Making yoga part of your daily routine is one of the smartest ways to invest in your health. Yoga can help improve your physical and mental health in numerous ways – such as helping you burn belly and build muscle tone, as well as treating a range of ailments. This ancient healing technique is incredibly amazing as it has the potential to keep your body cool during summers. With several parts of India reeling under the scorching heat amid the coronavirus pandemic, adding a few cooling yoga poses such as Savasana or Shavasana or the Corpse Pose to your summer routine can help you stay energised, focused and fit.
Sitali breath
In Sanskrit, the word sitali means “cooling,” and this breath has an immediate cooling effect. Inhaling into the moisture of your tongue makes your mouth—and whole body—feel a nice inner breeze. Sit in a comfortable position with a tall spine. Breathe in and out, and pay attention to the flow of your breath at the tip of your nose. Stick your tongue out and roll the outer edges together so it looks like a hot dog bun. Take a long inhalation—to a count of three—in through the tube in your tongue. Retain the breath for a beat. After inhaling, draw your tongue back into your mouth, close your lips and exhale through your nose, long and smooth, for a count of 3. Try it for a least 10 rounds, working up to 50 breaths for more complete cooling.Spinal twists:
Twisting poses help cool the blood and release excess Pitta from mid-abdomen, including the small intestine and liver. Twists performed seated or lying down are especially cooling. Try Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated Spinal Twist) and Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Spinal Twist).
Sun breaths
A full Sun Salutation will create heat in the body, so try this Sun breath to calm the mind without creating much sweat instead.
From Tadasana, inhale to reach your hands up overhead and place your palms in Prayer. As you exhale, bring your hands down through Prayer and hinge at the hips to fold over your legs. Inhale, lengthen your spine for a halfway lift. Exhale, fold back down. Inhale, rise up to stand as you reach your hands up and out to the sides, finding a Prayer overhead. Come back to Tadasana, hands by your sides. Repeat 5 times.
Savasana may seem like an easy pose, however, it can be tough to learn and practice it correctly. As the name itself suggests, this yoga asana requires the practitioner to lie wholly still like a corpse while being completely aware of and unattached from the present moment. Done correctly, regular practice of Shavasana can do wonders for your health. The corpse pose is often done towards the end of a yoga session to help you relax fully and release tension – although it can be practiced on its own. Surprisingly, this asana can also aid weight loss by boosting your metabolism.
How to do Savasana
- Lie flat on your back and keep your legs comfortably apart – you may use a small pillow if absolutely required.
- Place your arms alongside, leaving your palms open and facing upward.
- Close your eyes, breathe deeply, gently and slowly through the nose as you concentrate on your practice from your head to your feet. This means taking your attention to different parts of the body and helping your entire body to relax as you keep breathing slowly and deeply.
- Let your tension, stress and anxiety run away on each exhaling.
- You can hold this posture for 5-10 breaths.
- Slowly and gently open your eyes when you feel fully relaxed.
Tree Pose
Vrksasana
Tree Pose cools off your mind and gently strengthens your body.
Stand in Tadasana. Lift your left knee into your chest and out to the side. Place your left foot on your right calf or reach down and grab your left ankle and place it on your right thigh. Bring your hands to your heart center. Root down with your right foot and lift up through the crown of your head. Stay for 5 breaths. Repeat on the other side.
