Bharat Thakur

ASwe enter the second year of the pandemic, it’s vital that we must continue to build our immunity and take care The other way to cool the body is through breathing. The yogis observed the effect of breath on the body. If you place your hand right under your nose of ourselves. This is especially true now and breathe out, you’ll see that the flow as we shift into the heat of summer. of breath in one nostril is more than

As temperatures climb, the thermal the other. The left nostril (ida nadi) is energy from our body’s metabolic activities makes our body temperature Bharat Thakur is a yoga guru the lunar, cooling, calming channel while the right nostril (pingala nadi) is rise. Our hearts beat faster and our and founder of the solar, warming, more active nervous system works harder. Too Artistic Yoga channel. If you balance the breath in much sun can dehydrate us, burn the both nostrils, the body cools down. skin and make the feet swell. We feel The ancient This can be done through physically drained and are easily science can make techniques like Chandrabheda irritable. If we’re not drinking enough water, we can get headaches, feel you cooler, (left-nostril breathing) and Anuloma Vilom (alternate nostril breathing). nauseous, dizzy, and, in extreme cases, calmer and Another technique, Sheetali, is done by suffer a sunstroke. better able to sucking in air through a tunnel created The ancient yogis researched and observed both nature as well as themselves. They were dedicated to cope with the heat by your tongue. This cools the air you inhale. When cooler air is delivered to your lungs through this technique, the experimenting and analysing the vagus nerve signals the brain, which effects on their bodies and minds. Based on this, releases relaxing hormones. This improves they devised yoga techniques that directly impact homeostasis and induces the muscles to relax. the brain centres that regulate our body Both the body and mind become tranquil and cool temperatures. They gave us two methods that can Relaxation practises like Savasana (corpse benefit us in the summer. posture) or Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) are

This gentle exercise regime restorative practices for body, mind and can be done easily even in hot spirit. Practising either for 10 -15 weather. Postures, particularly minutes. will relax the body and forwards bends, done in sync lower its temperature. with breathing, can cool So, find a quiet space and try down the body. Some these exercises. There are also examples are Balasana or many online classes. Yoga will Sarnagat Mudra (child help you stay fit through the pose), Prasarita summer and make you Padmattonasana cooler, calmer and (wide-legged better able to forward naturally cope bend). with the heat.

SARNAGAT MUDRA

o Sit back on your heels, back straight, hands on your knees o Breathing in, raise both arms above your head o Exhale slowly as you bend forward till your forehead touches the ground. breathe normally and relax the body o Hold for 30-60 seconds breathing normally o Breathe in as you slowly come up, arms over your head o Breathe out as you lower your arms to start position BENEFITS: o Restores, relaxes and cools body and mind. 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 upper body SHEETALI PRANAYAMA

o Sit in the lotus position or any comfortable posture with back straight o Place palms on the knees, facing up, the index finger touching root of the thumb o Extend your tongue outside the mouth o Roll the sides of the tongue into a tube o Slowly inhale to a count of five through the tube formed by the tongue o Exhale through the nostrils to a count of 10 o Let your breathing become slower and longer o Repeat 20-50 times. BENEFITS: o Cools the air inhaled by the body, lowers body temperature o Reduces anxiety, anger and stress by promoting the release of anti-stress hormones

CHANDRABHEDA PRANAYAMA

o Sit in Padmasana or cross-legged or any comfortable position with back straight and shoulders relaxed o Place the index and middle finger on the eyebrow centre and close the right nostril with the right thumb o Inhale slowly through the left nostril o Close the left nostril with the right-hand index and middle fingers o Breathe out slowly through the right nostril o This is one round. Start with 10 rounds and build up to 20 BENEFITS: o Cools down the body o Relaxes and calms the mind o Reduces tension, stress and high BP

YOGA NIDRA

o Lie on your back with legs slightly apart o Arms relaxed by your sides, a little away from the body, palms facing up o Close your eyes, breathe in, feel the stomach rise and the chest expand o Breathe out, letting the chest fall, stomach fall and relax the body. o Focus on and relax the 16 vital points in the body in this order: toes, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, abdomen, chest, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingertips, neck, chin, lips, nostrils and the forehead o From the forehead, reverse the cycle o Breathe in and feel the oxygen flow through your body o While breathing out feel your whole body relax o Gently open your eyes, stretch and sit up BENEFITS: o Relaxes the entire body and mind while reducing physical and mental tension o Helps to reduce blood pressure