| We are used to certain things happening at specific times. This is habit, and it applies to yogic practices also. Imagine having biriyani for breakfast. Or cornflakes for dinner. Your body, mind and even appetite will resist. Choose your six minutes at home and six at work at the same time every day. Make it a habit. Don?t worry about your bad habits, develop a good one. | |
| PRACTICES AT WORK | |
| Asana 1: Druta Utkatasana | |
Stand comfortably with both feet together. Close the eyes gently and distribute the weight of the body evenly on both feet. Take a little time to steady the body and then open the eyes gently. Place the palms together in front of the chest in a prayer position and as you inhale, raise the arms till they are directly above the head. As you exhale, keeping the arms held up vertically, lower the body slowly by bending the knees, making sure that the feet and the knees are together all through. If you are able to hold this position for a while, continue to breathe in and out steadily. Stage 1: Here, the body is lowered by about 30 cm. After you have held this position for a while, straighten the legs and return to the upright starting position as you inhale. You can repeat this about five times, but the important thing is to do it slowly, not many times. Stage 2: The practice remains the same, only you lower the body by about one metre, hold that position for a while and then return to an upright position. | |
| Stage 3: (Not to be done if you have prolapse of the uterus or after the first three months of pregnancy). Lower the body all the way down as shown in the picture, hold the position and then come up. | |
| It is advisable to remain in stage 1 for a few months, then move on to stage 2, keep it at that stage for another few months, before you graduate to stage 3. Don?t rush. | |
| This practice strengthens the back and leg muscles and will help to prevent sciatica, slipped disc and nagging backaches. It is a wonderful practice for those who have to sit for long stretches. It boosts the circulation of pranic energy in the lower body. | |
| Asana 2: Manibandha Naman | |
| Sit comfortably with your spine supported by the backrest of the chair. Stretch both arms forward at shoulder height and lock the elbows. The palms should be facing the floor and the fingers together and fully open. This is the starting position. | |
time with your inhalation, gradually bend the hands backwards at the wrists, towards the body, keeping the palms open and fingers together, till the fingertips point to the ceiling. Hold for a while and notice where you feel the stretch. Then, as you exhale, gradually bend the hands at the wrists till the fingertips point to the floor. Don?t let your fingers bend at the knuckles, that?s important. Hold the position for a while and feel the stretch. This asana looks like child?s play, but if you do it slowly, you will see how it improves circulation in the wrists and forearms particularly. This is excellent for persons doing deskwork. | |
| PRACTICES AT HOME | |
| Asana 3: Chakra Padasana | |
 Lie down and allow the body to become still, arms beside the body, palms flat on the floor, head and neck relaxed. Take a few breaths in and out in a relaxed way as you ready yourself for the practice. | |
| Slowly raise the right leg about five cm above the ground, keeping the right knee locked. Now rotate the entire right leg in as large a circle as possible in a clockwise direction. You need to keep in mind two things ? not to bend the knee and not to allow the heel to touch the floor. Try to repeat this rotation clockwise for about five rounds (without bending the knee) and then bring the right leg to the floor and rest till the breath returns to normal. Then raise the same leg again by five cm. and rotate the entire right leg, this time anti-clockwise. See if you can do this five times. Again, take time to rest till the breath returns to its normal rhythm. | |
| Repeat the practice with the left leg, clockwise and anti-clockwise, giving yourself time to rest and get back your breath in between. | |
| This practice is a must for those who wish to lose weight in the abdominal area and is very useful for obesity. It helps to tone up the hips joints, abdominal and spinal muscles. | |
| Asana 4: Sphinx Asana | |
| Lie down on the stomach with the forehead resting on the floor. The legs should be relaxed and straight, with the soles of the feet facing the ceiling. Bend the arms and place the palms flat on the mat, next to the ears, with the fingers pointing forward. The elbows should be close to the body and firmly grounded on the mat. Allow a little time for the body to relax in this starting position. | |
| As you inhale, raise the head, shoulders and chest till the upper arms are vertical to the floor. Look upwards towards the ceiling by bending the head backwards and hold the posture. In this final position, your hands, forearms and elbows should be on the mat. Relax, and try to hold this position without discomfort for some time. If you are able to hold this position for some time, then breathe normally, and then gradually lower the body to the starting position as you exhale. This is one round. | |
| This asana can be done in two ways. In the dynamic form, you have to do this practice slowly up to five rounds. In the static form, you raise the upper part of the body and hold the posture for a minute or so, come down and rest, and then repeat this once or twice more. | |
| This asana is very beneficial for stiff backs and different kinds of backaches. Those who have a problem of slipped disc can relax in this posture for as long as is comfortable. It helps to tone up the spinal nerves and improve the flexibility of the spinal column. At a deeper level, the quality of inhalation improves and the personality tends to extrovert.A short introspection: When you have five minutes to yourself, take a pen and paper and write down all the nice, positive things you have done in the last 24 hours. Go through the points you have noted. See if you have missed out anything. Then tear up the piece of paper and carry on with your day. Try to do this practice every day. It is a challenging task, you?ll see. | |
Gautam Sen is a yoga teacher trained at the Bihar School of Yoga Illustrations: Suman Choudhury |
Monday, 16 June 2025
