Nasyam- Thwart your headache with Anu-Tailam

Headaches have many different causes, most of them being benign but due to the increased pollution levels and lifestyle diseases, it has become chronic in nature. Everyday many of us report headaches ruining our normal flow of life. While there is no absolute cure in contemporary medicine, a simple ayurvedic treatment may come to your rescue. The use of Anu-Tailam can help relieve headaches and many other degenerative diseases permanently. One can get it in any ayurvedic medicine store easily.

Anu-Tailam is available in small droppers that help in easy application. This must be practiced in empty stomach as it uses forceful breathing. Lie down on a plain surface, preferable a bed with your head tilted over the edge. Ask someone to put 2 drops of the oil in the nasal cavity and gently massage the nostrils and the sinus areas. Start doing forceful exhalation like Kapalbhati in that posture. In the beginning one may get a slightly burning sensation or an uncomfortable feeling but it’s important to ignore those and continue the breathing process. After about 3-4 minutes, slowly get up and sit straight. If you have any blockages cause by phelm it will invariably come out. Some of the oil may drip back into the throat and one must remember to spit it out as long as it keeps coming. These secretions carry toxins release and must not be swallowed.

The above mentioned process yields many benefits if done regularly. It enhances proper functioning of sensory organs and protects from diseases of ENT(ear, nose & throat). It prevents premature greying of hair, improves skin texture and removes wrinkles, strengthens neck and shoulder muscles, improves eyesight and hearing problems, delays ageing by preventing early degeneration of brain cells.

Regards,

Mohul Dutta

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The science of slowing Ageing

This article will be about the anatomy of ageing, the science of respiration and the art of breath control. Breath is like a cord that ties our soul to the body and as we age, the stress on our respiration lets free radicals (molecules/atoms missing and electron) damage our health. Throughout our youth we take the natural ability of our body to repair & regenerate for granted and do little or nothing to keep the healthy & vital form of our body. By mastering the breathing process, we can control our metabolism which in turn reduces the leaping progress of ageing.

Ageing is a result of the oxygen absorption and carbohydrates consumption by the cells of our body. Oxygen being an extremely active element will combine with almost everything that it comes in contact with. It combines with carbon and hydrogen in carbohydrates, causing electron detonation in the mitochondria of all cells. This releases energy for functioning and produces carbon dioxide and water as a by-product. Even though presence of oxygen is vital for sustaining life, its presence in our body is the main cause of ageing induce by free radicals. Oxygen, if not used properly can rip off parts of our DNA, damage fatty tissues and cross link collagens thereby setting in degenerative diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, impotence, stroke, heart attack, cancer etc.

By applying the principles of yoga and breath control we can slow down our breath and heartbeat. These results in metabolism slowdown by reduce rate of cellular combustion and limits the quantity of free radicals in our body. Even though we don’t stop ageing completely, the rate reduces rapidly and life span increases. The success of breath control can be achieved through practice of pranayamas and meditation. By making ourselves the master of our emotions, we can get real permanent love, joy and freedom. One must seek guidance under a realised yogi who has mastered breath control. Even though there are other important aspects of yoga as love, devotion, tantra, bhakti, none are of as much pivotal significance as breath control. Most of the genuine yogis have mastery over breath control. Those who haven’t will most likely say it’s not important.

I have been practicing Kriya Yoga since last two years. Even though it takes a lot of practice and devotion to attain breath suspension, I experience breath suspension for brief periods after my practice and very slow rate of breathing thereafter. Before initiation into kriya Yoga, I suffered from stress induced auto immune disease, casing frequent allergic reactions in my body. The recurrence of allergic attacks have reduced and stopped completely. I feel younger, lighter and am able to pass through mental challenges at ease.

Regards,

Mohul Dutta

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Curing Depression with Yoga

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines depression as a "common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest & pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy & poor concentration". Most people are suffering from one or the other form of  disability related diseases caused by depression. It is estimated that by 2020, depression will be the 2nd most contributor of disability related diseases for all ages and both sexes combined.

Depression occurs due to many reasons, stress being the major factor. Our busy & hectic schedule leaves us with no time to look after our health. As we don't get proper sleep, eat a balanced diet or do not engage in physical exercises the problem aggravates.

Can we cure depression with Yoga?

The answer lies inside us. Firstly, being in a state of depression programs our mind to look at negative aspects in everything. Even if there is desire to improve, lack of conviction kills every prospect of improvement. By following a proper yoga & meditation routine, these problems can be resolved very effectively. The practice of yogasanas will help improve our physical fitness and release harmful toxins that accumulate in our body. On the other hand, meditation will surely induce an elevated mood, remove negative thoughts and help our pineal glans produce good hormones like Endorphins, Melatonin & DHEA. Endorphins act as a natural painkiller whereas Melatonin & DHEA help improve our immunity and slows down the ageing process. All of these will replace the negative energy with positive ones and happiness will follow.

Regards,

Mohul Dutta

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Curing Diabetes with Yoga

Diabetes is quickly becoming a very dangerous phenomena in the world. It leads to complex conditions resulting in metabolic imbalances in the sugar & insulin utilization in our body. More than 280 million people around the world are suffering from it & a lot of effort and motivation is required to beat this epidemic. A common perception among people is that by avoiding sugar, one can keep the evil effects of diabetes under control.What most people fail to realise is some form of  exercise is also required to tackle the problem. Apart from contemporary forms of exercises, we can look at some wonderful yoga practices that can be incorporated in our daily lives for effective diabetes management.

• Yoga helps in improving blood circulation in our body. When coupled with pranayamas it will ensure that more oxygenated blood is circulated in our system. The technique of  full yogic breathing is incomparably best in terms of the quantity of oxygen made available in our body. One can start with Bhastrika pranayam, followed by Kapalbhati, Ujjayi & Anulom Vilom.
• Practices like Suryanamaskar can show magical results by stretching & building strong digestive system. It is said that man with a strong core can avoid almost all health problems and prolong his life span. The practice of Suryanamaskar helps to bring down various stress hormones in our body and promotes secretion of feel good hormones that in turn helps in cellular repairs. It is said that a human body replaces its entire cells in a span of 90 days. It means that a constant practice of more than 3 months will ensure a body made up on entirely new cells.

Over a period of time Diabetes will become a thing of past if we adhere to the essence of these principles.

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Kapalbhati

Kapalbhati – The shining head

Kapalbhati is a “shuddhikaran”(purification) process & is related to the respiratory system. The word kapalbhati is made up of two words, kapal meaning the forehead & bhati means shining. The process of kapalbhati is very intensive in nature as it influences the organs behind the skull in a good manner.

Posture: The process should be performed in sitting position like sukhasana. The spine should remain moderately erect and head should be straight. One should sit in dhyan mudra -the top of the index figure and the thumb connected in a coiled manner. This mudra has many wonderful benefits like inducing calming effect, improving concentration and reasoning capacities. Eyes should be kept shut normally and within a few minutes of continuing this pose the body will be in tune with itself resulting in less movements.

Process: Kapalbhati is primarily based on forceful exhalation (Rechaka) through nostrils & subsequent inhalation (puraka). The emphasis is more on exhalation and inhalation is just for the namesake.  While performing exhalation, the diaphragm and abdomen muscles should be pulled inwards and exhalation should happen as a reflex action. Hence, we do not exhale for long as the exhalation process is not prolonged. We normally exhale 500 to 600 cc air per exhalation but during kapalbhati, 40-50 cc of more air is exhaled. The lungs and abdomen muscles are tightened & relaxed during the process. One must follow the following cycle of Kapalbhati:

1.      Keep inhaling and exhaling gradually.

2.      The pooraka & rechaka should be performed for at least 21 times in one round.

3.      The cycle of repetitions should be increased according to individual capacity & under no circumstances should one exert force upon self.

Precaution: Patients suffering from cardiovascular or respiratory diseases should practice this under an expert guidance.

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Ujjayi Pranayama

Ujjayi Pranayama - The victorious breath is also called the ocean breath. This pranayama stretches our breath before it enters in the lungs, thus generating heat that is effective in getting rid of various toxins stored in our body.

Technique: To perform Ujjayi, on should be seated in sukhasana & make sure that he/she breathes only through the nose while keeping the mouth closed. While breathing in, the throat muscles should be constricted so that the air passage becomes narrower making the breath thin and long.

Timings: You could begin practicing ujjayi for around three minutes, and slowly go up to ten minutes. The time duration of your inhalations and exhalations should be the same. As and when you find your mind wandering, gently bring it back to the breathing.

Benefits: Ujjayi helps bringing overall calmness in our body. It also helps improve our concentration as the focus is on breathing during the practice. It stimulates our metabolic rate by increasing blood circulation through the body. Since the breathing process is stretched, it helps in better diffusion of carbon dioxide and enabled absorption of more oxygen in our blood. Ujjayi can also be used to lower blood pressure and slow heart rate. Alternatively, it can also be used to raise the blood pressure and heart rate. Ujjayi can also be effectively used for pain reduction, insomnia, and migraines. However, the most remarkable benefit Ujjayi has to offer is that it performs internal purification, activation and energizing along with outer control and conditioning all at once. Ujjayi cures heat in the head as well as and lung diseases like asthma, tuberculosis. It also improves digestive capacity and enhances functioning of the respiratory systems. Ujjayi is most effective for asthmatics as it corrects and strengthens the condition of the lungs and bronchiole linings.

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