New Delhi, March 7 (IANS). In today’s busy life, staying physically and mentally healthy has become a big challenge. Due to lack of sleep, poor lifestyle, physical inactivity and poor eating habits, problems like depression and heart disease are increasing rapidly among people.
In such a situation, it has become very important to implement yoga and pranayam in our daily life to stay healthy. One of them is Paschimottanasana, which is a major Hatha Yoga asana. By doing this yoga asana regularly every day, the body gets a lot of benefits. Paschimottanasana is beneficial for the spine, hamstrings and lower back. This improves digestion, relieves stress and also reduces belly fat.
To do Paschimottanasana, first of all sit with both your legs spread straight in front. After this, keep the spine straight. Then while inhaling, raise both the hands and pull the spine upwards. After this, while exhaling, bend forward from the hip joint. Then, keeping the spine straight, move forward and try to catch or touch the toes.
During this, bending forward with the legs straight causes a stretch in the entire back part of the body, but try to bring the forehead towards the knees. Then, take long deep breaths and stay in this position for 20 to 60 seconds. While inhaling, slowly raise the head and torso and bring both your hands down. This asana is helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, headache and fatigue.
The best time to do Paschimottanasana is considered to be in the morning. It is considered best to do this yoga asana early in the morning on an empty stomach. It helps in keeping the body energetic and stress free throughout the day. However, this yoga asana can be done in the evening also, 4-5 hours after eating, but doing it in the morning is said to be more beneficial. At the same time, in the initial period it is advised to do it only under the supervision of an expert.
–IANS
DK/VC
