SARPASANA

Most of the questions from our readers are related to diseases, but it is important to note that yoga primarily focusses on lifestyle management. The root cause of a disease can be anything ? starting from heredity, a wild lifestyle or an incorrect diet to environmental influences, stress or psychological issues. So it is imperative that we lead a balanced life to avoid unwarranted ailments. Doing a few asanas mechanically can barely be of any help. If you are practising asanas, you need to synchronise this with everything else you do throughout the day.

Our modern education system focuses on the intellectual development of a child rather than on his emotional development. This may be the reason why a youngster today is reduced to a bundle of nerves, trying to cope with the pressure in schools and colleges.

Question: I am 18 and I’ll be appearing for the Board exams this year. Apart from having a short memory and feeling overstressed, I suffer from headaches and concentration lapses. Please suggest some asanas.

S. Mohan, Kansbahal, Orissa

Nadi Shodhan Pranayama

Question: I am 18. Please suggest a few asanas that can help improve my memory, eyesight and stamina.

Satyajit Roy, Calcutta

Question: I am 17 and I have to sit on a chair for hours at a stretch to study. Because of this, I suffer from severe neck, shoulder and back pain. Are there any asanas that can reduce the strain on my eyes?

Kumar Sourav Das, Burdwan

Answer: All three of you are approaching adulthood. Remember, life comprises more than a few Board exams. The best students don’t necessarily make the best adults. Those who are balanced do a much better job. While you study, you need to find ways to retain the playfulness of a child, as well as the desire to explore and express feelings. So try and strike a balance between your body, mind and emotions. And this is where yoga can help.

Don’t let your studies bog you. Avoid watching too much of television or spending hours playing computer games. Rather, go out and play. Take short breaks between study sessions. Keep a skipping rope handy. Try and skip for five minutes (girls, though, should be careful when it comes to skipping). Don’t become a cricket historian. Instead, play cricket. Go and watch a movie, a flower show or a painting exhibition once in a while. Have fun with friends. All this is as much part of yoga.

There are quite a few asanas that may be of help, but the secret is that if you want to concentrate, you have to learn to relax quickly and efficiently, and a great way of doing this is by learning to breathe deeply.

Lie down in Shavasana and shut your eyes. As you inhale, count 1-2-3-4... As you exhale, count 1-2-3-4-5? Try and regulate either the inhalation or exhalation, whichever is shorter, to make both counts equal and keep up this equal count for 10 rounds. Then increase both by one and repeat for 10 more rounds and so on. Work steadily on this every day, increasing by one count every week. For improving concentration, do Trataka every day.

Matsyasana

Tratakasana

Sit cross-legged, with your back straight. Place a lighted candle on a stool so that the flame is at eye level. The flame should be steady. Relax with eyes gently shut. After a while, open your eyes and gaze steadily ? without blinking ? at the brightest part of the flame (the top of the wick). When you can’t keep your eyes open any longer, gently observe the after-image of the flame at the eyebrow centre. Try to stabilise this image. When the image fades, open your eyes again and look steadily at the top of the wick without blinking. Keep doing this for about five minutes, do palming and then gently open your eyes.

Question: I am 45. I have been suffering from asthma for the last 10 years. I also have allergy. Which asanas will help me?

Ashis Kumar, Chittaranjan

Answer: Asthma and allergy are inter-related. Exposure to dust, pollen, animal hair, wrong food, medicines and so many other possible irritants are the obvious suspects. Similarly, insecurity in early childhood or a painful incident in the past may be a possible cause. It is because of this holistic understanding that yoga does not depend only upon asanas for the treatment of diseases such as asthma. The patient also has to learn how to gradually overcome the impact of this disease through various yogic techniques. They help him to gradually trust himself more and transform the quality of his life.

You are likely to find some relief by doing Marjariasana, Sarpasana, Saral Matsyasana and Nadi Shodhan Pranayama. Also, you will be greatly relieved if your digestion improves. Include more wholemeal grains, fresh fruits and lightly cooked greens in your daily diet. Cut down on rice, milk, meat and oily foods.

Marjari Asana

Sarpasana

Those with high blood pressure or heart problems should practise this very gently, without undue strain, in consultation with a doctor. Lie down on your stomach, with legs straight and together. Interlock the fingers, place the hands on the buttocks with elbows locked and the chin on the floor for support. This is the starting position.

Inhale deeply, use the back muscles to raise the upper body off the floor. Raise the arms upward and backward and try to look up towards the ceiling. Hold your breath, tense your shoulder blades and hold this final posture for a few seconds. Exhale, return to the floor and relax your whole body. Release the hands, arms and rest the head on one cheek. Repeat this three more times.

This practice is excellent for asthmatics. It helps to remove stagnant carbondioxide in the lungs, tones the heart and back muscles. Also, it helps an introvert person to open up gradually, causing release of emotional tension.

If you have any queries for this section send them to Fitness (Yoga), Features section, The Telegraph, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta -700001. You may also mail them to themes@abpmail.com with ‘yoga’ in the subject line or fax them to 033-22253142/22361208. Gautam Sen, of the Bihar School of Yoga, will reply to your queries.