Mindful Eating Before and After Your Yoga Practice

by Tirtha Acharya | Apr 15, 2021 | Yoga

Mindful Eating Before and After Your Yoga Practice

Yoga is all about finding balance in the mind and body- learning how to find stability and inner peace. When you look at it that way, learning mindful eating should be a big part of your yoga practice. But for many yogis, healthy eating often gets pushed to the back burner.

If you often find yourself grabbing a lot of take-out, eating while you’re on the go, or mindlessly forking down your food while you stare at the screen on your phone or laptop, you’re not alone. Even though many of us practice yoga regularly, we’re often too busy to think about what we’re putting into our bodies throughout the day, much less before and after practice.

But, one of the most wonderful things about yoga is that it strengthens our connection to our bodies. Learning to listen to your body before and after class can help you determine what to eat and when. You can learn to trust your body’s inner wisdom to help you eat consciously… you just have to take the time to listen.

What works best for one person may be completely different from what works for you. But the following guidelines will give you a solid foundation in developing mindful eating habits that will support your yoga practice.

Mindful Eating Before Yoga Practice

Nutrition is a key component of integrative medicine programs, according to experts in the field, because much like yoga, it plays a major role in both your mental and physical health. Choosing a nutritious meal or snack before practice will improve your mental focus and make it easier for you to concentrate.

That said, be sure to choose food that’s easy to digest. Try to allow at least two hours to digest a meal and an hour to an hour and a half to digest a snack. Pick foods that give you an energy boost without leaving you feeling weighed down or bloated.

Remember, the most important thing is to listen to your body and do some experimenting to determine what and when works best for your body. The last thing you want is to become light-headed during class or be distracted by hunger.

Most importantly, pay attention to how you feel during class and note what and when you ate beforehand. Make adjustments until you find what works best for you. Here are some ideas to help you get started

Energizing Snacks with Healthy Fats and Protein

Healthy fats and protein are a great choice for when you’re heading into a particularly long or demanding class, or for those days when you feel like your energy levels are low. They’ll give you that energy and staying power you need to perform at your best. Some good options are a smoothie with a scoop of protein powder, whole grain toast with avocado, or a piece of fresh fruit with some nut butter.

Simple Carbs and Fiber

Simple carbs are a great choice for those times when you need a quick boost of energy. Adding a bit of fiber to your snack will help your energy boost last longer. Some great options in this category include hummus with veggies and/or whole-grain crackers, avocado on whole-grain toast, or an apple with peanut butter.

Eat a Full Meal Two Hours Before Class

For some people, a light snack shortly before class may leave them feeling too full. Or, it might not give them enough fuel to perform at their best. If that sounds like you, you might want to try eating a full meal about two hours before class by using the principle of mindful eating. This will give your body enough time to digest your meal, while still providing it with the fuel it needs to keep you focused and energized throughout your class.

Avoid Spicy, Acidic, or Fatty Foods

Stay away from spicy, acidic, and fatty foods before yoga practice. These foods take a longer time to digest and they can upset your stomach. This could leave you feeling uncomfortable and affect your ability to focus during class.

Some Good Options for On-the-Go

If you’re in a rush or on the go, some other good options to consider before practice include granola/protein/energy bars, protein shakes, or nuts.

Drink Water

You should also ensure that your body is well hydrated before class. However, you definitely don’t want to go into class with a tummy full of water. Drink small amounts of water regularly throughout the hours leading up to class, but don’t overdo it.

What to Eat After Yoga Practice with Mindful Eating

After yoga practice, you want a meal or snack that will help your body refuel. Complex carbs, healthy fats, and protein can all be good options. Here are some suggestions:

Protein plus Carbs

After a vigorous yoga class, your body will need fuel to get your energy levels back up. Try a healthy meal or snack that has a 3 to 1 ratio of complex carbs to protein. This combo will restore your energy levels while supporting muscle repair. Some good snack options are a quinoa bowl with legumes and tofu, a smoothie with fruit and silken tofu, or Greek yogurt with fruit, granola, and chopped nuts.

Re-Hydrate

If you take the time to listen, you’ll probably find that your body is screaming for hydration after class. Drinking water is a great start, but you can also try hydrating foods like fresh fruits and veggies. Coconut water and bananas are both great for replacing electrolytes because they contain potassium. Getting your body re-hydrated is key for overcoming mental and physical fatigue and helping your body recover.

Wrapping Up of Mindful Eating

Remember, these are only suggestions. You are the one who lives in your body, so only you can determine what makes you feel the best.

And, if you normally practice first thing in the morning, you may not want anything in your stomach at all. On the other hand, if you practice late in the day, you might need that meal or snack to get you through.

One thing is for sure, mindful eating before and after yoga practice will help be in the right place, mentally and physically, to perform at your best during practice. There’s no question that yoga is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also challenging, so you need to give your body the fuel it needs.

Nicole McCray

Antaranga yoga 

by Tirtha Acharya | Apr 5, 2021 | Yoga

Antaranga yoga 

Yoga is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years. It is not only a means of stretching and breathing but on the contrary, it has historical and ancient roots. Over time, numerous acclaimed priests have given meaning to yoga. The profound name in yoga is Sage Patanjali and he’s the man behind ‘Ashtanga yoga’. The Antaranga yoga is a vital component of his teachings and here, we shall discuss them.

1. THE YOGA THAT WE KNOW

Modern-day yoga is more about breathing and stretching rather than linking oneself with the supreme being. Although this might not always be the case, the objective of yoga was always to feel eternal bliss. There are various forms of yoga that you can use to achieve your said target. Readers may be confused as to which yoga they should practice but fret not as we shall discuss it some other day.

2. TYPES OF YOGA

• Vinyasa: A method of vinyasa yoga that involves focusing on connections and transition among poses.
• Ashtanga: A thorough method that focuses on mental fortitude, ethics, and breath.
• Restorative: Deals with relaxing and stretching
• Hatha: Slow movement through the asanas.
• many others are introduced

There are other forms of yoga too. You might be asking where is antaranga yoga? Well, you’ll find out eventually so keep reading!

3. WHAT IS ASHTANGA YOGA?

The word ‘Ashtanga’ means eight limbs in Sanskrit. Speaking specifically, it refers to the eight limbs of yoga. These eight limbs act as a sequence that connects the inner and outer aspects of the human body and mind. Some people believe that if one follows the eight limbs, then he can live a life with meaning. The eight limbs of yoga are listed as below:

• Yamas: focuses on behavioral aspects
• Niyamas: focuses on behavioral restraints
• Asanas: focuses on physical postures
• Pranayama: focuses on breathing techniques
• Pratyahara: focuses on withdrawing the senses
• Dharana: focuses on concentration
• Dhyan: focuses on meditation
• Samadhi: focuses on transcendence

The last three aspects of Ashtanga yoga, “Dharana, Dhyan, and Samadhi’ are collectively called Antaranga yoga. They have an important role to play in the yoga cycle.

4. HOW DID ASHTANGA YOGA BEGIN?

The irrefutable fact is that ashtanga yoga originated from Patanjali, but through the years, many yogis have made valuable contributions to it. K. Pattabhi Jois is another famous name in the yoga world. He was a student of T. Krishnamacharya and studied under his guidance at the College of Maharaja in Mysore, India. The crux of their subject matter was ‘Yoga Korunta’ which is an ancient relic.

Many historians believe that the ‘Yoga korunta’ was written by Vamana Risi. The sage wrote this text with the motive to guide the human population from a path of wrongdoings. K. Pattabhi Jois learned many secrets from his teacher including antaranga yoga.

5. COMPONENTS OF ANTARANGA YOGA

• Dharana

The sixth component of Ashtanga yoga dwells on concentration. Concentrating is a difficult task and it is easier said than done. In this practice, yogis learn how to keep their thinking process in check and epitomize all their power. This power, on the other hand, is placed on a single object, or, thought. Once we learn to focus on one thing, it transcends to meditation. Similarly, it will help us in other endeavors as well.

• Dhyana 

Another component of Antaranga yogais dhyana. In this aspect, the core objective is to maintain prolonged periods of concentration. You may find the terms Dharana and dhyana synonymous, but there is a fine demarcation line. While Dharana focuses on concentrating on one thing only, dhyana involves awareness plus focus. To reach this stage requires unbridled attention and grit. Make sure that you practice well to reach this stage.

• Samadhi

Samadhi is the final aspect of ashtanga yoga and it is often known as the state of ecstasy. In this stage, the yogi joins himself with the celestial being and gains the ability of eternal peace and understanding. The idea of eternal peace may seem a bit far-fetched now but there were times when it was possible. There are numerous doubts as to what it is and what it isn’t. The only way you can find out is by practicing yourself.

Thus, these were the components of antaranga yoga and we hope that we managed to grow your interest in yoga.

You may like Bahiranga yoga in details where you can read about what actually Bahiranga yoga is.

Alignments, Adaptations & Contraindication In Yoga

by Tirtha Acharya | Mar 22, 2021 | Yoga

Alignments, Adaptations and Contraindication In Yoga

Are you practicing yoga on your own? Have you ever felt that even after enough practice you still are not able to attain the final postures? Most often yoga practices are initiated by imitating the key steps of approach and final posture performed by the trainer. But practitioners are usually unaware of their body’s alignment during the course of yoga practice. Here in this article, we will try to illuminate on basics of origin, effects and management of misalignments and contraindication in yoga in general.

Where do misalignment originate from?

The major source of misalignment in the body is the inherent limitations of the body itself. These inherent limitations usually denote the flexibility of muscles and openness of joint. The nervous system plays an important role in completing the circuit of vicious cycle that comes into play due to misalignments.

Effects of misalignments in yoga

It would be quite comprehensive if we go through some examples in order to understand the effects of improper alignments in yoga. Let’s take a simple asana – Sukhasana.

Sukhasana is the cross legged sitting posture, is amongst the simplest and commonest yoga posture. Many individuals find themselves difficult to remain in this posture. Enough lateral or external rotation of hip is expected to sit in Sukhasana.

If there is no enough lateral rotation of hip, the knees are held high. Subsequently pelvis tilt posteriorly which will cause the concave curvature of lumbar spine to become convex and ultimately the individual is forced to sit in a kyphotic posture (convex curvature).

Anyone practicing pranayama or breathing exercise in this kind of misalignment, can feel difficulty while breathing deeply. Because the ultimate posture decreases the area of expansion for lungs to breathe in.

If there is a limitation in some part of your body and you force a movement the brain will take the movement to a different place. Now you can imagine how limitation in hips can result to difficulty in breathing. So we need to be very careful during the practice of yoga about contraindication in yoga.

Management and Adaptation

Knowing and fixing the limitation is the key to attain a proper alignment yoga practices and contraindication in yoga. Again let’s try to understand through an example.

Hamstrings are a set of muscles present on the posterior part of your thigh. They range from your sitting bones to the back of your knee. These muscles are the key muscles in most of the asana but more importantly in the forward bending asana.

Padahastasana (Forward bending in standing posture) is better to begin with. In Padahastasana you are expected to approach the final posture through hip bending rather than the spine bending (which we often go through to pick up something from the floor while remaining in the standing posture).

Tightening of hamstring restrict the hip bending. You can imagine this when you are bending forward to reach the maximum lit you would want your upper part of body remain intact on the pelvis bowl and then you would bend taking the whole weight forward.

But if the hamstrings are not flexible enough then the pelvis won’t be able to tilt posteriorly and you will not attain the full final posture. On the other hand, due to the limitation of hamstring, the lumbar curvature pops out to give convex appearance (common sign of spine bending) which if hold for longer duration is sure to cause lower back pain.

So better to start with some exercises that would release the tightness of hamstrings. This would help you to get the proper alignment while performing the asana once and for all. But the hamstrings nor any other muscles get flexible within a day. Until then during your yoga practices you can follow some adaptation tips.

In case of Padahastasana, if you cannot touch your feet with your hands (which is common in beginners) they are asked to bend knees to some extent. This adaptation lessens the tension in the hamstrings and you can bend forward quite easily.

In the previous asana that we mentioned, Sukhasana, if you find your knees going above your hip level, you should know that it is denoting your hips are not rotating externally enough. It is better if you sit on blocks or pillows such that the angle between the pelvis and thigh is opened. This will bring the knees nearer to the floor and also prevent the spine to remain erect.

Adaptations don’t solve the root cause of your problem but they enable you to come up against the hindrances and perform your yoga session comfortably. The root cause is only fixed when you manage the limitation. As for some advice, the butterfly pose is quite good to enhance lateral rotation of your hip.

How to remain in a posture for longer duration?

It seems really attractive to see one holding some complex posture for quite a long period of time. Yoga beginners should always have the patience if they really want to achieve perfection in the asana. They should also have sound knowledge of proper alignment of body for yoga practices in the beginning of their course.

We have discussed much on the flexibility of the muscles in the above section, what we should not forget is that strength is also equally important during yoga practices. Although flexibility and strength seem opposite to each other, a unique balance of flexibility and strength is the key to achieve perfection.

For proper alignments establish priorities from the distal to the proximal parts of the limbs, i.e. construct standing poses from your feet to your hips to your torso and from your hands to your shoulders to your torso. That’s desirable because your awareness of the body gets poorer and your ability to control the muscles diminishes as you move from distal to proximal.

If you first bend or twist the trunk and then manipulate the extremities, the latter movements take your attention away from the proximal structures of the body over which you have less awareness. By contrast, if you settle the distal portions of your limbs first, you can keep them stable with minimal effort while you place your attention on the central core of the body.

Contraindication in yoga

Even before alignment of body, one should be aware of their own health condition. Also the trainer should be quite cautious about the practitioner’s health condition before training the individual. Practicing yoga without considering such conditions jeopardize one’s health.

It is noteworthy that all yoga practices are not restricted in these conditions but if anyone has one of these condition they would better take advise from trained yoga trainer before they practice yoga. Such as Sirshasana is contraindicated in hypertensive individuals but practitioner is still allowed to do forward bending asana. Be careful about contraindication in yoga before to practice.

Here we have listed some of those condition

• Asthma
• High blood pressure
• Pregnancy
• Menstruation
• Hernia
• Joint injuries
• Low back pain
• Scoliosis

Conclusion

Knowing your limitation is the first principle to attain the proper alignment in yoga and contraindication in yoga. Proper alignment is achieved either through management of limitation or through application of adaptation. But even before that one should be cautious about one’s own health condition. And never forget patience isrequired along with practice to achieve perfection.

Bahiranga Yoga or External Yoga From 8-Fold path of Ashtanga Yoga

by Tirtha Acharya | Mar 16, 2021 | Yoga

Bahiranga yoga – The many mysteries of Bahiranga yoga

The word ‘bahiranga’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘outside’ or ‘something external’. When we speak about it in the context of yoga, bahiranga yoga is an integral component of ashtanga yoga. Through this blog, we shall shed some insights into what bahiranga yoga is, its components, and its importance. Without any delay, let’s dive into the topic.

A. ASHTANGA YOGA

Before we learn about bahiranga yoga, it is crucial to understand where it originates from. Ashtanga yoga is a set of principles propounded by the mighty sage Patanjali. In his work, he has carefully highlighted the crux of yogic principles. Besides, he has also emphasized the idea that by following his teachings, one can achieve inner peace.

The ashtanga yoga comprises of eight principles, also known as eight limbs. These eight principles are as follows:

• Yamas: focuses on behavioral aspects
• Niyamas: focuses on behavioral restraints
• Asanas: focuses on physical postures
• Pranayama: focuses on breathing techniques
• Pratyahara: focuses on withdrawing the senses
• Dharana: focuses on concentration
• Dhyan: focuses on meditation
• Samadhi: focuses on transcendence

B. ORIGIN OF BAHIRANGA YOGA

Our readers might be under the impression that the term ‘bahiranga yoga’ is a new concept. Thankfully, it is not so. Bahiranga yoga refers to the first four limbs of Ashtanga yoga. The limbs that form bahiranga yoga are yamas, niyamas, asanas, pranayamas, and pratyahara. Now, let’s discuss each one of these components in detail.

C. COMPONENTS OF BAHIRANGA YOGA

 1. YAMA

They are the ethical guidelines in Hinduism which define the do’s and don’t’s. Patanjali has described 5 Yamas and we shall discuss them in brief.

• Non-violence (Ahimsa): It deals with non-violence and this teaching guides people to refrain from using violence. Violence should not be used as a device for personal benefit. Truthfulness (Satya): This component of bahiranga yogadeals with honesty. It tells us to think twice before lying as lying causes severe problems.
• Non-stealing (Asetya): The term stealing is not limited to materialistic items only. It comprises of stealing people’s ideas, visions, and ideology too. It guides people to refrain from stealing and not take undue credit.
• Energy Moderation (Brahmacharya): What Patanjali means by Brahmacharya is to avoid spending energy on unnecessary objects/people. When we spend energy recklessly, it makes us miserable and lethargic.
• Non-hoarding (Aparigraha): This aspect of bahiranga yogateaches us to be content with the things available to us. Likewise, it also teaches us to not dwell on materialistic items.

2. NIYAMAS

Patanjali has described the components of Niyamas as below:

• Cleanliness (Saucha): We are familiar with the idea that it is easier to thrive in a clean environment. This component tells us to declutter the mind and surrounding so that we can perform better.
• Contentment (Santosha): Normally, people have the notion that when they achieve everything, they will be content. However, the reality is not so simple. In this idea of bahiranga yoga, Patanjali teaches us to be content with whatever we have and our current scenario.
• Right effort (Tapa): It refers to the idea of placing the right effort at the right place and time. It is also known as the thrill, happiness, and enthusiasm we feel while doing something that we love.
• Self-study (Svadhyaya): We need to understand what we are before we interpret others around us. Once we get to know our inner self, we can easily understand the environment surrounding us and prosper accordingly.
• Surrender to the creator (Ishvara Pranidhana): This is the final component of Niyamas of bahiranga yoga. It refers to accepting the idea that there is a supreme being governing us and we all do as he wishes.

3. ASANAS

The third limb is asana. It is a comfortable position which we can hold for a prolonged period. Patanjali does not describe any specific asana but the most popular asana is the lotus position. A comfortable asana will help you to achieve your goals easily and make the yoga comfortable.

4. PRANAYAMA

The fourth limb of ashtanga yoga and the fourth component of bahiranga yoga is pranayama. It refers to the breathing exercises. Practicing pranayama helps us to accentuate/refine the breathing process and make the body and mind sharp.

5. PRATYAHARA

It is a component of bahiranga yoga that involves withdrawing awareness. What it means is, withdrawing the senses from external objects. It involves consciously linking with the supreme being. It revolves around the concept of freeing oneself from the external environment and looking deep into oneself.

Thus, these are the components of bahiranga yoga and once you understand these parts in detail, you can have a broader understanding of yoga too.

Joint Stabilization In Yoga

by Tirtha Acharya | Mar 12, 2021 | Yoga

Joint Stabilization In Yoga

Joint stabilization can be defined as the ability of a joint to maintain the normal alignment in the presence of some perturbation. This requires a proper co-ordination and functioning of bones, muscles, connective tissues and sensory receptors. Joint stability is just the other name for joint safety.

The core of yoga practices embodies the concept of joint stabilization. The yoga practice of Asana is defined as “Sthiram Sukham Asanam” meaning pleasant and stable postures are called asana. Joint stabilization comes into play whenever any postures are to be practiced in stable and pleasant way. Hence, joint stabilization and yoga practices go hand in hand.

Biomechanics and joint stabilization

Biomechanics is one of those field where biology and physics meet together. In biomechanics we apply laws related with motion to biological tissues. We usually apply physics laws in understanding and improvising the working of bones, muscles and connective tissues to produce movements.

Biomechanics of joint stability is better understood from the anatomical and physiological perspective of neuro-musculo-skeletal system. Joint stabilization occurs via two main mechanisms – active restraint mechanism and passive restraint mechanism.

The active restraint mechanism involves the contractile action of muscle on joints. Passive restraint mechanism includes structures like bone, cartilage, ligament etc. and neurological components – the receptors.

Anatomically, bones unite to form joints which are maintained by connective tissues. Muscles wrap the bones and nerve endings of motor and sensory function pierce to fit into musculoskeletal and connective tissues.

Physiologically talking, sensory information is received by receptors and transmitted to central nervous system via nerve fibers. Brain interprets the information and send response signal through motor nerve fibers to the effector muscles or reflexes may be triggered.

Anatomy of joint

Joints are simply the union between two or more bones. Based on the type of material by which the joining bones are united joints are of three types – synovial, cartilaginous and fibrous joints. Among these joints, the type which is most relevant in yoga practice are the synovial joints.

Bones in synovial joints are united by joint capsule. Inside the capsule the articulating surfaces of the bones are covered with cartilage and the internal surface of the capsule is lined with synovial membrane. Cells of the synovial membrane secrete synovial fluid within the capsule which acts as lubricating fluid to reduce friction between articular surfaces of bones.

Furthermore, the joint is reinforced by ligaments, which are the connective tissues that join bones together. Ligament and joint capsule are the most prominent structures of joint stabilization as they are directly involved to prevent the bone ends from being separated during movements.

Examples of synovial joints include that of shoulder joint, elbow joint, wrist joint, hip joint, knee joint etc. Synovial joints are the joints of locomotion so any joint capable of movement is basically a synovial joint.

All synovial joint share the common anatomy mentioned above. But additional structures can also be found in some joints. Like the menisci in the knees. Menisci are c-shaped fibro-cartilaginous tissues which act like a cushion at the articulating junction of the bones.

Muscles role in joint stabilization

The movement occurs at joint but are carried out by contraction of surrounding muscles. Even when “relaxed,” the muscles of a conscious individual are almost always slightly contracted. This slight contraction called the muscle tone does not produce movement but provides muscle some firmness and assists in stability of joints.

The other type of muscle contraction called isometric contraction where muscle length remains the same, no movement occurs, but the muscle tension is increased above tonic level to resist the antagonistic force. This type of contraction is important in maintaining upright position and hence in most of the standing postures in yoga practices.

Role of the nervous system

Nervous system is the center for every sensory and motor activities of our body. Sensory receptors present on the peripheral part of our body transmit the sensory input to the brain. The brain interprets this input and along with the power of will influence the motor neurons that provoke the actions of musculoskeletal system.

The receptors of touch and pressure provides most of the sensory inputs during the yoga practices and returning response from the brain provides the guidance. Without pain receptors and reflexes, we would be uncertain of our balance and orientation and more likely to get injured.

In short, the nervous system guides the musculoskeletal system and in combination they maintain connective tissues which subsequently helps in joint stabilization.

Joint stability and yoga

Yoga is all about stability. With its main motto of reaching the stable state of mind, it progresses from stabilizing the physical body through asana. Various postures are to be hold for some duration during the practice of asana and without any doubt they demand joint stabilization.

In any kind of yoga practice be it forward bending, backward bending, twisting, headstand etc., they begin with some motion taking place at different joints. With every motion, the sensory inputs are being passed to the central nervous system and as you start holding the posture, the motor plan has to be changed and the body has to adapt for stabilization.

While holding any kind of posture, neuro-musculoskeletal system gets activated. The joint capsule and connective tissues involves structurally to hold the position while the sensory inputs from the load bearing region is interpreted by the central nervous system and subsequently sends signal to muscles to contract and enhance joint stabilization. You can feel for yourself – sensation of pain in load bearing joints, the tightening of muscles etc. All these indicate the body’s response of joint stabilization.

Concept of biomechanics and joint stabilization is very useful for yoga beginners. It will help them to understand postures more vividly and also to practice asana in much safer way. Furthermore, on practicing asana for years, connective tissues are built in the joints and their capsules, which makes the joints stronger. Thus joint stabilization is further enhanced with practice of yoga.