Shoulder Stand Pose or Sarvang Asana

Shoulder Stand Pose or Sarvang Asana

This asana balances your endocrine glands to your hormonal levels. It regulates menstrual activity and also is very beneficial for women suffering from a displaced uterus.

·         Lie on your back and flex your toes inward. Place your palms facing down, close to your hips. Inhale; push down on your hands and raise your legs straight up and above you.

·         Left your hips off the floor and bring your legs up, over and beyond your head at an angle of about 45⁰.

·         Exhale, bend your arms and support your body, holding as near the shoulders as possible, thumbs around the front of the body, fingers around the back. Push your back up and lift your legs.

·         Straighten your spine and bring the legs up to a vertical position. Press your chin firmly into the base of your throat. Gradually try to get your elbows closer together and your hands further down your back, towards the shoulders, so as to straighten your back.

·         Breathe normally while doing this posture and while holding it. Stay in this position 20 to 30 seconds.

·         Bend your knees and pull them to your forehead or chest; then gently lower your body, releasing the position.

Take care not to jerk into the posture instead gently keep pulling your body up into the final position.

Energising your Solar Centre or Agni Sara

Energising your Solar Centre or Agni Sara

This exercise tones your abdominal muscles and organs. It encourages digestion and excretion. It also tones all your reproductive organs and facilitates sexual functions.

·         Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position.

·         Place your hands on your knees, close your eyes and relax your body for a few minutes.

·         Inhale deeply. Exhale, by emptying out your lungs completely.

·         Lean forward a little and straighten your elbows, pushing down on your knees.

·         Lower your chin down towards your throat. Now contract and expand your stomach muscles rapidly for as long as you can hold your breath.

·         Perform about five to ten contractions in this way, but do not can hold your breath.

·         Slowly lift your head up, inhale slowly and deeply.

·         This completes one round. Relax your body, breathe and begin the next two rounds.

Do not practice this when menstruating, or if you are suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, hernia or an ulcer.

Yoga for Conception

Yoga for Conception

So you are planning to start a family. Then you must know that the implications of bringing a child into this world are enormous- not only on you as a mother-to-be, but on your partner and on your lifestyle as well. But if the timing is right, and you are mentally prepared, then you should start preparing your body for pregnancy at least a year in advance.

                Time and again it has been proven that stress is one of the biggest blocks to getting pregnant. In this busy world it becomes harder to find the inner peace that our body and mind craves for. Yoga is a mind and body exercise that enables you to recharge at all levels and allows your body and mind to work with its innate magic.

                Start on a protein diet and increase your intake of green vegetables and fruits, reducing fried and junk food, thus cleaning your body of toxins. Those of you, who have been on a contraceptive pill, give yourselves three months without it to let your body get used to the new situation. Visit a gynecologist and make yourself familiar with what is going to happen. It is important that you get yourself checked for Rubella virus. Take special care of yourself so as to make your body’s stay comfortable.

                The way to approach your conception is to create the correct environment for becoming pregnant, which means that as a prospective parent, your body must be in optimum health and in fit condition to facilitate conception. In addition, your mind must be calm and positive. Time and again it has been proven that stress is one of the biggest blocks to getting pregnant.

                The result of a balanced yoga session will give you tranquility o mind and the body will feel rested and energized. Your internal organs will feel recharged and this will allow them to function more effectively. Therefore if you are having trouble conceiving you should give yoga a try. By starting early, you will develop all the good habits that are essential to carry, protect and nourish your unborn child when the time comes.

                The regular practice of hatha yoga will help achieve hormonal balance, regulate irregular menstrual cycles and tone all the reproductive organs. Yoga postures foster awareness of feelings, both physical and emotional. They build strength and flexibility and also help in lubricating the joints and in releasing the toxins that build up in the body. The various postures also tone the muscles of the spine and strengthen the entire physical body-internally as well as externally, making it fit to carry a new life inside it for nine months.

                The asanas describes in this section should be done before one decides to conceive. Once you become pregnant, you can make changes and add new asanas that will help and support you through your pregnancy.

Remember to Pregnancy

For Pregnancy

Throughout your pregnancy baby is dependent on you for all its dietary need. This means that you should pay special attention to what you eat. A poor diet during pregnancy will not only take its toll on your own health, but can also have life-long repercussions on the physical and mental well-being of your child. A pregnant woman should eat a well-balanced diet, but at the same time keep track of her weight gain. Women who experience morning sickness or nausea in the first trimester are sometimes unable to eat properly. In fact, many mothers-to-be tend to lose weight during this period. However, this should not worry the expectant mother, unless it continues even after the third month; then it becomes advisable to seek the doctor’s help. Food aversions are extremely common in pregnancy and are believed to be due to the hormonal changes taking place in the body.

                From the third month on wards, when your baby starts to develop and grow, you will find a change in your appetite. Your hunger will return! This is the time to nourish you with a well-balanced and nutritious diet. It is important that women should gain weight during pregnancy. Not gaining enough weight makes for a low-weight baby who might face health problems; on the other hand, too much weight may make the delivery a bit too difficult. The ideal weight gain during your pregnancy is between 9 to 13 Kg. Any weight gain beyond this will stay with your after your delivery. Make sure not to restrict your diet during pregnancy because otherwise your diet may lack the right amount of nutrients required for the growth of the baby.

Remember to

a.       Eat small portions of food at regular intervals. Avoid consuming large quantities of food at meal times.
b.      Keep fruits, nuts and biscuits handy for those intermediate hunger pages.
c.       Avoid smoking and alcohol.
d.      Reduce your intake of tea and coffee.
e.      Avoid heavy and spicy foods as these may cause flatulence. Keep your salt intake low.
f.        Eat at least two portions of fruits and vegetables. Avoid aerated drinks as this will lead to unwanted calories. Instead, substitute with fresh fruit and vegetable juice.
g.       Add honey instead of refined sugar to your milk. And in general, limit all kinds of sugar.
h.      Eat only when you are genuinely hungry.
i.         Eat slowly and chew your food well.
j.        Avoid tranquillizers and drugs in general, unless you are prescribed one by your doctor/gynecologist. If you have an over powering need to take a drug, then consult your doctor. Just remember that drugs have serious effects on the unborn fetus.