiffness and provides relief from backache and sciatica.
- Daily practice reduces fatigue and stress.
- Regular practice tones the abdomen.
- This asana improves the respiratory system and helps treat asthma.
Contraindications:
- Pregnant women should avoid practising this asana.
- People with fractured ribs or wrists should avoid this asana.
- People who have undergone any abdominal surgeries recently, for eg. hemia, should also avoid this asana
- People suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome should avoid doing this asana.
Paschimottanasana
Paschimottanasana is a seated forward bend pose. The name comes from the Sanskrit words puschuim' meaning back; 'uttana' meaning intense stretch and 'asana' meaning
Procedure:
1. Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you. Keep the spine straight and your toes flexed towards you.
2. Inhale, raising your arms over your head. Stretch as much as possible.
3. Exhale and bend forward. Try to hold the toes with your index finger and thumb you cannot hold your toes then, place your hands on your legs till wherever they reach.
4. Gradually focus on moving forward towards the toes. Place your forehead the knees. The knees should not be lifted from the floor.
5. Breathe normally while holding this position for 30 seconds to a minute
6. Inhale, raising the head up and come back to the sitting position
Benefits
- This asana regulates the flow of blood in the body which is very effective against diabetes
- It stretches your lower back, hamstrings and hips, thereby improving flexibility
- It helps to tone the shoulders and the abdomen.
- This asana cures constipation and digestive disorders.
- It reduces anger, anxiety and irritability
- Performing this asana calms the mind and acts as a stress reliever.
- This asana acts as a stress reliever and helps to calm down the mind.
Contraindications:
- Pregnant women should avoid performing this asana.
- People suffering from asthma should avoid this asana.
- Avoid this asana when suffering from diarrhoea.
- People suffering from back injury should perform this asana under expert guidance.
Pawan muktasana
The word "pawan' means wind and 'mukta' means release or liberation. Therefore, this asana is also known as the wind or gas relieving pose. It can be done by one leg or both the legs.
Procedure:
1. Lie down on the mattress with your back on the floor.
2. Inhale slowly. Lift your legs and bend your knees towards your chest till the thighs touch your stomach.
3. Hold your knees with your hands and lock your fingers.
4. Lift your head and touch your knee with the chin or nose and hold this position for sometime.
5. Exhale slowly and come back to the initial position
Benefits:
- This asana cures the problems of acidity ,indigestion and constipation.
- This asana is helpful for people suffering from arthritis pain, heart problems and back pain.
- It is effective for people with diabetes or high blood pressure.
- It also keeps the abdominal muscles healthy.
- Regular practice of this asana helps to burn fat in the thighs, buttocks and abdominal region.
- It strengthens back muscles and tones the muscles of the arms and legs.
Contraindications:
- Individuals suffering from peptic ulcer, intestinal tuberculosis, hernia, slipped disc, etc. should not perform this asana.
- This asana should not be performed by pregnant women.
- People who have undergone surgery in their belly or abdominal region should avoid this asana.
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