5 Beginner Yoga Positions You Need to Know

By Nancy Terence

Yoga can help you achieve peacefulness and a harmonious balance between your mind and body. It has a lot of health benefits such as improving your posture, relieving stress and stretching your tight muscles. However, if you are only a beginner in this art and science of yoga, you might get that natural feeling of uneasiness when you see the different yoga positions. Add to that the fact that each position has a strange and sometimes intimidating name to it.

But don't you worry because there are beginner yoga positions that are designed to help you get started. While some can be quite challenging at first, these are all relaxing and will pave the way for you to achieve more complicated yoga poses.

Yoga For Women - Five Easy Yoga Poses to Keep You Happy and Boost Your Energy

By Ntathu Allen

As a working mum, you have a multitude of tasks and activities to complete. In any one day, you probably play the role of mother, work colleague, sister, daughter, friend, partner, neighbour and financial advisor as you try and balance your family budget.

Given the variety of commitments you face it is vital you make time each day to rest, nurture and revitalise your energy. Have you noticed that when you come home from work you feel drained and tired yet still have to change gears to be present and real for your family?

Wouldn't it be nice to come home, be able to relax and take the time to be present and enjoy being with your family?

Does the thought of coming home and putting your feet up feel like a fantasy? Something that you know you are entitled to, yet feel too rushed, stressed and busy to take five minutes rest?

When your days are full and energy low, practicing yoga or going to a yoga class may feel like the last thing you want to do. It is so much easier just to crash out on the sofa and watch reality TV or even better -go to bed....

But once you get into the habit of practicing yoga you are hooked and your body will demand that you Do Something.

If you are new to yoga, here are five easy yoga exercises that you can easily do when you get home from work.

If your time is short then just choose one exercise to do and really focus on doing it to the best of your ability. Otherwise try all five poses and dedicate the time to you. Whichever path you choose, you will feel happy and boost your energy.

1. Deep Breathing Exercise: Rest your palms on your thighs. Close your eyes, relax your face and relax your shoulders. Breathe slowly in for a count of four. Exhale slowly for a count of four. Repeat this breathing practice 4-7 times and then return to normal breathing.

2. Seated Forward Bend: Sitting comfortably. Rest your hands on your thighs. Exhale. Slowly fold forward from your hips. Allow your hands to drop towards the floor and hang loosely. When you have stretched as far forward as you comfortably can, gently lower your head towards the floor and allow your back to round. Hold this position for 4- 7 deep breaths. Inhale as you lift your head a little and slowly come back up.

3. The Mountain Pose/Tadasana

• Stand with your feet together. If it is comfortable for you, have the big toes, inner ankles and inner heels touching. Spread the weight evenly over the feet.
  
• Tighten your kneecaps, pull up the thigh muscles and your lower abdomen.
  
• Breathe and feel your spine lengthening, let your tailbone sink and lift in the front of the body. Feel your chest opening. Allow your arms to hang down the sides of the body with the palms facing the legs, fingers gently extending towards the floor.
  
• Relax your shoulders and allow your shoulder blades to slide down. Relax your face, lengthen the back of your neck and look straight ahead.
  
• Stay steady in this pose for 3 - 10 rounds of deep abdominal breathing.
  

4. Laying on your back, raise both hands. Rotate your wrist 5 - 7 times in each direction then shake your hands 5 - 7 times. Lie still and absorb the energy.

5. Lie on your back. Hug both knees to your chest. Curl your body up into a small ball. Rock gently from side to side 5 - 7 times. Lower your head to the bed, still holding your knees to your chest and take 3 - 5 deep breathes in and out. Gently move your knees from side to side, giving a gentle wringing action to the back muscles. Lower your feet back to the bed and slowly straighten your legs.

As you can see these yoga exercises are easy to do and leave you feeling energised, relaxed and calm. Just right for a good night's sleep.

Yoga for Ear Problems, Yoga and Health

Ear problems can rise due to an infection. However, other reasons may also cause ear pain or discomfort. The human ear is intricately and delicately designed. One of these vital senses of hearing can be impaired if proper care of the ears is not taken. They are the organs of hearing and balance.

The hearing apparatus consists of three major parts-the external ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Some of the common ear ailments include earache, ear discharge, hearing loss and internal ear infection. Yoga has long been known to be benefiting in various ailments related to ears. The main causes of ear problems can be long term cough and cold, Sinus can also greatly harm the ears and the associated organs. At times, intense ear pain can cause dizziness and interfere with the daily activities. Various other causes like constantly taking up intense physical strain at the time of studying, increased blood pressure, sinus and other environmental infections or constant ear plugging can cause hearing problems. Extended periods of listening to music at high volumes can also cause intense ear pain.

There are various asanas or postures that can be performed in yoga that benefit people in various ear disorder or discomforts. Yoga can be used for curing earaches and clogged ears. Specific asanas of yoga can be used for the treatment of the ears that result in acute pain in the ears. Yoga helps in the treatment by means of providing better circulation of the blood in almost all the organs of the body. Along with enhanced blood circulation it carries an increased amount of oxygen so as to tone and support the area.

Yoga also helps to provide freedom from the tightness or muscular pain near the neck and the shoulder region. The tension and relaxation exercises of yoga help to provide freedom from the plugged ears and the inflammation near the ear and the jaw region. Yoga asanas not just give mental comfort and physical support by rejuvenating the internal organs of the body by proper functioning of the nervous system, but various asanas of yoga help to cure the hearing troubles. These yogic asanas or postures involve keeping the throat openings of the inner ear clean and mucus free. These postures reduce much of the discomforts of the ear. If the ear is not cleansed properly, one may get susceptible to mucus collection due to an abundance of sinus infections and associated oral tract disorders as well as ear tract disorders.

The essential poses that keep ear troubles away are as follows -

• Tadasana is a balancing pose and it improves ear problems. This asana also improves height and makes spine flexible. Visceroptosis and pain in the backbone is also removed.


• Vrksasana strengthens the quadriceps muscles, thighs, calves, ankles and spine, thus creating flexibility in the hips. This asana alleviates sciatica and cultivates balance in the entire body.


• Trikonasana is the asana that has been known to help strengthen the legs as well as the back of a person. It develops the muscles along the spine and strengthens neck muscles, thus reducing backaches and neck pain.


• Sukhasana is believed to aid tuneful, but controlled stimulation of the creative imagination of a person. This asana provides one with mental peace and has been found to be very beneficial for strengthening the lumbar region of the body.

Some more asanas that are truly beneficial in reducing ear problems includes Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Karnapidasana and so on. The practice of Jal Neti is very beneficial for cleansing the inner ear and preventing various ear infections and treating them. Karnapidasana is a variant of Halasana and can be done along with it. This inverted posture helps in draining the stagnant blood from the lower limbs. However, when a person rests in the final posture the circulation of blood in the lower part of the body improves. Karna Dhauti assists in ear wax removal. In this, the little finger is inserted into the ear canal to the maximum extent possible, so that there is a slight pressure against the ear walls. One should make sure that the nails are well trimmed and clean. The finger is then rotated a couple of times to dislodge excess wax and dried wax from the ear walls. The head is then tilted so that the dislodged wax drops out of the ear.

Other than practicing the asanas regularly, one should also do the regular cleaning of the outer ear safely and without abrasion. Cleansing keeps the throat openings of the inner ear, clean and mucus free. Unless the mucus collection has become chronic and started decaying into a bacterial infection, the practice of jala neti is reported to be very beneficial for addressing this inner ear cleaning and even in the prevention and treatment of ear infections.

Tadasana - Hatha Yoga's Mountain Posture For Chronic Back Pain

By Paul Jerard

Yoga has hundreds of postures for relief of back pain. It should be noted that learning from videos is advisable for Yoga teachers, Yoga therapists, Ayurvedic doctors, physical therapists, and medical doctors. However, if you have limited Yoga experience, please consult with your physician before going to a class or session. At that point, you should seek the advice of a competent Yoga teacher or Yoga therapist. Each step is important, so please do some research in order to make the best possible choice.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana) with emphasis on the pelvic tilt. Tadasana is considered by some to be the starting position of all standing poses, but it is also performed at the end of many standing poses. Tadasana can be commonly seen in Vinyasa sequences and Sun Salutations.

This is an indication of the value of an advanced posture, which many of us take for granted. Tadasana is considered to be an advanced posture, due to the number of subtleties and the number of muscles used. The subtleties, within Mountain Pose, make complete awareness difficult for every level of Yoga practitioner.

Therefore, never underestimate the value of standing erect. Ideally, your feet should be as close as possible. If you have difficulty with balance, keeping your feet hip width, will be fine. If you are in a wheel chair, you can still practice Tadasana by sitting up tall. While sitting, your ankles should be directly under your knees.

A simple definition of the pelvic tilt is a position in which your buttocks are tucked under the spine; while your abdominal muscles are contracted. Some teachers will tell you to "roll your hips forward," while others tell you to "tuck your sacrum under the heart center." This is easier said than done, but you can practice the pelvic tilt on the floor or in your bed.

Eventually, you can do this standing. A wall behind you makes a wonderful prop. The back of your heels, sacrum, and shoulder blades, should be relatively close to the wall. Do not over tuck the pelvis forward, and observe if you have a natural backward tilt of the pelvis.

The backward tilt of the pelvis, and lower spine, is a factor in developing excessive tension within the lower back and weak posterior muscles. The back of your head should not be touching the wall. Keeping your gaze at eye level will improve the alignment of your upper spine.

The above-mentioned points can serve as general guidelines, but this barely scratches the surface. To learn Tadasana, correctly, will require proper instruction and dedicated practice. For the Yoga practitioner, Tadasana should be practiced every time one stands.

Please remember that your skeletal body is unique. Your skeleton is different because of a lifetime of demands from work and activities. It will not conform to the strict demands of a "cookie cutter" philosophy. Do your personal best. Remain aware of your own journey toward better alignment and ultimately less, or no, back pain.