DEAR STRESS, LET’S BREAK UP!

Stress is the six letter word that people use to explain how they feel. Stress has also become a precursor for many of the lifestyle disorders seen today.

Do you see your stress triggers on this list?

• Woes of power cuts
• Running out of groceries
• The maid doing the disappearing act
• Traffic, being late and road rage
• Long office hours and tight work deadlines
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Your children's homework and exams

Getting through the week can be pretty stressful. Stress changes how you function. It makes you easily irritable and short-fused, leaving you exhausted and less positive. This is where Ashvagandha or ‘Indian Ginseng’, an herb known for its rejuvenating properties, comes in. It helps maintain a healthy balance between the nervous system, endocrine glands and immune system, thereby reducing the harmful effects of long-term stress on the body.

Go ahead and get rid of stress with Ashvagandha.

THREE POWER YOGA POSES TO RELIEVE TENDER JOINTS

If your early mornings are filled with joint pain and stiffness, this may be a sign of arthritis. Not so long ago, arthritis, which includes joint pain, inflammation, and swelling, was primarily common among adults between 50 and 65 years. More recently, arthritis has become a concern for younger adults due to stress, lifestyle changes, pollution, and poor eating habits. Yoga postures can help release joint stress with gentle stretching. Hold each pose for thirty seconds to a minute. Don’t be intimidated as perfection and extreme flexibility is not a requirement for yoga! Just relax your joints and keep breathing.

The Forward Fold

Slowly bend over without locking your knees. The upper body should just hang. Keep a relaxed head. You can hold your elbows or interlace fingers behind your back.

The Cobra

Lay face down on the floor. With the palms flat alongside the chest and elbows close to the body, lift your head, neck and chest off the floor. Keep your gaze forward. Use your upper back to keep the posture and not your arms.

The Side Angle Pose

Stand against a wall and keep your feet four feet apart. Turn the right foot out 90 degrees and keep the left foot in a 45 degree angle. Bend the right knee, not allowing the knee to cross your toes. Slowly bring the right elbow to rest on the bent knee and extend the left arm diagonally over your head and let your gaze follow it. Repeat on the other side.

Along with practicing yoga poses, Shallaki is an herb that can help relieve rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, joint pain, skeletal muscle pain and back pain. It reduces swelling, stiffness and increases movement by improving blood supply to the joints.