Viparita Karani - The Inverted Pose

"Viparita" means "inverted" and "Karani" means "action" in Sanskrit. As the name suggests, this particular pose involves inversion of the body.

Sequence:

• Lie down straight on your back and bring the legs closer to each other.
• Arms must be near to body on each side.
• Breathe in, press your palms down and lift up both legs together gradually so as to keep the legs at 90 degrees to floor ensuring not to bend the knees or lift up the hands.
• Breathe out Completely.
• Breathe in at a deeper pace and breathe out at a comparatively slow pace.
• During exhaling, press the palms down again, lift up the legs towards the head without bending the knees or lifting the head
• During this procedure, lift up the hips and the small of the back against the floor and curve up the lower part of the spine.
• Bring the legs parallel to the Root.
• Inhale deeply and start breathing at usual pace.
• Bend the arms at the elbows to balance the slanted trunk using palms which should press the upper portion of the posterior on each side.
• Breathe in; keep the legs again at 90 degrees to the floor, using the elbows as a fulcrum.
• Breathe out and start breathing at usual pace.
• Care must be taken so that the knees remain straight and the feet closer to each other.
• Concentrate your attention on the tips of the big toes.
• Stay in this position for about three minutes.
• Follow the reverse order sequence and come back in the original position.

Benefits:

• This Mudra if practiced regularly makes the person healthy, gives strength and longevity due to the secretions of the thyroid, pituitary, gonad and adrenal glands which are stimulated by this practice.
• This posture synchronizes the internal hormonal system by regulating the pelvic circulation and increasing the blood flow to the thorax, brain, face and neck.

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Kapalbhati Pranayama

Kapalbhati Pranayama , another type of breathe control exercise, if practiced regularly, helps to get cure various ailments better than medicines or other therapies.
As the name suggests, "Kapal" means forehead and "bhati" means shining. As a result of Kapabhati Pranayama, a glow appears on the forehead of the person performing it.

How to do it?

• Kapalabhati is done in a sitting posture. The thumb rule is that the concentration must be on "exhaling". Inhaling does not need attention, must be as usual.
• Exhale and make sure that the abdominal muscles are contracted with each exhalation.
• Exhaling must be continued without paying any attention to inhaling all the time.
• Exhale as long as you can.
• Kapalbhati pranayama is recommended to be practiced for about 5 minutes. If one feels comfortable then the duration can be increased to a maximum of 10 minutes.
• Short breaks can be taken for a while at the beginning of Kapalbhati pranayama till one gets habitual of it.
• Kapalabhati helps control obesity, diabetes, kidney and prostate diseases, heart, brain and lung problems and many other diseases

Benefits: cleansing, invigorating, warming, prevents illness and allergies

This breath control is a series of rapid, forced exhales followed by passive inhales. Yoga experts suggest doing it at the beginning of a yoga session. In Kundalini practice, Kapalabhati breath is sometimes done while holding poses.

• Choose a cross-legged position for sitting and make sure that you feel comfortable.
• Start with deep inhaling 2 or 3 times and exhale through the nose.
• Inhale till you feel comfortable followed by sharp and forceful exhalations through the nose.
• Make sure that the belly goes in with each exhalation.
• Concentration must be on passive inhalations, and the cycle of forceful exhales and passive inhales must be continued at a fast pace, so that the belly is pumping continuously.
• Do three rounds of thirty breaths each, coming back to deep inhales and exhales between each round.
• Come back to normal breathing if you feel lightheaded at any time.