Natural Hair Rinse

Hair rinses are good for adding “shine” to your hair and they nourish the hair, too. Natural hair rinses have the added advantage that they do not contain harmful chemicals. You can buy hair rinses from the stores and even better you can use your homemade natural hair rinse too!

Natural Hair Rinse with Cider Vinegar and Rosemary:

What You Need:

• 1 cup of finely chopped rosemary leaves*
• 2½ cups of cider vinegar

*You may also use herbs like chamomile and parsley.

How to Prepare and Apply:

• Pour the cider vinegar into a clean, dry glass bottle. Add the finely chopped sprigs of rosemary leaves. Seal the bottle, and store in a cool, dark place for about 15 days.
• After 15 days, use a muslin cloth or cheesecloth to strain this mixture. Pour the strained liquid into a clean, dry bottle. Refrigerate this natural hair rinse. This natural hair rinse should be used within 6 months.
• When you want to use this natural hair rinsemix 1 tbsp of the cider-vinegar and rosemary hair rinse in 1 cup of water. Apply the hair rinse uniformly on your hair. Leave it on 5 minutes and then rinse your hair with plain water. For better conditioning, use this natural hair rinse as your final wash after you shampoo your hair.
• Dry your hair with a towel.
• This natural hair rinse conditions and nourishes your hair. Ideally, this hair rinse should be used once in 7 days.

Lemon Natural Hair Rinse

What You Need:

• Juice of 1 ripe lemon
• 2 cups of water

How to Prepare and Apply:

• Pour 2 cups of water in a glass bowl and add the lemon juice. Mix well.
• After you shampoo your hair, apply the lemon rinse on your hair and scalp.
• Leave this natural hair rinse on your hair for 5 minutes.
• Rinse your hair with plain water.
• This natural hair rinse removes excess oil from your scalp and gives a “shine” to your hair.

Caution: If you are allergic to any one of the ingredients, then, do not use these natural hair rinses. You can also buy natural hair rinses. You may look up websites like Herbal-Gardens.Net if you want to buy natural hair rinses.

Weight Loss Tips

AOA also states that with the beginning of the 21st century, 127 million adults in the US will suffer from overweight, 60 million from obesity, while 9 million are severely obese. According to a report by the World Health Organisation, there are at least a billion overweight adults in the world today of which 300 million at least fall in the obese category.

Overweight and obesity are major concerns facing us today with a growing number of today’s population facing these problems. Weight Loss Tips will help you loose the excess weight and therefore forms an important part of the body care regime. Though not a problem by itself, obesity can lead to severe health conditions like:

Hypertension

Type2 diabetes

Arthritis

Gall Bladder Problems

Stroke

The American Obesity Association (AOA) classifies obesity into three categories, which are:

Overweight- defined as having Body Mass Index (BMI) as 25 which, can be interpreted as one fourth of excess weight than normal

Obesity- 30 percent of excess weight

Severe obesity – 40 percent of excess weight

Tips for Loosing Weight

Eat only when hungry, taking small portions at a time

Stick to homemade food. Avoid fast food as much as possible

Take meals at short intervals of 2-3 hours (instead of the conventional breakfast, lunch, and dinner). This enhances the rate of metabolism in the body

Eat a lot of fresh fruits and leafy vegetables. They are filling and are full of fibers, antioxidants, and vitamins and low on calories.

Avoid starchy food like rice. Reduce your intake of coffee as this also increases deposition of fat

Do a free-hand exercise daily. This helps to burn calories and keeps you fit.

Last, but not the least, an adequate sleep of a minimum of 7-9 hours a day, is extremely vital as that helps to keep the levels of hormones (such as Cortisol, growth hormone and insulin) under check, which can otherwise encourage storage of fat. Sleep is also a great stress buster. Stress and lack of sleep also enhance the levels of Ghrelin hormone that raises hunger and reduces Leptin, whose main function is to signal the brain to stop eating.

Natural Hair Care Tips

In modern times, when the environment is getting more polluted and chances of a skin ailment are on the rise, more and more people are opting for natural methods to take care of their hair and skin. 

The natural remedies are not only more effective and devoid of side effects, they are also more cost effective. So bid goodbye to the chemicals and synthetic products and follow the below mentioned 15 natural hair care tips for your own shining and glowing strands of hair!




 
Begin with Cleansing – Did you think that cleansing was required only for your skin? Keeping your scalp and hair germ free will not only leave them smelling good but will also ensure good quality hair. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda in two tablespoons of herbal shampoo and apply on the scalp while massaging for at least half an hour. You may have to add more baking soda and shampoo if your hair is very long, but remember to do so in the same proportion. Wash hair with cold water.

 
Healthy Diet – It does not require much explanation as to why a diet complete with all basic nutrients is essential for good quality hair. Eat healthy everyday and especially include vitamin C and protein to get strong shiny hair. While the former has antioxidant properties, the latter acts as the building block of hair.

 
Use a Natural Hair Conditioner – Switch over from your synthetic conditioners to the traditional natural ones which will help to make your hair soft to the touch. Castor, olive and coconut oil are the best natural hair conditioners. Warm the oil before you massage on the hair. You can also opt for jojoba oil, tea tree oil or vitamin E oil and products that contain a large percentage of these ingredients.

 
Brushing Hair is Important – It is very important to comb the hair at least twice a day. This helps in proper blood circulation and also distributes the natural oil in the hair to every part of the scalp, thus ensuring health and shine of your tresses. Remember not to brush more than four times a day as this will lead to breaking of the loose strands of hair.

 
Check the Quality of Water – No product can make your hair look good if you are washing your hair with hard water! It is said that corroding minerals present in hard water settle on your scalp leading to premature graying and sometimes hair fall. The best way to nullify the harmful effects of hard water is to use a water softener.

 
Get Rid of Dandruff Naturally – Make a paste of mustard and fenugreek by blending them together. Apply on the scalp; follow with a steam towel wrap for at least 15 minutes before washing off with a mild herbal shampoo.

 
For the Extra Shine – Don’t you want your tresses to shine as you step out of home? Strain black tea (remember not to brew the tea too strong) and wash the hair after it has cooled down at room temperature. Alternately, you can choose to apply homemade fresh curd on the hair. Both tea and curd are to be washed away with cold water.

 
For Extra Strength – Shikakai and amla are two ingredients that work wonders for the hair. Mix them together and add the peel of one lemon. Blend well before rubbing on hair and scalp.

 
Natural Dyeing – Colors they say are not good for the hair. But you can go the natural way for dyeing your hair. Mix half a cup mehendi, fresh juice of one lemon, an egg and one tablespoon of coffee powder in a bowl. Add water if necessary. Apply the paste on the hair and wash off after an hour with cold water.

 
To Cover Premature Grays – Gray hair requires darker colors for coverage. Put a cup of dried gooseberry in four cups of water and bring to boil. Add sugar while the water is still boiling. As the quantity of liquid reduces substantially due to boiling, mix one egg, four teaspoons of lemon juice and one cup of mehendi to make a paste. Apply and keep on hair for minimum two hours before washing off.

 
How to Get Rid of Dull Hair – If you want the bounce back on your lifeless hair, add two teaspoons of vinegar in one mug of warm water. Wash the hair with this solution. Increase the quantity of vinegar and warm water used in the same proportion if you have long hair.

 
Natural Hair Oil – Oiling the hair occasionally is essential to keep the nutrients locked! Instead of purchasing the bottled hair oils available in the market, you can prepare natural hair oil at home. Bring to boil coconut oil and add few hibiscus flowers in the oil. Cool and use on the scalp to stop thinning of hair.

 
Cure for Damaged Hair Cuticles – Steam towel wrap should be repeated every once in a while to keep the cuticles in the hair free of damage. The pores on the cuticles should remain open all the time to absorb nutrients from oil, shampoo and other products that you apply. Similarly, toxins from the scalp also need an outlet. For this, the cuticles have to be in proper condition.

 
Take Care of the Hair Roots – If the roots are strong, the hair will also be strong. Add overnight soaked curry leaves in a mixture of mustard and coconut oil. Bring this mixture to boil. Remove from oven and add three camphor balls. Allow the mixture to cool. Strain and apply on scalp in circular movements using a piece of cotton or cloth. Leave the oil on the head for at least five hours for best results. Wash off with a mild herbal shampoo.

 
Stick to Your Hair Care Regimen – If you have made a hair care routine for yourself, it is advisable to follow the routine every single day for best results. Skipping even one day of proper hair care may lead to further damage and add to woes like split ends and hair fall.

Yoga Back Bender

Yoga back bender has two different curves on each side a steady arch at one end and a steep arch on the other end. The steep arch is meant for yoga practitioners who are more flexible.

* It helps to open the front body, shoulders and chest.

* It provides support for quieter restorative practice.

* It helps in supporting back, which otherwise gets hurt.

* Besides, it also enhances the final relaxation poses.

* Forward Bender 

Forward bender is helpful to perform difficult forward bends. It is a triangle shaped prop with several open slots along its curvature that looks like a curved ladder. It extends forward stretch into the calf muscles, so that the spine is fully expanded and straightened. Forward bender can be used for 1 and 2-legged forward bends. It effectively stretches hamstrings, calf muscles and achilles tendons.

* Whale Back Bender 

Whale back bender is a popular back bender among people. It's wide enough to support your entire back, while offering comfort to your spine as you perform a stretch. It looks like the regular back bender, but actually it is much broader than the regular ones. It helps in tractioning your spine without stressing other joints.

* Foldaway Back Bender 

As the name suggests, Foldaway Back Bender is a prop that can be folded, or can be separated to make two new props. It can be used to practice drop-backs and forward bends. It occupies less storage space, making itself the most versatile and innovative back bench.

Yoga for Weight Loss

Yoga will help you burn more calories per day and get a more lean and strong body.Yoga can support your weight loss goals by giving a healthy direction. Weight gain is the result of leading a lifestyle where you take in more calories than you utilize.

Yoga offers a good solution to this problem. Yoga tones the body in a uniformed manner, unlike any " weight loss program" which claims to decrease your butts by this much inches and waist by this much, leading to side effects. Yoga can be practiced at any age to keep the body supple.

With all the conveniences of modern life such as washing machine, car, computers we do not use as many calories as we did just a few decades ago. Another big player in the weight gain game is diet. Modern lifestyle includes an abundance of packaged food with appealing food aromas, food colors, spices, refined products and even addictive ingredients. No wonder we find ourselves facing the weight gain dilemma. How can yoga help us get out of the vicious cycle of taking in more calories than we utilize? Listed here are some of the benefits:

* Yoga is a natural exercise for everybody. We have been doing yoga right from the time we were babies.

* Yoga can give you the energy and enthusiasm to create your weight loss plan and more importantly the inner strength required to stick to the plan. Create a strategy based on clear understanding of your problem. Get help from a Sri Sri Ayurveda and Sri Sri Yoga experts.

* Yoga can support your weight loss goals by giving a healthy direction to your life energy.

* Balance your body with yoga postures. Some yoga postures, when done correctly, massage the endocrine glands and the digestive system which improves digestion.

* You can build your support group at the nearest Sri Sri Yoga class and make friends interested in a healthy lifestyle.

* Lastly and most importantly, control how much, how & what you eat with yoga. Regular yoga practice can give you a valuable and unshakeable body consciousness that will help you eat less and help you eat the right food.

* Enjoy your first steps to a more healthy and happy lifestyle, enroll yourself to a yoga class right away. Find the right teacher for your level, and get a lean, fit and strong body.

Benefit Of Yoga For Back Pain

But if you have been suffering from back pain, you might reconsider. Pain relief is just one of the benefits of practicing yoga. You might also experience an improvement in your mental and emotional health that causes you to be relaxed and focused for the demands of your busy life.

* Fists Forward Bend 

Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Bend your knees and release your torso over your legs until your belly touches your thighs (or as close as you can get). Make two fists and place them in the opposite elbow creases. Relax your back, neck and head, and squeeze fists actively. Fists and bent elbows together are a central nervous system trigger that causes your back muscles to open. You’ll feel it after just a few breaths! Take 10-20 breaths here, releasing more tension from the back with every exhale.

* Wall Plank 

Stand in front of a wall at arm’s length. Reach forward from your shoulders and plant your palms on the wall, fingers wide, middle fingers pointing straight at the ceiling. Firm your fingers into the wall and draw your navel back as you lengthen the tailbone towards the floor.

Lift your ribs from the pelvis. You want to work with a natural lower back curve but an active belly. Keep length in your spine as you begin to walk the legs back, folding at the waist, and walking your hands down the wall.

Eventually you’ll come to an L-shape as seen here. If you can’t get there today without feeling pain or rounding in the lower back, bend your knees and maintain the proper spinal alignment.

As you lift the navel and lower ribs into the body, reach long through the tailbone and legs into the floor while reaching the spine, arms and head towards the wall. Repeat for 10-20 breaths, then fold into Fists Forward Fold once again. Move to the next pose after a few breaths.

* Downward-Facing Dog 

If done properly, this tried-and true asana can be excellent for spinal traction and back health. Move into the pose with feet hip-distance apart [did you know that’s only two fists-width or so?] and hands shoulder-distance apart. It’s important not to let your back arch too much, which pressurizes the shoulder joints and over-contracts the back muscles. Instead, think of lifting the navel and front ribs, providing a buoyancy in the shoulders and back.

Carve the tailbone towards the heels and press back through the inner and outer legs equally. This provides a root, a backward grounding from which you can pull and grow your spine and head forward towards the space between your hands. Even as you move the shoulders down the back and wrap your outer shoulder blades towards your armpits slightly, press long through the arms and fingers, providing a whole-body realignment and stretch. Take 5-10 breaths here, then proceed to the next pose.

* Pigeon 

We should call this pose “Angel of Mercy” for what it can do to rescue your poor aching back. It’s genius at opening the lower body muscles like hamstrings, hip rotators and the iliopsoas muscles, all which can contribute to back pain, without putting too much torque on the already tight back muscles.

This releases them by springing open the muscles beneath. It’s a must-do in my yoga sequencing. From Downward-Facing Dog, bring your right knee behind the right wrist, foot either touching the left hip crease or slightly forward.

Stretch the left leg out long behind you, knee and top of the foot facing the floor. Center your hips in space even if they don’t touch the floor.

Press your palms into the floor or a yoga block, ground your legs into the mat, and allow your legs to stretch while you let your low back curve and lift up. Draw your navel and pelvic floor muscles in and send your heart to the sky. To deepen this pose, move your front knee wider and back and creep the back leg longer. Take 5-10 breaths here, then fold forward, forearms on a block or the floor for a full-body stretch to counterpose. Return to Downward-Facing Dog, then repeat on the other side.

* Back Traction Pose 

After your last Pigeon, swing your back leg around and come onto your back, knees bent, feet under knees as if to prepare for a Bridge Pose. Grab your yoga block or if you don’t have one, a firmly-rolled yoga mat will do. Lift your hips, and place the block in the center of your hips (not low back).

The block should be the skinny way, in the same direction as your spine, not wide across the hips like your pants line. Place your hips on the block and gently walk your feet wide. Knock your knees in towards one another for one minute to stretch across the sacrum, and then walk feet and knees together.

Lift your knees over your hips until you can relax them but still stay suspended in the air. This pose will release your iliopsoas muscles even as it detoxes you and provides traction for the low back spine. After about 30 seconds or so, scoot your head further from the shoulders and rest for another 30 seconds. Return to the first variation, feet wide on the floor, knees closer, for a few breaths. To release, walk the feet under the knees at hip distance.

Engage your navel, lift your hips off the block and remove it to the side. Roll slowly down the spine inch by inch and enjoy your new spacious lower back curve and sacrum!

* Child’s Pose 

Roll over and take Child’s Pose for one minute or more. Try knees wide, big toes closer, but end with knees together for a neutral spinal stretch. If your head doesn’t touch the floor, place a yoga block or fists under your forehead so you can relax completely. Breathe slowly into your back body, expanding more nourishing energy and space on the inhale, and on the exhales, let ever more tension dissolve.

Mantra Yoga Benefits

Different people use different mantras for chanting.

The mantras could be a particular sentence or a group of sentences related to a particular spiritual meaning.

The most commonly used word for chanting is ‘Om’ which according to Sanskrit means spirit and according to hindu mythology it means emptiness.

The combination of the two derives the purpose of the mantra yoga – A calm spirit detached from the anxieties and worries of a regular life.

* Mantra yoga works a great deal on people suffering from anxiety, stress , nervousness, panic attacks and fear,

* Regular chanting of the mantras creates a sense of tranquillity.

* It also helps achieve inner peace

* The advantage of mantra yoga, as it is believed, is that it turns an unhappy person into a happy and serene individual.

* Since the most commonly chanted word is the word ‘Om’, the repetition of this word creates a physical vibration along with the mental one. This leads the practitioner to lead levels of sub and super consciousness.

* Helps focus on your inner self. * It has positive effects on the nervous system.

* This yoga relaxes the mind, body and the soul.

* Mantra yoga when practiced to extreme levels, helps attain intense points of concentration that can cure any physical or mental disorders.

* A person practicing mantra yoga benefits from regulated breath and clarity of mind.

* The spiritual benefits of this yoga are psychic intervention, control of ones own mind and thoughts.

* The relaxation of the mind enhances knowledge and the pressures of life are controlled by the thought control process.

* The most important and ultimate benefit of mantra yoga is self realization and leads an individual on the road to enlightenment.

Purna Yoga Benefits

Purna Yoga gives Yoga a positive and dynamic form. It suggests three levels of integration- the integration of the inner, the integration of the human psyche with its external environment and the integration of the psyche with its ultimate spiritual Ground.

It not just brings optimism and positive energies to the body but also to the world at large. It is this united spirituality that proficiently combines self-transcendence with love, sympathy, and reverence for all living beings. It puts together the varied aspects of yoga, needed for transformation and healing.

* Many of us have different activities that we practice in order to promote good health. To get stronger we may lift weights, for cardiovascular exercise we may do an aerobic activity, for balance and harmony we may use tai-chi, for flexibility we stretch out and meditation to find peace of mind and relax.

• Does it all- It supports the mind, body, emotions and your Spirit

• It creates both strength and flexibility

• Promotes good cardiovascular health

• Helps to create mental clarity and will relieve stress

• Will create an emotional balance

• Connects you awareness to your intuition and wisdom within

• This style is safe for all ages and body types

• Promotes healing from injuries

• Promotes an overall sense of wellness.

* Purna Yoga Benefits Purna

Yoga is the style of yoga which teaches alignment-based asana, healthy living and heart-centered meditation to help people achieve a wholeness, fulfillment and healing to life’s purpose. Purna yoga teacher training creates a way to have a life changing experience and through practice meeting the needs of today’s world.

Yoga For Great Hair

Yoga for good hair growth there are many yoga asanas which are proved to be beneficial for hair growth.

Did you know that Yoga is good for your hair? Yes from Yoga you can get lots of good benefits and have a great mind and body. You can start with some breathing exercises to keep your hair in perfect condition.

Taking care of your hair is equally important as you do Yoga along with it. Some beauty regimen and good diet is important for you to have your hair in great shape.

Digestive imbalance and hormonal misbalance can create problems in your body system as well as have affects on your mental health.

Proper blood circulation is good for your scalp and keeps your hair good and luscious. Some asanas which keeps your blood circulation in head in proper condition are as follows: Sirsasana, Sarvanasana, and Ustrasana. But you should take expert advice to do these asanas properly.

Benefits of Rajyoga

Raja Yoga, sometimes called the "Royal Yoga" is inclusive of all yogas, and its philosophy goes beyond the boundaries of the many styles of yoga today.

Raja Yoga is also referred to as the Mental Yoga, or the Yoga of the Mind, because of its emphasis on awareness of one's state of mind. It is through this practice of concentration that one learns to calm the mind and bring it to one point of focus.

It is at this point that we direct our attention inwardly, toward our true nature, which is Divine. You can achieve this by following the Eight-Fold Path of Raja Yoga, which includes observation of the following:

* Yamas (Abstentions): Ahimsa (non-injury), Satya (truth), Asetya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (chastity), Apragraha (non-greed)

* Niyamas (Moral Observations): Susha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhaya (study of the scriptures), Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to God)

* Asana: Steady pose, posture or seat

* Pranayama: control of vital energy through breathwork

* Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses

* Dharana: concentration of the mind

* Dhyana: Meditation

* Samadhi: Enlightenment, union with the Divine