Health and Ayurveda

Thursday, May 10, 2007

YOGA CLEAN THE BODY FIRST

As we known asana means any position in which a person can sit comfortably, steadily and meditate for long hours. Adopting various postures not only helps to increase the flexibility of the body and protects it from various diseases but it also helps to make the mind steady. The yogi frees himself from physical ailments and mental distractions by performing asanas. Its popularity than other limbs is because of the quick benefits the practice of asanas provides an individual.
Every individual young and old can practice asana but certain factors are desired in order to achieve desired effects. First of all an individual’s body has to be detoxified by various yogic cleansing procedures. These are known as ‘shatkarma’. As the name suggests ‘shat’ means six and ‘karma’ means procedures meant to cleanse one’s body of the toxins, which may have accumulated due to wrong type of diet and lifestyle. The procedures are listed below.
1. Dhauti cleaning the stomach.
2. Basti cleaning the colon.
3. Neti cleaning the nasal passage.
4. Nauli cleaning the abdominal organs.
5. Kapalabati cleaning the respiratory organs.
6. Trataka clearing the mind through gazing.

These will be described in detail in next edition. After cleansing the body one has to observe certain rules before practicing yogasana these are as follows:
As mentioned earlier asana is the third limb of Ashtanga yoga, which comes after yama and niyama. A person, who intends to practice Ashtang yoga in order to increase one’s spiritual level, has to practice these before practicing asanas. Without which they will provide health benefits without having any impact on a person’s spiritual status.

TIME: Now after cleansing the body and observing yama and niyama we have to think about the finer aspects one needs to consider while practicing asanas like the time for asana, food that should be consumed during this period and when to have it, etc. As far as time is considered the best time to practice these postures in the morning. The level of pollution is less in the morning and body and mind are fresh after a good night’s sleep. Most of the ancient Hinduism texts advocate the habit of getting up early in the morning at ‘bramamuhurta’, which is approximately between 4:00a.m and 5:00a.m. Even Ayurveda suggests that a person who desires to have good health has to sleep early and wake up by ‘bramamuhurta’. It is believed that there is a lot of positive cosmic energy present in the surroundings during this period and hence it is the best period to exercise, study or to carry out rituals. However although it is advisable to practice asanas in the morning it is not a hard and fast rule. A person who does shift duties or people who sleep late and cannot get up early May adopt the practice in the evening but avoid doing it in afternoons as some asana generated a lot of body heat which May cause problems for people who reside in hot tropical countries like India. However certain forms of pranayam or breathing exercises can be undertaken in afternoon as well. On cooler days one May adopt the practice in afternoon also. The gist is that one must practice asanas in the morning but in case this is not possible, then consider any other time that suits an individual and practice it then. It is better to practice at some convenient time rather than not practicing it all just because a person is unable to do it in the morning.

FOOD: As mentioned earlier the food has to be light and ‘satvic’ meaning food that cleanses mind of all bad thoughts and body of all toxins. Hence the food has to be freshly prepared simple vegetarian food. Animal products, which are permissible, are milk and milk products like butter milk, ghee etc. Honey may also be used in daily diet. However Ayurveda suggest that never consume honey and ghee in equal proportions at a given time as these produce toxins in the body. Also consume food and fluids only up to 75% of your appetite and leave 25% stomach empty as this facilitates the digestion. Yogasanas have to be carried out on an empty stomach after cleansing your bowels. However many individual’s cannot pass motion unless they have warm cup of tea or coffee in the morning. Although it is advisable to slowly give up artificial stimulants initially such persons may have their morning cup of tea or coffee or preferably milk. In case one is practicing asana at some other time of the day instead of morning, then one should take care that asana should not be performed for at least 3 hours after a heavy meal or one hour after a light meal. Although it is a thumb rule it is important to bear in mind that every individual is different and the same rule May not be applicable for everyone. Being an Ayurvedic practitioner I would suggest that it is important to think of how rapid or slow one’s metabolism is.
In Ayurveda this is termed as ‘agni’ or digestive fire. One individual might feel hungry within two hours of a heavy meal while another may not have an appetite even after four to five hours. So the above- mentioned time restriction is for those individuals who are not attuned to their bodies. Also after practicing asanas do not consume food for at least 30-45 minutes.

BATH: It is usually asked whether asanas should be performed before or after the bath. Swatmarama, who was a great yogi, states that adhering to the rules stringently is also considered as an obstacle in the path of yogic practice. General masses, which look forward to perform yogic asanas to gain health benefits, would be dissuaded if the rules were too strict. However bath enables one to perform asana with more flexibility hence it is advisable to have a bath before the practice. After doing asanas the body feels sticky due to perspiration so one May need to take bath again. This can be done after the break of 15 minutes after performing asanas. The choice of water, whether hot or cold, depends on one’s habits and the kind of climate they stay in. However taking either hot or cold shower both before and after performing asana is refreshing for body and mind.

PLACE: It is also important to have the right kind of place and atmosphere to perform asanas. It can be practiced in solitude or in groups but person who wishes to achieve higher spiritual pursuits should perform in solitude away from the hustle bustle of the city life. For general masses the place where they would practice asanas has to be pleasant and airy. As far as possible try and reduce the sound levels to the minimum in this place. If one is practicing in the open air it is important to avoid it beneath the scorching sun. Also avoid practicing immediately after being in hot sun for a long time.

MEDICAL PROBLEM: The below mentioned factors are to be used only as guidelines. In case of specific problems one may seek advice of their physician or a qualified yoga instructor. It is mandatory for all the patients to see to it that they do not strain themselves too much at any given point. The movements are slow and gentle and the breathing is gentle and rhythmic. These rules stand true even for the special medical conditions like pregnancy and post delivery.
Hypertension or high blood pressure and other heart problems: In the initial stages avoid asanas, which include acute bending either forwards or backwards and all topsy-turvy positions. Begin with milder forms of asanas such as vajrasana, paschi-mottanasana, ardhakati chakrasana etc. These can be accompanied with breathing exercises. As and when the blood pressure normalizes, the patient may shift slowly too more complex asanas such as sarvangasana, halasana, hastpadasana etc.
Diabetes: Persons who suffer from the late onset diabetes or type2 diabetes are usually obese. Such persons should begin with pranayam and slow suryanamaskar and then shift slowly to more vigorous asanas. Diet and other forms of exercises like swimming and walking should also be continued.
Ophthalmic and E.N.T. problems: A person who has complains such as retinal detachment or otitis media (infection in middle ear along with pustular discharge) are advised to refrain from topsy-turvy positions like shirshasana.
Pregnancy: Barring asanas, which are done by lying on ones stomach, all other asanas can be performed in normal pregnancy during first three months (trimester). However in women who suffer from bleeding during pregnancy, pregnancy induced hypertension, pregnancy induced diabetes, etc. need to consult their doctors before practicing. During later stages of pregnancy as the weight and abdominal girth increases, it may be difficult to perform certain asanas. However if it is possible for the woman to practice slowly she may continue doing it. Regular practice of breathing exercises and pranayam are especially helpful for a mother during labour as it imparts elasticity to the spine and tones up the muscles.
Delivery: Uterus normally takes around a month to contract and get back to its original shape. So one may practice asanas one month after the delivery. Begin with mild forms of asana and then practice the more difficult ones when the body regains it strength.
Menstrual period: It is advisable not to perform any asanas during these 4-5 days. However if one wants to practice all the same it is advisable to do those asanas where the strain is only on abdomen and not on other parts of body e.g. paschi-mottanasan. These asanas also help a woman if she bleeds excessively during her periods.
Eyes: Another question that is often asked is whether to keep ones eyes open or closed during performing asanas. Keeping ones eyes closed helps a person to concentrate on ones breathing without being distracted by the surroundings. However for the beginners there may be a sense of loss of balance if they perform with their eyes closed. So it is advisable for the beginners to start their practice with open eyes and slowly as they achieve more confidence with the practice they can perform with their eyes closed. Also persons who suffer from vertigo of giddiness are advised to practice with their eyes open.
Miscellaneous: One has to keep ones mind relaxed and devoid of any other thoughts while doing asana, pranayam, meditation etc. This happens with practice. Initially till you get the hang of the method focus completely on the instructions. Once you are confident enough that you can do the asana without any guidance then try to defocus and let the movements be automatic and flowing. At no point should the breathing be laboured during asanas. This means no rapid or shallow breathing, no flaring of nostrils and no breathing through mouth. Do not try to achieve everything in the same day and do not stretch your limits to maximum, otherwise you stand to lose more than you stand to gain. It is a matter of practice and with perseverance anyone can gain flexibility and expertise in doing yogasanas.
Many postures described in yoga are basically derived by observing various animals, birds, insects, fishes etc. So the number of asanas would be equal to the number of species of various living beings that exists on earth.

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