Contributed by – Healthians Team
Yoga since time immemorial has been healing people. Yoga is not just a mere set of exercise but an entire school of physical, mental and spiritual awakening. It is actually an enchanting form encouraging people throughout the globe to be better and healthier versions of themselves.
All of us know that healthy lifestyle is the key to healthy life. Yoga is a great way to exercise daily and reap the innumerable benefits that it offers. It heals you from stress, strengthens you physically and protects you from illnesses. Yoga not only offers health benefits but also helps create a balance between the physical and spiritual aspect of life.
Yoga is the perfect fitness activity for all age groups. Researches across the globe have revealed and confirmed the importance of yoga. When it comes to health, yoga offers a never ending list of benefits. Some of them are listed below like:
- Increases the flexibility of the muscles
- Boosts the breathing capacity
- Strengthens the ligaments and tendons
- Gives strength to the joints
- Helps the spine regain the natural curvature which makes the body look firm
- The stretches help align the spine and the vertebrae
- Helps bring the shoulder blades together and closer to the spine
- Strengthens the abdominal muscles which gives compensatory strong back muscles
Orthopedic Benefits Of Yoga
Yoga is a process of boosting your energies and protecting your body against health problems through asanas. Each asana is made up of specific steps that focuses on a particular area of the body. Most of us due to our lengthy work hours and sedentary lifestyle fall prey to all kinds of orthopedic problems. One can always seek solace in the warm embrace of yoga, various yoga poses are specially cure the postural defects and heal orthopedic related health problems. Some of such benefits are that one can reap from regularly practicing yoga are:
- Strong bones and a firm back which means a good posture
- Prevents weak muscles and keeps back aligned for a good posture
- Stronger bones prevents fractures
- Prevents osteoporosis
Yoga- The Practice
It is always better to start practicing yoga under the assistance of a professional yoga instructor. The popularity of yoga has witnessed a growth in the number of yoga instructors and classes. Nowadays with easy access to internet it is easy to practice some basic yoga asanas at home as well. It is always best to start with basic yoga exercises and tread your path accordingly. Some really simple to practice yoga poses that give not so simple results and can help deal with the orthopedic issues are listed below. Start taking baby steps with these asanas.
Tadasan or the Mountain Pose– The yoga pose known as tadasan gives stability and balance to the body and works on the concentric muscle movement. The steps include:
- Start with standing straight and place your legs slightly apart
- Exhale and interlock your fingers infront of your body
- Inhale and raise your hands with your palms pointing upwards
- Stretch your entire body in upwards direction
- Raise your heels slightly and make sure that your entire body weight is rested on your toes
- While stretching fix your gaze at the interlocked palms
- Feel the flow of the energy in your entire body from toes to head
- Hold the pose for few seconds
- Exhale and relax
Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose– The asana known as bhujangasana which means cobra pose helps stretch the spine and strengthens the diaphragm. The steps include:
- Lie on straight on your stomach
- Place your hands on the side
- Ensure that your toes touch each other
- Now move your hands to the front at shoulder level and place your palms on the ground
- Inhale and raise your head and torso
- Make sure that your entire body weight rests on your palm
- Try to arch your neck slightly backward to replicate cobra with a raised hood
- Align your elbows underneath your shoulders for support
- Open your chest and relax your shoulders away from your ears
- Press your feet, thighs and hips to the ground
- Look straight ahead and hold the pose for 15-30 seconds with normal breathing
- To release slowly bring your hands to the side and gently rest your upper body on the ground
Uttanasan – Uttanasan or complete bend down pose helps in relaxing your back and also increases stability. The steps include:
- Stand straight keeping hands on your hips
- Inhale stretch your arms up and gently bend forward with an aim of touching the floor with the tip of your fingers
- Hold the pose for as long as you comfortably can
- Exhale and rise slowly
These 3 asans are the basic yoga asanas that can be easily practiced at home and will help you achieve flexible muscles. If you suffer from orthopedic issues then do not think twice and make these yoga poses sacred guide.
