HAIR YOGA

Balayam Yoga (Rubbing nails):

This yoga asana was made famous by Baba Ramdev. It is simple and highly affective. You can do this asana either sitting or standing. Curl the fingers of both hands inwards towards your palm. Bring the nails of both your hands in contact with each other and start rubbing them vigorously ensure leaving out the thumbnails. Keep rubbing your nails continuously for 5-7 minutes at a stretch. Besides hair loss, Balayam yoga can also cure dandruff and premature graying of hair. By doing this, the roots of the hair follicles connected to the fingernails pump energy to the scalp needed for hair growth.

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog pose):

Place yourself with your knees and hands on the ground. Your hands perpendicular to your shoulders and your knees perpendicular with your hips. Next push your hips up and alongside straighten your legs too, standing on your toes. Pressing your palms to the ground, straighten your spine more. To exit from this pose, pull down your hips gently and come back to the first step.

6. Vajrasana (Diamond pose):

Sit on the floor keeping your spine erect and with stretched legs. Your heels should be together. Place your hands by your side palms facing the ground. Now you have to fold both your legs, keeping them under your thighs; first the left leg and then the right. Place your hands on your upper thighs. Sit in a relaxed position and breathe in and out deeply. When done, return back to your original posture of sitting with stretched legs.

7. Matsyasana (Fish pose):

Lie down straight on the floor with your legs together, both your hands should go at the back of your thighs with palms facing downwards. Now with pressure on your elbows, pull the mid portion of your upper torso dropping your head a bit more backwards such that the crown of your head touches the ground. Your body position will be such that an arch will be formed between your hips and crown. Breathe in deeply and try filling in as much oxygen possible to your respiratory organs.

8. Uttanpadasana (Raised feet pose):

Lie on the yoga mat with arms by your side and palms facing the floor. Stretch your body and slowly raise your legs at a 4560 degrees angle from the ground. Keep your legs raised for a minute or even more if you can hold it. This asana allows blood circulation to the scalp and thereby hair follicles allowing it to regrow. Some other poses that help growth of long and beautiful hair are Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand pose) and Sirshasana (headstand pose). Beginners may have a problem doing these two poses. But as your body becomes flexible with yoga, youll find the difficulties fading away gradually. Other than these yoga asana, also practice Anuloma Viloma(alternate nostril breathing) and kapalbhati. They help you become stress-free which mean less hair loss. Yoga is a natural treatment preventing hair loss and help growth of new hair. Practice yoga for long hair every day in the morning with an empty stomach for best results.

ANTI-AGING YOGA
1. Equal standing
Felstead says this pose will help you develop awareness of postural tendencies. In bare feet, stand on a yoga mat or the floor with feet parallel and together or hip-width apart, arms hanging at sides. Focus on the feet and how your body weight is distributed. Without lifting the soles of your feet off the floor, shift forward, backward and side to side to move your body weight until you bring it to centre. Moving your attention up the body, feel that your hips are stacked over ankles and shoulders over hips. Move the chin back so that the skull is balanced on the spine. Aim to find an equilibrium that means you're using as little muscle strength as possible to stand. Imagine that a string is pulling you up from the crown of your head. Notice if you're slouching and stand up straighter, without overengaging any muscles such as the glutes. Change it up: Close the eyes and notice how your balance changes. Or try doing the pose in front of a mirror and compare how you feel with how straight and even you look. 2. Tree pose Balance is notoriously more difficult as we age, says Felstead. Tree pose is a simple balancing posture that will help you maintain your abilities. Start in equal standing posture, then shift most of your body weight into the left foot and leg. Bring your hands to prayer position in front of the chest. Come onto the toes of the right foot and open the right hip and leg. If your balance is unsteady, keep your right toes on the floor, right heel against the inside of the left calf. If you feel stable here, lift the right foot off the floor and place against the inside of the left calf or thigh, being careful not to press against the knee. Take a few breaths, then slowly lower and repeat on the second side. Change it up: Challenge your balance by reaching the arms above the head or by looking up toward the ceiling.

3. Squat Strong thigh muscles will help protect the knees from pain and injury, says Felstead. Start in equal standing posture with feet together and arms at sides. Keeping the knees and feet together, sit back as though you were going to sit in a chair. Only go as far as you are comfortable and balanced, but do try to challenge your muscles. To protect the knees, make sure they're behind the toes and not moving forward. At the same time, reach the arms straight in front of you to help with balance. Change it up: If it's easier to balance, you can do this pose with feet hip width apart just be sure the knees are pointed in the same direction as the toes and not caving inward. Play with how deep you can go while maintaining an erect spine and happy knees. 4. Downward dog A classic and well-known yoga posture, downward dog improves upper-body strength, promotes a healthy spine and stretches the back body. Start on hands and knees, with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Fingers should be spread wide and engaged, with middle fingers pointing forward. Look behind you and check that feet are about hip width apart. Curl under the toes and reach the tailbone toward the ceiling. At this point, keep the heels high off the floor and keep a gentle bend in the knees. Gently straighten the knees and lower the heels toward the floor (it's unlikely that they'll touch) until you feel a soft stretch in the back of the legs and in the back. If it feels too strong, bend the knees again until you're more comfortable. The very unflexible might want to take their feet a bit farther apart. Rather than dumping all the weight into the shoulders, aim to balance it between hands and feet. Engage the hands and arms as though you were reaching forward with your hands. Bring the belly button toward the spine and engage the core rather than sinking at the ribs. Change it up: To work flexibility, especially in the morning, pedal your feet so that you're stretching one leg then the other. If you feel strong enough and your shoulders are happy, you can gently flow from downward dog straight into plank pose. 5. Plank

This pose works your upper body and core strength, both of which can decline as we age. Start on hands and knees, making sure that wrists are directly under shoulders and hands are engaged. For level one, walk back on your knees until there's a fairly straight line from knees to shoulders. Bring your belly button toward the spine and use your core muscles to keep the hips from sinking. Make sure the wrists are still directly under the shoulders. For level two, come off your knees and onto your toes so that the entire body is in a straight line from shoulders to heels. Change it up: If this pose hurts the wrists, come down onto the forearms instead, with hands clasped and elbows under shoulders. Once level two gets easier, challenge yourself by lifting alternating feet for a breath or two each. 6. Seated twist Twists promote a healthy spine and can relieve back muscles tight from too much sitting. Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with spine upright. If you find yourself uncomfortable or slouching, try placing a folded blanket, cushion or yoga block or bolster under your hips. Inhale and sit up as straight as possible. On the exhale, twist gently to the right, starting the movement from the base of the spine and letting it flow upward. As you move, place the left hand on the right knee and the right hand behind you for balance. Move the head last and only as far as it can comfortably go without strain. On each inhale, lengthen the spine you will likely move slightly out of the twist. On each exhale, gently twist deeper. Return to centre on an inhale, then repeat on the left, making sure to switch the crossing of your legs first. Change it up: For a more relaxing version of this simple pose, try a reclined twist.

YOGA - GOOD DIGESTION

Steps to follow (Dhanurasana) : 1. One should lie on the ground facing downwards. 2. Catch the ankles with the hands by bending the legs backwards. 3. The body will resemble a bow when you bend the body by resting on the Abdomen with the spine arched. 4. This pose must be maintained for a few a seconds, and then come back to the starting position. Benefits : # This asana is very good for ladies. # It cures constipation and removes excess fat. # It acts as a cure for dyspepsia, rheumatism and gastro intestinal disorders. # It improves digestion and appetite. Disclaimer For Yoga Exercise: The yoga exercises depicted above in the line diagrams are only a graphic representation for the understanding of the asanas or exercise. Please do not attempt to practise these without proper guidance from a trained Yoga instructor as these exercises can cause physical disability when done incorrectly. SITTING SQUAT Seven Advantages of Squatting
1. Makes elimination faster, easier and more complete. This helps prevent "fecal stagnation," a prime factor in colon cancer, appendicitis andinflammatory bowel disease. 2. Protects the nerves that control the prostate, bladder and uterus from becoming stretched and damaged. 3. Securely seals the ileocecal valve, between the colon and the small intestine. In the conventional sitting position, this valve is unsupported and often leaks during evacuation, contaminating the small intestine. 4. Relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence. 5. Uses the thighs to support the colon and prevent straining. Chronic straining on the toilet can cause hernias, diverticulosis, and pelvic organ prolapse. 6. A highly effective, non-invasive treatment for hemorrhoids, as shown by published clinical research. 7. For pregnant women, squatting avoids pressure on the uterus when using the toilet. Daily squatting helps prepare one for a more natural delivery.

FLAT TUMMY YOGA

Warrior Lunge Twist Not only will your abdominals help you to stabilize in this posture, but the twisting motion fully engages those hard-to-tone obliques too. Bring your hands into prayer pose. Lunge forward with your left leg and bend your knee about 90 degrees, keeping your back leg straight. Brace your abs in tight to your spine and rotate your upper body to the left. Keep your spine long as you lean over your left leg and press your right elbow into the outside of your left leg. Turn your head to look up toward the ceiling over your left shoulder. Hold for 10 long, deep breaths and then untwist and return to standing. Repeat on the other side. If you have trouble maintaining your balance, focus your eyes straight ahead instead of looking up to the ceiling. Bridge With Leg Sweep This amped-up bridge pose sculpts your butt and hamstrings while also using your abdominals as stabilizers to help control the motion of your leg. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms by your sides, palms facing down. Brace your abs in tight and press through your heels to bridge your hips off the floor. Keeping your hips lifted and square, extend your left leg up to the ceiling, foot flexed. Sweep your left leg to the right, passing the midline of your body and then sweep back out to the left, slightly past your left hip. That's one rep. Repeat 10 times (back and forth) with the left leg, and then switch legs and repeat 10 more times before lowering out of bridge. Try not to let your hips drop as you move your leg back and forth, using your abs and your glutes to keep your pelvis lifted and square. Small, controlled movement is better than big movements with poor form.

Downward Dog Variation This version of downward dog keeps your abs firing both during the hold and during the transition. Begin in downward facing dog. Extend your left leg up to the ceiling, pointing your toes. Shift your weight forward and begin to lower your hips into a plank pose but instead of putting your left toes down, bend your left knee into your chest, lifting your abs into your spine during the entire movement. Press your hips back up and extend your left leg behind you as you return to downward facing dog. Repeat 10 times with the left leg, 10 with the right. If this is too challenging, practice the transition from downward dog to plank pose until you feel ready to add the leg movement. Extended Boat Pose Build core strength and endurance with this challenging, but very effective, pose. Sit on your hips with both legs extended in front of you. Place your hands behind your hips and keep your back long as you lean back slightly and lift your legs off the floor, holding your belly in and up the entire time. Reach both arms out to the sides of your thighs. Lower your legs about 45 degrees, until your body resembles a wide 'V'. Hold this position for 10 long, deep breaths (or up to 60 seconds). Too tough? Make it easier by bending your knees 90 degrees so your shins are parallel to the ground.

Stacked Side Plank Use your abdominals to stabilize your entire body as you balance on one arm and leg. Lie on your right side with your knees straight. Place your right hand under your right shoulder. Lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Flex your feet and extend your left arm up to the ceiling. Breath deeply for the duration of the exercise. Hold this position for up to 60 seconds. Lower and repeat on the other side. If this is too challenging, bend one (the bottom) or both knees to the floor to reduce the amount of weight that you have to lift.