With technological advancement followed by the global pandemic situation, we all find ourselves spending more time in front of the screens than ever before. Today’s age promises us unlimited exposure but the same exposure also creates a bombardment of information, thoughts, and emotions inside our minds. What do we do with the constant noise in our heads? Well, the ancient Indian tradition of yoga can come to our rescue.
Most successful people would agree that every great thing is manifested in the mind first, hence it makes sense to give it the rest it deserves for effective functioning. Here we are sharing how by investing just 15 minutes of your time, you can manage the traffic inside your head.
Om Chanting and Warming Up
It is a good idea to start the practice by chanting om three times. It brings our minds to the present moment and sets the stage for a mindful and relaxing session. It is very important to start with a warming-up activity before going to a pose that your body is not used to doing.
Pendulum Stretch
It is simple but effective warming up exercise which gives relief to the sides of your back and helps get rid of any stiffness that you may have due to long sitting hours. To perform this, you can sit cross-legged on a yoga mat or on a chair and bend on either side one by one in a rhythmic fashion. You can do it at your own pace a couple of times and also coordinate the movement with your breath. Breathe in as you stretch towards the side and breathe out as you come back to the center. As a variation, you can even stretch out your opposite hand on top of your head.
Cat Stretch – Marjariasana
This is another good pose to keep your back in good shape. For this pose, we come on our knees facing down like a quadruped. We begin by keeping our feet as well as our knees about shoulder-width apart from each other and our palms on the mat facing down, right below our shoulders. Breathing in, looking up, and pushing chest and naval down, lift the tail bone up and shoulders away from the ears. Exhale bringing chin to the chest and arching the upper back. Staying in this posture, pull your navel in, tuck your tail bone-in. After a couple of rounds, you can slide back and sit with bent knees.
Bhastrika – Bellow’s breathing
We need not resort to caffeine, sugar, or soda for an instant energy boost once we know this energizing technique called Bhastrika! Ideally, we sit on our heels to perform this, but if that seems difficult, you can do it sitting on a chair too. Just make sure your spine is erect. To start this, make loose fists with your hands and keep them in front of your shoulders facing front. Now with every inhalation, take them straight up and open the fists. With every exhalation bring them back down to the original position in front of the shoulders. While breathing out using a slight force and breathe in normally. This can be done in 3 rounds of about 15-20 breaths each. You can immediately experience a surge of energy, alertness, and clarity in your mind.
Ardhachakrasana – Standing Backward Bend
If you are feeling anxious, stressed, or simply low for no reason, this asana can benefit you greatly. Stand straight with hands by your sides facing front. As you breathe in stretch both the arms above your head, palms facing each other but keep looking in front. Breathing out, bend backward from the waist, making sure your biceps are still close to the ears. Hold for a few seconds and come back up breathing in. While breathing out, relax your hands and bring them down.
Hastapadasana – Standing Forward Bend
This asana is very good for the nervous system and great for our back. We stand straight with our hands on the side, palms facing front. As we breathe in we extend our arms over our head, biceps touching the ears. While exhaling, we bend down from the hips only, keeping our spine straight, without any curves. Hands will still be on either side of the head facing forward and facing down as we bend all the way. If your hands do not reach the floor, you can keep them anywhere on the legs where they reach but do not slouch or bend your neck. Stay in the posture and try to bring your chest towards the thighs with every breath. Breathing in, stretching your hands up, and relaxing while breathing out.
Vakrasana – Spinal Twist
One movement we often ignore is twisting on the sides. Sit down with your feet together in front of you. Keep the spine erect and keep both hands on the side. Now bring the left hand in front and keep it on the right knee, place your right hand slightly behind you. Breathe in, twist from your waist, and look over your right shoulder. Hold for a few seconds and come back to the front as you exhale. Repeat the same on the left side.
Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose
This posture improves breathing by opening the chest and also strengthens the upper back. For Bhujangasana, lie down on your stomach with your hands by the side. Bring your palms under the shoulders facing down. Now slowly lift up from the strength of your back, straightening your arms slightly but not completely. Do not use your arm strength to lift yourself up, keeping shoulders down and relaxed, away from the ears will help. Hold and relax while breathing out.
Viprit Karni
Viprit Karni is one of the easiest and most relaxing postures. Find a wall and lie on your back with your feet straight up on the wall. Pull in your buttocks as close to the wall as possible. Flex your feet and keep them close to each other. Make sure other parts of the upper body are relaxed and there is no strain on the shoulders or the neck. Let the hands rest on the side and hold the posture with regular breathing. Once done, release slowly by bending your knees and turning to your right side.
Bhramari – Relaxing Pranayama
Even if you have high BP or have trouble sleeping, Bhramari pranayama will calm you down instantly and give you the deep rest you need. You can do it sitting on the floor cross-legged or on a chair or even on your bed before going to sleep. Sit with a straight back and keep your index fingers on the cartilage just outside the ears. You can close and open your ears comfortably. Inhale normally through the nose and make a humming sound while breathing out slowly and moving your index fingers in and out gently. This can be repeated 3 to 5 times whenever some mental relaxation or cooling down is needed.
Nadi Shodhana – Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi Shodhana is one of the most effective and hence most popular yogic techniques. It balances the subtle energy channels, purifies them of the toxins accumulated due to stress, and ensures a good flow of life force energy (Prana) in the body. It works great at the end of a yoga session and it can be your anytime go-to technique to maintain the balance between your head and heart.
We sit with the spine erect in a comfortable position with our left hand resting on the left knee, touching the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb. With the right hand, we keep the first two fingers in between the eyebrows and use the thumb and ring finger as tongs to open and close the nostrils. We start by closing the right nostril and breathing in from the left and then closing the left nostril and breathing from the right. Repeat the same process from left to right. Take long and deep breaths and keep your spine erect throughout. This can be done a couple of times as per your comfort.
These are some of the simplest yogic techniques that can help anyone overcome a storm of emotions or information overload. Luckily for us, the solutions to these challenges were created and are being practiced from long before. All we need to do is apply them and continue to live in harmony, in spite of the situations of our lives. These techniques are very inclusive and can benefit everyone who practices them irrespective of their shape or size.
