Tuesday 29 September 2009

Depression Yoga and Uma Thurman

Many believe that depression is when we feel low, miserable, fed up or have a bad mood for a couple of days. But that’s far from
the truth. Depression is a serious psychological disorder effecting approximately 18.8 million Americans in a given year.

In Britain, depression occurs in 1 in 10 adults at any one time according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Depression is very common and it can happen to anybody. When extreme sadness lasts for a long time interfering with your daily
life, this may be depression which can last for months.

Many people are afraid to admit having depression as they believe it is a sign of weakness so they keep quiet and don’t seek
professional help putting their lives in misery and sometimes even in danger.

But depression is certainly not a sign of failure. In fact, a famous actress Uma Thurman confessed that she spent years suffering
from depression, even when she was one of the Hollywood's most successful actresses.

So ... what causes depression?
There could be many factors that can trigger depression, such as bereavement, redundancy, divorce, illness or money worries.

For Uma Thurman the trigger was divorce. She admitted that no amount of movie successes could compensate for the pain of her
two divorces and the loneliness of life as a single mother.

She said: “My professional life was soaring but my private life was in ruins. I fell into acting and a life that didn't give me the
feeling I was doing anything substantial or meaningful.”

To treat depression only with drugs is not an answer because drugs don’t cure depression but they only control the symptoms.

The ‘Talk-therapy’ is one of the ways to treat depression. The ‘Talk-therapy’ can help you to think about the problems you are
experiencing in your life in order to find new ways of dealing with them.

When you are depressed, feel anxiety and stress, feel unhappy, yoga is the best solution.

Try to incorporate yoga in your daily schedule in addition to relaxation and meditation. Practice of yoga reduces the impact of
stress responses which in turn decrease the heart rate, lower blood pressure and ease respiration. Yoga can be a very appealing
way to deal with depression. You can see the dramatic improvement in depression within weeks.

The scientific study of yoga demonstrates that mental and physical health are closely related and yoga works on both level. If you
are suffering from depression then take action now for your own good health. If we don’t take care about our own health then
who will?

Issued in public interest by a celebrity personal yoga trainer, Subodh Gupta.

Subodh Gupta is the author of the books “Stress Management A holistic approach” and “Corporate Yoga” available at Amazon and
Barnes and Nobles. He has been interviewed by various TV channels and his views and articles appear regularly in magazines and
newspapers in India and the UK.

Subodh Gupta is based in London and conducts yoga, weight loss, nutrition and stress counselling sessions for a number of celebrities.

http://www.yoga-london.org.uk

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Yoga and its Five Principles

Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years in India. To the Western countries it came just recently and became a fashionable form of exercise, a new trend in the fitness world.

Yoga is based on a simple concept to attain a healthy mind and a healthy body. By practicing yoga we do not mean only practicing physical hatha yoga postures but also correct breathing, relaxation, meditation and a healthy diet.

Those five principles make yoga as a whole and without them yoga will be only a mere physical exercise, like any other.

1. The first principle of yoga is - Proper Exercise

The correct form of exercise in yoga is achieved through different form of hatha yoga poses and stretches. These exercises tone the muscles, enhance the flexibility of the spine and regulate the blood flow.

Yoga poses are co-ordinated with the breathing. Each movement is tuned with a correct breathing allowing to feel the union between the physical body and the mind.

2. The second principle of yoga is - Proper Breathing

Proper breathing is deep, slow and regular. When the breathing is correct it utilizes all part of the lungs to increase the oxygen intake. Regulating the inhalation and exhalation brings deep relaxation to the body and mind.

3. The third principle of yoga is - Relaxation

Relaxation is done at the beginning, in between and in the end of the hatha yoga session. Proper relaxation will help to release muscular tension and put the mind and body in a tranquil state.

Deep relaxation revitalizes the nervous system and makes each day of our life complete and peaceful.

4. The fourth principle of yoga is - Meditation and Positive Thinking

To meditate is to still the mind. It is a very difficult thing to achieve as our mind is in constant movement and never still.
But through regular meditation we can relax and refresh the mind. It will help us in concentration and having more clarity in our lives.

5. The fifth principle of yoga is - Healthy Diet

The food we eat greatly affects the way we think. For example chilli food can bring unrest at mind level. Our diet should be light with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and eaten in moderation. The good thing to remember is to eat only when you are hungry.

The last evening meal should be very light and taken three hours before going to bed, allowing for good digestion and sound sleep.

So! When you start your yoga practice try to keep in mind the five principles of yoga and implement them into your daily schedule. That way you will be healthy and happy for the rest of your life.

Issued in public interest by Barbara Tomasik, a Personal Yoga Trainer in London.

Ms Barbara Tomasik is a certified yoga trainer and also a teacher in physical education. She is a member of REPs as Advance Instructor level 3. She have been learning, practicing and teaching many styles of yoga for around 10 years.

http://www.subodhgupta.com

Tuesday 8 September 2009

Yoga and Nervous System

In today’s fast changing world everyone seems to be in a race, high adrenal activities and on constant alert. By the time one reaches forty years of age one feel burnt out.

We live in a sympathetic mode most of the time and our nervous system becomes overly
stimulated. Prolonged stress responses result in suppression of our immune system and we become prone to infections and constipation.

We suffer from asthma, allergies and hay fever. Our pH balance is affected so we live in a more acid state as our bodies cannot relax.

The sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the "fight or flight" system, becomes more active when we are under constant stress, causing our breath rate to quicken, blood pressure to rise and stress hormones to flood into our body.

In order for our body to function optimally we need to have a balanced autonomic nervous system. That means we have to switch to our parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers our blood pressure and slows down our breath.

Our parasympathetic nervous system controls smooth muscle contraction, regulates cardiac muscle, or stimulates glandular secretion and is known as "rest and digest" system. When we are in a parasympathetic mode our blood can freely travel to the digestive, immune, glandular and reproductive systems to restore balance and to heal the damage done during our stressful time.

Through daily practice of yoga we can bring equilibrium into our body and mind i.e. balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and stress can be reduced. Slow and deep yogic breathing encourages the actions of the parasympathetic nervous system and allows relaxation and healing to occur.

While practicing yoga we need to respect our own body, learn how to deal with stress, incorporate deep breathing into our daily life and we become physically and mentally healthy.

The yoga system includes practice of yoga poses (asanas), controlled deep and slow breathing(pranayama), relaxation, concentration, meditation and healthy eating.
Remember: Yoga is an excellent way to bring balance in our nervous system and to stay healthy forever.

Issued in public interest by Subodh Gupta, a celebrity personal yoga trainer in London, for those who are living a stressful life.

Subodh Gupta is author of many books on yoga and weight loss. He has been interviewed by various TV channels and his views and articles appear regularly in magazines and newspapers in India and the UK.

http://www.yoga-london.org.uk

Friday 4 September 2009

Art of Breathing for Stress Free Life

This is the only book on human breathing techniques for managing stress with clearly illustrated photographs and practical instructions.

The new book “Art of Breathing for Stress Free Life” authored by a celebrity yoga trainer Subodh Gupta is released and available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and all other major online retailers.

This book is ideal for busy people who lead a hectic life style. The simple breathing techniques described in this book can help to reduce stress level and one can feel the difference by practicing 10 min every day.

According to the author, Subodh Gupta, “Flow of breath can give clear picture about person emotional and mental state”. He said “Breathing is one of the most important functions in our body but it is also the most neglected one. It influences the activity of each and every cell in our body and most importantly it is intimately linked with the performance of the brain”.

Simple breathing exercise can bring benefits such as increased energy level and development of various brain faculties.

This knowledge and technique of Yogic breathing is explained in this book in a step by step method along with precautions so that everybody can understand and gain benefits.

This book contains 2 sections. Section 1 contains knowledge and detail explanation of human breath and section 2 includes five practical techniques step by step.

When the body and mind are constantly overworked their natural efficiency decreases. A few moments of stress can consume great amount of energy leaving the person drained in their day to day life. However the good news is we can come out of stress at our own will and our body and mind can be reenergized by the simple breathing exercises.

Subodh Gupta has been interviewed by various TV channels and his views and articles appear regularly in magazines and newspapers in India and the UK.

He has organised more than 500 workshops on yoga for leading companies such as Oracle, Sapient, International Data Corporations, etc.

http://www.yoga-london.org.uk

Thursday 3 September 2009

Yoga Pose Sitting Forward Bend Benefits and Dangers

Never force yourself into a forward bend when sitting on the floor.

Hatha yoga, the third limb of raja yoga also popularly understood by mass population as yoga is getting popular as never before in both eastern and western countries. The reasons for hatha yoga to gain popularity are numerous; ranging from releasing stress, flexibility to helping patients suffering from various diseases.

Although the initial objective of hatha yoga was different, however the ability of hatha yoga to help participants with various ailments is really praiseworthy.

The Sitting Forward Bend is one of the most demanding pose of yoga. In this pose the body is folded almost in half, providing an intense stretch to the entire back of the body, from the scalp down to the heels.

Beginners often struggle in this yoga pose. If you pull yourself forward using your shoulders and arms you will create the tension through your body and you will end up tightening your muscles and this will not allow you to get into the posture any quicker. While doing this yoga pose, give some time for the muscles to stretch and to release the tension.

The yoga pose Sitting Forward Bend stimulates the kidneys, liver, spleen and pancreas improving digestion in the body. This yoga pose tones and massages the entire abdominal area and it relieves constipation.

It stretches the hamstring muscles, lumbar and sacral regions and increases flexibility in the hip joints. Regular practice of this yoga pose removes excess weight in the abdomen area.

However, this pose may be dangerous and not recommended in case of the following health conditions:

(a) When suffering from slipped disc and sciatica
(b) When suffering from asthma
(c) In case of pregnancy, as this yoga pose puts stress on the womb

Issued in the interest of people practicing Hatha yoga by Subodh Gupta, a Celebrity Personal Yoga Trainer in London.

Subodh Gupta is the author of numerous books on yoga, weight loss and stress management. He has been interviewed by various TV channels and his views and articles appear regularly in magazines and newspapers in India and the UK.

Subodh Gupta is based in London and conducts yoga, weight loss, nutrition and stress counselling sessions for a number of celebrities.

http://www.yoga-london.org.uk

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Yoga Pose Plank Benefits and Precautions

The yoga posture Plank, called sometimes High Chaturanga, is a good precursor to more challenging arm balances postures.

In the Plank pose the body is in a straight line from the ears, through the shoulders and hips, to the heels. Ideally the body should not arch or sag in this pose.

While performing this yoga pose the abdominal muscles are kept lifted throughout. If your body starts to shake, release the posture, relax for a moment and start to hold the Plank again.

The Plank yoga pose targets the abdominals (muscles responsible for holding in the stomach and giving the appearance of a flat stomach), but it can be an excellent way to get a full body challenge.

In order to do the Plank properly, there must be integration of all the core stabilization muscles, and the arms, as well as keeping the gluteus (large muscles which form the buttock) and legs active.

The Plank posture is a well-known exercise that can be seen in many exercise systems. It is one of the most popular exercises for developing core strength and stability. It strengthens muscles of the arms, shoulders and the spine, and strengthens the wrists.

However in one health condition the Plank posture is strongly not recommended.
If you have a Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, do not attempt this yoga pose.

The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the compression of median nerve at the wrist, which may result in numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle atrophy in the hand and fingers. The disease typically affects the thumb, index, and middle fingers and is often particularly troublesome at night.

Issued in public interest by Subodh Gupta, a Celebrity Personal Yoga Trainer in London.

He has been interviewed by various TV channels and his views and articles appear regularly in magazines and newspapers in India and the UK.

Subodh Gupta is based in London (UK) and conducts yoga, weight loss, nutrition and stress counselling sessions for number of celebrities.

http://www.yoga-london.org.uk