YOGA ASANAS TO STAY HEALTHY

Yoga is possibly one of the greatest inventions of humankind. Apart from making you healthier, it is also great to improve concentration, increase flexibility, treat chronic illnesses, and even prevent some dangerous ones. So what are some yoga ‘asanas’ that will help you make your body overall fit and healthy? 

• Savasana - Probably the easiest asana to perform. But its benefits are many. To do it, simply lie down on your back with your head, arms, and legs rested and relaxed on the floor. Doing so will release tension and lower your heart rate, giving both your body and mind a boost. It is also great to regulate diabetes. 
• Marjaryasana-Bitilasana - Cat-cow stretch is one of the best yoga poses for back pain and flexibility. It helps loosen all of the back muscles and mobilizes the joints in the spine. You can perform it by getting on your hands and knees, with your neck in a neutral position. Now, keep your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your buttocks. Inhale into cow pose, arch your back so that your belly touches the yoga mat, then lift your chest and chin. Lastly, exhale, drawing your navel in while rounding your back and letting gravity drop your head toward the floor.
• Apanasana - to perform this Yoga asana, lay down on your back with bent hips and knees while pressing your hands against your knees. Then, exhale while holding your knees to your chest and drawing your navel in toward your spine. As you inhale, return to the starting position. This asana promotes flexibility and helps manage back pain. 
• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - it increases your overall core and glute strength and, helps prevent back pain. Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Bend your knees, with your feet about hip-width apart, and keep your feet flat on the floor directly under your knees. Next, raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
• Baddha Konasana - Also known as bound angle pose, this basic yoga pose helps with flexibility. By letting gravity lower your knees, it opens up your hips. In fact, a study performed on people with diabetes showed that, in combination with other yoga asanas, it improved subjects’ total cholesterol, blood glucose, and overall sense of well-being. 
• Utkatasana - you mimic sitting in a chair in this asana, as you hold a squat with your feet together. Chair pose is great to develop upper and lower body strength, particularly in your glute and back muscles. It also helps with balance, especially if you lift your heels.
• Salabhasana - Locust pose is great for both flexibility and back pain. It serves as an antidote to the forward hunched posture we so often adopt in our daily lives. Lie on your stomach with your forehead on your Yoga mat and your arms at your sides, palms facing down. Make sure to keep your neck in a neutral position, arch your back and lift your chest, arms, and legs off the floor. Next, raise your arms so they are parallel to the floor and stretch from your shoulders through your fingertips, keeping your gaze forward and your neck long. Maintain this position for three to five breath cycles, then return to the starting position.
• Viparita Karani - You put your legs up at a 90-degree angle against a wall in this asana. Legs up the wall promote relaxation and help stretch your hamstrings and support your circulatory system. It also supports the flow of blood back to your heart, hence, decreases any leg swelling and/or feelings of fatigue

Happy Yoga!
Thanks.