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Say Yes To YogaFor a Long and Happy Life

Keeping in mind your well-being and good health, we like to present you with some helpful tips on the various asanas of Yoga which will help you lead a long, healthy and a happy life.

We at Exide Life Insurance help you prepare financially for a 'long and happy' life and believe that our philosophy should not be restricted just to insuring your future, but also bring about a holistic change to make your today better.

Through this booklet we have tried to draw your attention to the age old science of Yoga which imbibe itself the complete essence of the way of life. Therefore, take a step today, towards a better and healthier lifestyle.

YOGA is an ancient spiritual, physical and mental discipline that has been practiced in India for thousands of years and its benefits have been innumerable. Yoga can be practiced to stretch, breathe, meditate, or simply to stay fit. While there are different kinds of yoga, ranging from the gentler to the more strenuous, every form of yoga can improve your health in one way or the other. The aim of yoga positions or asanas is to make you more aware of your body, mind, and environment thereby helping you become fitter both mentally and physically.

If you would like to improve your lifestyle by practicing yoga, you may refer our booklet for information on the various asanas.

• Choose poses that seem appropriate to your mood and energy level

• Begin with gentler poses and work up to stronger ones

• Breathe evenly through the nose throughout the postures

• Never rush into and out of a pose

• Never strain in a pose - if it hurts, stop

• Don't habitually practise in front of a mirror. Focus on how the pose feels, not what it looks like

• The postures should be both steady and soft

Tips to follow when practicing yoga poses

You've probably heard that yoga is good for you. Maybe you have even tried yoga and discovered that it makes you feel better. But what are the specific health benefits you can expect to enjoy from doing yoga regularly?

Physical Benefits

Flexibility: Stretching your stiff body in new ways will help it to become more flexible, bringing greater range of motion to muscles and joints.

Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, resulting in increase in overall strength.

Better Breathing: Yoga breathing exercises focus the attention on the breath and teach us how to better use our lungs, which benefits the entire body.

Mental Benefits

Mental Calmness: Yoga asana practice is intensely physical. Concentrating so intently on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing calmness to the mind.

Stress Reduction: Physical activity is good for relieving stress, and this is particularly true of yoga. Because of the concentration required, your daily troubles, both large and small, seem to melt away during the time you are doing yoga.

Body Awareness: Doing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body. You are often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment. This can lead to improved posture and greater self-confidence.

Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation)

Surya refers to 'sun' and Namaskara means 'salutation' inSanskrit. Surya Namaskara involves a series of 12 yoga postures which are done in one long continuous process.

1. Stand erect in Tadasana pose with your legs close together.

2. Palms joined together in front of your chest.

3. Inhale slowly and raise your hands above your head and bend backwards. Exhale and bend forward.

4. Inhale and extend your right leg behind as far as possible supporting yourself on the hands and left leg.

5. Keep the right leg straight and look in front.

6. Exhale and take your left leg behind and place it in alignment with the right leg.

7. Your body should be resting on your hands and feet. Keep your body straight and firm.

8. Exhale and lower your body to touch the floor.

9. Inhale and raise your head and trunk with a slight back arch.

10. Exhale and now raise your body up, keeping the palms and feet still on the ground to form an inverted 'V'.

11. Inhale and bring your right leg forward and look up.

12. Keep the left leg extended backwards.

13. Exhale and bring the left leg forward and keep bending down your waist.

14. Stretch your arms Overhead with palms joined

15. Exhale and bring your arms down to the sides slowly

Caution

Ÿ Expectant mothers should not perform this yoga poseŸ Not advisable for hernia and high blood pressure patients

Benefits

Ÿ The nervous system gets tonedŸ Blood circulation to all parts of the body improvesŸ Helps in reducing abdominal flab

Sukh means 'pleasant' or 'comfortable' in Sanskrit. This is a cross-legged posture where you are totally at ease.

1. Sit down on the floor. Stretch the legs in front.

2. Keep your head, neck and spine erect.

3. Fold the left leg at the knee and bring it closer to the body.

4. Lift your right knee and slide your left foot under the right thigh.

5. The sole of the left foot should be turned up.

6. Similarly, fold the right leg and put your right foot under the left calf.

7. The sole should be tilted up and the foot should support the left shin.

8. Place your hands gently on the corresponding knees.

9. Keep the head, neck and spine erect. Maintain this posture for as long as youare comfortable.

10. Stretch out the legs in front in reverse order.

11. Repeat by interchanging the position of the legs.

CautionŸ Do not practice if you are menstruating

Ÿ Do not practice if you suffer from back ache

BenefitsŸ It is the easiest yoga pose and can be practiced by one

and all

Ÿ Helps you relax your mind and body.

Sukhasana (Comfortable Pose)

“Gau” means ‘cow’ in Sanskrit. The final posture of this asana resembles a standing cow.

1. Get down on all fours with your palms and knees on the floor and the back straightened out, forming a table top.

2. Keep your knees straight below the hips.

3. Straighten your arms, so that the wrist, elbow and shoulder are in one straight line.

4. Keep your head in the center. Do not let the head hang down.

5. Fix your gaze on the floor

6. As you inhale, raise your chest and buttocks towards the ceiling.

7. Push your belly downwards towards the floor so that it forms a curve.

8. Exhale and raise your spine so that it forms an arc.

9. Raise your head and look straight ahead.

10.Exhale and bring the spine back to the table top position.

CautionŸ People with neck injury should avoid this pose

BenefitsŸ The neck and upper part of the body gets stretched.

Ÿ The abdominal organs benefit from this pose.

Ÿ The spinal column gets massaged.

Gavasana (The Cow Pose)

1. Stand straight with legs together and hands hanging loose on both side.

2. Look in front and inhale slowly while raising both your hands.

3. Fold them at the elbow and bringthe palms towards the chest.

4. Join both the palms and exhale.

5. Inhale slowly and raise your handsabove the head with palmsjoined together.

6. Raise your heel and stand on yourtoes. Stretch your arms as for up as possible.

7. To return to the starting position, first put the heels down.

8. Exhale and slowly lower your hands.

Tada means ‘mountain’ in Sanskrit. The hands in thisposture from a peak, hence the name.

CautionŸ Do not perform this pose if you experience dizziness

BenefitsŸ Corrects your posture

Ÿ Back pain and Visceroptosis can be treated

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

In Sanskrit, Uttana means ‘raised’ and Pada means ‘feet’.In this yoga posture, the feet are raised up.

1. Lie down on the floor, on your back with your legs straight and joined together.

2. Keep your hands on either side, palms facing down.

3. Inhale slowly and raise both the legs from the ground.

4. Knees should be straight and toes pointing outward.

5. Keep raising your legs till they are perpendicular to the ground.

6. Maintain this posture for as long as you can, breathing normally.

7. Exhale and lower your legs gradually.

CautionŸ Not recommended for people with lower-back problems.

BenefitsŸ Waist and thighs lose fat and get trimmer

Ÿ Regular practice improves digestion

Uttanapadasana (The Raised Leg Pose)

“Makar” is Sanskrit for ‘crocodile’. The final posture of this asana resembles a crocodile lying upside down.

1. Lie down on the floor on your stomach with your hands on the sides. Your chin and chest should also be touching the ground.

2. Stretch out both legs to full length.

3. Separate both legs and place them on the floor such that the toes are pointing outwards and heels inwards.

4. The feet should be at right angles to the legs. Raise your head and trunk.

5. Take your right hand under the left shoulder.

6. Hold the left shoulder gently with your right hand.

7. Grasp the right shoulder with your left hand gently.

8. The two hands should be making a double triangle; one above the other.

9. Place your forehead on the triangle. Your face should be within the space created by both arms.

10. Close your eyes and relax your whole body.

11. Practice abdominal breathing. Remain in this position as long as you are comfortable.

12. Turn over. Lie on your back and start again.

CautionŸ Expectant mothers should not perform this yoga pose

BenefitsŸ Makarasana is the perfect pose for relaxation of both mind and body

Ÿ It helps relieve fatigue after a strenuous yoga session

Ÿ The asana helps keep control over high blood pressure

Makarasana (The Crocodile Pose)

Sava means 'corpse' in Sanskrit. In this asana the whole body is relaxed by remaining motionless just like a dead body.

1. Stretch out your hands and legs and keep them adequately apart.

2. Drop your chin and sagyour lower jaw.

3. Starting from the head,picture each part of thebody and relax it byletting go.

4. Concentrate on yourbreathing and forget about other parts of your body.

5. The total relaxation phase is that moment from where you’ll realize nothing, feel nothing, hear nothing, sense nothing and your mind will be in a blank state.

6. Join your legs slowly head, picture each part of the body and relax it by letting go.

7. Open your eyes and get up slowly by first stretching the hands and legs.

CautionŸ Always practice in a calm dark place

Ÿ Do not move any part of your body unless needed for relaxation

BenefitsŸ It alleviates headache, angina pectoris and dyspepsia

Ÿ Spinal abnormalities are rectified

Savasana (The Corpse Pose)

Disclaimer: The Yoga techniques in this booklet are provided for information purposes only and by no means are a substitute for medical advice. These resources are taken from www.a2zyoga.com/yoga-poses/asanas.php, a website offering yoga resources, as the website states that the Yoga techniques can be offered free of charge, without any express or implied warranties whatsoever from Exide Life Insurance Company Ltd (Company). The Company would like to caution users to use the techniques preferably with medical advice from a physician/professional Yoga instructor and the Company does not guarantee that favorable results will be obtained from their use. The users are advised to use their discretion and best judgment when performing the techniques after ascertaining their medical condition, physical and mental capabilities. If in doubt the user is advised not to perform these Yoga techniques without medical advice. The Company assumes no obligation or liability of whatsoever nature arising from the use of the said techniques.

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Limited. IRDAI Registration Number: 114, CIN: U66010KA2000PLC028273. Registered Office: 3rd Floor, JP Techno Park, No.3/1, Millers Road, Bengaluru - 560 001; Toll Free: 1800 419 8228: Visit: exidelife.in ARN : EXL/2016-17/COLL/235