Eagle Hand Pose Gets Rid of Stiff Neck and Shoulders ~ Six Benefits of Restorative Yoga to Keep Away Obesity and Insomnia

Some people are prone to back pain, while others have problems with herniated discs. Therefore, they feel "scared" about doing yoga poses, fearing that they might accidentally exert too much force and get injured again. In fact, there is now a "restorative yoga" option. If you are experiencing stress, trauma, injury or illness, restorative yoga is a gentle, non-stressful practice that uses stress-free poses to help you heal your body and mind.

People with high activity levels are often prone to physical imbalance.

Many things we do in our daily lives can cause imbalance in our body. If we repeat this every day, it is easy to unbalance our body. People who are highly active are often more prone to imbalance because they often overuse their bodies, for example, golfers often have back and arm problems. Simple movements we make every day can also cause imbalance. For example, mothers who often hold their babies with one hand are prone to back problems. However, people with low mobility often suffer physical injuries due to "overuse". For example, sitting at a desk for a long time can cause hunched shoulders and stiff neck muscles.

For those with moderate to severe impairments, physical activity can be very difficult, regardless of where those impairments originated. If you have a torn shoulder rotator cuff, a torn tendon, or tennis elbow (formally known as lateral epicondylitis), it would be nearly impossible for you to practice traditional yoga. And for people with chronic diseases such as arthritis or neuropathy in the limbs, exercise can be very uncomfortable.

Restorative yoga helps offset sports injuries and repair body and mind

However, restorative yoga can help counteract these sports injuries and restore the body's original balance. In her new book, Restorative Yoga for Back Pain, children's yoga teacher Gail Boorstein Grossman says restorative yoga is good for the body because it is a gentle, non-dynamic practice that helps you repair your body and mind with stress-free postures.

Even if you don't practice yoga regularly, practicing restorative yoga occasionally can improve your health. Most of us never take the time to let our muscles rest and recover. We keep using our bodies until one day our bodies send us a warning signal! Restorative yoga can also prevent us from inadvertently harming our bodies in our daily lives by relaxing overused muscles.

[6 benefits of restorative yoga for the body]:

●Post-operative recovery: Restorative yoga is very peaceful and helps restore energy during practice, aiding healing. Certain movements and postures can also help people recover from some surgeries.

●Prevent Disease: Restorative yoga helps prevent many diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. Restorative yoga is great for your health because specific poses in it lower your body's stress hormone, formally known as cortisol. Once the body is relaxed, stress hormones are reduced, as well as blood pressure and blood sugar.

●Relieve women’s physiological problems: Restorative yoga also has a restorative effect on pregnancy, menstruation and menopause problems. Symptoms of menopause are all related to changes in hormone levels, and restorative yoga can help maintain hormone balance. Menstruation is not only related to hormones, but also causes problems such as bloating and cramps, which often cause physical discomfort. Restorative yoga and breathing techniques can also be very helpful in improving muscle function.

●Gives you more energy: People often underestimate the importance of rest. In fact, most people do not get enough sleep and often try to stay awake by drinking caffeinated beverages, but this instead causes problems such as insomnia at night, creating a vicious cycle.

Practicing restorative yoga relaxes the nervous system and creates a state of rest for the body without actually falling asleep. A simple pose like doing a wall leg raise for 20 minutes (with or without a bolster) can help you feel more energized.

●Stay away from pain: Injury and illness can cause "pain" in your body, which is beyond your control. However, how you handle or respond to the pain you feel is something you can control. Don't let the pain control you. If you can learn how to reduce your "pain response" - how you feel, your thoughts and emotions about pain, your coping mechanisms for pain, etc. - you can reduce pain to a level that is manageable for you. Once you develop a pain-coping practice, you can handle pain in a better, healthier way, and restorative yoga can often heal pain in a specific area.

Benefits to the mind:

A comfortable environment can keep our body healthy and strong. Comfort means less tension and stress. When we have less tension and stress, we feel more at ease physically and more peaceful mentally. One illness has the potential to lead to more illnesses and may cause more problems in your body, and restorative yoga can help you heal and prevent these problems, such as heart disease, obesity, headaches, or cancer. When you take the time to practice restorative yoga, you can recover from the physical symptoms caused by these illnesses, and even better, you can prevent these physical problems from turning into other illnesses.

★【Eagle Hand Pose】

To practice this pose, you can sit on a yoga blanket folded into a small square or long shape, or you can sit in a chair or stand. This pose stretches your shoulders, upper back, and neck. If you have neck and shoulder stiffness, practicing this pose can help a lot, and it’s a great relaxation move for those who sit in front of a computer all day!

Required auxiliary equipment: yoga mat, chair (optional).

practice:

1. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, or you can stand. Open your arms to form a "T" shape with your body. Move your right arm to the left first, across your chest, and finally place it on your left shoulder. Move your left arm to the right, across your chest, and finally place it on your right shoulder.

2. Lower your head and let your chin drop to your chest to stretch your upper back and neck. Stay in this pose, breathe a few times, then lift your chin and raise your arms up so that they are intertwined in front of you, with your palms facing back of the hand (or palm to palm). Raise your elbows until you feel a stretch in your back, and hold this position for a few breaths. (If your shoulders are very tight, you may not be able to wrap your arms together, in which case you can just stay in the position in step 1.) Finally, release your hands and drop them to your sides.

3. Then swap the upper and lower positions of your arms. Open your arms to form a "T" shape with your body. This time, move your left arm to the right first, across your chest, and finally place it on your right shoulder. Move your right arm to the left, across your chest, and finally place it on your left shoulder. Repeat the above steps.

★【Ox Face Style】

This pose stretches your triceps and shoulders. Placing a yoga mat or bolster under your hips can help keep your knees in the correct position, making sure your pelvis does not tilt downward so that your back can be completely straight.

Required auxiliary equipment:

・Yoga mat

・Chair (optional)

・Yoga blanket (folded into a small square or long shape) or yoga pillow (optional)

・Stretch strap (optional)

practice:

1. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, or you can stand. If you are sitting, you can place a yoga mat or a yoga pillow under your buttocks to make yourself more comfortable.

2. Stretch both arms upward, then bend your right arm and place your right palm on your upper back, as if you were about to pat yourself on the back. Next, place your left hand on your right elbow to stretch your triceps. Stay in this pose and take a few deep breaths.

3. Stretch your left arm outward, then bend your left elbow and place your palm facing up behind your back, so that the back of your left hand is against your back and your fingers are facing toward your head. Finally grab your right hand with your left hand. If your hands can't reach each other, use a stretch strap or a piece of clothing to assist. Stay in this pose for at least five deep breaths.

4. Release your hands, raise your arms and stretch them upward again. This time, place your right hand on your left elbow and repeat the above movement once.