YOGABHARATI

Being mindful and fully aware while doing Yoga is very important to get the full benefit of all the poses. These poses are nothing but imitation of all the living and non living things. For example we have Marjarasana (tiger), Ustrasana (camel), Shalabhasana (locust), Utkatasana (chair), Halasana (plough) etc. So how many asanas (poses) are there? Can you guess? While doing these poses, let the awareness be on the part of the body being stretched, compressed, twisted. If there is any unnecessary tightness anywhere, let go of it. Then gently bring awareness to the breath. Initially breath might be fast and irregular. As more and more we become aware of our breath, consciously slow it down. Let the breathing be rhythmic. We will see ourselves totally relaxing in the final pose. Wow! imagine being relaxed in a pose where some part of the body is absolutely stretched or compressed. This is Yoga. Beautiful statement by the Yoga Guru Patanjali "Yogah chitta vritti nirodhah". Once...

Defective vision- Part 2 Having known the several factors causing defective vision, let us now deal with the methods in the natural treatment and prevention of these conditions. As there are three main causes of defective vision, so there are three definite and distinct lines of approach for natural treatment. It is very difficult or impossible for us to know that the particular eye condition might be the result of only one cause. It is more likely that two or perhaps all three factors are involved and the most successful treatment will be that deals effectively with all the three factors. For a normal vision, the eyes and the surrounding muscles and nerves must be completely relaxed. Strain keeps the eyes rigid and fixed and causes staring. The normal eye is always moving – it is never still. Continuous movement of the eye is absolutely essential for its healthy action. The most important relaxation techniques are Palming and swinging. ·     ...

Vision Defective vision is very prevalent today and the main reason is the great increase in the use of artificial lighting, mainly electric and the popularity of television and computers. We cannot expect defective vision to be cured by spectacles. It is just to reduce the discomfort as much as possible to the sufferer.   It is quite easy to understand the high esteem in which glasses are held nowadays; as without them millions of people would be unable to do their day-to-day activities.   One school of thought feels strongly that defective vision is incurable and the only possible remedy is to wear spectacles.   Once the eye becomes myopic, hypermetropic or presbyopic, there exists no means where the eye can be brought back to its normal condition. The only solution seems to be spectacles. We quite naturally think that if we are able to see better, then the eyes must be better. It is only by wearing glasses for years and having to change more and more frequent...

When do we teach our kids to have a healthy lifestyle? it is not after they grow up to their twenties, but it is NOW. Small things can be reinforced so that they grow up in that habit to be healthy and conscious to be fit. This is to be done specially for kids 10 plus as this is the formative years to develop good eating habits, exercise habits, sleeping habits which plays a huge precious role when they grow up . What changes can we do ? 1. It is not that holidays means sleeping late and waking up late . It is a vicious cycle and this itself is the start of an unhealthy lifestyle. Have an understanding with the grown up child instead of forcing on the kid. Forcing gives resistance and lots of mental tension on both the sides. Talk to the child  on the importance of lifestyle. To start with , tell the child to follow this few days in a week. if there are sports camps, put the child for a morning yoga class/sports which is fun too or u join the child for a morning stroll/cycli...

The 21st INCOFYRA- International conference of Yoga Frontiers and its applications The 4 day conference was held from Jan 3rd to 7th and this time the topic was “Integration of complementary medicine- Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Sidha, Homeopathy  into Modern Medicine”- taking the best of east and best of western Medicine for Human wellness. Several talks by eminent Scientists, Researchers, Super speciality Doctors, Yoga Gurus, Ayurvedic researchers , etc were held in these 4 days and there was so much info load on various topics . Four main lifestyle diseases –Hypertension, Diabetes, Mental illness, Cancer were discussed in detail and it was shocking to hear that India tops in the list for being the mostly affected by these killers. Dedicated scientists in all fields all over the world are putting their valuable time for the control, awareness and the cure of these lifestyle diseases by taking the best of Western medicine in combo with ancient Medicines. There were many succe...

Suryanamaskar Suryanamaskar is “a Salutation to the Sun“ which is made of twelve steps where the whole muscular structure of the body is used. It is a complete exercise, where the muscles are toned; respiration and cardiac rhythm is quickened and intensified without inducing breathlessness and fatigue. Actually, it is just made up of only six movements (asanas), which is repeated in reverse order in the next six counts. Doesn’t it seem to look easy now? Learn all the asanas individually and just place them in the sequence, and your salutation is complete. Let us learn and appreciate the importance of Suryanamaskar and its bountiful effects: SN is not limited in its action to any part of the body; it acts on the whole body SN tones the digestive system by the alternate compression and stretching of the abdominal region. It massages all the inner organs of the abdomen, activates digestion, and relieves constipation and dyspepsia. SN is performed with synchronization of breathing ...

 The lovely colour is from grated raw beetroot that is ground with coconut and green chilli and then given a flavourful tempering of spices. When all of this is mixed with whisked curd, it not only looks lovely but also   tastes very good with rice. Beetroots have always been included in my recommended vegetable list Although beets have the highest sugar content of all vegetables, most people can safely eat beetroots a few times a week (and their greens in unlimited quantities), enjoying not only their sweet, earthy flavor but also their powerhouse nutrients that will boost your health. There are different ways of preparing beetroot raita. This recipe includes coconut and raw beetroot. Ingredients: • Grated beetroot- 1 small • Coconut- 3 to 4 tbsp. • Green chilli- according to your spice level Grind all this to a fine paste with water. Mix this with sour whisked curd about 1 to ½ cup). In Bangalore, curds are not sour usually, so I add little tama...

Avocado has sometimes received a "bad rap" as a vegetable too high in fat. While it is true that avocado is a high-fat food (about 85% of its calories come from fat), the fat contained in avocado is unusual and provides research-based health benefits. The unusual nature of avocado fat is threefold. First are the phytosterols that account for a major portion of avocado fats. These phytosterols are key supporters of our inflammatory system that help keep inflammation under control. • Second are avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs). PFAs also provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits. • Third is the unusually high amount of a fatty acid called oleic acid in avocado. Over half of the total fat in avocado is provided in the form of oleic acid—a situation very similar to the fat composition of olives and olive oil. As a monounsaturated fatty acid, it has also been shown to help lower our risk of heart disease. So don't be fooled by avocado's ba...