Shilpa Shetty's Yoga 02 Back Asanas

• NN
• [Back Asanas]
• Back asanas: as a beginner, don't attempt to do more than one repetition per each particular asana. 
• Later, with practice, you can go to two, or three repititions per asana, but never more than that.
• [Shavasana (Corpse Posture)]
• Shavasana, or corpse posture:
• lie on your back
• feet together
• & pointing outwards
• arms by your side
• close your eyes
• breathe in deeply
• increase the distance between your legs
• feet still pointing outward
• heels touching the ground
• place your arms so that they are not in contact with any part of the body
• palms facing upward
• as you exhale, attempt to release all tension in the body
• visualize your body
• & consciously relax every part of it
• You can practice this asana at any time.
• More importantly, it completely rejuvenates the body.
• The Shavasana is also the default relaxation posture for all exercises performed on the back.
• Coupled with the Om recitation, it means that the body & the mind are ready for yoga.
• As beginners, it makes sense to relax for about 10 seconds after every single posture.
• Ardha Halasana (with one leg) - (The Half-Plough Posture)
• Ardha Halasana, with one leg, the half-plough posture:
• from Shavasana:
• bring your legs together
• & your arms to your sides
• palms facing downward
• start raising your right leg
• without bending your leg at the knee
• stretch your foot & your toes outward
• raise the leg to a 90 degree angle from the body
• & hold it there for as long as is comfortable
• remember to keep breathing normally
• slowly release & bring your leg back to the floor
• repeat with the other leg
• This is the Ardha Halasana, the half-plough posture, because the body resembles the plough in the final position.
• It's excellent for:
• the legs
• the abdomen
• & the lumbar region
• it also tones:
• the thighs
• & the calves
• it stretches out:
• the hamstrings
• & the hips
• & increases blood flow to:
• the kidneys
• the pancreas
• & the intestines
• 
  
• relax
• breathe
• give yourself 10 seconds in Shavasana
• [utthanpadasana (The Raised Legs Pose)]
• Utthanparasana, the raised legs pose:
• from Shavasana:
• bring your legs together
• & your arms to your sides
• place your palms under your hips
• start raising both your legs
• without bending them at the knee
• stop at 30 degrees from the floor
• & hold for five breaths
• similarly, stop at 60 degrees
• & finally at 90 degrees from the floor
• hold for five breaths each time
• slowly release
• stopping at both:
• the 60
• & 30 degree mark
• remember to keep breathing
•  Utthanparasana is very effective for the entire abdomen.
• It stretches out
• the thoracic cavity
• & the entire back.
• [Ardha Pawanmuktasana (with one leg) (The Leg Lock Pose)]
• Ardha Pawanmuktasana, with one leg, the leg lock pose:
• from Shavasana:
• bring your legs together
• & your arms to your sides
• bend the right leg at the knee
• bring your thigh as close to your abdomen as possible
• bring both arms around the right leg
• locking your fingers
• just below the knee joint
• the other leg remains
• straight
• still on the ground
• keep the foot relaxed
• press the thigh into the abdomen
• slowly release in the reverse order
• repeat with the other leg
• This asana is excellent for indigestion.
• It's a great stretch for 
• the abdomen
• the hips
• & the thighs
• leaving the lower body
• toned 
• & supple. 
• It helps in relieving back pain,
• & has a substantial impact on the pelvic joints. 
• You'll already have started to notice that the exercises seem to occur in pairs. 
• Most exercises
• are complimentary
• reversing the stretches of the previous excersize
• working on the complete set of muscles on each body part.
• [Setu Bandasana (The Bridge Pose)]
• Setu Bandasana. The bridge pose.
• bring your legs together
• & your arms to your sides
• now slide your feet toward you
• as close to your buttocks as possible
• with the soles remaining on the ground
• so that your knees are pointing toward the ceiling
• grasp each ankle with the respective hand
• keeping your soles flat on the ground
• & holding onto your ankles
• lift your pelvic region off the ground
• while breathing in
• tuck your shoulders in
• make sure that you're well balanced
• once in the final position
• breathe normally
• hold for as long as comfortable
• exhale
• & slowly return to the ground
• stretch your legs
• & relax
• This is an excellent workout
• for the muscles of
• the back
• & the hamstrings
• because it directs blood to the brain
• it is very effective for combating
• depression
• stress
• & insomnia
• [Kativakrasana (The Spinal Twist on the Back - variation)]
• Kativakrasana, the spinal twist on the back.
• From Shavasana
• bring your legs together
• & your arms to your sides
• place the arms
• alongside the shoulders
• perpendicular to your body
• with a distance of about 2 feet between your feet
• raise your knees
• & leave the soles of your feet on the ground
• press your lower body to the right
• attempting to get both knees to touch the ground
• while turning your head all the way to the left
• hold
• slowly come back to the center
• with your knees
• & your head
• repeat for the other side
• This asana gives you a great stretch
• all the way up the body
• & your spine in particular
• it is great help with:
• the neck
• & back muscles
• & is excellent for the stomach
• it's particularly effective in fighting the fat around your waist
• [Naukasan (The Boat Pose)]
• Naukasana. The boat pose.
• From the base position on the ground
• breathe in deeply
• raise both legs up
• trying to bring them up as high as possible
• raise both arms
• keeping them straight
• attempting to reach toward your toes
• attempt to bring your body as close to a 45 degree angle as possible
• without bending your knees
• or your elbows
• breathe normally
• hold
• gently exhale as you release
• take particular care that you avoid any jerky movements while exercising this asana.
• Naukasana is one of the asanas that is excellent for fighting the fat around your waist
• it's very good for the stomach
• as well as stretching
• the back
• & the leg muscles
• it also helps in regulating kidneys
• it's very helpful in cases involving
• diabetes
• & dispepsia
• it also improves concentration
• [Chakrasana (The Wheel Pose)]
• Chakrasana. The Wheel pose.
• while lying on your back
• bring your knees up
• & your feet as close to your buttocks as possible
• soles of the feet on the ground
• spread your legs so that they are shoulder-width apart
• lift your arms
• bend your elbows
• bring your hands to the ground
• so that your fingers are touching your shoulders
• with palms on the floor
• breathe in
• slowly using the force of your hands & legs
• push yourself up
• until your body is fully extended
• in an inverted U
• & you are standing on your toes
• feel the blood rush to your head
• & your lungs expand & fill up
• hold for as long as is comfortable
• breathe out
• & let yourself down slowly
• Chakrasana literally translates as the wheel posture
• this asana primarily focuses on the spine
• giving it a complete stretch top to bottom
• and because of the spinal stretchstretch
• the posture works on the nervous system
• but also works on the chest
• opening up the lungs
• helping in deeper & momre controlled breathing
• it is excellent for the stomach
• & because of the increased blood flow to the lower back
• helps in regulating kedneys
• it is excellent for the heart as well
• because it stretches the aorta
• it also obviously tones and builds the muscles on the hands & the feek
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Shilpa Shetty's Yoga 01 Intro & Om Chanting

SS (Shilpa Shetty)
NN (Narration)
00:45
SS
My yoga trainer once said something to me, that made a lot of sense.
He said: "We are all disintegrated. Yoga integrates us."
I understand that now.
01:00
I'm an actress; let's face it: bodies are important.
It's not the joyride everyone imagines it to be.
You really have to work hard towards maintaining yourself.
01:12
buhwuhpeal doesn't help.
I'm very very grateful to God for all the opportunities I've had.
But my life right now? It's complete & utter madness.
01:23
I don't know whether I'm coming or going.
And I've forgotten what sleep feels like.
01:28
I've been thinking there has to be a better way to live my life.
And my parents & friends, have been nudging me in the direction of yoga for a very long time.
It wasn't anything like I'd expected yoga to be.
01:42
Because yoga is a lifestyle choice.
It works on mind, body, & soul.
It... Yes, you could say it integrates you.
Because it is a new way of life.
A better way of life.
A complete way of life.
02:05
02:11
This is why we're here. You, & I.
The results of practicing yoga have been truly astounding for me.
I can tell you one thing, and believe me when I say this.
This is something I will do for the rest of my life.
02:28
02:37
NA
'Yoga' originates from the Sanskrit root 'Yug'.
It means to bind, to join, to attach a yoke;
It also means a union or communion with the Universal Power.
02:50
Most of modern yoga is founded on the Yoga Sutras, written by The Sage Patanjali.
Dating back to about 200 BCE, The Patanjali was the first to systematize the practices of yoga.
The most directly & widely followed of the descendants of Patanjali Yoga is Ashtanga Yoga.
Which is the branch of yoga we will be following in this demonstration.
It is completely internally driven.
There are no weights.
No extraordinary diet regimens.
And certainly no religious mysticism.
03:25
There are other branches of yoga: like Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Mantra Yoga, & the higher levels of Hatha Yoga; some of which embrace & entwine the practices of yoga & religion.
These are branches of yoga that involve lifetime of devotion & study.
And inevitably follow the mastery of yoga in its most basic form.
03:52
Ashtanga Yoga takes its name from two Sanskrit words.
Ashta, meaning eight.
And anga, meaning limbs.
Ashtanga therefore means quite literally: 'the eight-limbed approach (or path)' to yoga.
04:07
Patanjali layed down eight tenets that were to be the fundamentals of the practice of yoga.
These are:
yama
These are five abstentions: violence, lying, theft, illicit sex, & greed.
niyama
The five observances: purity, contentment, austerities, study, & surrender to God.
asana
Meaning seat, which refers to all postures.
pranayama
Loosely translated is life-force control.
It is the process of gaining command over prana: life-force or vital energy.
It primarily involves the act of breathing.
pratyahara
Meaning abstraction.
The reversal of the sense organs.
And using of gradual & controlled withdrawal of oneself from the world.
dharna
Meaning concentration.
An individual fixes his or her attention on the single object.
dhyana
Which is meditation.
The intense contemplation of the true nature of reality.
Leading to
samadhi
Liberation.
A super-conscious state of enlightenment.
05:25
SS
Yoga is vast.
Far too great to be compressed, & demonstrated in an hour.
But, should you choose to make yoga a part of your life,
It will be the most fulfilling thing that many of us will ever know.
That I can promise you.
I, on the other hand, can only show you the way in.
So, shall we?
05:55
["When his mind, intellect, & self are under control, freed from restless desire, so that they rest in the spirit within, a man becomes a Yukta- one in communion with God."
Lord Krishna to Arjana,
Bhagwat Gita, Chapter 6]
My initial fascination with yoga had to do with two things.
One: I can't carry weights with me on outdoor shoots.
Two: I suffer from a terrible cervical spondylosis problem.
I've been looking for a solution for a very long time.
And yoga is one thing which I've discovered, which uses free weights.
Which means you just use your own body weight.
06:25
And the science is so old & so exact
that it has completely eliminated the risks involved
06:34
So it's completely safe.
The exercises are so specific, & superbly designed.
That it makes me feel,
Like I'm in good hands.
06:42
Yoga is the only exercise form that gives you muscle tone, & stretches you ate the same time.
You know so it gives you incredible flexibility.
And it is also the most holistic approach to life that I've ever come across.
But first, a few things that you should bear in mind, when you're doing yoga:
Is that it should be practiced in the morning on an empty stomach.
If you can't take out time in the morning & if you have time in the afternoon,
After you've finished your lunch & maybe after a couple of hours,
Then you can do it.
In the morning, I wake up, maybe have a couple of glasses of water.
And I normally have tea or coffee, & then I start off with yoga in like 15 or 20 minutes.
That's perfectly OK.
So you can have maybe a cup of coffee or tea, & you can start with your yoga regime.
Make sure that you're wearing comfortable clothing.
07:32
And when you're holding a posture, you know it's called the asana,
Make sure that you are not uncomfortable.
If there's any sort of pain or discomfort, please release the asana, but avoid jerky movements.

There will be some pain in the beginning.
But it will go away. Trust me it will.
And like they say: "there is no gain without pain."

So keep breathing normally, through your nostrils, unless directed otherwise
And what are we waiting for? Come on. Let's go.
08:08
[Om Chanting
It is said that Om was the sound that was present at the creation of the universe- the original sound that encapsulates all other sound, all language.]
08:27
NN
It is important to start your workout in the right frame of mind, breathing correctly.
The easiest way to do this is by chanting Om.
Sit in any comfortable cross-legged posture on the ground, close your eyes, breathing normally.
Push the air down to your stomach.
08:46
Ideally, your chest shouldn't move at all.
Now breathe in deeply, & exhale, with the Om sound.
The first few seconds should be the vocalization of the O, with your mouth open.
Then close your mouth and let the "mmm" sound continue, for as long as your breath allows.
You should feel a deep vibration running through most of your skull.
09:11
Repeat thrice.
Keep your eyes closed, & remember to keep breathing normally in-between the deep breaths before each Om recitation.
Chanting Om calms you, focusing your mind inward.
09:33
[Back Asanas]