EVERYDAY ASANAS AND THEIR BENEFITS

Are you always fatigued and lethargic, despite the fact that you have no underlying medicalcondition? A 10-minute yoga programme might help you feel more energized and regain body-mind harmony on a regular basis.

While many people believe that yoga isn’t as effective as cardio or heavy-duty high- intensity interval training, studies has shown that yoga can help with anything from weight loss to period pain relief, heart health, and digestion. Plus, yoga positions don’t necessitate any specific equipment or studio space.

Today we will talk about ten everyday yoga asanas and how they and how they might benefit you if you practice them regularly.

1. Standing Side Bend: As you inhale, stand tall with your feet and legs together and stretch both arms straight up overhead. Exhale as you lower your right arm down the right side of your body and lengthen your left arm over your head, gently bending your body to the right. Repeat on the left side, inhaling to return arms overhead to center and exhaling to return to the right side.

Standing side bend strengthens the side ab wall while targeting the external and internal oblique. This exercise tightens the core, sculpts the waist, and improves posture and stability.

2. Downward Dog: Downward Dog is an excellent pose to rest the spine. Begin by kneeling on your mat with your hands right under your shoulders and your fingers extended wide. Now push your torso up off the mat, leaving only your hands and feet on the mat. Tuck your toes under and engage your abdominals as you do so. Moving your chest gently toward your thighs and your heels gently toward the floor, press through your hands.

The upper body, arms, shoulders, abdomen, and legs are all strengthened. Back of the body, ankles, calves, hamstrings, and spine are all stretched. It relaxes the mind and blood circulation is also stimulated.

3. Cat & Cow Pose: Begin by forming a “tabletop” position with your hands and knees. Make sure your knees are directly underneath your hips. Your wrists, elbows, and shoulders should all be parallel to the ground. Maintain a neutral position for your head. Lift your chest toward the ceiling as you inhale, allowing your belly to drop toward the floor. Raise your brows and look straight ahead.

Exhale and return to your original position. This asana warms the body while also allowing the spine to be more flexible. “This asana strengthens the abdominal organs while stretching the back torso and neck,” says the author.

4. Boat Pose: Lay on your back with your legs crossed. On the floor, keep your hands on your thighs or near to them. Take a deep breath and elevate your head, arms, and head off the floor at a 30-degree angle.

This asana improves the function of abdominal muscles, improves digestion, and lowers belly fat. It also strengthens abdominal organs and leg muscles.

5. Cobra Pose : Lie down on your stomach on the floor. Place your hands on your shoulder and close your eyes. Raise your head and gaze up towards the sky. The stretch in your midsection is palpable.

This position increases back flexibility while toning the abdomen, neck, and shoulders. It promotes blood circulation and relieves weariness and stress.

6. Legs Up The Wall: Lie completely flat on your back. Bring both legs together and raise them up. To elevate your lower back, take your legs slightly behind you. Place your palms on your lower back and your elbows on the ground to support your back. Maintain a 45-60 degree angle between your back and the floor with your legs perpendicular to the floor. Take a normal breath. Begin with one minute of practice and gradually build to ten minutes.

Practicing this activity on a regular basis helps strengthen your digestive system. Your appetite will grow stronger. it can prevent premature greying of hair and heal disorders such as swelling of the feet, and blood-related ailments such as boils, pimples, and itching.

7. Pigeon Pose: One of the most effective hip stretches available. Do pigeon posture as a hip opener, using padding beneath your hips if necessary. Bring your right knee forward to the floor on the outside of your right hand, starting in downward-facing dog.

Allow your left knee to fall to the floor. Your hips should be squared to the front of your mat. Bring your torso down into a forward bend over your right leg if you feel steady.

This position emphasizes on opening your hips, which promotes hip mobility and flexibility. Pigeon Pose also extends your hip flexors and lower back, which can become stiff from sitting for lengthy periods of time. Stretching these muscles on a daily basis can help to relieve minor lower back and hip pain.

8. Happy Baby Pose: A relaxing stance! Your groin, inner thighs, and low back will also be opened. Start by lying down and grasping your big toes with your index and middle fingers. Pull knees toward shoulders by gently drawing toes down. Knees should be gently pushed open with elbows. Relax and take a deep breath. Hold the position for 30 seconds.

This pose reduces lower back pain by opening the inner thighs, hips, and groin; realigns and extends the spine; relieves tension and anxiety; and improves exhaustion and lethargy.

9. Cow Face Pose: When most people think about hip openers in yoga, they imagine poses with their legs spread wide apart. However, hip stretches like Cow Face, in which the legs are brought together, stimulate the musculature surrounding the pelvis in a different way.

This position may aid in the correction of your posture and the beginning of flexibility equalization. It’s a terrific posture for folks who sit for long periods of time at work since it opens your hips and chest, which helps to offset the slump that many people develop while sitting. It’s a grounding and relaxing stance.

10. Corpse Pose: Rest in corpse pose for a few minutes to allow your body to absorb the benefits of your practice before continuing on with your day. Adding objects to this stance might make it more comfortable and soothing.

There’s one thing we all have in common, no matter where we are on our fitness journey: the urge to stretch. Why? There are a variety of causes, as it turns out.

Practicing these basic poses for 10 to 15 minutes a day will improve your yoga practise.You’ll notice that completing these stretches on a regular basis has a favourable impact on your longer practice sessions over time.

Dragonfly is always there to help you in your yoga journey. Feel free to contact us for any support or guidance.

Nida Zakaria

YOGA AND ITS EIGHT LIMBS

Being a yogi , you must have heard at least once in a class that yoga is more than simply fitness. Of course, some styles of yoga can be physically taxing and aid in the development of amazing strength, but there’s a hint of something more, something deeper, and something rooted in ancient wisdom, alongside the sweating and stretching.

With each passing day more and more people are joining and learning yoga which indeed had transformed the lives of many. However, as yoga has become a more accessible and modern practise, the ancient roots of yoga appear to be gradually fading amongst new genealogies.

PHILOSOPHY PROVIDES CONTEXT

It may appear at first glance that learning something so ancient is unimportant in today's modern and forward-thinking society, where yoga practises are combined with mindfulness, mind-body medicine, and progressive anatomy understandings.

Why would we want to look back at something cocooned in dogma and Sanskrit language, with all this new information and exhilarating advancement?

And the only reason to dig into some ancient history is because philosophy provides context. The ‘Ashtanga Yoga System; or ‘Eight Limbs of Yoga; is described in Patanjal’s Yoga Sutras as an eight-fold route leading to freedom. And it explains why yoga was created in the first place, what was going on in the world at the time, and where the meanings of yoga poses come from. It transports us to a time when the gods and goddesses were a part of everyday life, and where yoga was so revered that thousands of writings were written about it.

The Patanjali Yoga Sutras are a favourite source of inspiration and direction for modern yoga practitioners on how to live a balanced and ethical life both on and off the mat. Many of our understandings of the Yoga Sutras have been filtered through multiple commentators on the original verses, according to the history of the work.

Our interpretation of the eight limbs takes into account the historical context in which they were created before attempting to adapt them to modern life.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (which are obligatory reading in most Yoga teacher training programmes) are considered to be a road map that leads you to Samadhi, which is sometimes referred to as bliss or enlightenment. Each of these eight limbs might be thought of as a rung or step on a ladder, with each level intensifying the yogic practise. It's critical to realise that this particular yogic practise. It's crucial to remember that yogic philosophy is just one of many; other philosophies include Buddhism and Tantra, both of which are as rich and fascinating.Starting with morals and guidelines and progressing via numerous meditation practises, techniques, and states, the practitioner is supposed to eventually arrive at Samadhi, the final limb of joy.

THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA

• Yama

• Niyama

• Asana

• Pranayama

• Pratyahara

• Dharana

• Dhyana

• Samadhi

1. Yama: Yama is the first limb, and it refers to vows, disciplines, or practices that are primarily concerned with the world and our interactions with it. The five yamas (nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, correct use of energy, and non-greed) are universal moral pledges and observances that apply to everyone and everything. These five morals apply to them, us, and everyone around us, regardless of where they come from, their social level, current life situation, or previous experience. Yama’s can be viewed of as little disciplines or constraints that we can all practice in order to be better individuals. These tiny disciplines, in turn, have a cascading effect, resulting in a more harmonious community and a more peaceful planet.

Ahimsa (non-violence),

Satya (truthfulness),

Asteya (non-stealing),

Brahmacharya (right use of energy), and Aparigraha (non-greed or non-hoarding).

2. Niyamas : “Ni” here denotes that these five observances are more about how we engage with ourselves, how we direct our consciousness inward to our own acts, and how those actions may affect those around us. While the yamas are universal, the niyamas are only for people who seek to further their personal and spiritual development.

Saucha (Cleanliness),

Santosha (Contentment),

Tapas ( Burning of desire),

Svadhyaya (Self-study or self-reflection),and Isvarapranidaha (Surrender to a higher power).

3. Asana : The physical part of yoga is the third step on the way to freedom, it refers to the seat you would assume for meditation. It is said in the practice of Asana that the posture for meditation should have the attributes of steadiness and ease, meaning that it should be sturdy enough to sit for a long time yet relaxed enough to allow the breath to flow easily.

Hundreds of physical postures and movements have been developed over thousands of years to aid in the clearing and revitalization of the body.

4. Pranayama : Prana is a Sanskrit word that means “energy” or “life source”. It can be used to express both the essence of life and the energy that pervades the cosmos around us. Prana is also used to describe the breath, and dealing with the way we breathe has a direct impact on the mind.

These strong techniques are a vital aspect of yoga, from the gentle practises of alternate nostril breathing to the more rigorous Kapalabhati and long breath retentions. Extended breath holding is reported to have been practised by the Buddha, and all physical yoga practises in pre-modern India were largely concerned with breathing techniques.

5.  Prathyahara : Prathya means to 'withdraw’, and ahara refers to whatever we 'take in' on our own, such as the many sights, sounds, and odours our senses take in on a regular basis. When we sit for a formal meditation practise, we are inclined to focus on ‘drawing in' as the first thing we do when we think we are meditating. Focusing inward is a type of drawing within.

The five senses of smell, sound, sight, touch, and taste all contribute to the richness of life, but they can also pull our attention in different areas. An uncomfortable seat, a strong odour, or the beeping and buzzing of a mobile phone might make it difficult to focus on a meditation practise or simply being present in a discussion.

6. Dharana : It is the lingering moment of meditation in which the practitioner maintains their meditation object steadily, whether it is the breath, a mantra, a symbol, or a visualisation. It's easy to slip out of dharana and back into your thinking mind — you could notice this when you suddenly “realise” you’ve been meditating and are yanked out of it.

Dharana includes activities like candle gazing, visualisation, and focusing on the breath, and it’s this stage that many of us reach when we think we’re meditating.

7. Dhyana: The seventh limb is referred to “meditative absorption” which occurs when we become entirely absorbed in the subject of our meditation.

This is when we are truly meditating. All of the skills we learn in class, online, or from a teacher are only ways to assist each person calm, focus, and concentrate; the actual practise of meditation is not something we can actively ‘do’.

8. Samadhi : ‘Sama’ which means ‘same’ or ‘equal’, and ‘dhi’ which means ‘to see. It’s called realisation for a reason: achieving Samadhi is’nt about escape, flying away, or being ecstatically happy; it’s about realising the life that lies ahead of us. Many people think of enlightenment or bliss as a state that can be entered and exited. Free flowing consciousness is an excellent illustration of a Samadhi state, in which we are completely oblivious, completely focused on one thing, and completely content in the present now. Each day, you may have numerous moments of Samadhi, and the more we have via meditation and daily action, the closer we are to liberation.

After considerable study and reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that the word “Samadhi” does not necessarily imply a fireworks show of delight and bliss, but rather a calm and humble serenity that is available to everyone. The Sanskrit word

‘sama’ denotes ‘same’ or ‘equal’; while the ‘dh’ refers to an understanding or connection, as previously mentioned. We can see that the ‘end’ has a new meaning with this new definition.

Nida Zakaria

How to build confidence with meditation?

In today’s world which has people running and gunning against each other, often we find ourselves questioning our sense of self-worth. The question becomes even more profound in the face to tough times such as the ongoing pandemic that has forced everyone to work and live out of silos. The situation demands us to persist and believe in ourselves every day.

This is where we need engaging activities which help us build self-confidence. It is somewhat an easier said than attained feat and remains elusive in people. In such a situation, lack of self-confidence often leads to complex conditions like mental breakdowns and depression, pushing people to often take extreme steps. Meditation and mindfulness are proving to be tried and tested methods by which individuals can master their lost confidence.

Meditation is one of the most powerful ways in which one can their sense of our real and innate worth. Our inner genuine confidence comes from our innate sense of self-worth, which can be awakened using meditation. The tools and technique are our ticket to break cycles of negativity and co-dependency and look deeper into our own wellbeing.

But how does meditation really help you? To start with, it is not just sitting with your thoughts, but observing them, noticing every moment that you are thinking and then finally you come back to the breath. Each time, while meditating, you eventually revert to the basic sense of being in the moment, where you can introspect, cut down the noise from the outer world, and find some ‘Me Time’ for the soul. A regular practice helps you finally overcome your own thought patterns and you begin to distance yourself from those.

This is so because in meditation you can let go, and lead to a profound sense of wellbeing. The technique helps you return your calm, where you can take better decisions, and see the larger picture. This sense of being, helps build that lost confidence, which emerges out of your inner self. In one’s natural state of mind, you can relax, in the absence of the external confidence-eroding triggers, you can start finding yourself back, and build your confidence.

Meditation and mindfulness are becoming increasingly important in today’s times, to help individuals boost their confidence levels. It helps you be in the moment, with no references and you end up feeling fulfilled and happy. One can easily check out various online meditation courses and guides for success, happiness, and self-esteem. When one feels happy from within, this confidence will be translated into your life, your relationships, personal and professional growth etc. In the long run, a regular practice helps us distinguish from between healthy and toxic patterns and relationships, which ultimately leads to a higher sense of self belief.

Techniques like grounding oneself and vipassana meditation amongst others are some ways to make the most of meditation. It is also important that the right posture is maintained when one is practicing. In a nutshell, Meditation can offer plenty of ways to improve and boost one’s confidence levels, it is up to you as to how and what techniques we adapt to suit the needs and situations. For a healthy and balanced life, a healthy mind is a critical ingredient. Meditation for the mind is what food is for us. It is indeed imperative, that every individual takes to meditation, for higher thoughts, higher vibrations, and a successful life.

Advantages of Meditation (for confidence)

Meditation has numerous health benefits (all of which have been established in scientific studies):

• Boost immune system

• Lowers blood pressure.

• Improves digestion

Other studies have used MRI scans to discover that meditating can actually increase grey matter concentration in areas of the brain linked to emotion regulation, introspection, and empathy... while decreasing grey matter in areas linked to anxiety, fear, and stress. Simply said, meditating can change your brain to make you feel less worried and more confident!

Let’s get you started

STEP 1: Find a pleasant, quiet spot.

STEP 2: Sit comfortably in a straight-backed chair or cross-legged on the floor. Sit with your

back against a wall if you slump. The trick is to maintain a straight spine.

STEP 3: Use a chant to divert your attention away from your racing thoughts. It's best to go

with something simple like "Peace. Space. Calm." Now visualise (think) your ideal

atmosphere for “Peace, Space, and Calm.”

STEP 4: Place both hands on your stomach. Count to three and take three slow, deep

breaths. Take a deep breath into your belly button and feel your stomach push your hands

up. As you breathe, try to maintain your shoulders relaxed and loose.

STEP 5: As you breathe in, say the mantra “Peace. Space. Calm,” hold the breath for two seconds, and then exhale with the mantra “Peace. Space. Calm.” It’s as easy as that. Repeat this practise twice a day for 5 to 10 minutes each time.

Positive Talk

Spend a few minutes before or after your meditation sessions speaking pleasantly and compassionately to and about yourself. For this activity, I generally read some positive quotes and repeat it aloud.

It’s usually important to keep your statements short and simple. Say words that you can easily agree with so that your subconscious mind agrees with you.

For example :

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts” – Winston Churchill

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there” – Theodore Roosevelt

So my friends,

• Try and keep your feet on the ground. A lack of confidence is frequently caused by a whirlpool of thoughts in our brains that cause us to doubt our skills or ourselves.

• Become aware of unpleasant feelings and thoughts.

• Raise your spirits.

• Visualize yourself achieving your goals.

• Face your fears head on.

When it comes to boosting confidence, meditation has a lot of alternatives. Choose the option that best meets your requirements and circumstances. Above all, employ meditation to enhance your efforts to boost your self-esteem. Outside of meditation, there are other strategies to increase confidence.

And for more such meditation exercises visit and join the Dragonfly Yoga Studio. Book your classes soon.

We are always there to help!

Nida Zakaria

Enhance your emotional resilience through yoga

Brings mind and body closer and triggers a sense of positivity

When the going gets tough, the tough needs to get going. This certainly applies to the current prevailing times, where amid a pandemic, the need to find solace and emotional resilience is at its peak. We have seen people around us trying different hobbies, coping mechanisms, and therapies to keep the lives running. However, there is an easy and proven way to strengthen your emotional resilience through Yoga.

Since the most ancient times, Yoga has been known to be a way of life, rather than a practice. Many experts and practitioners in the modern time insist that its positive impact goes far beyond the physical being.  Yoga is a powerful way for building your emotional strength and regulation. It can help you overcome overwhelming emotional state of mind. This is so because Yoga in its very nature awakens a communication between body and the soul, bringing us closer to our emotional wellbeing and spiritual sides.

In layman’s terms, yes, Yoga makes us feel calmer and is a stress buster. This is Yoga’s prime benefit, which goes far beyond physical fitness and body positivity. A regular routine of its master poses or asanas, can help us keep our minds right and sane, when we battle to see some positivity around us.

Yoga is proven to have therapeutic benefits, which constitutes a combination of physical and breath work. The idea is to choose these right poses, posture or breathing that help stir the right sensations in the body and allow you to reconnect with yourself. For instance, a person battling depression, may often feel fatigued, so less aggressive, and more mindful poses, and meditation will help them restore their emotional balance over a period of time. A constant discipline of yoga practice, will teach us to untangle our inner knots of pain, suffering, anguish, and frustration, help us deal with crises, and deal with heavy meltdowns. Whether there is fear or irritation or even disappointments, yoga practices provide an awareness, awakens compassion within us to perceive and empathise better. Apart from the poses, meditation and mindfulness are key ingredients that help our minds be more relaxed, and collected, help us to sit through boredom, mental anxiety and combat our emotional upheavals.

Some of the master poses which are key for better emotional resilience include Pranayama, along with other stress relieving exercises such as child’s pose, corpse pose, leg up the wall pose, dolphin pose, puppy pose, spine twist and standing forward bends. You could also practice and devote more time in breathing exercises, i.e., Pranayama, meditation, i.e., Dhyan and Samadhi, or Shavasana and to have a holistic impact on your emotional wellbeing.

Positive affirmations combined with mindfulness helps in strengthening the self-awareness. It is indeed proven that daily yoga practice can improve cortisol awakening tendencies in human beings, and combat stress resilience. With this, Yoga also helps in healing the mind and body and makes us healthier from within. In the process, it also reduces our mental stress and makes us feel lighter.

While it is easy to miss a day of Yoga, or meditation for a day, but habit is a beautiful thing to master. Building resilience starts with discipline and habituation, which will involve daily commitment to the routine to connect with one’s own self. Yoga’s miraculous power lies in helping us overcome emotional traumas and complexes with a simply an hour of daily practice. So next time, if your mind tells you to skip a yoga session, remember that practice makes you perfect!

Nida Zakaria.

Let us Begin with the Basics of Yoga

How often do we think of practicing Yoga in our everyday lives but don’t know where and how to start from? Well, it’s time to bring the thought into practice. Making Yoga part of your daily routine can help in experiencing a profound sense of harmony within yourself and the surroundings around you. Whether you are young or old, fit or fat, Yoga is for all. Its essence lies in the combination of Physical, Mental, and Spiritual health.

Starting with Yoga practice may seem overwhelming in the first place, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating at all. The focus should be on learning it step-by-step and discovering its beauty. Before starting, here are few pointers to keep in mind to optimize Yoga practice.

1. Getting to know it all- Remove all the Yoga myths before starting the Yoga practice. Being a beginner one’s goal should be calming and strengthening body and mind with easy and effortless exercises. It isn’t advisable to hop onto complicated exercises at the beginning. The whole purpose is to enjoy the process and seamlessly have fun while doing it.

2. Joining beginner level classes- It is best to start learning Yoga by joining Yoga studios or classes to learn the correct way of exercises. Beginner-level classes will help in training from the basics and will in setting up a strong foundation for Yoga practice.

Learning from experts will also reduce the chances of getting an injury and learningthe poses properly. The idea is to have an open approach to witness an enhanced Yoga experience.

3. Dressing up comfortably- There’s nothing worse than practicing Yoga in an uncomfortable piece of clothing. It is advisable to wear easy and comfortable clothes while starting with Yoga practice. Loose clothes offer the right balance of comfort, breathability, and flexibility. One should avoid wearing excessive jewellery or belts as it can hinder Yoga practice.

4. Start with Meditation and intention- A yoga practice should have an intention or goal attached in order to it to make it more holistic. Intentions can be any sentence or mantra that resonates with one’s self. While starting a practice, take few minutes to ground, center, and focus inwards with Meditation which will help in keeping up the momentum. The idea is to focus on the present and gain a new perspective on stressful situations.

5. Learning basic Yoga poses- The physical aspect of Yoga practice can be started from learning basic yoga poses. The building blocks of Yoga are the poses and practicing it continuously can benefit physical and mental health. One can start with Postures or Yoga asanas such as Child’s Pose, Downward facing dog, Tree pose or Shavasana, etc.

Each pose should be held for a few, slow breaths before moving on to the next one.

6. Ending the session with Relaxation poses- After completing Yoga asana practice, one should not be in hurry to call it a day off. Always end the practice with relaxing asanas and exercises like Shavasana. Such poses help in relaxing the body, rejuvenating the energy produced through yoga practice, and transitioning back to the world.

It is rightly said that “Yoga adds years to your life and life to your years” as it is an amalgamation of yoga asanas, ancient philosophy, pranayamas (breathing techniques), and meditations, where one participates in deeper spiritual experience. While starting the Yoga Journey, one may feel awkward and uncomfortable in their starting days of practice, but continuous Yoga practice can help in overcoming the phase and enriching the whole experience. Most importantly, one should stay in present, accept the limitations, and patiently wait to get accustomed to the practice.

Nida Zakaria

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT YOGA TRAINER?

Your journey with yoga is lifelong, and the tutor who leads you on it is an important part of that journey. They will ask you to do things with your body that you have never done before, and you must have complete confidence in their ability to teach you safely while still pushing you outside your comfort zone.

Of course, the concept and criteria of a good teacher can vary from the person to person, but there are a few steps you can take to narrow the area.

Today we will be discussing on some key aspects of finding the best yoga trainer for you:

1)    Research: Today you will come across many yoga schools, and selecting one yoga studio is not much of a difficult task. But finding a good trainer takes a little time. So while searching for your yoga schools also look for the teachers available, go to their website and research a little bit on the list of trainers the school has.

2)    Look for their Qualification: Once you have selected your yoga studio, go and thoroughly check for the trainers’ qualification. You can also get an insight through their social media sites. A little research will definitely have an impact on you while finalizing your trainer. Find out what kind of training he or she went through and if they continue to study with their own teachers. 

3.)  Look for their style: You must be influenced by your yoga teacher's practice in order to really be inspired by them. Of course, as teachers grow older, their bodies may not be able to do the super jazzy poses, but you can tell whether a teacher's practice is inherent or not by looking at their poses. 

4.)  Are you really learning: Do you feel like you're gaining knowledge from them and improving gradually. You want to know that you're making progress toward your goals, whether they're spiritual, physical, or emotional. The ideal teacher for you is one who will accompany you on your journey.

5)   Friendly: Look for a trainer who is approachable. It's important to find a teacher who makes you feel at ease and who makes it simple to approach them with questions. A instructor who arrives early, greets his or her students, and remains a few minutes after class to answer questions demonstrates that he or she cares for his or her students and is willing to assist them. Someone who rushes in right when class begins and rushes out right when it ends may not be the most approachable individual, and you may find that the instructor isn't available to talk about anything or clarify something learned in class.

 6)   Are you satisfied:  Do they tell you the things you want to know? If the teacher you've selected isn't teaching the poses you're interested in, he or she isn't the best fit for you. The bottom line is that if she teaches a vigorous hot yoga class and you adore a soothing restorative class, she isn't the right fit for you. It's important to think about what the instructor does in class. If you're interested in philosophy and chanting but your yoga instructor only offers a 60-minute asana (or posture) session, you should look for another teacher.

7)   Do you feel inspired? Good teachers guide you into the edge — the point where you're challenged but still safe — rather than pushing you over it. They will lead you through your practice so that you leave feeling uplifted, inspired, and happier than when you first arrived.

Don't give up if you haven't yet met a teacher that speaks to you. He or she is just a few steps away. Remember that the best yoga instructor for you is the one with whom you communicate and who you enjoy learning from.

Also, Dragonfly Studio offers some of the best professional, trained and qualified yoga trainers. So what’s holding you back? Just trust your instincts and welcome onboard.

 Nida Zakaria

Six Simple Ways to Clear Negative Energy

In our day to day life we come across various sort of energies which influences our mood and mind. These energies comprises of both – the good and the bad. There are moments when we find ourselves engulfed by some bitter, toxic vibe and knowingly or unknowingly that ‘vibe’ destructs and disrupts our mind and body.

This can be termed as negative energies.

Negativity is poisonous to our entire system and one must find ways and method to combat with these energies for a holistic well-being. It can make us feel gloomy, heavy, upset, anxious and emotionally and physically feeble. It’s very important for all of us to get rid of this energy as it deeply affects our mind and body. Here are some easy methods to be incorporated in our daily routine.

SIX WAYS TO CLEAR NEAGATIVITY

 1. Practise Yoga : Yoga has proved to be helpful in combating negative energies since time immemorial. It is often advised by doctors and mental health therapist for clearing negative energies. 

 The following  yoga poses must be practiced for clearing negative energies

A) Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (upward facing dog) :

 This pose is not mentioned often but it is considered to be the best yoga poses for clearing negative energies. It helps in fighting depression and fatigue.

 B)   Marjaryasana (Cat-to-Cow) :

The Cat-to-Cow pose is beneficial as it calms the mind, relieves stress amd releases tension in the shoulders and neck.

C) SUKHASANA (Easy Pose)

The “Easy Pose” is one that helps in bringing peace to the helm. A forward bend, when practiced correctly, can aid in bringing calm.

Some of the other poses recommended for clearing negative energies are :

· Bound Angle Pose

· Supported Headstand

· Standing Forward Bend

· Tree pose

· Plank pose

2. Accepting Nature : 

 Nature is the mother of purity hence extremely beneficial for cleansing our souls. The beauty of ‘mother' nature can make it very difficult for any negative energies to come around if you go for a walk in the park on a daily basis.

You can bring nature into your home by surrounding yourself with flowers and plants. 

3. Meditation :

Meditation has a powerful healing effect in both mind and body. Self-fulfillment can be attained by eliminating all distractions and focusing on yourself. Great method to zone out spiritually from the worldly affairs and clear that negativity.

4. Keep your space clean

 Take quick and practical steps to get rid of something that isn’t adding value to your life. Bad vibes are attracted to clusters and an urorganised atmosphere, so sweeping and keeping the surroundings clean does wonders.

 5. Include Essential Oils in your daily routine

 Essential oils have been used to help release negative energy and foster positivity since ancient times.  They have the ability to change your present mood and transport you to a more optimistic state of mind. There are hundreds of oil to choose from, so trust your intuition and  your spirit lead you to the ones right for you.

6. Bathe in salt water to cleanse and dispel negative energies.

 A relaxing soak also aids in relaxation to help relieve tension and negativity by removing built up lactic acid and provising relief to sore muscles. While you are soaking, set a goal to release all negativity and aid in the cleansing of your body and aura.

As humans, we are constantly surrounded by force, whether negative or positive, and it is always there, even if we don’t realize it. You can maintain positive energy simply by accepting responsibility for your mistakes or appreciating the good in others and yourself. Simple exercises, meditation, yoga, passing a smile and cutting the cord to the past have always been successful in clearing negative energies.

 Nida Zakaria

Yoga’s Medical Recognition as a treatment for anxiety

In the fast-paced and uncertain world of modern society, stress and anxiety can often rise to debilitating levels. Chronic and unmanaged stress can impact our quality of life, and is responsible for an increase in health issues and disorders that span the globe. With the rise of COVID-19 that has only exacerbated matters. Negative emotions are not only traumatic but they also affect our immune system. Managing these emotions can be draining but is certainly doable.

Yoga as a treatment for the mind and body:

If anxiety increases it can start to interfere with your everyday activities and general well-being and can bring on anxiety disorders such as –GAD ( generalised anxiety disorder,) which keeps you in a state of exaggerated worry and the inability to relax. However a lot of the symptoms related to anxiety are physical, such as muscle tension, sweating and insomnia which is caused by the “fight” or “fight stress” response which prepares the body as if there is a real threat on the horizon.

Conventional medical treatments don’t always address the underlying causes of anxiety. Given that anxiety also appears in physical symptoms, it stands to reason that if an anxiety treatment is to be successful it should treat both the mind and body. This is where yoga comes in, it can provide you the strengthening tools which are needed for emotional regulation.

Feelings of anxiety can quickly become overwhelming, this leads to automatic reactivity with no interval for a response. By practicing yoga the patterns responsible for this reactivity behaviour can be broken through, the meditation component of yoga works on improving self-regulation and the attention networks in your brain. The physical component of yoga works on tackling the anxiety symptoms in the body, whilst also having an impact on the mind-body connection.

Overall having a degree of control over our emotional state and how we respond to stressful events is key to both our mental and physical well-being. The mind-body practice of yoga make it a powerful tool to have to help you become in a state of piece within you and your environment.

 Scientific Community Evidence:

Yoga’s positive impact on the world of anxiety and anxiety disorders has been supported by a growing body of research. Recently published studies have concluded that yoga can be a safe and effective intervention for those individuals who have an anxiety disorder or elevated levels of anxiety, this is a welcome development especially in the light of the fact that anxiety disorders are on the increase in younger people.

 Start practicing at home:

Whilst the research is continuing to make a case to the medical establishment for yoga to be seen as a treatment strategy, there is nothing stopping you from beginning the practice yourself.  No specialist equipment is required –though a yoga mat is useful- from starting the practice in your living room. The best way to start this practice is to join one of Dragonfly Yoga’s upcoming classes, click here to view the timetable for available classes, and start to awaken your potential today!

How Yoga Compliments and Strengthen Athletes Training Regimen

INTRODUCTION

The practice of Yoga usually involves exercises like asanas, pranayama, breathing modification, meditation, and sometimes chanting. It is a great inclusion to any exercise regimen, accompanied by a multitude of benefits that will help improve exercise performance.

One of Yoga's unique features is that athletes of all ages or experience can partake to ensure better mental and physical health.

For example, many yoga poses are most effective when breathing matches movement. By matching breathing with movement, endurance athletes such as cyclists, runners, and swimmers will benefit from the exercise.

How Yoga Compliments and strengthens Athlete’s Training Regimen

●    FLEXIBILITY: Flexibility is most beneficial to athletes; Yoga improves joint and muscular flexibility, vital to the body's overall structural effectiveness. Enhanced joint and muscle pliancy makes certain movements easier.

 This increased range of motion provides a greater ability to relax the mind and body, sharpen concentration, free the spirit, and condition muscle strain. Beyond physical flexibility, Yoga builds mind flexibility as the peculiar poses, breathing exercises, and meditation practices encourage better focus.

 Maintaining flexibility in such areas that are prone to holding tension enhances ease of movement, which means that you'll be able to maneuver your body in more ways than usual.

 ●    INCREASED CORE STABILITY: Asana's practice increases core stability, which is important to sport performance and injury prevention in sport. This practice focuses on proper muscular and skeletal alignment. The outcome of a systematic Asana practice is an increased sense of balance and strength for whole-body movement.

 ●    INCREASED RELAXATION: Sports demands a lot from your heart, bones, joints, mind, muscles, etc., not to mention the anxiety and pressure that accompanies competitive sports.

The yoga session usually ends with 5-10 minutes of relaxation in a corpse pose (Shavasana). During this pose, the mind/consciousness is trained in such a way that it can be indrawn/internalized.

 The importance of this relaxation to an athlete cannot be overemphasized, as this relaxation ensures that muscles return to a balanced tone allowing the athlete to flush those stress hormones from the body.

 ●    STRENGTH: Yoga strengthens the whole body as a unit. The exercises involved are all closed-chained and can be performed with hands and feet in contact with the floor. Yoga increases an athlete's core strength and helps to create whole-body functional strength.

 While your sport can make you strong only in specific areas as required by your sport, Yoga practice tailored for your sport builds your undeveloped muscles and restores balance to your body by promoting full-body strength.

 ●    BALANCE: Yoga enables balance; such balance will strengthen your lower legs as an athlete and hone your proprioception such that you'll grow to be more aware of where your body is in space.

 Yoga poses also teaches you ways to be aware of your body's center of gravity in different positions. Also, it gives you dimensional balance.

 ● INJURY PREVENTION: The strength, flexibility, and improved body mechanics you achieve from constant yoga practice help your body maintain a healthy body and healthy joints. These joints are often prone to injuries due to repetitive training.

Suppose there is an imbalance in the body that causes it to function out of alignment. In that case, continuous athletic training with this abnormality can lead to inflammation of the body and excessive wear on the tissues. However, constant yoga practice helps align the body by correcting the soft tissues' strength and flexibility.

 Yoga poses can also enable a self-awareness that can help you as an athlete notice your skeletal misalignments.

●    MENTAL TRAINING: Most athletes are constantly training to exceed their physical limits, but it is often an athlete with a great mental strength that perseveres.

 Yoga practices and poses like the back-bending pose, sitting quietly in mind and body for 30minutes regardless of uncomfortable sensations, teaches you mental toughness. This skill is very valuable, especially when you encounter a similar intensity in your athletic training.

 Yoga practice makes you put yourself in challenging situations and teaches you how to cope with these challenges.

●    CONTROL: Yoga helps with every aspect of control, such as breath control, mind control, and movement control. Mind control is developed from the objective of Yoga, which is to stay present and focused.

Movement control is acquired from an improved mind-body connection. When you control your breath and accurately pair such control with your movement, it will improve your oxygen intake and output, efficiency, and muscle function and help you reduce muscle fatigue.

Yoga in sports is vital as it complements and strengthens athletes' training regimen in multiple ways and on different levels. It can help athletes have an evenness and control over their mind, movement, and thoughts even during stress. Yoga plays a key role in cultivating concentration, which helps athletes perform at their peak.

Gravity impacts our yoga practice. Find out how

We all know the benefits of yoga and the ones who have adopted it fully have transformed their lives.But not many, including those who practice it regularly, gravity can affect your yoga practice! If you have never heard this before, you sure have hit the nail right.

It is indeed true that from exercises like weightlifting to slumping down on your bed to even walking on the ground- everything we do, is governed by gravitational forces of the Earth. This includes our Yoga practices too. so, if you well versed with how gravity impact your yoga mat, you would perhaps be able to alter your moves to get the maximum benefit of your yoga session !

Gravitational forces of the earth give us the base and context to work with. So, imagine, in space, when there is no gravity, you cannot move or do any of the poses because there is absolutely no gravity. You cannot even support your own body weight. This has the pull gravity has on us. When one is dancing, gravity is affecting their pose and their movement.

Yoga does that by first helping us find our centre. Gravity basically picks the muscles that will be at work, and which will not. In Yoga too, this movement literacy certainly gets impacted against gravity. When you have the knowledge of how the specific movements and muscles get impacted with gravity- you become at practice, help eliminate pains and create more flexibility in the body.

For instance, in many poses, raising your leg up uses hip flexor muscles that are found on the front of the body. When one lifts their legs against gravity, muscles will see a shortening contraction. Therefore, the more metabolically efficient your body is, the lesser energy you require to move with gravity, than against it. This means during any yoga pose, your centre of gravity affects the pose, and the move for any practioner.

Another example is the Tree Pose, where the pelvis shift occurs naturally to balance ourselves on a straight body. The leg and spine muscles automatically adjust themselves to the power of gravity. These kinds of poses which take benefits of gravity help in muscle extensions and flexions.

In the same way, inverted poses like Shoulder Stand or Legs Up the Wall go against gravity and have their own benefits too. These kinds of poses have long term effects on skin, improve circulation amongst other. When we do asanas against gravity, the forces exert a pull on your muscles, spine and skin. The poses that go against gravity benefit our health as it prevents sagging of our skin, and make our skin look younger and vibrant for a longer time.

Practicing aerial yoga, is another example where we work against gravity. Though a much recent phenomenon. Aerial yoga or Fly Yoga is an activity which is counter gravity based and allows the muscles to relax and joints to have more space and be flexible, making them stronger in turn. So, whether we are practing a dance routine, playing a sport or doing yoga – any of these physical activities, gravity has an indispensable role to play. Coming back to the zero-gravity scenario – we can understand the role it plays in our lives and our spiritual journey. It is time we understand the purpose and use it to our full advantage and improve our health.

Nida Zakaria

How Can Yoga Help You Recentre Yourself

These are the most unprecedented and difficult times we all have ever face. With the new COVID strain and another lockdown life is just not getting back to normal. These are the times when our mind is stressed beyond measures, with such grave changes happening in day to day life. And this is when yoga comes to our rescue.

Practicing yoga definitely helps us in focusing inward with compassion to reduce stress and recenter.

Here we will be talking about a few yoga postures that helps to de stress. But before you begin it’s important to focus on your breath and your surroundings, once you have calmed down take a deep breath and center your thoughts to make a start.

EIGHT POSES TO RECENTER

1. Sukhasana (Easy pose)

The Easy Pose considered being a great posture that helps in calming down the mind and eliminating anxiety. Mental and physical fatigue stays under control if we regularly practise ‘sukhasana’.

2. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

Forward bends helps in increasing the exhalation and relieving stress. In addition, with the arms behind the back, we discharge shoulder pressure. Uttanasana also helps in releasing the hamstrings which might get attached up when we are stuck in fight or flight mode. Traditionally it is also said to relieve insomnia.

3. Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana)

Yogis find the rabbit pose an extraordinary pose when stressed, panicked or exhausted. This pose gives a feeling of unwinding of the breathe out and solace of being nestles into a ball., We also get a shoulder release while we add the hands intertwined behind the back and lifting & lowering of hips.

4. Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

As mentioned above forward bends helps in increasing the exhalation and relieving stress. In addition to it the wide legged forward bend help in releasing some of the pressure in the head.

5. Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)

Paschimottanasana stretches the spine, hamstring and lower back, helping to open up the hips. It is also considered to be a calming pose which helps in relieving stress, reduces fatigue and improves our mood.

6. Balasana (Child’s pose)

Balasana is helpful for our lymphatic system and nervous system. It helps in calming our mind and releasing stress.

7. Ananda Balasana (Happy baby pose)

This pose helps in stretching the inner groin, hamstrings and the lower back. It is also beneficial in calming the mind and getting rid of fatigue and stress. On doing this you will definitely get the attitude of happy baby.

8. Plow Pose (Halasana)

Halasana helps in stretching the spine, shoulders and back of the legs. A great pose for reducing stress and fatigue. Plow releases the neck, head, shoulders, and hamstrings. It also increases the exhale and turns one inward.

So, yogis the above are only some of the poses that can help you recentre yourself. Indeed yoga is a wonderful way to calm our mind and body. Then, what you are waiting for. Give it a shot.

Practice Yoga & Stay Calm.

Nida Zakaria

Yoga Basics: 101

Yoga is designed to maintain a balance between your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimension of the individual. We are aware of the fact that yoga comprises of certain postures, spiritual techniques and breathing practice which ultimately calms our mind and body helping us in achieving a state of enlightenment.

Today we will be talking about some of the yoga basics or the eight limbs of yoga

which is the foundation of yoga lifestyle:

• Yamas – Ethical Principles

• Niyamas – Personal Conduct

• Asana – Physical Postures

• Pranayama – Breathing Exercise

• Pratyahara – Control of the Senses

• Dharana –Concentration

• Dhyana – Meditation

• Samadhai – State of enlightenment

Eight Limbs of Yoga

1.      Yama: Ethical Principles

The ‘yama’ limb is expected to look after an individual’s moral conscience or ethical standards. It basically focuses on our day to day behavioral conduct in life. We may say that it revolves around the concept of ‘karma’, which is what goes around will come around. So the five yamas are as followed:

·         Ahimsa : Nonviolence

·         Satya : Truth

·         Asteya: Nonstealing

·         Bramacharya: Comtinence

·         Aparigraha: noncovetousness

2.      Niyama: Personal Conduct

The second stage is concerned with self-discipline and spirituality. Some of the acts included in niyama are thanking God before every meal, regularly praying or reading your Holy book for developing your own personal meditation practices etc. The four major acts of niyama are as follows:

·         Saucha: Maintaing cleanliness

·         Samtosa: Contentment

·         Svadhyaya: The study of sacred scriptures.

·         Isvara pranidhana: Surrender to God

3.      Asanas : Physical Posture

Literally Asana means to be seated and in yoga it is implied to be seated for the practice of meditation. Hence the third limb is the postures/poses practiced in yoga which is asanas.  An individual develops a disciplinary habit and also the ability to concentrate through the practice of varied asanas. Vinyasa Yoga, Iyenagar Yoga,Kundalini Yoga etc are some of the different types of yoga practice each having varied poses.

Hatha Yoga:  ‘Hatha’ includes all the physical postures of yoga. It means the practice of   balancing the sun and moon energies in the body. The ten most practiced hatha yoga are as follows:

• Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

• Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)

• Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog Pose)

• Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

• Halasana (Plough Pose)

• Sirsasana (Head Stand)

• Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

4) Pranayama : Breathing Exercise

This is the art of controlling breath,the very essence that keeps us alive. The different poses for breathing techniques modifies the mind in different wonderful ways. Surprisingly each way of breathing changes our state of being. Basically the fourth stage is structured in a way to achieve mastery over respiratory process. Once you learn creating a connection between the mind, body and breath your whole body rejuvenates.

 Some of the breathing exercises are :

·         Breath Retention (Kumbhaka)

·         Channel-Cleaning Breath (Nadi Sodhana)

·         Ocean Breath - Ujjayi Pranayama

·         Lion's Breath - Simhasana

·         Skull Shining Breath - Kapalabhati Pranayama:

5.       Prathyara : Control of the Senses

The fifth limb is the stage where we detach ourselves from the worldly pleasures. We withdraw from our cravings and develop an insight to our spiritual being. Practicing prathyara changes our state of mind and we start focusing more on our inner self.

 6.      Dharana –Concentration

 Focused concentration is ‘dharana’, the sixth limb. Dharana and Prathyara are closely connected to each other. While meditating our senses must withdraw form worldly elements, in order to concentrate properly. Tratak (candle gazing), visualization, and focusing on the breath are all practices of dharana.

 7.      Dhyana – Meditation

 The seventh stage is meditation or contemplation, the dhyana.  This is the point where we are really meditating. The genuine act of contemplation is certainly not something we can effectively ‘do’; rather it depicts the unconstrained activity of something that occurs because of everything else. A thin line lies between dharana and dhayana, where dharana is one point attention, dhyana is a state of being keenly aware without focus.

A thin line lies between dharana and dhayana, where dharana is one point attention, dhyana is a state of being keenly aware without focus.

8.   Samadhai : State of enlightenment 

 The eight limb is the state of enlightenment. At this stage, the meditator meets with their place of center and rises above the Self inside and out.  The meditator comes to understand a significant association with the Divine, interconnectedness with every living thing. Also, once our mind is unadulterated and we experience a state of Samadhi, we can keep hold of, and then we attain moksha also known as mukti, the permanent state of being liberated and free.

Trust in your highest self and begin with the magical practice of yoga.

 Nida Zakaria