Bharat Thakur

NESS FIT

Bharat Thakur is a yoga guru and founder of Artistic Yoga

THE CENTRE

OF BEING

The samadhi of yoga is achieved when you start seeing and living in more heart-aware ways

THEheart is an area that isn’t fully understood. When we are moved to tears, feel joy, anguish or grief ... where do these feelings come from? When we are inspired or moved to creativity, where does this come from? Genius, skill and ability are nothing if we don’t have the urge to perform and achieve. These feelings come from the heart.

The ancient yogis saw the heart as the centre of emotions and consciousness. The yoga sutras say: “Hridaya chittasamvit” (merging with the heart, you gain full knowledge of the mind). Merging means getting closer to your core self or samadhi, a state of pure being, joy and happiness. This is the ultimate aim of yoga. So, there isn’t just the physical dimension of the heart but also the more subtle dimensions that we haven’t understood.

The size of a fist, the heart, lies at the centre of

the cardiovascular system. It transports oxygen, prana (life-force) and nutrition through the blood, to every cell. It’s an incredible bio-electrical pump which beats about 1,00,000 times per day and pumps around 6,600 litres of enriched blood every 24 hours through a network of blood vessels. This keeps us alive and ensures the good health of the entire body.

But the heart is an incredibly sensitive organ. So, our emotional reactions, stress and anxieties can disturb the heart’s normal functioning. The body goes into an overdrive that can lead to the build-up of plaque in the arteries over time. This can eventually obstruct the flow of blood to all organs and result in blockages or heart attacks.

Yoga can help maintain a healthy heart. The series of asanas (postures) done in sync with our breathing gradually improve our flexibility, balance, muscle tone and strength. Along with pranayama and relaxation techniques, it can counter the effects of stress and anxiety. Gradually we go beyond discomfort and can hold postures longer, feel lighter and freer.

Getting deeper into yoga practise, we become focussed, relaxed and at ease in the momentwhich makes the layers —of anxiety, limited ways we see, act and react —fall away. We are closer to our deeper selves, relaxed, happy and open. We slowly realise that, “I am not just the body”, and begin to see, change and transform those aspects of our attitudes and behaviours that limit us and make us feel stressed and anxious.

So, the heart isn’t just a physical organ. It’s also the centre of our emotions, the seat of consciousness. The way we ‘see’ has a huge impact on it and the whole body. Our yoga journey is about this art of ‘seeing’, the third-eye of yoga. When you begin ‘seeing’ and ‘being’ in more ‘heart-aware’ ways, that is the samadhi of yoga.

UTTHITA TRIKONASANA o Stand with feet wide apart. Turn right, foot out and left foot slightly inward o Place hands on waist and bend sideways from the hip. Try to bring your right hip closer to your right leg without turning your torso or jutting hip back o Lower your arm towards floor and raise your left arm towards the ceiling o Look straight ahead or if you can, turn your head to look up towards the ceiling. Try to open up your chest. Hold for 30 seconds o Return to start position. Rest for a few seconds and repeat on the other side BENEFITS: o Stretches the spine and trunk, tones spinal nerves o Makes hips, spine and legs, stronger and more flexible. o Opens up lungs to improve breathing and oxygen levels o Stimulates the abdominal organs o Helps stress and anxiety

GOMUKHASAN (COW’S FACE POSE) o Sit with back straight and legs stretched out o Fold your right leg under your left leg and place your left foot beside the right buttock o Bend your right knee, place over your left knee, right foot beside the left buttock o Take your left arm behind your back and bend your elbow. Reach your hand up towards the shoulder o Take right arm overhead. Bend elbow and try to interlock fingers of both hands o Gently pull the arms away from each other, straightening the back o Hold for 30 seconds, breathing normally o Relax for a few seconds, then repeat on the other side BENEFITS: o Stretches and increases flexibility in the arms and shoulders o The stretch and pull, experienced by your wrists while interlocking hands, strengthens the wrists and relaxes pinched nerves o Straightens and tones the upper back o Clears the chest and helps in respiration

SARNAGAT MUDRA o Kneel on floor and bring big toes together o Sit back on heels, back straight and hands on knees o Breathe in slowly as you raise both arms overhead o Exhale slowly as you bend forward till forehead touches the ground o Breathe normally, relax the body o Hold for 30 seconds breathing normally o Breathe in as you slowly come up o Breathe out slowly and relax BENEFITS: o Restores, relaxes and calms the brain, body and mind o Helps relieve stress and fatigue o Improves blood flow to the head and increases the supply of blood and oxygen to brain cells o Stretches the back, hips, thighs and ankles ANULOM VILOM (ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING) o Keep the left hand on your left knee o Bend forefinger and middle finger of the right hand o Place the ring finger between eyebrows, close right nostril with the thumb o Breathe in through left nostril to the count of five o Reverse positions. Place thumb between eyebrows, press left nostril with ring finger. Exhale through the right nostril to count of 10 o Now inhale through the right nostril to a count of five o Reverse position of fingers as in step 3, exhale through the left nostril to count of five-10 o Repeat six-10 times, gradually letting your breath become slower, longer and deeper BENEFITS: o Increases supply of oxygen to the blood and purifies it by expelling toxins o Lowers stress and anxiety o Revitalises the mind and body