Some of the materials employed include:         

• Absolutes: Fragrant oils extracted primarily from flowers or delicate plant tissues through solvent or supercritical fluid extraction (e.g., rose absolute). The term is also used to describe oils extracted from fragrant butters, concretes, and enfleurage pommades using ethanol.
• Carrier oils: Typically oily plant base triglycerides that dilute essential oils for use on the skin (e.g., sweet almond oil).
• Essential oils: Fragrant oils extracted from plants chiefly through steam distillation (e.g., eucalyptus oil) or expression (grapefruit oil). However, the term is also occasionally used to describe fragrant oils extracted from plant material by any solvent extraction.
• Herbal distillates or hydrosols: The aqueous by-products of the distillation process (e.g., rosewater). There are many herbs that make herbal distillates and they have culinary uses, medicinal uses and skin care uses. Common herbal distillates are chamomile, rose, and lemon balm.
• Infusions: Aqueous extracts of various plant material (e.g., infusion of chamomile).
• Phytoncides: Various volatile organic compounds from plants that kill microbes. Many terpene-based fragrant oils and sulfuric compounds from plants in the genus “Allium” are phytoncides, though the latter are likely less commonly used in aromatherapy due to their disagreeable odors.
• Vaporizer (Volatized) Raw Herbs: Typically higher oil content plant based materials dried, crushed, and heated to extract and inhale the aromatic oil vapors in a direct inhalation modality.

Some of the ways in which aromatic plant oils can be used include:

• Massage – Aromatherapy massage is a technique for helping to move the lymphatic fluids which is beneficial for your body as the lymph system moves the toxins. Applications of the essential oil on the skin can actually make your skin soft.
• Inhalation – Inhale essential oils directly. Simply smell them straight from the bottle. You can also pour hot water into a bowl and add a few drops of essential oil. Lower your face a few inches over the bowl and cover your head and the bowl with a towel, then breathe deeply and slowly.
• Compress – It is highly effective method for pain relief. Put 4-6 drops of oil into very hot or cold water. Use a folded piece of absorbent material and soak up the oil, wring out excess oil and apply to the affected area. Finally cover the area with the towel.
• Vaporizers and Oil burners – Add 6 drops to water and vaporised in a burner. Never leave a candle oil burner unattended, as it is a fire risk. Electric vaporisers are available and are safer to use when asleep or near children.
• Bath – Bathing can be helpful when used in combination with massage oils. Always take a bath first and then apply massage oil.

How aromatherapy works

Aromatherapy is the treatment or prevention of disease by use of essential oils. It also helps in pain and anxiety reduction, enhancement of energy and memory, stress reduction and relaxation, hair loss prevention, and reduction in itching. It works in two ways. One is the influence of aroma on the brain, especially the limbic system through the olfactory system. The other is the direct pharmacological effects of the essential oils. Clinical studies of aromatherapy in combination with other techniques show positive effects. Aromatherapy helps the body to find a natural way to cure itself and improve immune response.

Benefits of Aromatherapy

• It can be useful for stress relief and relaxation
• It helps in relieving minor discomforts
• It boosts the immune system
• It also helps in boosting respiratory and circulatory systems
• It helps in mood enhancement, balance and well being

Essential oils can also be used in household and laundry cleaners. Some oils act as a natural insect repellent and pesticide. Citronella essential oil is the ingredient in the candles that is responsible for repelling the mosquitoes.

How it can benefit in treatment

How it is done

How Houses and Planets affects health

How can I avail this service

What is Medical Astrology

Medical Astrology is the science which studies the effect of Heavenly Bodies (Sun, Moon and other Planets) on Human Body, Human life and its events. The effect of moon on human health specially is psychiatric disorders have long been studied and established. Similarly sun and other planets also affect human health. The position of these heavenly bodies at the time of person’s birth as well as their subsequent movement affects the tissues, organs and overall health of the person. A careful study of this can help is studying :

1. Overall strength / weakness of health
2. Proneness to sickness
3. Organs / parts of body likely to be affected.
4. Cause & origin of sickness.
5. Time of onset and duration of sickness.
6. Likely progression & outcome of sickness.
7. Possible remedy to sickness.

How it can benefit me

It can benefit you by :

1. Having better awareness about your overall health status both at present and how it is likely to be in years to come.
2. It can tell you which organ / organ system / part of your body require special attention and what kind of conditions / ailments can affect you.
3. It can help you in identifying cause of sickness and are there any associated factors.
4. It can help you by knowing likely progress of sickness, how long it is going to affect and the kind of severity it will run.
5. It can help you by forewarning about any dangerous outcomes.
6. It can suggest certain measures which may be helpful ii both prevent and treatment of sickness.

How it is done

There are two methods.

1. Birth Chart – This requires Date, Time and Place of birth of the concerned person. A birth chart is made and studied. This gives more comprehensive analysis of health disease status.
2. Decumbiture Chart – This requires Date, Time and Place of disease diagnosis / first awareness / ‘taking the bed’.

The Medical Astrologer is able to study the influence of planets on health and disease. This information may then be used to safeguard against possible sickness and as possible aid in regaining health.

How Houses and Planets affects health

Houses in Birth / Decumbiture chart

1. First House – The physical body & health in general, head, brain,  physical appearance, personality, longevity, skin, sleep.
2. Second House – Face, right eye, nose, mouth, speech, nails, mind stability, diet.
3. Third House – Physical growth, fitness, right ear, throat, neck, trachea, esophagus, upper limb, shoulders.
4. Fourth House – Medication, Maternal Genetic state, chest, lungs, heart, diaphragm.
5. Fifth House – Thought patters, pregnancy, abdomen, stomach, liver, gall bladder, duodenum, intestine, spleen.
6. Sixth House – Sickness in general, lifestyle, large intestine, kidney, ureter, wounds, insanity, tuberculosis, tumors, poisoning.
7. Seventh House – Lower urinary tract, sexual genitalia, prostate, sexual disorders.
8. Eighth House – Life expectancy, incurable sickness, pregnancy ailments, surgery, trauma.
9. Ninth House – Nourishment, hips, thighs.
10. Tenth House – Paternal Genetic influence, knees.
11. Eleventh House – Recovery from illness, legs, left ear.
12. Twelfth House – Death, hospitalization, sleep, mental disorder, feet, left eye.

Planets

1. Sun – General health, Vitality, Heart, Stomach, right eye, bones, inflammation.
2. Moon – Emotional disorders, water retention, excess mucus, allergy, hormones, menstrual disorders, complaints of breast, stomach, left eye.
3. Mercury – Nervous system, respiratory system, speech, vertigo, skin disease.
4. Venus – Blood sugar metabolism, endocrine glands, generative organs, sexual drive, urinary system.
5. Mars – Muscular system, inflammation, accident, surgery, vigor & vitality, bile disorder, fevers.
6. Jupiter – Blood circulation, fat / obesity, liver, ear.
7. Saturn – Chronic disease, tumor, malignancy, skin disease, slow activity of organs, complaints of legs & feet.

Here it must be remembered that the state of health and sickness is due to combined effect of planets & houses and other astrological considerations.

How can I avail this service?

This is an online service which can be utilized anywhere from the world. Kindly write to us for details at following email id.

1. People from India  –  contactethos@gmail.com
2. People from outside India  –  contactethos.na@gmail.com

Disclaimer

It is to be clearly understood that Medical Astrology is not the substitute to either diagnosis or treatment of sickness by doctor / medical profession. It is an aid to healthcare and must be judiciously utilized for information and healthy living.

It is not an organization which you are supposed to join and work towards a goal. It is not a forum for propagation of certain views or beliefs.

It is not a community with certain imposed value system.

It is not an attempt to preach a particular way of life.

It is not a school which teaches you what is right or what is wrong.

It is not an effort to enforce morality upon you.

It is not even a division of spiritual and material world.

So what is bliss of being?  The bliss of being is the state of existence, the unhindered unjudged uncompared consciousness of self based on which we feel what we are.

It is the Universal phenomenon. All are in a state of being and this all include so called living and non living beings. Said ‘so called’ the ultimate truth is unknown. Think about a stone – is it living or non living. Stone can be converted into energy and energy is life. So all are in a different state of being, different state of consciousness and therefore have a feeling of different identity. This different identity could be in the form of living/non living, animal/plant, creature/man, man/ woman, child/old, short/tall, beautiful/ugly, idiot/intelligent, successful / failure, english / african, christian / muslim, conservative / progressive, wild / civilized, sober / rogue, sick / healthy, poor / rich and so on the list of division is endless. That’s how all beings get a unique identity, the unique individuality that is I. And see how this I is reflected in all day conversation and thoughts in the form of ‘I am ………’

This ‘I’ is the state of consciousness. It is dynamic, functional and progressive. It has both material and non material component. The material component is referred to as – My Body along with its sensations and functions. The non material component of ‘I’ is referred to as Mind which is expressed as – I Think, I Feel, I Love etc. Other aspects related to ‘I’ like My Money, My House, My Wife, My Job, My World have both material and non material consciousness. For example the material aspect of my money is the amount I can count in my bank account or assess wealth of my property. The non material aspect of ‘I’ is my assessment of this money, what it means to me and the security or satisfaction I get from this money & wealth. Every moment of life is an opportunity to grow in this consciousness. The higher purpose of living is to grow in consciousness to a state of supreme consciousness (also called Nirvana) which is state of absolute oneness, total freedom and no distortion. There one has the choice to remain in dual consciousness or submerge self consciousness into supreme consciousness and thus achieve Moksha. Spirituality is nothing else but better understanding of self & life and realization of truth. This truth, which is always there and is there for everybody can be realized by one of the three ways – Jnana Yoga (Path of becoming aware & understanding), Karma Yoga ( Path of rightful deeds) or Bhakti Yoga (Path of love & devotion). Rest all said ways fall in one of these paths.

How this ‘I’ that is the state of being is created or evolved. Is this the result of uncontrolled destiny or chance Or if all beings are free to evolve their own identity. And why at all this being is there. Are we slaves of life to live even though we may not like to Or we have a choice. Is being a one time affair or we live again and again. Are these states changeable and is there a permanent state of being. Is there a purpose of being Or we are just there. If there is, then what it is? Is the present state real I or there is other I. What is the truth of being and life? What is the truth of pain and pleasure?

Who will answer these questions, who will give the ultimate truth and how do we know that this is the real truth, who will teach whom as there is subjectivity in both teaching and learning. We all have very limited experience and understanding. And this is true with even greatest of saints and wise men. Once a man asked Gautam Buddha what is truth. Buddha’s reply was – It is raining over the mountain. That man could not understand and went away. Later one of Gautam’s pupil asked about the meaning of reply. Buddha said – rain is to be seen or felt similarly truth is to be either seen around what is going on in life or it is to be felt by living experiences but ultimately it is to be realized by the person himself or herself. Self realization is realization of truth.

Bliss of being is understanding and realization of consciousness and being through free expression. This is your own space your own place. A place to share your thoughts, feelings, experiences i.e. share your consciousness of being which only you know and understand. It is the place of uninhibited free expression of self without being judged or compared. It is the place of acceptance, oneness, wholeness where all beings inspite of unique identity and individuality come together, enhance understanding of being by seeing and feeling things and events from different perspective and different point of view. This in turn will result in consciousness of whole without losing personal identity.

Self Concept / Awareness Stages

Intrauterine – Initiation of Identity

Infant           –       Dependent Stage

1-5  Years    –       Learning of Self Dependence

5-12  Years  –       Consolidation Phase

12-19 Years  –      Transition Phase

• onwards –     Adult / Independent Stage

Late Age        –     Decline Stage

Components of Self Realization  and Self Actualization

1. Spiritual Consciousness
2. Health (Mind  and Body)
3. Social, Family & Friends
4. Philosophy and Humanism
5. Education and Vocation
6. Personality Development
7. Life management

The consciousness of undistorted reality and whole will result in realization of self and ultimate truth. This supreme consciousness is the enlightenment of the permanent state of bliss, the bliss of being.

                  How Clinical Exercises helps?

                How clinical exercises are given?

      In what conditions these exercises are helpful?

                Benefits of Clinical Exercises

It is now well known that lack of physical exercise result in poor health and sickness. But it is still not known to most of people that there are specific exercises which can help in treatment of various diseases and in early recovery & rehabilitation. In addition to reducing the suffering & duration of sickness, clinical exercises reduce the progress of chronic sickness and prevent many disease causing abnormalities in the body.

What are Clinical Exercises?

Clinical Exercises are those set of exercises and movements which are carefully designed according to the disease state and are given under clinical supervision to prevent & treat sickness and to enhance function & wellness.

How Clinical Exercises helps?

These exercises help by inducing positive change in body. These exercises :

• Enable ambulation
• Reduce rigidity
• Mobilize joints
• Improve circulation
• Improve respiratory capacity
• Improve coordination
• Improve balance
• Promote relaxation
• Release contracted muscles, tendons, and fasciae
• Improve muscle and bone strength
• Improve energy levels
• Improve functional capacity
• Reduce stress and depression

How clinical exercises are given?

Before a patient begins training, a comprehensive medical history, a thorough physical examination, and an adequate laboratory screening is performed. Patients with cardiac disease, exercise-induced asthma, hemoglobinopathies, diabetes and obesity undergo an exercise stress test carried out under medical supervision with monitoring of pulse, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram (ECG) prior to exercise. Such patients are kept under close monitoring during exercise program. After assessment, the patient’s health status is evaluated and a suitable exercise program is designed.

In what conditions these exercises are helpful?

Clinical Exercises are proved to be useful in a number of disease conditions. Some are:

• Endocrine Conditions like obesity, diabetes, hypothyroid etc.
• Orthopedic Conditions like arthritis, backache, sciatica, cervical spondylosis, osteoporosis, frozen shoulder etc.
• Cardiac Conditions like poor cardiac function, chronic heart failure etc
• Respiratory Conditions like asthma, respiratory insufficiency, restrictive lung disease etc.
• Mental Health – alzheimer’s disease, stress, depression, dementia, sleep disorders etc.
• Neuromuscular Conditions like weakness, paralysis, parkinson’s disease etc.
• Gynecological Conditions like urinary incontinence. dysmenorrheal etc.
• Obstetric Conditions like Pregnancy and post delivery.
• Surgical Conditions like post operative recovery, post operative constipation etc.

Benefits of Clinical Exercises

• Helps in recovery.
• Improve quality of life.
• Reduces pain and suffering.
• Delays progress of chronic sickness.
• Improve health by decreasing risk factors.
• Improves energy levels and functional ability.
• Compliments medicinal treatment and decrease need of medicine.

• Violet – It relates to Crown chakra. It is good for kidney problems, tumors and can even work to suppress the appetite.

• Indigo- It relates to Brow Chakra. It helps ones connect to their spirituality and enhance creativity.

• Blue – It relates to Throat Chakra. It lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration, helps induce sleep and enhances communication.

• Green – It relates to Heart Chakra. It helps calm nerves, relax both mentally and physically, it promotes self control and harmony.

• Yellow – It relates to Solar Plexus Chakra. It is effective in reliving depression and headaches and improves memory and awareness.

• Orange – It relates to Sacral Chakra. It regulates circulation, metabolism, helps defeat chest and kidney diseases and it has an ability to energize.

• Red – It relates to Base Chakra. It is powerful in healing blood disease, circulation problems, increasing blood pressure, depression and enhancing confidence and willpower.

Color therapy is one of the best therapies to increase your sense of well being. Your color practitioner will use light filters, meditation, colored silks, waters, crystals and or color breathing. The method of choice will be based on your first consultation. a color therapist can help to balance the flow of the energy that surges through the body. It can be used to enhance the spiritual positive energies or calm the negative ones. A color therapist can work to help focus on the physiological effects that colors have on us so that we can learn how to achieve great physical and mental health by just changing the colors that we see on a daily basis. A trained color therapist can help us to work on balancing our emotional lives as well as healing our stress, tension and physical symptoms due to anxiety, fear and more. Color therapy is a very pleasant and safe therapy that is good for people of all ages.

Detoxification is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including, but not limited to, the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Basically, detoxification means cleaning the blood.

Usually a constellation of complaints helps you determine whether or not you are toxic and to what extent you need to cleanse. Some examples of what might infer a toxic system are:

• Constipation
• Persistent headaches, muscle aches and muscle fatigue
• Eating a lot of swordfish, tuna, shark etc.
• Food allergies
• Stubborn weight loss
• Consistent use of NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen
• Skin abnormalities such as acne or eczema

Ways to help your body detoxify

• Drink at least two quarts of water a day.
• Eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
• GetVitamin C from kiwis, strawberries, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes, oranges, Brussels sprouts, mangoes, and bell peppers
• Drink a freshly-made veggie juice daily.  This can be as easy as throwing a couple of handfuls of leafy greens into a blender with some frozen berries and water.
• Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your system.
• Transformstress by emphasizing positive emotions.
• Sweat in a sauna so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration.
• Eat organically grown produce and meat
• Eat slowly. During a detox, you can stretch out your meals by chewing thoroughly and without hurry. Slow eating also aids digestion.

Detoxification therapy includes a variety of techniques. The major detoxification therapy categories are: fasting, specific diets, vitamin therapy, colon therapy, chelation therapy, and hyperthermia.

• Fasting – Fasting is generally done for a limited, specific number of days. All fasting regimens permit water to be consumed, for it is essential to prevent dehydration. Others allow juice as well, although purists consider this to be food.

• Specific diets – There are many different types of detox diets, most are based on eating organic rather than processed foods.eat less meats and more fruits and vegetables, and drink only filtered water.

• Vitamin therapy – Vitamins, such as C and E, are antioxidant nutrients capable of neutralizing certain toxins called free radicals. A free radical is a particular type of atom or group of atoms that can damage cells and impair a person’s immunity system.

• Colon therapy – This procedure is performed by a trained therapist who introduces from 5-25 gal (19-941 l) of water, or other cleansing agents, directly into the rectum using a tube and nozzle. It removes toxic stool that remains in the folds of the intestine.

• Chelation therapy – It involves the use of a chemical agent that is recognized as being able to effectively treat heavy-metal poisoning like lead or mercury. The synthetic drug ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is administered intravenously or orally and binds to heavy metals in the blood. The toxic metals are then flushed out naturally through the kidneys.

• Hyperthermia – It uses a sauna or a steam bath to sweat out toxic chemicals from fat cells. It is also known as heat stress detoxification

Benefits of detoxification

• It strengthened the immune system
• It enhances mental clarity
• It helps to increase vitality
• It also reduces blood fats
• It helps to reduce blood pressure levels
• It also improves hormone functions
• It improves psychological wellness

Detoxification therapy can be dangerous for people who are underweight, or who have diabetes, hypothyroidism, or hypoglycemia. Anyone with a compromised immune system, including those who are recovering from surgery, should also avoid detoxification. It is best to seek professional help when determining a form of therapy.

Fitness Assessment

Fitness Planning

–   Goal Setting     –   Safety Measures

Path To Fitness

Exercise For Pregnant Women

What Is Weight Management ?

Why do I Need It ?

Lose Weight But Not Health

Causes Of Obesity

Assessment of Obesity

Weight Management Options

Precautions

Tips To Avoid Failure

How To Gain Weight ?

What is Fitness ?

Physical fitness is defined as the ability to perform physical activity at optimum level up to sufficient period of time. It varies according to age, gender and health status of person. It can be judged by – 1) Kind of activity  2) Duration of activity  3) Intensity of activity  4) Observed & felt effects on body. It is a measure of efficiency of physical state. It consists of

• Muscular strength & endurance
• Cardiovascular endurance
• Respiratory endurance
• Body composition
• Coordination & agility
• Flexibility
• Speed

Do I Need It ?

Fitness is the basic necessity for living. Poor fitness can affect working capacity, health, recreation, relationships and even day to day activities. Poor fitness takes away joy and zest of life. They are for everyone, irrespective of age and gender Fitness activities & exercises have been shown to give following benefits :

• Better aerobic capacity. This results in ability for more activity with less energy expenditure. One feels more energetic and less fatigue.
• Improves metabolism, burns more calories and help weight management.
• Improves strength, tones & strengthen muscles.
• Improves cardiovascular and respiratory performance.
• Helps in preventing disease conditions like heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol (decreases bad cholesterol and improves beneficial cholesterol), atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, asthma, menstrual disorders etc.
• Improves hemoglobin, oxygen & nutrient carrying capacity of blood.
• Improves drainage of toxins and waste products from body.
• Improves bone and joint strength.
• Improves psychological wellbeing, helps in fighting depression, anxiety etc.
• Improves body functions like sleep, digestion, sexual wellbeing etc.
• Improves work, recreation and sports performance.
• Balances endocrine and nervous system. Improves pain bearing capacity. Releases endorphins.
• Improves general wellbeing feeling and mood.

Fitness Assessment

Fitness assessment is must for various reasons like :

• It helps in judging current fitness level.
• It highlights health related and injury risks.
• Helps in development of personalized program.
• Provides baseline to evaluate progress of program.
• Highlights specific areas that need particular attention.
• Helps in goal setting and motivates towards goal.
• Helps in identification of strength and weaknesses.

It involves :

• Basic information – Age, gender, height, weight.
• Medical assessment – Any current or past sickness, family history of sickness. Basic clinical examination.
• Assessment of components of fitness – Cardiovascular endurance, respiratory endurance, muscle strength & endurance, body composition, agility, coordination, flexibility and speed.

Fitness Planning

Planning of fitness activity decides it success or failure. When planned well it gives good results and minimizes drop-outs.

• Choosing the trainer – It is better to take fitness program under a trained professional. It helps in better planning, evaluation of progress, prevention of injury & harmful effects and keeps you motivated.
• Choosing the activity – One must choose activity depending on age, fitness level, lifestyle and one’s personal choice. Cross-training helps in overall improvement and prevents boredom.
• Goal Setting – It is useful in clearly stating where we want to go and how to reach there. It also helps in evaluation of progress and keeps one motivated. Goals must be realistic, well defined, stated in positive terms and reasonably tough.
• Safety Measures – These are the measures which prevent harmful effect of fitness activity. Some are 1) Target Heart Zone – Monitoring heart rate helps in exercising at high levels and still keep it in safe zone. It gives upper limit of heart rate that should not be crossed. 2) Rating of perceived exertion – It refers to physical strain one experiences while exercising for example sensation of muscular discomfort. 3) FITT Principle – It gives frequency, intensity, duration and type of activity. 4) Five R Principle – It gives range of motion, resistance, repetitions, rest and recovery period of activity.
• Motivation – Incorporating motivation strategies improves result and prevents drop-outs. (Please see Health Article – ‘Keep Going’ for motivational tips.)
• Warm up & Cool down – Warm up before exercise is important to avoid harm to body as it improves delivery of blood oxygen & nutrients, it prepares muscles & heart for activity, it prepares mentally for activity, it stimulates brain nerve muscle pathway, it increases heart rate, respiration & temperature slowly. Options are arm movements, walking, jogging on spot or doing main activity at slow pace. Similarly Cool down is important after exercise as it slows heart rate & temperature gradually, decreases body temperature gradually, avoids faintness & dizziness, helps muscle recovery and removes waste from muscles. Options are doing main exercise at slow pace, slow jogging, walking, and stretching.
• Injury Prevention – Strategies to prevent injury are must for every fitness program. (Please see Health Article – ‘Keep Going’ for injury prevention tips.)

Path To Fitness

1. Stamina Exercises – Also called aerobic exercises, these improve stamina of the body. These are especially good for cardiovascular function. Examples are walking, hiking, jogging, swimming, bicycling, roller skating, aerobic dancing etc.
2. Strength Exercises – These improve ability of musculoskeletal system to exert force called strength. Weight training and other Gym exercises.
3. Flexibility Exercises – These improve ability to flex, extend or circumduct joint through full range. These are helpful in correcting shortened muscles. Examples are yoga, static / dynamic stretching, PNF / CR / CA stretching method, fascial stretching etc.
4. Games & Sports – These improve various components of fitness. It is easy to maintain motivation in games and sports. Examples are tennis, badminton, squash, football, basketball, martial art, water sports etc.
5. Dancing – It is a unique way of fitness. It is fun and enjoyable. Examples are salsa, ballroom, jive, classical dance or even disco.
6. Others – There are number of other activities that help in improving fitness like Tai Chi, Qi Gong etc.
7. Cross-training – It involves creating an individualized program using multiple activities. This helps in taking care of various aspects of fitness, prevents boredom and fits well into lifestyle.

Exercise for Pregnant Women

Fitness is much more important during pregnancy.

• It improves energy level in pregnant woman.
• It improves body functions like sleep, prevents constipation & breathing difficulties.
• It improves muscle tone & helps in smoother delivery.
• It decreases discomfort and stress.
• It is good for development of baby.
• It prepares body for child birth.
• It promotes recovery after delivery & helps getting back in shape.
• It decreases post delivery complication like depression, prolapse, urinary complaints etc.

It is better to improve fitness before planning for pregnancy and continue into it. There are many options available to improve fitness. Some are walking, light aerobics, yoga & stretching, pregnancy specific exercises like Kegel’s exercise, breathing exercises etc.

What is Clinical Weight Management ?

Clinical Weight Management refers to all such changes and activities which are done to keep body weight within medically recommended range under clinical conditions. It can be dietary changes, changes in physical activity, changes in lifestyle, change in attitude & behavior, treatment of underlying medical condition etc. It can be done alone or in group. It is better done under trained professional and / or under medical supervision because if it is done in a wrong manner it can lead to impairment of health & diseases. Special caution is required in sudden, dramatic and magical weight loss which is a sure way to damage health. (See Precautions ). Weight management is concerned with both over weight & under weight condition though in today’s world over weight is a bigger health challenge.

Why do I Need It ?

Over weight and obesity is major cause of health concern today. Obesity is defined as body weight exceeding 20 % or more of recommended weight range. This state of being over weight affects physical and mental health in many ways.

• It causes poor self image, causes depression and affects relationships.
• It affects functional capacity and efficiency at work, recreation and even day to day living.
• It plays a role in causing diseases like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, gall bladder disease, gout, respiratory insufficiency, stroke, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, pregnancy complaints, back pain, edema, poor sleep and even risk of some cancers.

Lose Weight But Not Health

If you are over weight, it is indeed recommended to lose that extra from your body. This is must for physical and psychological wellbeing. But wait. Do not jump into weight loss by whatever comes to your mind or whatever crosses your sight. Weight loss is good but unplanned weight loss or weight loss by wrong methods can damage health. Some popular methods only remove water from the body which gives a feeling of weight loss. But this has serious effects on health. Water loss from body is not weight loss. Another serious mistake is to try a drastic weight loss say for example 15 kg in 40 days. This has major side effects as body is not able handle such sudden change and body organs get affected resulting in many chronic diseases. Various nutritional deficiencies can also result if diet is severely restricted without giving consideration to necessary body requirements. This can also result in hormonal and psychological disbalance. Medically recommended weight loss is 0.5 kg – 1 kg per week or 2 – 4 kg a month. Your weight loss program must answer following questions :

• What am I losing – fat or water ?
• How much I need to lose ?
• How am I going to lose this ?
• In what duration I will lose this ?
• Will this program affect my health negatively or positively ?
• How will this avoid nutritional deficiency ?
• Are there some hidden / unexplained products or drugs or methods ?
• How will I maintain what I will lose ?

Causes Of Obesity

• Genetic
• Over eating & unhealthy eating (eating more calories than consumed).
• Insufficient physical activity.
• Poor lifestyle
• Medical condition like hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, cushing syndrome etc
• Prosperity and modernization
• Psychological factors like bulimia, eating linked to emotions (stress, anxiety etc)

Assessment of Obesity

There are several methods to assess over weight and obesity states. Some are :

1. Height Weight Range : These are easy to use height weight charts for both males and females. It gives a range of recommended body weight. Some charts gives weight for short, medium and big statures.
2. Brocas Index : According to Brocas Index the ideal weight of a person is equal to height of the person in centimeters minus 100. For example if a person’s eight is 170 cm then the ideal weight would be 70 kg. Above that is overweight and above 20 % of ideal weight would be obese.
3. Body Mass Index : In BMI method weight in kg is divided by height ² (in meters)

For example if a person is 92 kg in weight and has a height of 169 cm then the BMI would be  92 / 1.69 x 1.69 = 32.21

BMI is graded as follows

Less than 25  –  Not Obese

25 – 29.9 – Grade I Obesity

30 – 40  – Grade II Obesity

Above 40 Grade III Obesity

1. Skin Fold Test : In this method subcutaneous fat (under the skin) is measured using skin fold calipers. The various sites of measurement are – at triceps, abdomen, above hip, subscapular upper back, bicep mid arm etc. For example anything above than 35 cm (females) and 40 cm (males) at waist is indicator of over weight. Body fat in %age can be calculated as follows :

Skin fold in mm                                    % age of total body fat

15  – 45 mm                                                 8 – 22 %

46 – 75 mm                                                 23 – 30 %

76 – 150 mm                                               31 – 40 %

151 – 170 mm                                             41 – 45 %

Normal body fat                                        upto 22 % males, upto 30 % females

Grade I Obesity                                          upto 40 % fat

Grade II Obesity                                         upto 45 % fat

Estimation of weight Loss

Excess fat is deposited in body as adipose tissue. This adipose tissue consists of 75 % fat, 23 % water with small amount of proteins & minerals. Each kg of adipose tissue contains 7700 kcal. This means to lose one kg of this adipose tissue either one need to burn 7700 kcal by exercise or take a diet deficient by 7700 kcal over a period of time. Lowest recommended calories for females is 1200 and for males 1500. Ideal body weight reduction is 0.5 kg – 1 kg per week.

Weight Management Options

• Energy Balance : The basic rule of weight loss is to create a negative energy balance i.e. to take less calories than what will maintain weight and burn some. But this should not be done at the cost of depriving body its basic nutritional requirement.
• Diet : Dieting is not starvation. Weight reducing diet must be carefully planned. A diet with 500 – 1000 calories less than daily calorie recommendation is ideal for safe weight loss. It must provide adequate proteins, vitamins and minerals. Lowest recommended calories for females is 1200 and for males 1500. A simple way to calculate calories is current weight x 24 – 500. If your current weight is 85 kg then a diet of 85 x 24 – 500 = 1540 calories would be good. Diet must contain less fat and more fibres. Food with high glycaemic index must be avoided. One must be consistent in eating habits avoiding erratic patterns. Avoid soft drinks, sweets, cakes, candies, fried food, cream, butter, alcohol, fruits like grapes, dried fruits, refined carbohydrates etc. Take whole grains, leafy vegetables, fruits like apples, salad etc.
• Exercise : Exercises are must for safe and lasting weight loss. These help in burning calories and improve body metabolism. Low intensity sustained exercises like aerobic exercises are most suitable. To be more effective they must be done under trained professional. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling are also helpful.
• Lifestyle : Develop a healthy lifestyle. Improve your awareness about weight metabolism, food, exercise etc. Having organized life, low stress  and positive relationships all help in better weight management. (See Lifestyle Management)
• Medical treatment : Diseases which causes obesity must be thoroughly investigated and treated.  Conditions like hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, cushing syndrome causes obesity which will be difficult to manage unless these conditions are well treated. Sub clinical hypothyroidism is the cause of obesity in many people which remains undiagnosed.
• Drugs and Surgery : There are some medical options available for weight management like drugs and surgery. But these must be reserved only for very specific conditions to be decided by appropriate doctors. They have their own complications and side effects so must not be used as ‘easy’ way of weight management.
• Clinical Acupuncture – It is highly effective in weight management by balancing the energy system of the body, by removing the obesity disease producing blocks and by balancing the five basic elements. It also corrects hormonal imbalance.
• Yoga : Yoga is very helpful for weight management. It improves metabolism, corrects hormonal & other medical conditions, removes water retention, keeps skin healthy and maintains vigor & vitality during and after weight loss. It improves will power and self esteem which helps in weight management.
• Homeopathy : Constitutional homeopathy is useful aid in weight management. Homeopathy improves body functions & metabolism. It can help in normalizing appetite, removing food cravings, correcting psychological disorders like bulimia etc.
• Counseling and Psychotherapy : One major barrier in weight management is negative attitude & behavior. Lifestyle, eating habits, exercise and many emotional conditions associated with obesity has attitude and behavior in background. Counseling & psychotherapy helps in assisting at psychological level and developing positive attitude & behavior. Psychological dependence on food, impulsive eating, lack of motivation, stress etc can be corrected by counseling and psychotherapy.
• Hypnotherapy : One of the most potent weapon in fight against obesity. It has capacity to help by changing subconscious mind to reduce big appetite, food craving, compulsive eating and other psychoemotional issues causing obesity. It can improve will, motivation and self image.

Precautions

• Weight Management requires consistent effort. Short term measures will only result in ‘failure’.
• Most people succeed in weight loss but regain soon. Maintenance of what you have lost is more important for long term success.
• Do not expect or desire sudden or dramatic weight loss. This spoils health and cause many diseases.
• Beware of ‘easy’ methods of weight loss even if they claim to be herbal / harmless / natural / free of dieting & exercise. Beware of weight loss drugs unless specifically prescribed by appropriate doctor.
• Be careful to avoid nutritional deficiencies during weight loss.

Tips To Avoid ‘Failure’

1. Eating habits

• Avoid erratic eating pattern. Avoid untimely snacking.
• Do not skip meals specially breakfast.
• Watch out for hidden calories
• Do not keep high calorie and tempting food within easy range.
• Do not eat while watching TV.
• Do not gulp, eat slowly.
• Drink warm water.
• Do not sleep immediately after eating.
• Taste temptations can be satisfied through low calorie recipes, natural herbs & spices.

1. Exercise

• Avoid inactive lifestyle
• Avoid sudden burst exercises.
• Exercise regularly.
• Join health club or health conscious group.

1. Diseases

Keep medical conditions under regular observation

1. Behavior

• Be consistent with your program.
• Set reasonable and realistic goals.
• Do not be too rigid, moderation is the key.
• Do not feel guilty over slips, make new commitment.
• Do not get careless after weight loss, continue maintenance program.
• Keep motivation high by reminding yourself of goals and benefits.
• Reward yourself on success but do not choose food as reward.
• Get support of family & friends and be social.
• Develop hobbies to release stress and make your life more satisfying.

How To Gain Weight ?

Being under weight can be as big a problem as over weight.

• It can create negative self image.
• It can affect social relations and professional achievement.
• It can cause health concerns. Body fat is not a waste thing. It has many functions and its deficiency can affect organ functions, body metabolism, thermal insulation, protective padding of organs, body immunity, strength & vigor, vitality & fertility. It can also reflect some underlying sickness.

When the body weight falls below recommended body weight it is said to be a state of under weight. It reflects decreased body fat and muscle mass. It could be because of :

• Some underlying medical condition.
• Negative energy balance, more calories burnt than eaten.
• Poor eating habits.

Tips to gain weight safely :

• Develop a long term program.
• Develop healthy lifestyle, manage stress in life, if any. Avoid smoking.
• Get underlying sickness treated if any.
• Exercise to gain muscle mass. These must be short and intense muscle building exercises.
• Eat more calories than you are burning. Eat regularly.
• Eat healthy. Eat more of dairy products, eggs, dates, raisins, figs, banana, prunes, pulses, cereals, peas, dried fruits etc.
• Take fluids with calories like fruit juices, milk shakes etc.

*******

The common excuses are :

•  Where is the time
•  None of my friends or family does it
•  It’s so uncomfortable and sweaty
•  I am not overweight
•  Who want muscles
•  I have some physical problem
•  I have no problem
•  Its for boys ( of girls)
•  I am too old for this
•  My computer / TV is more fun

For most people exercise is great fun for few days but few continue doing it regularly for years. To make it integral part of life, one needs to work on what stops them from doing this. Here are few tips to break the barriers :

• Before you begin to exercise do not forget to get the medical examination to find some health risk, injury risk, contraindication or specific instruction.
• It is better to join a program under a trained instructor. This will help in better planning & progress and lesser discomfort.
• Be realistic, do not set huge goal. Goals must be clear, positively defined and reasonably tough. Start slowly and increase gradually. This will help your body to get adjusted. Have a consistent schedule. Reward yourself for achieving goals. Slowly your mind will make it a habit. Periodic rest is also essential to prevent injury and burn out. Exercise when planned well is never uncomfortable, it is in fact great fun.
• Tell yourself about benefits of exercise. Tell yourself how much suffering you are going to avoid and yes, how much money you will save. Tell yourself how much success and joy you will experience with good health. It is beneficial even in young age and even if you do not have any sickness. It is also helpful in treatment of many chronic diseases. It is good for all ages and for both males and females.
• Chose activity that’s suits your life and that you enjoy doing. Do not choose something that will interfere a lot with your life. Go to park or join gym close to office or home. Do not see exercise as wastage of time. This small investment will make you more energetic and efficient for rest of the day. Remember you enjoy all other activities of life if you are healthy. So stay healthy to enjoy your life.
• Learn to stay active. Shed lethargy. Avoid car when you can walk, avoid lift when you can climb stairs.
• Find an exercise partner, spouse, some family member or friend. They help in regularity. They can also pep you up during difficult days. Be a role model to others.
• Prevent boredom by varying your fitness activity. Cross-training from a variety of strength, stamina & flexibility activity gives better results. You can also include walking, swimming, yoga or even dance for change.
• Use motivational quotes & positive self talk to keep your motivation high.

Common Exercise Mistakes

• The all-or-none approach.
• Poorly designed training programs.
• Inconsistent approach
• Poor Technique
• Lack of Cross-training
• Skipping the Warm up & Cool down
• Poor Goal Setting.
• Incorrect use of machine

Common exercise injuries:

• Overuse injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Muscle tear
• Runner’s Knee
• Plantar fascitis
• Shin Splints

Tips for prevention of injury

• Common Sense

Common sense is most helpful in prevention of injury. Choose activity carefully. Do not hurry and be alert. Select trained professional. Plan well and progress gradually. Do not exercise during acute illness.

• Warm Up/Cool Down

Do not forget to do warm up before exercise and cool down after. This single step can prevent many complaints.

• Right Equipment

Use right equipment and check for wear & tear. Improper equipment can cause injury.

• Safety Devices

Safety devices like helmets, gloves, braces, guards, pads etc can help in preventing injuries.

Why lifestyle is significant ?

Determinants of Lifestyle

• Organized life                                       –    Harmony and Moderation
• Discipline of life                          –    Time Management
• Health Management                          –    Nutrition & Eating Habits
• Physical activity and Exercise       –    Self Management
• Stress Management                            –    Addictions
• Sex & Sexuality                                     –    Recreation
• Socialization & Relationships          –    Work & Finance Management
• Philosophy of Life                                –    Spiritual growth

What is lifestyle ?

Lifestyle is nothing else but ‘way of living’. Good Lifestyle is not about lavish living and it is not something that is available only for very rich people. It is available for every single human being.  It requires understanding of facts related to wholesome living and making small corrections in our living ways by making sensible and healthy choices. The changes required are small and simple but the positive impact of these changes on our life is considerable. It has three components :

1. Awareness : Getting factual information about good living.
2. Choices : Opting for healthy and positive choice.
3. Action :  Persevering with healthy choices with commitment.

Why lifestyle is significant ?

Just like sensible investments which give you good returns, sensible and healthy lifestyle give a quality life with abundance of good health both at mental and physical level, along with mental peace, joy, satisfying relationships and realization of self potential. Poor or faulty lifestyle has been implicated in many dangerous diseases like Heart Disease, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Atherosclerosis, Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Alzheimer’s Disease, Cancer, Chronic Liver Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Osteoporosis, Stroke, Chronic Kidney Disease, Arthritis etc. It is also responsible for complaints like stress, depression, anxiety, behavioral disorders etc. Apart from these physical and mental complaints, bad lifestyle also results in lack of energy and poor efficiency which results in lack of growth and achievement in life. It can also directly or indirectly affect success and satisfaction in relationships. On the other hand, Good Lifestyle improves the overall quality of life and helps in dynamic living with positive health.

Determinants of Lifestyle

Organized life  

• Organized life means creating order and system in life.
• It is done by allocating due space, time, money and effort to different things, tasks or aspects of life.
• Making a ‘to do’ list, diary or planner helps in organizing life.
• Setting up priorities and giving due consideration to different things, task or aspects of life helps in organizing.
• Organizing life helps in giving control over life, helps in better planning, improving efficiency & achievement.
• It avoids life becoming messy, reduces stress and saves time, space, money & effort.
• It must be done keeping in mind own and family needs in consideration.
• It must have scope of flexibility to save life from becoming mechanical and monotonous.

 Harmony and Moderation

• Harmony in life is something similar to harmony in music. When notes are in harmony, music is pleasing. Similarly when a person is in harmony in family, with friends & relatives, with environment, at work place, in community etc, there is minimum conflict. This saves emotional energy and keeps motivation high. Harmony with environment also improves health. Positive combination of parts into whole is harmony and it is based on the fact that welfare of whole results in welfare of parts. So when family members live in harmony, peace prevails & family grows and all family members gain. Same applies to human and environment combination.
• Moderation refers to avoidance of extremes. Excess of anything spoils the balance and creates disorder. This applies to each and every aspect of life. Excess of work is as bad as lack of work. Excess of eating is as harmful as deficient eating. Both excess and lack of sexual desire affects happiness in life. Extremes of climate are not suitable for efficient functioning.

Discipline of life

Discipline of life refers to developing control of body and mind. It is not imposed but internal.

• Lack of discipline is responsible for poor mental & physical health, affects relationships, affects growth in life and leads to chaos in society.
• Discipline helps in developing self control, improved adaptability, better health & efficiency. It prepares one for bigger things in life.
• It is developed by perseverance of observing self control, understanding & accepting responsibility and resisting temptations.
• Kaalcharya in Sanskrit refers to self discipline at physical and mental level according to Kaal (time & situation). This can be Dincharya (discipline of daily routine), Rwitucharya (discipline according to seasonal variation for example changing eating habits according to season) and Ayucharya ( discipline according to different stages of life).

Time Management

• On one hand there are people who do a lot and still have time to relax and on the other hand there are people who are not doing large amount of work but still are always short of time. The difference is time management.
• Poor time management lead to inefficiency, under achievement, time pressure, chaotic life and stress apart from always feeling burn out & losing out in life.
• Good time management leads to maximizing time utilization, better efficiency & results and sufficient time for different tasks. Goals are achieved quickly and more goals can be achieved. The important tasks are not missed and get enough focus. One gets enough time to relax & rejuvenate.
• Time management involves working on its two aspects – time and tasks.
• Tasks : Clarify & write down tasks. Divide into short term, mid term and long term tasks. Mark priorities. Delete unnecessary tasks. A well marked ‘To Do’ list is very helpful. Mark ‘Must Do’ tasks, ‘Daily / Periodic’ tasks. Delegating and overlapping task helps in incorporating more tasks in available time.
• Time : Create a Time Log (time spending details) to see where the time is going. Mark time wastage and avoidable time spending. Pool your work. For example instead of going to market everyday, list items and purchase in one go. Also you can save time by work pool with friends, family members etc. To drop your child school, you can so arrange with your friend so that your turn is only twice a week. Maintain a planned daily routine which gives you enough time for daily work, important tasks as well as for health promoting activities & relaxation. Keep time for unexpected work. Avoid procrastination & unplanned work to save time.

Health Management

• Keep health high in priority.
• Inculcate health promoting habits.
• Spend time with nature.
• Maintain personal and surrounding hygiene.
• Maintain healthy body weight & good posture.
• Give adequate time to rest and sleep. Avoid long afternoon sleep.
• Be alert and take necessary precautions to avoid injury. Learn First Aid.
• Get recommended immunization, regular medical checkup and follow advice.
• Improve health using natural food & habits, avoid unnecessary health tonics.
• Generate and maintain healthy environment (physical, chemical, biological etc). Minimize pollutions (air, noise, water etc) and toxins.

Nutrition & Eating Habits

• Understand the significance of healthy eating.
• Eat balanced diet to nourish your body. Minimize unhealthy and junk food.
• Do not skip breakfast. Eat light dinner. Observe regular eating schedule.
• Do not overload your stomach. Do not eat when not hungry.
• Chew your food well. Eat slowly.
• Make required changes in diet according to age, health status, body needs, activity level, climatic & seasonal changes etc.
• Avoid other activities while eating like talking, reading, watching TV etc.
• Eating together with family and colleagues improve relationships but take care not to over eat.

Physical activity and Exercise

• Physical activity and exercise is must for mental & physical health. It helps in staying fit, weight management, improves confidence & self esteem. It also helps in preventing many disease conditions.
• One must build an attitude of being active, must avoid lethargy and sedentary life. Do not wait for the day when you will be ‘ready’. Start now.
• Incorporate physical activity in day to day life.
• Make regular exercise a necessary component of everyday life.
• Do not miss opportunity of physical activity. When you can walk, avoid car. When you can climb stairs, avoid lift.
• Take active part in games, sports, dance etc.
• Find activity buddy. Go for walk with life partner, family members, friends etc.
• Avoid being couch potato. Eliminate excuses for inactivity.

Self Management

• There is no teacher better than life itself. It gives an opportunity to learn and grow, to work on self and to make one’s mental health and life better.
• Awareness : Learn to read signals about self in day to day activities & incidents. Be more observant of self & environment without immediate judgment. Be present minded, do not live engrossed in past or future thoughts.
• Habits : Look for your habitual way of thinking and behavior. See if that is positive for your living or not. Assess reasons behind learning of these habits and change them if required.
• Emotions : Understand your emotions to understand yourself. It will also help in understanding others and avoiding conflicts. EQ is said to be more helpful for success than IQ. Do not be ashamed of or suppress negative emotions like fear, hatred, jealousy etc. Look for what triggers that emotion. Learn to express your emotions in appropriate manner. Be assertive. Nurture positive emotions like love.
• Intellect : With modernization, intellectual growth is becoming more and more important. Intellect can be developed by being in intellectually stimulating environment. Engage yourself in activities like reading thought provoking articles, puzzles, crossword, active entertainment, learning new language etc. Gather authentic information. Develop creativity by thinking differently.

Stress Management

• Stress is the most prevalent factor that affects mental and physical health along with quality of life.
• Stress can result from almost anything like emotional trauma, bad relationship, work overload, poor personal or professional skills, time pressure, change in life, mishappenings, poor health, grief and so on.
• Stress can be managed by learning stress coping skills and avoiding the avoidable.
• Learning problem solving, decision making, conflict solving, goal planning, and organizing life helps in stress management.

Addictions

• Addictions refers to indulgence in any activity when it predominates & affects one’s life, affects mental & physical health, affects relationships and the person is unable to check it.
• It can be of diverse nature like drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, shopping, gambling, food, TV / Internet, some person or even work.
• Precaution of not getting into addiction is better than its cure.
• Addictions are treatable. Take professional help and support of family & friends.
• Plan deaddiction. Look for any underlying stress. Watch out for triggers. Act with firmness but do not get disheartened by slips. Praise yourself for success. Replace it with some positive activity.

Sexuality

• Sex & sexuality hold a unique place in human life. Apart from procreation it also serves for self identity, self expression, love, relationships, pleasure, stress release etc. It can be either constructive or destructive depending on its development.
• Under development of sexuality results in personality disorders, relationship difficulties, aversion to sex, lack of desire & satisfaction, sexual function disorders etc.
• Mal development of sexuality results in sex addiction, relationship difficulties, gender identity disorder, deviant sexual behavior like pedophilia, exhibitionism etc. It can also result in poor adjustment in life and anti social behavior like rape.
• Healthy development of sexuality results in self confidence, self respect and better relationships. It requires early education. Teenagers must get sex education. They must be told not to rush into sexual activity before physical and mental maturity. They must be helped in developing healthy views and values about sexuality. Everyone must learn about own body, sex and sexuality. Learn about sexual identity, physical attractiveness, sexual orientation etc. One must understand and assume responsibility of sexual behavior. The role of sex and its impact on relationships must be clear. One should get information about sexual disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, deviant sexual behavior, sex addiction, pregnancy & contraception etc. Sex addiction can be prevented by avoiding casual sex and using sexual activity for immediate gratification & escape from frustrations of life.

Recreation

• Recreation is any socially acceptable activity that gives you fun. It could be indoors or outdoors, singular or in group, activity oriented or learning oriented, physical or mental.
• Apart from being fun, healthy recreation helps in a number of ways like giving rejuvenation & stress release, it adds to development of personality, it helps in self expression & self identity, it improves physical & mental health, it improves relationships, community participation & social integration, it gives learning opportunity & improves skills, it promotes positive behavior and it can even help in professional growth.
• Do not take any recreational activity by force or its social status. Explore different options. See what activity you can identify with, which one gives you fun and help you in self expression & self growth. Activities with active involvement are better. Integrate activity well in your life.

Socialization & Relationships

• Man can not live in isolation. Relationships are said to be the first indicator of person’s happiness and quality of life. These can vary from close relationships like family and friends to colleagues, neighbors, business associates, acquaintances and even strangers.
• Healthy relationships are good for mental health & happiness. Relationships can be kept healthy by proper management. One should be sure about type of relationship, is it short term or long term, professional or personal.
• Priority : One must be clear about priorities in relationships giving due space, time and involvement to each relationship.
• Roles : One must clarify the role one is required to be play in relationship.
• Expectation : One must have realistic expectations for healthy development of relationship.
• Space : one must create sufficient self space and respect others space.
• Values : Values like respect, honesty and sincerity are crucial for healthy relationship. Do not forget to observe cultural norms, etiquettes & manners.
• Communication : Lack of proper communication is the cause of most relationship problems. Learn the art of communication, assertiveness etc.
• Conflict resolution : Do not allow conflicts to linger on. Discuss and solve at earliest opportunity.
• Company : Keep good company. Remember negativity is contagious. Good company will keep you in good spirit and you will automatically pick up life skills.

Work & Finance Management

• Work / Vocation / Profession is the core of every human being. It takes significant amount of time and energy. It gives a meaning & purpose to live, it gives financial support, self identity, social recognition, feeling of growth & achievement, opportunity for socialization and better health by being active.
• Work requires ongoing planning. Start with exploring options & your needs, see which identifies best with you, which suits your positive traits and which gives higher opportunities. Keep a track of your growth and needs. One should not be afraid or rigid about change options but it should be a well calculated move. Keep updating your skills.
• Learn work ethics like commitment, responsibility, efficiency, punctuality and accountability. Take it seriously, have positive & professional approach,
• Learn and observe soft skills. Have warm but professional relations at work place. Keep your space and respect others. Stay away from negative politics and manipulations.
• Keep a balance of your professional and personal life. Do not carry your office worries to your home and your home worries to your office. Keep sufficient time for both. If few days are more hectic at work, use holidays to spend good time with family and rejuvenate.
• Finance : Keep full account of your earning and expenditure. Make budget. Cut wastage like paying interest on credit card. Plan your shopping to save and not over spend. Save some even if it is a small sum. Invest in diversity. Allocate money for different purpose starting from most necessary.
• Home making must be respected and considered as one of the most demanding work on earth. Most often it goes thankless but it forms the basis of wellbeing, functionality, progress and happiness of entire family and in turn entire society. It requires high levels of working efficiency and skills like time management, resource management, finance management, human resource management etc.

Philosophy of Life

• Philosophy of life is the set of principles on which life & living is based. It gives the basis of effective functioning and everyday living.
• Attitude, Values (like truth, humanity, righteousness, justice, love, peace, non violence, coexistence etc), Morals (like honesty, respect, non stealing, etc) Faith & Beliefs form components of philosophy of life. They give an effective code of conduct, freedom from conflicts & peace of mind, self respect and respect in society. They also help in harmony & peaceful coexistence in society.
• They are learned over a period of time. Modeling and exposure to incidents helps in their learning. One should look at long term gains of upholding such higher philosophy. Do not be shy of accepting mistakes, this will make you stronger.
• Live every moment of your life with zest and richness. Incorporate richness and positive elements of culture in your everyday life. Cultural traditions, festivals, norms etc gives richness to life, makes life easier and helps in social identification and integration.

Spiritual growth

• Spiritual growth helps in understanding meaning & purpose of life and living, of self existence & being. It generates a realization of oneness & wholeness. It is not for becoming a saint but to have better consciousness, better awareness and minimum possibility of errors & wrong choices.
• It helps in living a life without darkness, fear and regrets.
• It helps to understand deeper meaning of good / evil, pleasure / pain,  right / wrong etc.
• It helps in understanding of compatibility & wholeness of science, civilization, religion, emotions, humanism, nature etc.
• One should be cautious in not assuming religious rituals & fanaticism or escapism from life as spiritual growth.
• Spiritual growth is a life long process. It is not necessary to observe severe self denial to attain spiritual growth. It is possible in day to day living by carefully observing the process of life.

                                                                     *******

Benefits of massage therapy

Massage therapy benefits people of all ages. It can be used in the treatment of both acute and chronic stages of conditions. Following are some benefits:

• Relieve stress by releasing tension
• Relieves tired and aching muscles
• Increases flexibility and range of motion
• Strengthens the immune system
• Improves concentration
• Enhances skin tone

Types of massage therapies

There are many kinds of massage therapy. Some popular therapies are listed below
Swedish massage Therapy – This massage is primarily meant for relaxation. It is most popular and common type of massage.

Hot Stone Massage – It is good for relieving muscle tension. It helps to loosen and warm tight muscles

Thai Massage – Compressions and stretches are used in the performance of this massage. It improves the range of motion and flexibility.

Aromatherapy Massage – One or more plant oils or essential oils that have a pleasant aroma are added to the massage. It is most suited to relieving emotion related stresses.

Deep Tissue Massage – It is used for recovery from injury, postural problems, repetitive strain, painful or tight muscles.

Pregnancy Massage – reduces anxiety, stress and depression, relieves pains and aches and decreases swelling.

Sports Massage – It increases flexibility and loosens muscles. It is effective in preventing and treating injury and enhancing athletic performance.

Shiatsu – It uses finger pressure in a rhythmic sequence on what are known as acupressure points that are on the body.

Reflexology – This massage is done on certain specific points on the foot. It is good for people who spend most of their time standing

Back Massage – This massage is done on the muscles of the back and the neck to relieve aches and pains of the back and the neck.

Benefits of Meditation               What is meditation ?

Types of Meditation                     How to Meditate

Some Popular Techniques

Meditation is not for sainthood but for everyday life

Almost everyone today has heard about meditation. People are practicing meditation for different reasons. Some common reasons for which people meditate are – it is good for mental peace, it helps in spiritual growth, it is a way of worship, it improves concentration etc. But this is not all. Meditation, if understood well, can prove a way to improve the entire quality of life. We must know what meditation is, how it is to be done, what its benefits are and why it should be part of everyone’s life. Before understanding what meditation is, let us see how it can help us.

Benefits of Meditation

• It helps in development of mind and its functions like concentration, memory, intelligence, judgment, creativity etc.
• It improves self control over mind as well as minds control over body.
• It improves the state of consciousness
• It improves awareness and power of observation.
• It improves self understanding & understanding of environment and world.
• It helps in understanding the mystery of life & death and purpose of living.
• It helps in understanding the logic behind do’s and don’ts of life thereby improving the effectiveness of behavior.
• It helps in self growth and realizing best of self potential.
• It helps in spiritual growth and realization of self & truth.
• It relieves stress, gives calmness, acceptance, compassion and better relations.
• It improves health through better choice making and through mind body relationship.
• It even helps in treatment of physical & psychological diseases.

What is meditation ?

There is lot of confusion about what is meditation. Confusion is also there because of the fact that there are innumerable ways of meditating. For a beginner it is difficult to decide which method to adopt and this sometimes result in disappointment with the progress. Therefore, to progress well, it is important to understand what meditation is. Before understanding meditation, it is necessary to know what is mind.

Every human being is in a state of consciousness. This consciousness, which we refer to as ‘ I ’,  is dynamic, functional and progressive. It has both material and non material component. The material component is referred to as – My Body along with its sensations and functions. The non material component of ‘I’ is referred to as Mind which is expressed as – I Think, I Feel, I Love, I Understand etc. Some of the functions of Mind are Perception, Awareness, Thinking, Feeling, Memory, Intelligence, Judgment, Creativity, Understanding, Will etc. Mind should not be confused with brain, the organ through which mind carry out its functions. In a broad sense Mind can be divided into three zones.

1. Input – Perception & input of information picked up by senses like vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Past memory also serves as source of input.
2. Assimilation – Assessment & assimilation of information by Thinking, Feeling & Understanding. This could be Fact, Incident or Abstract oriented with Intellectual or Emotional predominance. Information and its meaning are saved as Memory which is later used to understand further information. This entire process forms the basis of organization and reorganization of self.
3. Output – Output is the resultant behavior based on input and assimilation and is effected through Judgment & Will

In order to function in good capacity, mind requires development. And this process of development of Mind is called Meditation. Without development, Mind works in a narrow range of awareness with less / faulty input, poor assimilation, distortion of reality and poor output which is unhealthy and negative behavior. Thus the person feels problem with self or the world around and which can range from mild day to day problem to severe mental sickness. Meditation helps to prevent this state and improves functioning of mind. Mind if developed has enormous potential which in most of us remain untapped. You can very well appreciate that with a developed mind how well you can have better awareness & understanding of world around, better relations, better performance & efficiency, better growth in life with happiness, and with such inclination, better spiritual growth. Spirituality is nothing else but better understanding of self & life and realization of truth.

Types of Meditation

Meditation can be done in a number of ways. Most of the methods can be put under multiple types. These can be broadly divided into three types depending on the aspect of mind it is working on. It can be based on :

1. Input of Information like perception. For example focus on an image, listening to mantra, observing breath etc.
2. Assimilation & Assessment of Information. For example thought watching, observing inner self.
3. Output like behavior. For example activity meditation, chanting of mantra, yogic posture meditation etc.

Other ways of describing types of meditation can be :

• Intellect Predominant / Emotion Predominant. It can be based on intellectual function of mind or on feelings / emotions.
• Active / Passive Meditation. It can be done by active effort as in fantasy visualization or it can be done in passive manner like done in observation of breathing.
• Dualism / Oneness Meditation. It can be done in a manner in which distinctiveness of everything is maintained or it can be done in a manner in which oneness of everything is seen.
• Focus / Wholeness Meditation. It can be done by focusing like meditating on an image / object / thought or it can be done towards universality as done in thoughtlessness.
• Past / Present / Future – It can be done by meditating on past, present or future.
• Concrete / Abstract – It can be done by meditating concrete objects / facts of life or by meditating on abstract thoughts or ideas.
• Structure / Non Structured. It can be structured in time, place, way etc or it can be non structured.
• Mind training / Awareness / Spiritual Meditation. Mind training meditation is done to train specific mind faculties like concentration, creativity, learning etc. Awareness meditation is done to become more aware about self, world around, life process etc. Spiritual meditation is done for spiritual growth and realization of self & truth.

How to Meditate

• Chose your way. How to meditate depend on many factors like how it relates to your personality, your lifestyle, your need to meditate, the aspect of mind you wish to develop etc. No method is ‘better’. It all depends on your choice and suitability. But do not change your method too often.
• Start now. Do not wait for time when you will be ‘ready’ for it. Meditation is an ongoing journey. Begin it now and keep progressing.
• Have patience. Do not expect great results immediately. With patience and regular practice you can progress well.
• Enjoy the journey instead of meditating in a monotonous manner.
• Be fully involved in meditation; do not meditate in a mechanical manner.
• Initially structured method may help more, select appropriate time and place, be free from distraction. It is better done on empty stomach but one should not be too hungry to get distracted. Wear comfortable clothing.
• Basic posture is sitting comfortably with straight but relaxed back, hands on lap and eyes gently closed. Take regular, deep breaths and relax your body. Select the technique and practice regularly.

Some Popular Techniques

• Meditation on observing the breathing. Both active and passive.
• Meditation on body relaxation.
• Vision Meditation. Focus on some object / picture.
• Meditation on hearing. Focus on sound, mantra etc.
• Thought Meditation. Thought watching, thought wandering, thoughtlessness etc.
• Fantasy meditation. Meditating on imaginary objects, incidents, light etc.
• Self awareness meditation. Meditating on self (physical / emotional self), past and present.
• Real life meditation. Meditating in day to day activity with present mindedness.
• Activity meditation. Meditating with dance, painting, playing music etc.
• Kundalini meditation. A powerful technique which combines various other techniques to meditate on energy centres called chakras resulting in activation of kundalini (yogic) energy.
• Other popular techniques are Preksha meditation, Vipassana meditation, Transcedental meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation, Yogic meditation, Tantra meditation etc,

There is lot of commercialization of meditation these days. But you need not spend big money to meditate. The real power of meditation is always there within you. Every human being is given unlimited capacity of mind. Only thing you need to do is to start the journey, it does not matter which path you take. Do not worry about result. Enjoy the journey. Every step, every second spent on meditation will unleash the inner energy. The world of success, freedom, joy, love and happiness is waiting for you.

Get going !!

Benefits of Music Therapy

• It refreshes the mood of the listener
• It stimulates a relaxation response
• It reduces the anxiety and stress level.
• It helps in easing muscle tension
• It controls blood pressure, respiratory rate, hear rate.
• It encourages verbal as well as non verbal communication
• It promotes socialization and development of self expression and motor skills.
• It helps a lot in improving cognitive thinking and mental abilities.

Children with developmental and learning difficulties, children and adults with autism spectrum disorder or special needs as well as the elderly and dementia sufferers have all been shown to benefit from music therapy. Music therapy is used to help people suffering from conditions such as psychiatric disorders, medical problems, sensory impairments, developmental abilities and other health related ailments. Patients suffering from post surgical problems, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease get positive result using music therapy. Music therapy should always be conducted by an expert registered therapist to get maximum benefit out of it.

Naturopaths prefer to avoid invasive surgery or synthetic drugs, instead using “natural” remedies. There are varieties of techniques that are used in the naturopathic treatment. Some of them are discussed below:

• Dietary advice – a balanced diet is an essential component for a healthy body
• Herbal remedies – traditional remedies utilised for hundreds of years for healing
• Massage – the manipulation of the tissues of the body for healing and relaxation
• Nutritional supplements – especially useful when immunity is compromised by illness
• Osteopathy – manipulation therapy concerned with the musculo-skeletal system
• Homeopathy – the practice of treating like with like in diluted remedy form
• Hydrotherapy – the healing power of water
• Iridology – analysis of the iris for diagnosis of health issues

Benefits of Naturopathy

• It involves non-invasive treatments that minimize the risk of harmful side effects
• It is less expensive than other treatments
• it can also tackle illnesses that cannot be wholly healed by allopathic treatment such as sinusitis, asthma, eczema, dermatitis etc.
• The treatment focuses on the patient`s entire body and not just a particular part.
• It is used for maintaining wellness once the initial condition is rectified
• It is safe and effective for both adults and children

Naturopathy is considered as one of the best alternative therapies for patients. It suggests prevention of the illness as the best cure for any disease or illness. It utilizes methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful effect

                       Healthy Balanced Diet

                       What do we eat and why

                  Food during different stages of life

                            Healthy eating tips                 

                                Super foods

                           Acid Alkali Balance              

                               Vegetarianism

                             Glycaemic Index                    

                               Antioxidants

                            The Ayurvedic Diet

               The Dietary Precautions of Sickness

                Diet and Weight Management

Significance of Healthy Food for Good Health

It is said that ‘We are what we eat’. We all know that we eat to live. But more than giving the required energy to live (and satisfying our taste buds) food that we eat may helps us in a number of ways if it is healthy.

• It gives energy as said.
• It is required for growth and repair of body.
• It helps to keep us healthy and avoid sickness.
• It helps mind & body functions to work at best.
• It helps in meeting requirement of various stages of life.
• It may even help in treatment of diseases.

Apart from various diseases due to deficiency of various food components, our nutrition has a role in some of the major diseases of today’s life like Hypertension, Diabetes, Chronic Heart or Renal insufficiency, Gout, Obesity, Inflammatory Bowel Disease etc. It is, therefore, vital to choose our food in quantity & quality with utmost care.

Healthy Balanced Diet

A healthy balanced diet is one which provides the right amount and proportion of necessary food components required by our body. It is not a fixed type but varies with respect to our age, gender, lifestyle, health status etc. The underlying idea is to provide to our body what is healthy and necessary in quantity & quality and to avoid what is not. One does not need a training & degree in nutrition to select healthy balanced diet. For this, we need understanding that why such diet is good for us and some common sense selection along with sensible balance of taste temptation & nutritive value. To select a healthy balanced diet, it is helpful to know some basic facts about food & nutrition.

What do we eat and why

The food we eat contains macro nutrients and micro nutrients. They all have a unique role in our diet. Their deficiency leads to various health problems and diseases. The food components are energy, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibers and water.

Energy : This is the basic requirement of body. The energy need of body depends on factors like age, gender, body size, height, weight, activity level, lifestyle, health status and also the climate and environment.  It is measured in calorie. Fats, carbohydrates and proteins are source of energy. Adult males require 2400 – 3900 calorie, adult female require 1900 – 3000 calorie, pregnant woman – 2200 calorie, lactating woman 2600 calorie, infants 100 calorie / kg weight, children (1 – 12 years) – 1200 – 2100 depending on age, adolescent boys – 2500 – 3000 calorie, adolescent girls – 2200 calorie.

Carbohydrates : These are primary source of energy and helps in energy balance, energy reserve (glycogen), growth of body tissue and function of body systems. These are of two types. One is simple carbohydrates which are available in sugar, honey, fruits, milk etc. It gives instant energy but rises too quickly in blood. Other is complex carbohydrates which are available in wheat, rice, corn, root vegetables etc. These give sustained energy.

Proteins : Proteins are the building blocks of body tissue. They help in growth & repair of body, give energy and are necessary for good immunity, oxygen carrying capacity, acid base & electrolyte balance and help various chemical reactions in the body in the form of enzymes. Proteins consist of amino acids and it is necessary to get essential amino acids. Both plant and animal proteins must be included in diet. Good source of proteins are Meat, cheese, egg, fish, milk, poultry, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds etc.

Fats : Fats are indicated in some diseases but Lipids or fats are also important in diet. They provide energy reserve, helps in insulation, in thermoregulation, in protection of body tissue, required for fat soluble vitamins, for brain function and for some body chemicals like hormones etc. These are of three types. Saturated fats are not good for health. These are available in butter, lard, coconut and palm oil. Monounsaturated fats & Polyunsaturated fats are good for health as they lower the risk of heart disease & give essential fatty acids. Monounsaturated fats are found in avocado, olive oil, peanut, canola etc. Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn, cotton seed, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean etc. Other important lipids are phospholipids & sterols.

Vitamins : These are complex organic substances, required in small quantity but are must for various body functions. Their deficiency can badly impair health. These are divided into fat soluble (A, D, E & K) and water soluble (B Complex & C) vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins are

(1) Vitamin A or Retinol. Necessary for growth & vitality, resistance against infection, nourishment and function of mucus membrane / skin / hair, for vision & eye. Found in  liver, whole milk, egg yolk, cheese, butter, carrots, beet, turnip, dark green leafy vegetables, mango, papaya, apricots, almonds.

(2) Vitamin B 1 or Thiamin. Necessary for nervous system, carbohydrate and energy metabolism. Found in wheat germ, whole grain, cereals, pulses, nuts, peas, milk, egg, banana, apple.

(3) Vitamin B 2 or Riboflavin. Necessary for various metabolisms, for healthy skin, hair and nails. Found in green leafy vegetables, wheat, cheese, milk, eggs, almonds, sunflower seeds etc.

(4) Vitamin B 3 or Niacin. Necessary for circulatory & nervous system, protein & carbohydrate metabolism. Found in liver, fish, peanuts, whole wheat,  green leafy vegetables etc.

(5) Vitamin B 5 or Pantothenic acid. Necessary for adrenal gland function, fight against stress & toxins, for vitality. Found in whole grain, cereals, green vegetables, peas, beans, peanuts, egg yolk etc.

(6) Vitamin B 6 or Pyridoxine. Necessary for protein & fat absorption, prevents nervous, skin & degenerative diseases. Found in wheat germ, yeast, cereals, pulses, banana, soybean, walnut, milk, egg, meat, fresh vegetables.

(7) Vitamin B 9 or Folic acid.  Necessary for cell division & growth, red blood cells, healing process. Found in dark green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, peanuts, yeast etc.

(8) Vitamin B 12 or Cyanocobalamin. Necessary for nervous system, red blood cells, fat metabolism. Found in milk, meat, egg, banana, peanuts.

(9) Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid. Necessary for growth & maintenance of body tissue, healing, fight against stress, infection, toxins & cold. Found in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, sprouts etc.

(10) Vitamin D or Cholecalciferol. Necessary for bones & teeth, thyroid functioning, absorption of nutrition. Found in  sunlight,  fish, eggs, butter, meat, sprouts etc.

(11) Vitamin E or Tocopherols. Necessary for reproductive function, fertility, sex hormones. It acts as antioxidant, delays ageing. Found in whole grains, vegetable oils, leafy vegetables, sprouts etc.

(12) Vitamin K or Phylloquinone & others. Necessary for blood clotting, bone proteins and liver function. Found in leafy vegetables, cabbage, milk, egg, meat etc.

Minerals :

(1) Calcium Necessary for bones & teeth, contraction of muscles, blood clotting and other enzyme functions. Found in milk, milk products, whole wheat, leafy vegetables, carrot, orange, almond, figs, walnuts.

(2) Phosphorus Necessary for bones, teeth, nerves & brain. Found in cereals, pulses, nuts, egg yolk, milk, legumes etc.

(3) Iron. Necessary for hemoglobin in blood, vitality, resistance to infection. Found in grapes, resins, spinach, green vegetables, whole grains, cereals, beets, dates, egg yolk etc.

(4) Magnesium  Necessary for nervous, muscular and digestive system, energy metabolism, bones and teeth. Found in grapes, figs, lemons, whole grain, celery, cauliflower, orange, lettuce, cucumber, almond etc.

(5) Sodium Necessary for regulation of body water content and electrolyte balance, energy utilization and nerve function, absorption of certain nutrients and water from the gut. Found in table salt, milk, celery, spinach, cucumber, lemon, orange, watermelon, grapes etc.

(6) Potassium. Necessary for water & electrolyte balance, functioning of heart & other muscles, making of new tissue. Found in dried fruit, banana, vegetables, milk, potatoes, butter milk etc.

(7) Iodine. Necessary for thyroid function, energy metabolism, skin. Found in kelp, sea food, lettuce, turnip, fortified salt, pineaaple, guava, garlic etc.

(8) Chlorine. Necessary for digestive acid, hormones. Found in cheese, milk products, berries, tomato, rice, radish, lentils, coconut etc.

(9) Sulphur Necessary for removal of waste from body, for skin /hair /nerves. Found in onion, radish, cabbage, cheese, carrot, egg yolk etc.

(10) Copper Necessary for hemoglobin & red blood cells, digestive enzymes. Found in almond, beans, peas, lentils, whole wheat etc.

(11) Cobalt   Necessary  for blood cell formation. Found in liver, leafy vegetables.

(12) Manganese  Necessary for nerves, brain, muscle action. Found in citrus fruits, nuts, grains, fish, egg yolk.

(13) Zinc Necessary for enzyme action, healing, skin & hair, vitamin A transport, immunity against infection, sexual maturity. Found in milk, meat, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds etc.

(14) Selenium Necessary for prevention of damage to hemoglobin & other body tissues, prevention of premature ageing. Found in yeast, garlic, mushroom, milk, egg, seafood etc.

Fibres

Fibres are edible parts of plants that are not broken down and absorbed in the human small intestine. Some are cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, gums, lignin etc. They serve many important functions in food like :

1. They provide low calorie / no calorie bulk to diet. This helps in giving feeling of fullness and thus helps in weight management.
2. They hold water and gives soft bulk to stool thereby preventing constipation and help in elimination of waste.
3. They hold few chemicals in stomach and intestine, this helps in slow & less absorption of sugar, cholesterol etc. This helps in management of diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol etc.
4. Low fibre diet is said to be associated with diseases like diverticulitis, colon cancer etc.

Fibres are found in wheat bran, whole grains, legumes, fruits & vegetables or can be taken as Isabgula husk.

Water

Water is essential to live. Its deficiency can be fatal. About 50 – 70 % of our body is water. It has many functions in the body. The amount of fluid needed varies between people and according to age, time of year, climatic conditions, diet, health and levels of physical activity. We can obtain our fluid requirements from a number of sources such as water and other drinks, as well as from the food we eat. One should drink plenty of water to keep healthy. Do not wait for thirst to drink water. One should drink about 1.5 – 2 litres of water a day. Water is necessary for a number of reasons like :

–   It is necessary component of every single cell of our body.

–   It acts as a lubricant for joints, eyes and almost every surface and tissue of the    body.

–   It helps in digestion and absorption of food right from swallow to excretion.

–   It provides the medium in which most reactions in the body take place.

–   It acts as a cushion for the nervous system.

–   It is the medium of transportation as in blood, lymph, bile etc.

–   It helps to regulate body temperature.

–   It helps in elimination of toxins from the body.

–   It is good for skin, hair and nails.

Food during different stages of life

One must be careful about nutrition during different stages of life. Every stage of life from infancy to old age has a different requirement. Infants and children have a rapidly growing body so they need high energy & protein diet along with higher intake of nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D etc required for growing body and mind. Pregnant and lactating mothers need to be extra particular about food hygiene to avoid food poisoning & infection. They must choose nourishing diet for themselves and child. Fibres must be taken to avoid constipation. Pregnant mothers require supplements like folic acid, iron etc and lactating mothers require Vitamin D supplement. Students must make qualitative changes in diet like higher proteins to assist their mental work. Adults must be careful about energy balance to avoid obesity and make necessary changes in diet according to lifestyle. Old age also has specific requirement. One must take into consideration decreasing body needs and health status. On the other hand lack of care in taking required nutrition can severely affect health.

Healthy eating tips

• Include health promoting food in diet.
• Avoid or minimize artificial food and additives.
• Have regular eating schedule & eat balanced diet.
• Watch out for food allergy, intolerance, spoiled food.
• Avoid unnecessary / mega doses of vitamins and minerals.
• Observe weekly / occasional fast to revitalize digestive system.
• Fruits should not be mixed with other foods. Avoid incompatible foods.
• Avoid alcohol & smoking. These are bad for digestion and overall health.
• Be selective about food. Eat keeping in mind age, body needs, health etc.
• Avoid or minimize unhealthy foods like refined carbohydrate, unhealthy fats etc.
• Maintain oral hygiene, chew your food well, it helps digestion and keeps you healthy. Eat slowly.
• Eat diversity food. Select from variety of cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk products etc. Prefer seasonal foods like seasonal fruits. This provides higher quality nourishment.
• Do not surrender totally to taste temptation. Keep a good balance of taste and healthy nutrition. Although it is not desirable to completely avoid eating out / junk food but one can keep hygiene in mind. Try to be high on eating wholesome, nourishing food.

Super foods

Super foods are those which improve health and have profound preventive and curative action on various health conditions.

• Aloe Vera : Improves general health & immunity. Helps in skin disorders.
• Banana : Rich in energy & nutrients, helps in constipation, hypertension, PMS, anemia etc.
• Carrots : Good for vision, protects from cancer, arthritis, heart disease etc.
• Cruciferous Vegetables : Rich in antioxidants, protects from cancer.
• Fish : Rich in antioxidants & polyunsaturated fats, helps in high cholesterol, hypertension, arrhythmia, goiter, crohn’s disease. Good for joints & skin.
• Flaxseed : Rich in essential fatty acids, helps in angina, hypertension lupus & other skin disorders, parkinson disease & other nerve disorders, fights infection, improve uterine function.
• Garlic : Contains antioxidants, helps in cancer, heart disease, asthma, atherosclerosis, boost immunity and healing powers.
• Ginseng : Improves energy & immunity. Improves concentration, reduces stress.
• Green Tea : Rich in antioxidants, improves immunity. Helps in cancer, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, infections, premature ageing etc.
• Red Grapes : Improves cardiac function, reduce blood vessel clogging, gastric ulcer, stroke, osteoporosis and inflammatory diseases.
• Soy : Helps in cancer, high cholesterol, osteoporosis etc.
• Spinach : Rich in antioxidants, helps in cancer, anemia, heart disease, mental disorders. Improves vision.
• Spirulina : Improves energy & immunity. Helps liver function.
• Wheat Grass : Gives energy & rejuvenation, increase hemoglobin. Said to fight tumors.
• Whole Grains : Boost immunity, helps in cancer, arthritis, infertility & alzheimer’s disease.
• Yogurt : Helps in digestion. ulcers, improves immunity.

Some more facts about nutrition

1. Acid Alkali Balance : Our diet must maintain our body’s acid alkali balance. Acid diets are associated with many diseases like premature old age, rheumatism, hypertension, arthritis etc. Four fifth of our diet be alkaline diet such as juicy fruits, tubers, leafy vegetables, legumes etc. Cereals, grains, nuts, bread, meat, sugar etc are acid diets.
2. Vegetarianism: It is said to be good for healthy living. Vegetarian diet helps in digestive process, hypertension, high cholesterol, constipation, cancer, obesity etc.
3. Glycaemic Index : Glycaemic Index of food refers to how fast it raises the blood sugar level. It runs from 0 – 100. Glucose has GI value of 100 as reference and other food are compared to it. Foods with high GI value raise the blood sugar rapidly but one feels hungry quickly. Foods with high GI value give steady supply of energy and satisfaction. Foods with low GI value are helpful in diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol etc. Some low GI value foods are – roasted peanuts, low fat yogurt, lentils, dried soybeans, whole milk, apples, pears etc. High GI value foods are – glucose, honey, potato, steamed rice, puffed wheat, cornflakes, French fries, white bread etc.
4. Antioxidants : Antioxidants are substances that protect body cells against the effects of free radicals which are produced when body breaks down food, by metabolism, by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and are said to cause heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Antioxidant substances include Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene,  Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Antioxidants are found in many foods like wheat grass, green tea, garlic, fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains,  poultry and fish.

The Ayurvedic Diet

According to ancient ayurvedic medical science sickness of a person is the result of imbalance of humour in body called dosha. Tridosha (vata, pitta and kapha) are formed from combination of five elements (called panchtatva) which are earth, fire, air, water and ether. Ayurvedic diet in addition to nourishment, corrects the tridosha and brings it back to balance to give good health.

• Vata Dosha : People with vata dosha will suffer from worries, anxieties, impulsiveness, impatience, agitation, insecurity, insomnia, dryness, headaches, constipation, arthritis, stiff joints, cramps etc. To regain balance they must prefer warm soothing food with some fat, milk, warm cereals, nuts, warm drinks, sweet and sour food.
• Pitta Dosha : People with pitta dosha will suffer from anger, being critical & bossy, arguementative, fitful sleep, disturbing dreams, acidity, diarrhea, hot flushes, skin eruptions, fever, night sweats etc. To regain balance they must prefer bitter, sweet and astringent food, cool or warm food but not hot, complex carbohydrates, fruits, milk, beans & other green vegetables. They must take less stimulants, sour & spicy food.
• Kapha Dosha : People with kapha dosha will suffer from sluggishness, apathy, sadness, lethargy, clinginess, excess sleep, obesity, mucus congestion, diabetes, water retention, poor digestion etc. To regain balance they must prefer warm light food cooked with less water, stimulating food, spicy / pungent/  astringent taste, hot water lemon & hot ginger tea is good. They must take less of salt, sweets, dairy and fats.

The Dietary Precautions of Sickness

Food plays a crucial role in treatment of sickness. Good nutritional choices can aid treatment and helps in early recovery. Factors which assist in selecting food during sickness are :

• Underlying disease condition.
• Overall health status.
• Diet factors required to be altered.
• Patient’s tolerance to food.

Some of the benefits of such dietary modifications are :

• It keeps good nutritional status.
• It reduces complications of sickness.
• It makes treatment more effective.
• It avoids & corrects deficiency state.
• It gives required energy to fight sickness.
• It gives required change in body weight.
• It gives rest to body by avoiding load on digestion.

Some common precautions are :

• Avoid high salt food in hypertension.
• Avoid food with high glycaemic index in diabetes.
• Avoid excessive stimulants and spices in peptic ulcer & gastritis.
• Avoid high protein diet in gout and hepatic failure.
• Proteins and sodium is restricted in renal failure.
• Easily digestible, high calorie & good protein diet is good in tuberculosis.
• Take plenty of fibres in constipation, high cholesterol, diabetes.
• Replenish water and electrolyte losses in diarrhea.
• Take indicated nutrient in deficiency diseases like rickets, osteoporosis, anemia, hypothyroidism, night blindness, beri beri, scurvy etc.
• Avoid indicated nutrient in allergic state and malabsorption syndrome.

Diet and Weight Management

 Diet is said to be one way of weight management. But one must be very clear in what to do and what not. Some people resort to crash dieting and starve to lose weight. But such measure only spoils health & invites various diseases. Apart from various diseases like deficiency diseases of various nutrients, lack of energy, disorders in various body functions, disturbed water & electrolyte balance and disordered digestion, it gives many psychological disorders like poor self esteem, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, depression etc. In fact one need not starve to lose weight. One can eat and enjoy anything and still get required weight along with even better health & prevention of many diseases like arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, gallstones etc. All one is required to do is to adopt a flexible and sensible diet plan. See Fitness and Weight Management for details.

*******

The five types of techniques or treatments in Panchakarma therapy include:

• VamanaKarma (use of emetics) – Vamana Karma is used for ‘Kapha’ disorders like Asthma, Cold, Bronchitis and sinus. It is used to eliminate the Kapha which is causing the excess mucus. It removes Kapha toxins accumulated in the body and the respiratory tract.
• Basti Karma (medicated enema) – Promotes emission in the colon and thus ensures a good health. It is highly beneficial in cleansing and detoxifying the body. It relieves constipation, distention, chronic fever, cold, sexual disorders, kidney stones, heart pain, backache, sciatica and other pains in the joints.
• Virechana(use of laxatives) – Virechana Karma is used to treat pitta disorders like Hyper acidity, skin disorders, Digestive disorders, ulcer, and Constipation which result in rashes, skin inflammation, acne, chronic attacks of fever, vomiting, nausea and jaundice
• NasyaKarma (Nasal administration) – Inhalation of herbal steams through the nose, which clears the nasal passages and lungs. It cures the diseases related to head, eyes, nose, etc. it improves brain and sensory function
• RaktaMokshana (blood-letting) – it is used to cleanse the blood. In this treatment impure blood from the body is removed by using surgical instruments. This will help to remove the toxins in the blood.

Lifestyle changes during Pancha Karma

• Diet should consist of light, nourishing, and easily digestible foods such as steamed vegetables and kichari.
• Daily activities are necessary to insure the greatest results.
• Meditation and prayer are encouraged according to one’s own spiritual or religious practice.
• Sensory input from computers and T.V. should be minimal if at all.
• Reading should be done in moderation.
• Strenuous activity and exercise should be avoided

Panchkarma is the most important and effective therapy to rebuild the healthy lifestyle. It is a very special Ayurveda treatment requiring proper guidance from a highly trained and skillful Ayurveda practitioner. It is recommended for healthy persons and also as a preventive treatment to keep physically and mentally fit and energetic. It works best in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle.

Recreation is refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and enjoyment. Recreation is about activities, pastimes, and experiences which are freely chosen. They are usually undertaken in free time and produce feelings of well being, fulfilment, enjoyment, relaxation and satisfaction.

Recreation is an essential part of human life and finds many different forms which are shaped naturally by individual interests but also by the surrounding social construction. Recreational activities can be communal or solitary, active or passive, outdoors or indoors, healthy or harmful, and useful for society or detrimental. A list of typical activities could be almost endless including most human activities, a few examples being reading, playing or listening to music, watching movies or TV, gardening, hunting, hobbies, sports, studies, and travel

The specific activity performed is less important than the reason for performing the activity, which is the outcome. For most the overarching desired outcome is recreation or restoration. Participants hope that their recreation pursuits can help them to balance their lives and refresh themselves from their work as well as other mandated activities such as housecleaning, child rearing, and so on.

Benefits of Recreation

• Recreation is important in promoting quality of life.
• It increases self esteem and confidence.
• It allows people to contribute their skills and feel a sense of belonging and accomplishment.
• Gives people the opportunity to make their own choices.
• It allows us to be challenged, take risks and experience new things.
• It enables us to become involved and feel part of the community.
• It increases the opportunity to gain and develop new friendships.
• It bridges the gap between attending and participating in the community.

Relaxation is the act of relaxing the mind and body, and can also be defined as the state of being relaxed. Various techniques are used by individuals to improve their state of relaxation. A relaxation technique is any method, process, procedure, or activity that helps a person to relax; to attain a state of increased calmness; or otherwise reduce levels of pain, anxiety, stress or anger. Some of the methods are performed alone; some require the help of another person (often a trained professional); some involve movement, some focus on stillness; while other methods involve different elements.

Certain relaxation techniques are:

• Autogenic relaxation
• Biofeedback
• Deep breathing
• Meditation
• Massage
• Mindbody relaxation
• Zen Yoga
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Pranayama
• Visualization
• Yoga Nidra
• Self-hypnosis

The benefits of relaxation techniques

• Slowing your heart rate
• Lowering blood pressure
• Slowing your breathing rate
• Improving concentration and mood
• Lowering fatigue
• Reducing anger and frustration
• Boosting confidence to handle problems
• Reducing activity of stress hormones
• Increasing blood flow to major muscles
• Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain

Remember that relaxation techniques are skills. As with any skill, your ability to relax improves with practice. Be patient with yourself. Don’t let your effort to practice relaxation techniques become yet another stressor. If one relaxation technique doesn’t work for you, try another.

• Homeopathic Treatment of Stress
• Acupuncture Treatment of Stress
• Psychotherapy Treatment of Stress
• Conventional / Allopathic Treatment of Stress
• Dietary & Herbal Treatment of Stress
• Other Treatment of Stress

What is Stress

Symptoms of Stress

Causes of Stress

Risk factors of Stress

Complications of Stress

Lab Investigations and Diagnosis of Stress

Precautions & Prevention of Stress 

Treatment of Stress

Homeopathic Treatment of Stress

Homeopathy is popular worldwide as safe natural and effective treatment of physical diseases, psychological disorders and psychosomatic complaints. It treats and cures stress caused by various reasons. And it relieves both mental and physical complaints of stress like irritability, emotional pain, lack of happiness, nervousness, fatigue, sleeplessness, body aches, frequent sickness or any other complaint. Homeopathic remedies supply the stimulation naturally and without any bad side effects. It helps in reducing the symptoms of stress. Some of the homeopathic remedies for stress are:

• Gelsemium
• Belladona
• Chamomilla
• Nux V
• Nit ac
• Ignatia
• Lycopodium
• Silicea

Acupuncture and Acupressure Treatment of Stress 

Acupuncture treatment is very relaxing. Acupuncture helps to address the origin of the problem, while at the same time reducing the painful symptoms that are affecting your health and well-being. It gives immediate improvement in muscle tension and your overall energy level. In acupuncture therapist will first diagnose the case on the basis of energy system or chi blockage as well as on the basis of status of five elements. On this basis certain disease specific acupoints are selected and stimulated.

Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy Treatment of Stress

Stress elimination psychotherapy and hypnotherapy is highly effective. It enables a person to tolerate stress more readily. It helps in decreasing the effects of stress and increases your capacity and tolerance. Psychological techniques that can actually help to reduce complaints of stress are Individual and group counseling, Biofeedback, Relaxation techniques, Self-hypnosis, Visual imaging and Learning or conditioning techniques. Hypnotherapy is safe and quick treatment of deep seated psychological issues and barriers.

Conventional / Allopathic Treatment of Stress

Allopathic treatment includes drugs to control blood pressure or other physical symptoms of stress. It includes drugs such as tranquilizers or antidepressants that affect the patient’s mood.

Dietary & Herbal Treatment of Stress

• Avoid Caffeine and alcohol
• Avoid foods rich in saturated fats
• Eat Whole grains
• Eat Food High In Fiber

Other Treatment of Stress

Yoga gives psychological benefits such as stress reduction and a sense of well-being.

What is Stress

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. Stress affects your body as much as food and exercise. Stress is related to both external and internal factors.

Symptoms of Stress

• Sweating and tingling
• Rapid or shallow breathing
• Racing pulse
• Tension
• General anxiety
• Physical illness or pain

Causes of Stress

• Increase of responsibilities
• Major life changes
• Work
• Relationship difficulties
• Family problems
• Sexual problems
• Financial problems
• Being too busy
• Injury and illness
• Consumption of alcohol or drugs
• lack of sleep
• Lack of money

Risk factors of Stress

• Genetic factors
• Older adults
• Immune regulated diseases
• Stressful events
• The lack of network of family and friends

Complications of Stress

• Heart disease
• Eating disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Problem in Sexual performance
• Headaches jaw clenching

Diagnosis of Stress

Doctor will usually be able to diagnose stress based on your symptoms alone. He may also ask about your family history and your personal life. He may ask some tests such as a blood or urine, or a health assessment.

Precautions & Prevention of Stress

• Try deep breathing exercises
• Do not skip meals
• Avoid unhealthy food
• Adequate sleep
• Avoid smoking

For Treatment of Stress   in New Delhi Gurgaon Noida Faridabad NCR or Online Treatment of Stress   Contact Us or Fill Up Form

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. Tai chi, also called tai chi chuan, is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. According to some records, tai chi dates back as far as 2,500 years! It involves a series of slow, meditative body movements that were originally designed for self-defense and to promote inner peace.

The benefits of tai chi

The benefits of tai chi include:

• Decreased stress and anxiety
• Increased aerobic capacity
• Increased flexibility, balance and agility
• Increased muscle strength and definition
• Increased energy and stamina
• Enhance quality of sleep
• Enhance the immune system
• Lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure
• Improve symptoms of congestive heart failure
• Improve overall well-being in older adults

You can find tai chi classes in many communities today. To find a class near you, contact local fitness centers, health clubs and senior centers. A tai chi instructor can teach you specific positions and how to regulate your breathing. An instructor can also teach you how to practice tai chi safely, especially if you have injuries, chronic conditions, or balance or coordination problems. Although tai chi is slow and gentle, with virtually no negative side effects, it’s possible to get injured if you don’t know how to do tai chi properly.

Dimensions of Wellness

1. Physical Wellness
2. Intellectual Wellness
3. Emotional Wellness
4. Social Wellness
5. Cultural Wellness
6. Occupational Wellness
7. Environmental Wellness
8. Spiritual Wellness

Why Wellness should be the way of life

How to achieve Wellness

What is Wellness

Wellness is the proactive, dynamic & progressive living in a higher and positive state of body and mind. It involves integration of body, mind and spirit. It is characterized by preservation, growth and development of different aspects of self

Dimensions of Wellness

1. Physical Wellness

• Keep body healthy and work actively towards it.
• Adopt health promoting lifestyle.
• Eat balanced and healthy nutrition.
• Keep body weight in right zone.
• Incorporate regular physical activity and exercise.
• Say no to harmful habits, substance abuse and addictions.
• Take adequate rest and sleep.
• Avoid unhealthy sex.
• Prevent injuries by being alert and avoiding risky behavior.
• Maintain adequate self hygiene and self care.
• Undergo required medical checkup and act as per advice.
• Prevent sickness by controlling sickness causing factors.
• Enhance fitness by activities like Yoga, Meditation, Massage, Sports etc.

1. Intellectual Wellness

• Stay alert and observant through five senses.
• Be aware and present minded.
• Be active and interact positively with people, circumstances and environment.
• Be curious, learn more and apply what you have learned.
• Seek intellectually stimulating environment.
• Learn goal setting, planning, decision making and problem solving.
• Learn task management and organizational skills.
• Learn stress coping skills.
• Look for and make best use of opportunities.
• Learn creativity and apply it in day to day life.
• Look at difficult circumstances as challenge and opportunity.
• Develop efficient thinking. Balance firmness and flexibility.

1. Emotional Wellness

• Understand own & others feelings & needs.
• Work on emotional stability.
• Accept self limitations in right spirit and work on them for self growth.
• Learn to express own feelings & needs.
• Get over disappointments and turn scars to stars.
• Avoid stress and learn stress coping skills.
• Be realistic, do not distort facts about self, others and circumstances.
• Learn about mind body relation.
• Learn inter relation of thoughts, feelings and behavior.
• Learn methods of healthy recreation and self release.
• Grow constructive habits and hobbies.

1. Social Wellness

• Understand and appreciate social norms, values and beliefs.
• Learn to be at ease and relate well with others.
• Learn to think for common welfare and social justice.
• Develop effective communication.
• Develop positive interdependent relationships based on mutual trust, commitment, honesty and respect.
• Learn to create own space and respect others space.

1. Cultural Wellness

• Learn about culture & richness of heritage.
• Understand & appreciate how culture can improve quality of life.
• Integrate culture into everyday life.
• Avoid cultural rigidity.

1. Occupational Wellness

• Develop skills and talents and make best use of them.
• Explore opportunities & understand occupational requirements.
• Identify self aptitude and meaning of occupation in life.
• Develop identification and commitment with occupation.
• Understand and assume responsibility.

1. Environmental Wellness

• Create comfortable and stimulating environment.
• Keep environment clean and safe.
• Respect and develop environment, reduce pollutions.
• Develop harmony of self with environment.

1. Spiritual Wellness

• Understand meaning and purpose of life.
• Nourish constructive personal beliefs & philosophy of life.
• Grow towards self realization.
• Develop faith and justice.

Why Wellness should be the way of life

• It helps in keeping mind body machine in best possible state.
• It improves efficiency and helps in realizing best of our potential.
• It helps in achieving our goal of meaning & purpose of life.
• It gives one a quality living.
• It helps in avoiding mental and physical suffering.
• It paves way to success in life, joy and happiness.
• It improves one’s relationships and minimizes stress & discords.
• It saves time and money in a big way.
• It is good for self, family, community, country and entire world.

How to achieve Wellness

• Give wellness an undisputed topmost priority.
• Understand and assume full responsibility of your wellness.
• Continuously learn, be aware and be ready for required changes.
• Plan comprehensively and take proactive action.
• Take positive and judicious choices.
• Adopt holistic & healthy lifestyle.
• Take authentic, professional help when required.
• No excuses, no lethargy and at the same time no fuss.
• Beware of shopping mania in healthcare.

*******

                              What is Yoga             

                                    History

                             Schools of Yoga

                  Yoga for Body Mind and Soul

                         The Science of Yoga

           Yoga for Treatment (Therapeutic Yoga)

                   Yoga for weight management

                     Yoga for healthy pregnancy

                                  Precautions

Yoga – ‘Must’ for healthy living

The effects and results of Yoga are so profound and almost incredible that it is fast becoming a ‘must’ for healthy living. It is there for ages but recent scientific research has reconfirmed its beneficial effects on health, psychological state and even on improving the entire quality of life. Therefore it is not surprising that in today’s stressful life, people are making Yoga a part of life to keep healthy both physically and mentally.

What is Yoga

The word Yoga has different meaning for different people. For some it is a type of exercise to keep healthy. For others it is a way to develop spirituality or mental peace. Yoga gives both but it is much more than these. Yoga refers to Yog derived from Yuj which in Sanskrit means ‘to unite’. Yoga or Yog Sadhna is the holistic unification of Body Mind and Soul with internal and external harmony. It is a systematic process to bring about transformation of physical fitness, mental calmness & function and spiritual awakening to enable one to live in good health of body & mind and to pursue higher purpose of living. By breaking physical barriers (of sickness & poor health) and mental barriers (of mental weakness & distress) it opens up new horizons of self awareness, self control & self growth. In short it is the way of good living.

History

Yoga was originated in India about 5000 years ago. The ancient scriptures in India are replete with text on Yoga. Vedas, Upanishad contains yogic teachings which give the background philosophy of Yoga with explanation of atman (self), karma (deeds), dharma (duty) and brahma (the ultimate reality). It tells that higher purpose of living is to perform duty and transcend self to ultimate reality. . It is not possible for someone to live in happiness and progress if one is sick. Yoga is the stepwise process of doing this and helps to achieve required mental & physical health and harmony for the purpose of higher living.

Schools of Yoga

There are various paths (types) of Yoga. The goal is same but these different paths have different philosophy and methodology. Some of them are – (1) Bhakti Yoga – The Yoga of devotion (2) Jnana Yoga – The Yoga of knowledge (3) Karma Yoga – The Yoga of rightful deeds (4) Kundalini Yoga – The Yoga of awakening dormant energy or kundalini. (5) Tantra Yoga – Yoga of wholeness (6) Sahaja Yoga – Yoga of being spontaneous (7) Hatha Yoga – Yoga of Energy balance and  (8) Raja Yoga – The Royal Yoga also called Classical Yoga, the Yoga of self awareness & self realization. Of these Raja Yoga is the one which is most popular and being studied as a mean to attain good health of body and mind. Its most popular text is given by sage Patanjali in Yog Sutra (aphorism). Patanjali Yog Sutra focuses on means and stages of achieving ultimate liberation through Samadhi (ultimate unification & consciousness) through Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga means eight limbs, Ashtanga Yoga gives eight progressive steps of Yog Sadhna. Every step is thoughtfully developed to improve one’s present state and prepare for next stage.

Ashtanga Yoga

The eight stages of Ashtanga Yoga are :

1. Yam – The code of conduct. It incorporates Ahimsa (Non Violence), Satya (Truth), Asteya (Non Stealing), Brahmcharya (Control over senses), and Aparigrah (Non Greediness).
2. Niyam – The Self Regulation. It contains Shouch (Cleanliness), Santosh (Contentment), Tap (Austerity), Swadhyay (Study of scriptures), Ishwar Pranidhan (Devotion & surrender to God)
3. Asana –  Postures of health and harmony.
4. Pranayama  –  Control & balance of Prana (life force)
5. Pratyahara  –  Control of senses and going beyond them.
6. Dharna  –  Awakening concentration
7. Dhyana  –  State of meditation
8. Samadhi  –  Ultimate oneness, consciousness & liberation.

Yoga for Body Mind and Soul

Yoga transforms & harmonizes body, mind and soul. Its effects and benefits are seen at physical, mental and spiritual level

At physical level, it improves health by improving the functioning of all body organs & systems. It increases flexibility, strength and stamina. It is one of the rare therapies which have the capacity to improve functioning of hormonal glands like pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas & sex glands. It improves body metabolism and chemical equilibrium. By improving physiological functions, it removes toxins from the body. It increases resistance to diseases by improving immune system. It increases life force and gives vigor & vitality. It gives a youthful appearance. It shows beneficial effect on investigative tests like cholesterol, creatinine, ECG etc and is found helpful in treatment of various diseases.

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

• Balance pulse & blood pressure
• Better coordination of opposing muscle groups
• Breathing becomes deep & rhythmic
• Eye-hand coordination improves
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• HDL cholesterol increases LDL cholesterol decreases
• Hematocrit & Hemoglobin increases
• Joint mobility and range of motion increases
• Pain tolerance increases
• Posture improves
• Reaction time improves

At psychological level, it decreases stress, balances mood & relaxes mind. It improves mental calmness, concentration and mental control. It gives mind a positive outlook, creates internal harmony and self acceptance. It helps in personality growth. It gives freedom from addictions. It sharpens mental faculties like attention, memory, learning and creativity. It has shown beneficial effect in treatment of psychological disorders.

At spiritual level, it gives inner harmony & peace, creates understanding of self & life and gives humanistic outlook. It helps in self growth and self realization. It also helps in unleashing yogic energy. Finally it helps in attainment of ultimate consciousness and liberation.

The Science of Yoga

Yoga refers to complete wellness & harmony of body, mind and soul. It has been scientifically arranged in a stepwise manner so that every step takes care of your present status and prepares for the step ahead.  For example attaining state of meditation is not easy for those who are not prepared because of physical sickness or mental distress. Therefore the initial steps prepare by improving physical and mental health with better control over body and mind. In Yoga the complete wellness and harmony of body, mind and soul is achieved by activation of energy centres called Chakras which parallel the axis of body along spine (Sushumna Nadi). These chakras represent and controls different aspects of physical, mental and spiritual being. The chakras must remain in balance and activated for good physical & mental health and heightened spiritual consciousness.

There are seven chakras in body :

First Chakra : Muladhara
Location: Base of the spine. It is seat of base energy.
Responsible for : Survival, stability, solidity, identity and self-sufficiency, energy and strength.
Controls : Bones, teeth, nails, anus, excretory functions, and muscular system
Element: Earth / Colour: Red / Sense: Smell / Mantra: LAM
Physical Complaints : Excretory dysfunctions like constipation, eating disorders, tiredness, poor sleep, lower back pain, sciatica, obesity.
Psychological Complaints : Fear, insecurity, greed, excess desire for comfort.
Postures that balance first Chakra : Tadasana, Parsvakonasana, Virabhadrasana, Uttanasana, Setu Bandhasana

Second Chakra : Svadhishthana
Location: At the level of genitals and the sacrum. Seat of instinct & unconscious mind.
Responsible for : Life energy, sexual energy, creativity, sensual consciousness, emotional identity, procreation, and personal relationships.
Controls : Sexual and reproductive organs & functions, menstruation, lymphatic system.
Element: Water / Colours: Orange / Sense: Taste /  Mantra: VAM
Physical Complaints: Sexual & reproductive dysfunctions, lower back pain, sciatica, urinary problems
Psychological Complaints: Addictions, lust, vanity, jealousy, guilt, lack of creativity& morality
Postures that balance second Chakra : Prasarita Padottanasana, Upavista Konasana, Baddha Konasana, Supta Baddha Konasana.

Third Chakra : Manipura
Location: At the level of umbilicus corresponding to solar plexus. It is seat of expansive consciousness.
Responsible for : Sense of belonging, confidence, will, ego, self control, intelligence, self-esteem.
Controls: Digestive organs and functions, upper abdomen, gallbladder, liver, middle spine, kidney, adrenals, small intestines, stomach
Element: Fire / Colours: Yellow  / Sense: Sight, form and colour / Mantra: RAM
Physical Complaints : Diabetes, indigestion, adrenal imbalances, arthritis, colon diseases, liver disease
Psychological Complaints : Poor self-esteem, timid, depression, poor self image, fear of rejection, indecisive, judgmental, perfectionism, hostility
Postures that balance third Chakra : Suryanamaskar, Virabhadrasana, Matsyendhrasana, Dhanurasana, Navasana

Fourth Chakra: Anahata
Location: At the level of cardiac plexus in the region of the heart. It is the seat of love.
Responsible for : Love, compassion, altruism, devotion, trust, forgiveness.
Controls: Heart & circulatory system, blood, lungs, respiratory system, diaphragm, thymus gland, breasts, esophagus, immune system.
Element: Air / Colors: Green or pink / Sense: Touch / Mantra: YAM
Physical Complaints: Heart complaints, hypertension, upper back and shoulder problems, asthma, lung disease like pneumonia
Psychological Complaints: Feeling of lack of love, lack of hope, hatred, grief, envy, jealousy, anger, anxiety.
Postures that balance fourth Chakra : Ustrasana, Bhujangasana, Matsyasana, Pranayama like deep breathing, kapalabhati, anulom vilom.

Fifth Chakra : Vishuddha
Location: At the level of the throat. It is seat of pure consciousness.
Responsible for: Communication, creativity, sense of responsibility for one’s own needs, faith, truthfulness, self-knowledge, intuition.
Controls: Throat, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, trachea, cervical vertebrae, vocal cords, neck, mouth, hearing.
Element: Sound or ether  / Colors: Blue  / Sense: Hearing  / Mantra: HAM
Physical Complaints: Thyroid & parathyroid dysfunctions, sore throat, hearing problems, stiff neck, mouth complaints.
Psychological Complaints: Lack of faith, communication & expression problems, poor decision making, criticism.
Postures that balance fifth Chakra : Matysasana), Ustrasana, Setu Bandhasana, Halasana.

Sixth Chakra  :Ajna
Location: Situated between the eyebrows (Third Eye). It is the seat of mental consciousness.
Responsible for : Insight, intuition, self-knowledge, wisdom, intellect, clairvoyance, visualization.
Controls: Brain, eyes, ears, nose, pituitary gland, pineal glands, neurological system
Element: Light  / Colors: Indigo  / Sense: Extra sensory perception  / Mantra: AUM or OM
Physical Complaints-Headaches, complaints of eye and ear, nightmares, epilepsy, hormonal disbalance.
Psychological Complaints: Learning disabilities, complaints of judgment & evaluation, distortion of reality, confusion, panic, depression, lack of concentration
Postures that balance sixth Chakra : Yog mudra, meditation, balasana.

Seventh Chakra  : Sahasrara
Location: Crown of the head. It is the seat of supramental consciousness.
Responsible for : Spirituality, peace, emotional freedom, integration of the whole, heightened awareness & consciousness.
Controls: Brain, nervous system, pineal gland
Element: Thought  / Colors: Violet/white   / Sense: Empathy, unity  / Mantra: silence
Physical Complaints: Lack of energy, nervous disorder, sensitivity to light and sound, poor coordination.
Psychological Complaints: Lack of purpose, loss of identity, lack of trust, apathy.
Postures that balance seventh Chakra : Yoga Mudra

Yoga for Treatment (Therapeutic Yoga)

Those who are unable or disinclined to embrace Yoga in totality can still benefit from it to get relief from physical & psychological complaints and diseases. Research has confirmed the ability of Yoga in improving health and treatment of various diseases. Different conditions and status of patient require assessment and selection of a specific program. One should not diagnose one’s sickness and try Yoga treatment himself / herself either by reading books or watching TV. It must be done under supervision of a trained Yoga Therapist. The components of Yoga which are used in treatment of sickness are :

• Yogic Shuddhi (Cleansing)
• Yogic Asana
• Yogic Relaxation
• Pranayama & Bandha
• Yogic Mudra

Yoga is not intended to replace ongoing medical treatment. Yoga improves overall health and has proved beneficial in treatment of various conditions like :

Physical Sickness – Diabetes, hypertension, allergy, asthma, hypothyroidism, digestive complaints, obesity, back complaints, arthritis, sciatica, nervous weakness, menstrual disorders, rheumatism, piles, headache etc.

Psychological Disorders –  Stress, mental weakness, anxiety, depression, phobia, psychosomatic & psychosexual complaints.

Yoga for weight management

Overweight and obesity have become one of the major health concerns today. It could be because of poor lifestyle, overeating, thyroid dysfunction, genetic condition or even virus infection as indicated in one recent study. Cause may be any but the damage it causes is too big to ignore. Apart from psychological and social problems, it makes one prone to many life threatening diseases like hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease etc. One way of losing weight is diet control and exercise. These are helpful and good for health but most of the times are not sufficient and some people find them very tedious. Yoga offers an effective solution to this. It improves body metabolism, balances hormonal system, removes water retention and keeps the skin healthy as one loses weight. One looks younger with yogic weight management. As Yoga becomes part of life, there is no slipping back and one continues in good shape and health. Yoga is equally good for underweight conditions and can bring body to good shape naturally.

Yoga for healthy pregnancy

Pregnancy is a unique phase in a woman’s life. It has physical, emotional and social implications. It can be a period of bliss if it is well planned & managed. But if it is not, it can be a stressful period & detrimental to health. Regular medical checkup & medication, diet and guided physical activity helps in having smooth and healthy pregnancy. Yoga is very helpful in having healthy and pleasant pregnancy. It helps by :

• Prepares the body for pregnancy and delivery.
• Keeping mother in good health during pregnancy.
• Keeping mother mentally stress free & relaxed.
• Keeping the baby in right position.
• Healthy development of baby.
• Keeping energy levels high.
• Reducing water retention.
• Making delivery normal, smooth and incident free.
• Promoting early and positive recovery after delivery.
• Preventing hormonal disbalance.
• Promoting sufficient lactation.

Precautions

• Yoga must be done under supervision of a trained therapist. There is a trend now a day to get into Yoga after reading books or watching TV. This can harm instead of helping. Yoga requires assessment of the health so that proper precautions may be taken. Certain conditions contraindicate some asana and pranayama. Secondly if Yoga is not done in right manner, it will harm the health in place of helping.
• Yoga must be done in a stepwise, regular manner. There should be no hurry. Asana may take 4 – 6 months to perform fully. Hurry will only injure the body tissue and organs.
• Yoga must be done with a calm mind. There should be no distraction. One must get fully involved to get good benefit. Do not mistake Yoga for any ordinary exercise.
• Yoga must be done empty stomach. Early morning is the best time to do Yoga. Otherwise it can be done in the evening and there must be a gap of at least .2 hours after a meal.
• Select a calm, clean place for Yoga. It must be done on floor where one can use a mat. Wear light & loose / stretchable clothing.
• Do it gently, take breath through nose except when indicated.
• Avoid Yoga during acute illness.
• Adopting positive lifestyle with light & nutritious diet helps in getting greater benefit from Yoga.

*******