yoga exercise Archives | Natural Health with Merrilyn Hope

Three Easy Yoga Floor Exercises To Lose Belly Fat

Natural Remedies

Three Easy Yoga Exercises For Losing Tummy Fat And Losing Weight

Fat stomachs can be a problem for many. Women after childbirth often need to do stomach-firming exercises to flatten their tums. Others, because of poor diet and not enough exercise, may also develop unwanted belly fat.

Even men, both young and old, often develop flabby bellies from consuming too much sugar, farrinaceous foods and dairy products, or over-indulging in beer or fizzy drinks.

With the right kind of exercise, and sensible eating, belly fat can easily be reduced.

Here are some very easy and straight-forward exercises which you can do to firm up the stomach muscles and reduce fat. They come from the teachings of Satyananda, who had a yoga ashram in Auckland in the 1980’s. I studied yoga at this ashram for three years, which is when I learned the Satyananda style of Yoga, which includes these marvellous exercises.

You will find that by doing these tummy exercises on a regular basis, even if you do no more yoga than this, a beneficial effect on your nervous system and digestion and sense of well-being will be experienced. They will help by enhancing your breathing technique, as well as in a physical sense.

Try to practice them every day. Start with five minutes, and build up the time gradually. Before long, you will be wanting to add other asanas to your yoga practice.

These yoga exercises for reducing tummy fat will also help you to trim your waist, hips and buttocks. They are also very good for toning up the thigh muscles.

First Exercise: Rowing The Boat

Nauka Sanchalana. A Shakti Bandha energy block exercise.

This exercise frees up the energy flow. The prana, or energy, can get stuck in parts of the body, such as the joints and muscles, or vital organs. An energy block can cause problems with digestion, with constipation, rheumatism and the like. I have used these Shakti Bandha exercises to cure earache caused by congestion. They also help to relieve congestion in the lungs.

Rowing the Boat exercise massages all the muscles and organs in the stomach area. It helps to remove constipation, helps eliminate toxins, and restores a natural energy flow around the body. This exercise is supposed to be great for enhancing the endocrine functions.

Here is how you do it:

The main thing to remember is not to rush the exercise, but build up a smooth, even movement which co-ordinates with your breathing, which should be slow and deep.

Sit comfortably on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. The knees should be straight if you can do that, with the feet together.

Now ‘row the boat’ by moving the hands forward to reach over, or towards, the toes. As you move forward with the arms, you breathe out. As you come back with the arms, rowing your boat and holding imaginary oars, breathe in.

Lean back with those imaginary oars so that you stretch the tummy muscles.

Breathe out again as you come forward with your arms to stretch out towards the toes.

Repeat until you have done ten rounds in this fashion.

Then do ten in the reverse direction. Simply reverse the movement, so that you are breathing out as you move the hands close to the legs, reaching out for the toes, then breathing in as you take the arms upward while you bend back with the imaginary oars.

This exercise can be done by expectant mothers for the first three months only of pregnancy.

It is an excellent exercise to do AFTER childbirth. It will help the stomach organs return to their proper places and develop muscle tone. Note: Do not do too many to start with, and not too soon after having your baby. You should wait for at least a month before beginning an exercise programme, in my opinion. Ask your doctor or naturopath for advice on when you can safely begin doing stomach-reducing exercises.

Exercise Two: Churning The Mill

Chakki Chalana is another sitting Shakti Bandha exercise to remove energy blockages.

For this exercise, the same breathing applies as above. Take your time with the exercise, and breathe out slowly as you come forward, and breathe out as you move the body back.

Sit with the legs outstretched for this one. Clasp the hands together.

Now – Take a deep breath and then exhale as you move the clasped hands forward over the right leg, down towards the toes.

Keep the movement going, heading towards the left foot.

Then, touch the left foot with the clasped hands and, breathing in, arms outstretched, bend backwards as you bring the hands up the left leg to the thigh.

Move the hands down the right leg again, as you breathe out.

Continue in the fashion, making a big continuous circle with the outstretched arms and clasped hands.

Breathe out as you move the arms forward and bend the body forward.

Breathe in as you move the body backwards, coming up from foot to upper thigh with the arms stretched outl

Try to keep the arms straight, as this means you have to bend back a good way with the arms at the top of the legs. This bending back movement gives the stomach muscles a really good stretch.

Exercise Three: Leg Raises.

Now, after having done the two Shakti Bandha exercises as above, lie down on the floor.

Arms loosely at the side of the body.

Legs out straight on the floor. Releax. Take a few breaths and watch the tummy rising with each inhalation, and falling back as you exhale.

Now take a deep breath in and hold the breath.

While you hold the breath, lift both legs slowly off the floor.

Still holding the breath, keep raising the legs upwards until the toes are pointing to the ceiling.

Now, while you keep the feet pointing to the ceiling, let the breath exhale.

Still holding the legs upward in this position, take a breath in and out.

Then take another deep breath in and hold the breath.

Slowly, very slowly, bring the legs down bit by bit until they touch the floor.

Keep holding the breath until the feet are down on the floor again.

Let the breath out, then take another deep breath in and hold the breath while you slowly lift the feet upwards again.

Do this exercise three times then stop.

This one is not recommended for people with high blood pressure or heart problems. If you have health problems of any kind, then leave this exercise out and just do the first two exercises.

My new book is available on Amazon:

How Can I Lose Weight Naturally/Alfalfa

Alfalfa: Natural Weight Reducer

Medicago sativa is the botanical name for Alfalfa. The seeds are used in growing fresh alfalfa sprouts, which are very healthy. All parts of the plant can be used to make alfalfa tea, which is a highly alkaline and nutritive tonic, and which is helpful in reducing weight.

This herb is rich in vitamins and digestive nutrients: It contains good amounts of Vitamins A, B2, B6, Vitamin C, D and K. It is supposed to have eight different essential amino acids and eight important digestive enzymes, all of which aid the digestion.

Its highly alkaline effect helps to reduce acidity in the body. This has a beneficial and calming effect on the nerves and the brain, which is another good reason why it helps you to lose weight. Acidity in the body can lead to stress, and stress can cause you to over-eat. Acidity and toxins in the body can cause Candida albicans to ‘take off’, and this can be another reason why people feel the desire to over-eat: Alfalfa sprouts, and plenty of alfalfa tea can help to correct acidity, correct over-eating, and help to eliminate candida.

Alfalfa has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, especially the stomach, liver and intestines. Alfalfa is a cleansing food, and a nutritive nerve tonic. It is highly useful in cases of radiation poisoning, as it is an exceptionally good detoxifier and restorative medicine.

All these attributes are impressive enough, but the one aspect about Alfalfa, which makes it especially good for losing weight, or controlling weight, is that it contains enzymes which break down fat.

So Alfalfa is an excellent herb to include in your daily diet if you want to lose weight. Use the sprouted seeds in your salads, and drink several cups of alfalfa tea per day.

How To Make Alfalfa Tea: Alfalfa tea can be made from either the fresh leaves, or by infusing a teaspoon of alfalfa seeds in a large cup of hot water for several minutes. The seeds can be left in the bottom of the cup for a ‘top-up’, as there is still plenty of goodness in them, even after one cup of tea.

Note: If you have LOST all that extra weight, then do not over-use Alfalfa. Once the job is done, then reduce your intake of alfalfa tea. The Chinese say that alfalfa tea can make you too slim – so be careful.

Alfalfa also contains special hormones which affect the parathyroid glands. This may also have a beneficial effect on stabilizing weight.

Yoga Exercise To Help Lose Weight:

Two of the best exercises are the Satyananda routines, Rowing the Boat and Churning the Mill. As well as being good for reducing fat deposits, these two exercises are great energy unblockers which help blood and lymph circulation.

Rowing the Boat, Nauka sanchalana, exercises the buttocks, the thighs and the stomach muscles. It also develops the arm muscles nicely. To perform it, simply sit on the floor with the legs extended in front of you. Now pretend that you are rowing a boat. Pay attention to the breath – as you come forward, stretching the arms out towards the toes, you breath out. Breath in as you pull back your arms from the feet, and lean the body backwards as far as you can go without straining. Breath out as you push the arms downward near the legs, heading towards the feet. Keep the routine up until you have completed ten rounds, or however many is comfortable to begin with.

Churning the Mill, Chakki chalasana, is another good weight-reducing exercise. This one works in a circular motion. Interlock the fingers together. Stretch out on an out breath towards the toes, extending the arms as far as you can. Begin circling towards the right, pulling back the body as you draw an imaginary circle around the body. This is Churning the Mill. Do ten rounds heading in a clockwise direction, then do ten rounds in the opposite direction.

Yoga Exercise for Varicose Veins

Yoga exercise is beneficial for everyone, as we all know. Here are a few very simple yoga exercises which will benefit people with varicose veins.
The first category of yoga exercise for varicose veins is the one which improves circulation. Improved circulation will help those sore veins.
The second category is the inverted posture: Inverted postures help drain old blood out of the legs, enabling new blood to nourish the veins. This exercise has the effect of relieving those tired and aching legs. The inverted posture also benefits the brain and the thyroid, as it causes more blood to reach the head area.

We will begin our exercise programme with some very simple yoga exercises which almost anyone can do.

Day One: The first exercise which you will learn, ‘the simple leg raising exercise’, will help your cicirculation, and give your legs a small opportunity to rest, as well.
The Simple Leg Raising Exercise: This exercise, believe it or not, has the combined effects of stimulating the circulation AND draining old blood from the legs. It is great for preventing constipation. It can be done at any time during the day, but it is a good one to do just before you go to bed, followed by the next listed here, the ‘simple inverted posture’. For preventing constipation, try to do the leg raising exercise as soon as you get up. These take so little time – the benefits are so great for the little time spent in doing them.
Just lie on the floor, hands beside the body on the floor. Breathe in a long, slow, deep breath. Hold the breath, and as you do, lift the legs up slowly until they are perpendicular to the body, upright, with the toes pointing towards the ceiling.
Hold the legs in this upright position, while you breath out slowly. Slowly take another breath in and out while you keep the legs up with the toes pointing towards the ceiling.
Take another slow breath in, filling the lungs completely. Hold the breath as you slowly lower the legs to the floor.
Breathe out again while your legs are lying relaxed on the floor. Take another breath in and out. Then take a deep breath in again, and hold the breath while you repeat the precedure of lifting the legs slowly up until the toes point to the sky.
Release the breath again, while you hold the legs in this position. Another breath in, and out. Then another breath in which you hold while the legs move down slowly to the floor again.
Repeat a third time. Then relax on the floor, breathing normally. Watch the breath as you lie relaxed on the floor, and feel the effect of having done this exercise.

Simple Leg Clasping Exercise: This is another good one to prevent constipation, as it massages the stomach area. This also aids digestion. The legs benefit too, as they are drawn up with the knees getting applied pressure as you do so. Lie on the floor. Draw the knees up towards the chest. Clasp the hands around the knees. Breathe in a deep breath. As you breathe out, pull the knees towards the chest, tugging the legs towards you. Release the pressure on the knees as you breathe in again, relaxing the pose a little, but keeping the hands clasped around the knees. Breathing out, pull the legs inward towards the chest again. Hold for a second, then breathe in as you let the knees move outward again. Repeat for up to five rounds.

Rest.

Easy Knee Massage: After you have done the above exercise, whilst you are still lying on the floor, or on your bed, you can give some gentle massage to the knees, using only the legs. Draw the knees upward off the floor. Just gently rub the inside of one knee against the other for half a minute. Put the legs down. Repeat. Then stop. This simple exercise will benefit your legs if you perform it at least once a day. You can do it even while you are in bed before sleeping, if you haven’t already done your exercises..

Simple Inverted Posture for Varicose Veins:
Lie close to a wall, close enough to touch the wall with your feet, with your knees bent.
Now place your legs up the wall. About two or three feet up the wall is a good height. Simply rest there, with your feet touching the wall. The wall holds the weight of your feet. Lie there for ten to twenty minutes, doing your yoga breathing. Imagine the tummy rising and falling with each breath, even if it is not moving much in this position. This exercise is also good for chest ailments, and asthma. Stop doing the exercise when it becomes uncomfortable, or if you are short of breath.

YOGA NIDRA , or the ‘Yoga of Sleep’ is beneficial for treating varicose veins. It is also excellent for destressing the body, and ridding feelings of anxiety, so these are very good reasons to do this exercise. People with varicose veins often have high blood pressure and high levels of stress which contribute to health problems. This is the very exercise to relieve these symptoms. This exercise could follow the inverted posture above. For instructions on how to do yoga nidra, see merrilyn’s post entitled: ‘yoga nidra’. Also see merrilyn’s post entitled ‘Yoga Breath and Sleeping Well’

Day Two: So – now you have done two simple yoga exercises, and maybe you have even done Yoga Nidra.Stimulating Circulation – Churning the Mill: This exercise most definitely belongs to the stimulating category. Churning the Mill is also great for massaging the intestines, which helps prevent constipation. Constipation is one of the main causes of varicose veins, and must be avoided if you are to improve those veins and prevent the condition from worsening. Perform Churning the Mill as soon as you get up, before the above two exercises, if you are able. It can be done at any time really, but it should always be done before the gentle exercises of your routine. Always perform Churning the Mill before Yoga Nidra.

Sit on the floor with your legs spread apart. Clasp the hands together. Breathe out, as you stretch out as far as you can over your left leg, without straining. Now, holding the clasped hands together, move the hands across to the right leg, reaching towards the foot. Breathing in, bring the clasped hands up along the leg, top the top of the thigh. Lean the body back back as you do so. Keep the arms straight if you can, for the whole of the exercise. The idea is that you bend backwards slightly as you draw the clasped hands up the legs, so that you keep the arms straight. Breathe out as you take the clasped hands back down the left leg towards the left foot. Breathe in as you bring the hands along the right leg, upwards towards the right thigh.

The lean backwards is important, as this brings the stomach muscles into play. This stimulates circulation whilst it massages the stomach area.

Continue the exercise. Begin with five rounds, or do only one or two if you find it difficult. Change the direction to perform the same amount of rounds going the opposite way. Build up your practice slowly so that you can do ten rounds each way.