Hey Doctors, It’s time for an annual resolution!
Enhance your routines by embracing the benefits of incorporating yoga. These yoga techniques, suitable for all levels, aim to invigorate the mind and body, even for beginners. This approach empowers healthcare professionals to target yoga plans, improving mental and physical health outcomes. In the demanding field of healthcare, these practices offer a refreshing break. Explore these strategies to boost your well-being, taking a holistic physical and mental health approach. Embrace these practices to start the year with renewed energy and a commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
Here are five simple methods to synchronize your mind and body, creating a supportive regimen for your overall well-being.
1. Suryanamaskar: While it’s a familiar practice, explore some variations you can incorporate into your routine.
- Master the breathing rules for each posture in Suryanamaskar.
- Align your practice with the 12 Surya mantras corresponding to the 12 poses.
- Progress to performing the 12 poses in one deep breath once you are proficient. Exhale upon completing the sequence.
- Advance to 24 poses with a single inhalation and eventually 48 poses, constituting two rounds of Suryanamaskar.
- Experiment with breath control by practicing exhalation and holding for 12, 24, and 48 poses.
- Hold each pose for ten counts on specific days.
- Incorporate dynamic practices, aiming to complete as many rounds as possible in the shortest time on certain days.
2. Pranayama: Pranayama, Shavasana, and Yoganidra fall under Pratyahara practices, focusing on withdrawing the senses to improve concentration and meditation.
- Engage in Nadi Shodhan, an alternate nostril breathing pranayama. In the basic form, inhale through the left nostril while keeping the right closed, then inhale through the right and exhale through the left to complete one round.
- Initiate with inhaling and exhaling for eight seconds, gradually extending the duration until reaching 15 to 20 seconds for each breath.
- Introduce Kumbhak practice, involving breath retention after even inhalation. Inhale (15 seconds, left nostril), hold both nostrils closed (15 seconds), exhale (15 seconds, right nostril), and repeat the process for the right nostril. The ratio is 15:15:15: 15:15:15 or 1:1:1: 1:1:1.
- Progress further, allowing the inhalation and exhalation ratio to extend to 1:2:1:1:2:1, where one duration is double the other.
3. Shavasana: Incorporate this meditative rest, akin to psychic sleep, into your daily routine following Suryanamaskar. It aids in strengthening your willpower, enhancing creativity, and boosting brainpower.
Find a quiet and comfortable space to lie down on your back. Use a yoga mat or a soft surface to ensure comfort during the Shavasana practice. After completing your daily Suryanamaskar routine:
- Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms comfortably by your sides, palms facing upwards.
- Close your eyes and consciously relax each body part, starting from your toes and working your way up to your head.
- Release any muscle tension and allow your body to sink into the mat.
- Shift your attention to your breath.
- Take slow, deep breaths, allowing your abdomen to rise and fall naturally.
- Clear your mind and focus on the present moment, letting go of any stress or distractions.
During Shavasana, visualize and affirm positive attributes like firm willpower, enhanced creativity, and increased brain power. Hold onto these intentions as you relax for 5 to 10 minutes. Gradually transition back to a seated position when you’re ready to conclude the practice.
4. Dharana on Dwadashanta: Focusing on Dwadashanta in Dharana involves concentrating on a span equivalent to 12 fingers or fists, measured from the nostril to the heart center.
- Observe your breath. Inhale and feel the breath moving from the nostril to your heart cavity.
- During exhalation, visualize the breath moving from the nostrils to a point in space in front of your heart.
- Ensure that your awareness remains undisturbed during this breathing practice. Concentrate on the uninterrupted flow of breath.
- Practice regularly, and your experience will unfold this breathing technique’s deeper aspects and benefits over time.
5. Dharana: Sit in a relaxed pose with eyes closed. Focus on what gives you satisfaction, which differs from being happy, joyful, elated, excited, and so on. Explore the various hues of what satisfaction means to you and continue diving deeper into it. You may pick on anything else, like pleasure, ambition, success, or love, and examine it from all angles and aspects.
- Prepare your space.
- Adopt a relaxed pose.
- Close your eyes.
- Deep breaths.
- Focus on satisfaction.
- Explore various aspects.
- Dive deeper.
- Consider other elements.
- Conclude mindfully.
By following these steps, you can engage in the Dharana Asana to enhance self-awareness and move closer to the ultimate aim of yoga—discovering your true “self.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, as we step into 2024, let’s resolve to personalize our well-being through yoga. These practices are tailored for healthcare professionals and offer a holistic mental and physical health approach. From the revitalizing Suryanamaskar variations to the concentration-enhancing Pranayama and Dharana on Dwadashanta, these techniques promise a refreshing break in the demanding healthcare field. So, embrace these practices, synchronize your mind and body, and embark on a healthier, more balanced lifestyle in the coming year.
Reference
How to make yoga work for you in 2024. Health and Wellness News [Internet]. Cited on January 02, 2024. Available from: https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness/yoga-pranayama-shavasana-yoganidra-9088651/
