YOGA FOR HEART HEALTH

The recommended yoga asanas for the heart are-

• Prayer position sitting erect - bring awareness to body and breath.

• Sleeping tadasana - sleep, stretch lying on your back.

• Ardha halasana - lying on your back, bend both your legs from knee joints and then straighten your legs one by one. Repeat with each leg 4 times.

• Pavanmuktasana - lying on your back, bend both legs and bring your heel close to the buttocks. Bring right knee as close to chest as possible with your hands and take a few deep breaths. Repeat with left. 4 times each leg.

• Tadagi Mudra - lying on back, bend legs in a relaxed position, observe abdominal breathing. 5 minutes.

• Lying on abdomen - stretch fully and breathe slowly and deeply.

• Vakrasana Sitting (modified) - sit straight in crossed-legged position and twist your body on either sides. Repeat 4 times.

• Gomukhasana - sit in a comfortable position, bring your right hand over your head on your back and left hand behind your back from down and try to touch. Reverse and repeat.

• Parvatasana - sit cross-legged. Bring your hands from the side up to your shoulder level then turn your palms facing upwards. Join the palms at the top of your head and stretch. Take long deep breaths. Repeat 4 times.

• Brahmamudra - sit in a crossed-leg position and ensure chin is horizontal to the ground and shoulders are in line. Now take your chin as much as possible towards your right shoulder. Repeat with left, up and down movement of the chin. However, before moving in the next direction, take a few seconds and be in the centre. Repeat 4 times.

• Sinhasana - sitting upright, put your palms on your thighs and spread the fingers. Now open your mouth fully, bring chin down, tongue fully out, look between your eyebrows and deep breath 3-4 times from the mouth. Repeat 3 times.

• Jivha Bandh - sit in a comfortable position and press your palate with your tongue, creating a vacuum between the two. Looking at the tip of the nose, fingers relaxed, breathe slowly and deeply 4-5 times.

• Mandukasana (modified) - sight upright, cross both your wrists and palms behind your neck and shoulders. Breathe deeply and slowly. Repeat 4 times.

• Chakrasan - Stand straight with feet joining. Lift right hand, palm facing sideward and upper part of arm touching the ear. Let left hand rest against other side. Now bend your body to the left side from the waist region. Let right hand remain straight, don`t bend from elbow. Take deep breaths. Come back up and repeat from next side.

• Kativakrasana standing - Stand straight with 1.5 feet distance between feet. Raise your hands in line with your shoulders, palms facing down. Now twist to one side and then to the other, all the while keeping your hands in 180 degrees.

• Tadasana - Stand straight, feet joining, give your body a good stretch by taking your hands above your head and stretching from head to toe.

• Deep breathing - inhale and exhale deeply for a few minutes.

• Anuloma - viloma pranayama - Breathe in through left nostril, breathe out through right. Breathe in from right, and exhale from left. Continue for five minutes. Ratio of inhalation: exhalation should be 1:2.

• Shitkari pranayam - breathe in from your teeth (jaws together) and exhale normally through nostril. 10-20 times.

• Shavasana - Lie down. Concentrate on each part of your body, starting from toes and give the auto-suggestion to relax. Relax entire body and remain for at least 5 minutes.

• Omkar chanting - 11-21 times.

(Source: Kaivalyadhama yoga regime. Please ensure that you do not hold your breath during any of the exercises. It is recommended that asanas are done under the guidance of a yoga teacher.)