Yoga for Women

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Extracted from the book: Yoga for Women
Author: Meghna Virk Bains
Publisher: Pustak Mahal (www.pustakmahal.com)

Just 10 minutes a day is required to smoothen out your worries about:
* Troublesome Teenage
* Transitional Twenties
* Whirling Working Years
* Moonlit Marriage Years
* Precious Pregnancy
* Menacing Menopause
* Graceful Aging Years

The author says “Yoga has brought many phenomenal transformations in my life as a woman. I wish to share this blissful journey with you, hoping to help you rediscover your lost potentials and in the process re-establish the connection with the real you.’

Surya Namaskar encompasses almost each and every asana and mudra in its very basic form combined with the coordination of breathing. It is called the ‘Sun Salutation’. The essence of performing this twelve-step-continuum is to absorb the maximum energy from the ultimate source of light and energy that sustains all life on Earth — the SUN.

1. The Namaskar — Stretch out your hands on the sides as you inhale. Raise hands on top joining them, and as you exhale, gently place them in the centre of your chest, near the anahata chakra.
2. Parvat Asana (The Arch) — Raise hands in a joint position as you inhale, and while exhaling, bend backwards, only the torso and arms, bringing a slight arch in the upper back.
3. Hasta Pada Asana (The Compression) — Inhale, straighten up your arms gently while exhaling.
Place hands behind the legs and bring your forehead as much in contact with the knees as you can. Continue breathing.
4. Ek Pada Prasaran (The One Foot Balance) — Place both your hands on the ground at shoulder distance apart. While exhaling, stretch one leg behind as much as you can and balance up on your fingertips. Inhale as you give a little arch to your neck upwards and join your hands.
5. Bhoodhar Asana — Bring the hands fully in contact with the ground. Look in front and as you inhale, stretch the second leg behind at the same level as the first. The main fulcrum of this pose comes at the base of your spine. It is like a triangle with hip joint forming the peak, and arms and legs providing support. Make sure you keep the heels of your foot pressed to the ground and continue breathing.
6. Ashtanga Pranipat Asana (The Flat Out) — While exhaling, bend your elbows, knees and lie flat in contact with the ground. Make sure you do not change the position of your hands and place your forehead on the ground. Place your feet flat too, fully relaxed.
7. Bhujanga Asana (Up-stretch Asana) — With the support of hands, wrists and elbows, gently raise your chin, chest and upper-middle-lower abdomen as you inhale. Keep breathing as you hold the stretch. While lowering yourself down, follow the same sequence.
8. Back in Bhoodhar Asana — As you lie flat, slowly take support of your hands under the shoulder to raise your upper body and take support of your feet, toes, knees to raise your lower body.
9. Ek Pada Prasaran (Back in One Foot Balance) — Same as before, but this time get the second foot in front.
10. Hasta Pada Asana (Back in Compression) — Inhale and get the second foot up in standing position, but your back should remain bent forward with the hands once again behind your legs and forehead to the knee.
11. Parvat Asana (Back in Arch) — As you inhale, stretch your hands slowly and gradually straighten up. Make sure that your face straightens up first, followed by your neck and then your back. Exhale and bend backwards.
12. Daksh Asana (Finally Wrap-up Namaskar) — Simply inhale while straightening out. Join your hands, and while exhaling, bring the hands back from where you started, that is, in the centre of your chest, near anahata chakra.

An important point to remember for those of you battling with the following issues:
• If you have disturbed menstrual cycles, then try to avoid asanas that involve inversions and exert pressure on your lower abdomen in the first two days of your periods. To ease out the pain, I prescribe following a regular routine of pranayama, vajra asana, sukht pawan mukt asana and tada asana. It will keep your breathing smooth, your digestion activated and spine stress-free. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water (lukewarm in case of pain).
• Those of you hassled by weight must follow the mentioned routine religiously and special emphasis must be on performing pranayama for longer periods and surya namaskar at least 3-4 times. Increase the intake of water to 8-10 glasses.
• Coming on to the pimples and acne, all you need to do is to keep your breathing passage totally free from blockages. Again, drink lots of water.
• Height is an issue that I am sure you have been nagged with a hundred times, but don’t fret. We have a solution. All you need to do is focus on the standing asanas, like tada asana, because they stretch all the ligaments, joints and muscles, thereby giving you that toned-up look.

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