Working at your office slouching at the desk for eight hours or more can seriously harm your health and body. From tight hips and shoulders to severe neck pain and acute back pain, continuous work without breaks will take a toll on your health. Leaving the office for a workout break is not feasible but it is possible to practice certain yogasanas while sitting at your work space to relieve stress, increase energy and give the body a much needed boost from lack of movement. Following are a few of the work-friendly seated yoga poses you can do at your desk to keep your body fit and healthy. Desk Shoulder Opener Considered to be one of the best yoga poses to release tight shoulders at work, try this yoga pose to ease tension caused from sitting too long at a desk. Move the chair away from your desk and stretch your arms straight. Drop your shoulder in between your arms and breathe till you feel relaxed and free from tension.   Seated Cat-Cow Stretch Seated cat and cow pose helps in stretching your upper body to feel relaxed and cleared from the tightness of muscles. Sit comfortably on a chair and keep your hands on the knees and feet flat on the floor. Inhale deeply and stretch your back backwards and look up at the ceiling. Exhale and stretch your back forward while dropping your head to form a slouching pose. Repeat this 3-5 times.   Forward Fold Forward fold or forward bend can be practiced either by standing or sitting. While standing, bend forward and let your belly touch thighs, letting gravity take over. Keep your knees bended and breathe deeply to release tension. Stay in this pose for 20 seconds and repeat this till you feel relaxed. Seated forward bend can be done by pushing your chair away from the desk while keeping your feet flat on the floor. Bring your arms behind the lower back of your body, keeping the back straight and interlock your fingers behind your back. Bend forward from your waist bringing hands over your back. Rest your chest on the thighs, relax your neck and release.     Ankle to Knee Sit up straight, lean slightly forward and bring your right knee up to your chest and hold with your hands. Feel the stretch, flex the right foot and drop the knee by rotating the thigh outward from your hips. Place your ankle on the left knee and slightly press your right knee down.  This stretches your hips, ankles and relaxes your feet.   Seated Spinal Twist Considered to be the simplest poses yet effective one, seated spinal twist relieves back pain, opens up the chest and loosens hip joints. Sit at the edge of the chair and place your feet flat on the floor. Hold the back of the chair with both your hands and twist your waist to the right side towards the back of the chair. Hold and come back to the original position. Repeat this exercise for 4-6 times.   Open Chest Stretch Stretching your chest is considered to be one of the best exercises as it loosens up the muscles and chest after hunching forward at the desk for a long time. Sit at the edge of a chair, inhale and bring your fingers locked behind your back. Exhale as you look up and start lean backwards (only the upper part of the spine must bend and not your lower back) to feel your chest and shoulders stretching. Repeat this pose for 3-5 times until you feel the neck and shoulder muscles relaxed.   Shoulder Rolls Shoulder rolls help in relieving upper back or should tension caused due to less or no movement from sitting continuously. Sit in a chair by placing your feet flat on the floor. Inhale and start lifting your right shoulder to the right ear and slowly exhale by rolling your shoulder to its previous position. Repeat the same for your left shoulder and by inhaling lift both the shoulders to your ears and as you exhale release them. Repeat this pose for 5-8 times.  

Does stress leave you anxious, preventing you from getting things done properly? Does it keep you up at night? Does it trigger other health problems? Leading a modern lifestyle demands a hectic schedule, be it for work or personal life, and we have become victims to stress and anxiety. In such situations our adrenal glands are fatigued and are overworked leading to other conditions like digestion problems, irritability, lowered immune functioning, exhaustion, weight gain or loss, etc. Stress, in Ayurveda, is related to the imbalance of Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas. Maintaining a harmony among these doshas will steer clear all related symptoms of stress and anxiety. How do you achieve it? With regular practice of the below mentioned mudras and pranayamas, one can stay calm, relaxed and manage stress anytime at any place. Vayu Mudra Sit comfortably with your shoulders up, neck in a neutral posture and spine straight up. Bend your index finger downward until it touches your palm just below the thumb. Next, gently press the back of the index finger using the base of your thumb. Make sure that all the other fingers remain straight. Breathe in deeply for 2 seconds. Hold for 8 seconds and exhale slowly. Practice this with both hands simultaneously for 10 minutes daily in order to quickly relieve from stress. Uttarabodhi Mudra Hold the hands in front of the solar plexus and interlock your fingers while the index fingers and thumbs of both hands join together. Point the index finger to the ceiling and thumbs to the floor. This mudra is beneficial to calm an agitated mind and to soothe the nerves helping you in problem-solving and decision-making with ease. Apan Vayu Mudra Fold the index finger to touch the tip of the base of thumb. The little finger remains pointed forward and straight while the tips of the thumb, middle finger and ring finger touch each other. Folding the index finger helps in pain relief and relaxes the body and mind. Practice Apan Vayu Mudra daily for 30 to 45 minutes either by performing it in three sessions or doing all at once. Those with kapha dosha should practice this mudra in a moderate level. Sama Vritti Sit in a cross-legged position with your eyes closed. Notice your natural breath and give yourself a good five breaths. Slowly count to four as you inhale and repeat the same while you exhale. Continue this pattern for 5 to 10 minutes. Sama Vritti focuses on “equal” breaths wherein the amount of inhalation equals exhalation facilitated by mental count to ensure evenness. This pranayama generally helps in soothing and calming the mind to relieve from stress. Nadi Shodhana (Alternate-Nostril Breath) Sit in a quiet place and breathe into each nostril separately by plugging one nostril and breathing through the opposite nostril. Then, plug your right nostril and exhale through the left. Practice this pranayama technique for at least 15 minutes daily to reduce stress and anxiety, calm and rejuvenate nervous system and help balance hormones. Ujjayi Pranayama Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed gently and jawline relaxed. Inhale and exhale deeply while feeling the air pass through your wind pipe. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale slowly while constricting the muscles at the back of your throat. Focus on the sound of your breath and notice that the inhalations are completely filling your lungs. To get a hold on this, place your hand in front of your mouth and imagine the palm as a mirror. Keeping your mouth closed, inhale and exhale as though you are fogging up your palm. Now, you might hear an ocean-like sound caused due to the constriction of the back of your throat. This is called as your Ujjayi breath. Start practicing this pranayama for 5 minutes and extend it to 15 minutes once you are familiar doing it. It is recommended for managing conditions like depression, anxiety and stress and it also calms and soothes the nervous system.

Chilled and hydrating drinks is all that we look out for during summer season. But as per Ayurveda, consuming ice-cold beverages will only disrupt the digestive power, known as Agni. Therefore, it is vital to hydrate your body with drinks that lower your body temperature and not hamper the digestive system. Here is a list of healthy drinks recommended by Ayurveda to cool your body and hydrate as well: 1. Buttermilk Probably the best drink which refreshes and keeps the body cool in the hottest summer days, buttermilk is prepared by blending a few spoons of natural yogurt mixed with water. Often some spices like pepper, green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves, and curry leaves are added to it, to enhance its nutritional and therapeutic benefits. Consumed as almost everyone in every Indian household post meals, it gives a cooling effect on the digestive tract. Buttermilk can be used to treat digestive disorders, swelling, gastrointestinal ailments, anemia and lack of appetite. Consume buttermilk by adding a pinch of salt and spices to prevent dehydration. 2. Mango Juice The King of Fruits, Mango is well-known to promote the functioning and health of the digestive system. Loaded with vitamin C, A, minerals, iron and carotenoids, it keeps your immune system healthy to keep going strong during the summer season. Its anti-melanoma properties act as pressure buster and aids proper digestion. Since the level of stress and pollution is more during the summer season there are chances for an imbalanced alkaline level in the body, causing diseases like cancer and tumors which can be prevented with malic acid, tartaric acid and a slight trace of citric acid found in mangoes. Prepare a healthy mango juice by dicing the mango and blitz for a minute or two. Add half a cup of water if the mixture is dense and ensure that you avoid adding sugar to it. 3. Pomegranate Juice Pomegranate juice is rich in iron content and boosts the hemoglobin levels with its ability to multiple red blood cells in the body. Also, the anti-oxidant properties present in them, thrice as more as green tea and oranges, keeps the skin healthy and glowing even in the torturing heat during summer season. This superfood fights free radicals and prevents various diseases and infections. Drinking pomegranate juice regularly is recommended for heart patients, to reduce bad cholesterol, aid digestion and reduce inflammation. Prepare pomegranate juice very easily by adding pomegranate arils into a blender without adding sugar and blitz for about half a minute till the seeds are crushed. 4. Grape Juice One of the effective benefits of having grape juice is its powerful property to help relieve from digestion related problems and constipation. It also helps people suffering from migraine get over it. Add grape juice to your regular breakfast to easily relieve from migraines, boost your metabolism and instantly boost energy. Add a cup of sweet ripe black grapes to blender with half a cup of water and bitz. Strain the juice and add half a spoon of lemon juice to it. 5. Sarsaparilla Juice Sarsaparilla aka Nannari or Nauneendi is a very popular summer drink in India. Ayurveda recommends having sarsaparilla drinks during summer because of the numerous medicinal properties it offers. Extracted from its roots, it cools the body in this intense summer heat and is beneficial for people with the urinary infection. The drink gives a soothing effect to the eye and skin as well. Mix three teaspoonful of sarsaparilla root essence and a teaspoon of lemon juice to a glass of water to make sarsaparilla juice instantly. 6. Tender Coconut Water Tender coconut water replaces the fluid loss in the body and keeps it hydrated in this intense heat. With its highly concentrated fibre content, coconut water helps cure indigestion. On a hot summer day, the electrolytes present in our body reduces while sweating, making you feel drained out. Drinking coconut water helps in replenishing them and makes you feel refreshed. 7. Lemon Juice Lemon juice with a pinch of salt is considered to be an ideal drink for dehydration and it replaces the salt and glucose level in the body. Nausea, heartburn, and dehydration are some of the common health issues during the summer season can be prevented by consuming lemon juice. Taking lemon juice regularly helps in boosting metabolism and aids digestion, removing toxins and dirt from the body. 8. Sugarcane Juice Having a glass of sugarcane juice during the summer season is very refreshing as it leaves the body recharged. The alpha hydroxyl acids present in sugarcane juice does wonders on your skin by exfoliating and removing dead skin cells. It is a potent energy booster and cools the body during the harsh summers. It helps in proper kidney functioning to prevent urinary tract infections. 9. Watermelon Juice Watermelon juice is quintessential during summer time due to the plenty of health benefits it has got to offer. From being a major source of energy and water to eradicating inflammation, helping balance pH level to prevent exhaustion and heat stroke, this fruit is packed with nutritious values only. Having watermelon juice potentially reduces the risk of suffering heat stroke and as it contains electrolytes, it will help negate the effects of summer heat. Also, being high in water and fibre content drinking watermelon juice aids digestion. Blitz watermelon chunks in a blender and add a cup of water and fresh mint to feel super refreshed. 10. Fresh Cucumber Juice Cucumber is made up of 95% water content, making it an ideal superfood during summer. The magnesium content present in cucumbers helps in relaxing the nerves and muscles and also promotes the smooth circulation of blood. Enriched with vitamins, cucumber juice ensures that it replenishes the body with vitamin B to prevent fatigue and irritability, conditions which are synonymous to the summer season. Cucumber juice cleanses the body by removing toxins to get a refreshed feeling. Pair it with lemon and mint for cooling and refreshing effect. 11.

Eyes are a reflection of the body’s overall health and taking care of it plays a significant role. To prevent defective eyesight or Drishtidosha in Ayurveda, it is vital to follow healthy eye habits like exercising, following a balanced and nutritious diet, avoiding strain for eyes, etc. Drishtidosha is caused due to a multitude of factors like nervous disability, alcohol consumption, excessive smoking and aging, which strikes the balance of pitta dosha. Here are a few Ayurveda recommended tips and remedies to maintain the good health of your eyes: 1. Relax and meditate Mind and vision are intertwined and therefore, meditating is considered as the best remedy to maintain eye health. Practice Trataka meditation by sitting comfortably and staring at a single point, object, black dot or a candle flame. If using candle flame, place it at least one meter away from the eye level. Gaze at it without blinking as long as your eyes start watering. Close your eyes and focus on the after-glow of the flame and meditate for a few more minutes. 2. Massage Considered to be one of the most effective remedies for eyestrain and burning eyes, massaging pulls the heat from the eyes to promote sound sleep. Massage your scalp and feet every night with one teaspoon of castor oil, brahmi oil or coconut oil to relax your eyes. 3. Palming Sit in a relaxed and comfortable pose, rub the palm of your hands together in a quick motion for 10 seconds. Close your eyes and cup your palms over them to block out all the light, without placing any pressure on the eyeballs. Repeat this exercise five times a day for up to 10 minutes to relieve eyestrain. 4. Eye drops Before going to bed, apply a drop of organic and unrefined sesame oil in each eye to treat dry and itchy eyes. You can also use pure castor oil for irritated eyes. 5. Diet Amla is rich in vitamin C which boosts immunity and also strengthens the eyesight. It improves the functioning of retinal cells and promotes healthier capillaries. Consuming spinach, almonds and carrots are recommended as it is known to replenish the body with antioxidants and loaded with essential nutrients such as vitamin A, C, iron and calcium. Vitamin C, E and lutein is considered to be the best antioxidants for maintaining eye health. Incorporate food like apples, grapes, walnuts, oranges, sweet potato and broccoli to enhance your vision. 6. Reduced use of technology While using tech gadgets and devices we tend to forget to blink while staring at the device screen, when the minimum number of blinks per minute is 20. A reduction in the blinking of eyes will lead to dry eyes. 7. Ayurvedic herbs Using triphala eye drops can reduce minor eye problems like inflammation, eye strain and redness. It is a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants that can protect your eyes from any damage and is one of the best supplements to improve vision. You can also make your own herbal eyewash by mixing half a teaspoon of organic triphala powder with one cup of boiling water (distilled water). Allow the liquid to cool and strain it with a clean cloth to remove any particles. Dip a small towel in the liquid, place it over your eyes and blink frequently to allow the liquid to enter the eyes. Practice this for 5 minutes and pat dry the surrounding area. Ensure that you avoid straining your eyes after this to get optimum results for dealing with minor eye irritation. Home Remedies to improve eyesight: – Practice eye exercises to enhance vision and reduce stress – Soak 5 to 10 almonds in water overnight and peel its skin, grind them and consume by adding it to a glass of warm milk. Continue doing this every day for at least a few months. – Apply bhringraj herb, amla oil or organic ghee to improve vision.

Oily skin, breakouts, allergies and the main one among all, suntans! These skin issues are always tagged with summer season. With the brutal heat wave, pollution and hot wind during summer, you end up having troubles in maintaining a healthy and flawless skin. Follow the below mentioned ayurvedic tips and remedies, to get a flawless skin even in this summer season: 1. Avoid food like red chili peppers, vinegar, sour foods, fast food, salty food and alcohol that will increase Pitta dosha and heat your body. This helps in preventing damage to the skin and cools down the body. 2. Drink plenty of water and consumer water-rich fruits and vegetables like squashes, watermelon and cucumber to keep your skin hydrated. 3. Stay away from chemical-infused skincare products, artificial skin lotions, creams and soap as it directly aggravates Bhrajaka Pitta thereby, increasing your sensitivity to sun damage. 4. Apply a few drops of organic rosewater to a cotton pad and place them over your eyelids for a few minutes. Repeat this daily for a refreshing and cooling effect on eyes and to remove dark circles as well. 5. Applying juice from aloe-vera plant is considered as the best remedy for treating mild sunburn. 6. Mash watermelon into a paste and apply it on your face, except the area around the eyes. Leave it on for two or three minutes and rinse to cool and moisturize the skin. Watermelon hydrates your skin, tones and protects from sunburn. 7. Replace aerated and caffeinated drinks with coconut water, lemon juice, buttermilk, sugarcane juice, etc. 8. Use multanimitti face mask to improve the natural glow of the skin, remove dullness and de-tan. Combine milk with the pack for those with dry skin, honey for oily skin and water for normal skin. 9. Cleanse your skin using chickpea flour or rice flour for those with oily skin; ground almonds, oats and rose water for those with sensitive skin; and powdered neem leaves for acne-prone skin, to remove dirt and clogged pores. Also, avoid using soap on face as it makes your skin dry. 10. To reduce suntan, prepare a mixture of rosewater with gram flour or besan and apply it on your neck, face and arms for 20 minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water. 11. Dip a cotton pad in 1 tablespoon of milk and gently rub on your face. Leave this for 15 minutes and rinse it off with cold water. Raw milk is an excellent cleanser which will drive out all the dirt and toxins within clogged pores, preventing blackheads, acne and other skin diseases caused during summer. 12. Follow an Ayurveda recommended lifestyle that promotes healthy living including a balanced diet, sleep routine and exercise. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit juices and salads. Drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water every day to eliminate toxins, aid digestion and to keep your body and skin hydrated. Follow a proper sleep routine wherein you go to bed by 10pm and wake up by 6am ensuring that you get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily. Exercise for at least 30 minutes to improve blood circulation in your body. 13. Practice calming yoga poses like Balasana, Savasana and Uttanasana and meditate daily. Yoga helps in keeping the skin young and glowing as it stimulates blood flow. 14. Apply a mixture of mashed papaya with some lemon juice on your face, leaving it on for 20 minutes and then rinse it off with water. 15. Indulge in abhyanga with sesame oil or organic coconut oil to lubricate the skin, cleanse the sweat glands, promote blood circulation and soothe the skin after a sunburn.

The summer heat is rising incredibly and therefore we have to take precautions to keep our body and mind cool. We have already started taking measures to beat the heat (link of previous blog) and incorporating yoga in our daily routine will prove to be beneficial. But make sure you avoid poses that include inversions, warrior poses, binds and sun salutation poses. Following are a list of yogasanas that help in cooling your body during this summer heat:   Ustrasana Camel pose or Ustrasana is a backward bend pose that helps in improving respiration and heals the chakras in your body. It improves digestion, blood circulation to the brain and benefits the overall health and wellness of the body to keep your system fit and functioning during summer.   Matsyasana Fish pose or Matsyasana is considered as the “destroyer of all diseases”. Here, the body is stretched out to stimulate the muscles of belly and back and also the organs of belly and throat. Practicing matsyasana prevents fatigue during summer season.   Vriksasana Tree pose or Vriksasana cools your mind and gently strengthens the body to resist the heat. It enhances focus and concentration, while fostering balance and calmness of the mind. Also, this pose relaxes and energize the body to keep a person active and vibrant.   Baddha Konasana Too much heat can put your body in stress, practicing Baddha Konasana or bound angle pose alleviates fatigue and lets you live free from discomfort faced during summer season. It helps you feel energized throughout the day, relieving you from fatigue and insomnia.   Sheetali Pranayama Sheetali Pranayama or Cooling Breath, gives an immediate cooling effect to your body and balances excess pitta doshas. It soothes and calms inflammatory skin conditions and reduces blood pressure.     Anjaneyasana Anjaneyasana or crescent pose builds mental focus, balances your body and increases awareness. It opens up the lungs, chest and shoulders, invigorates digestive system and energizes the entire body.