What is fitness? Is it bulging muscles or six-pack abs? Or is it the ability to run long distances and be able to lift 60kg weights? At a very basic level, fitness can be defined as a “good physical condition'' or being “in good shape''.
There are many facets of fitness but we are going to focus on only five. They are:
Cardiovascular endurance: The heart's ability to deliver blood to working muscles and their ability to use it.
Strength: The extent to which muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance.
Flexibility: The ability to perform a wide range of movements without being impeded by excess tissue such as fat or muscle.
Balance: The ability to control the body's position.
Mental wellbeing or mental fitness Various activities focus on different aspects of fitness.
For example, jogging will help you increase cardiovascular endurance and make you stronger. Weightlifting will only increase your strength. But yoga is an activity that will help you gain overall fitness. In the next few articles, we will suggest various yogic techniques and asanas that will help you build on different aspects of fitness. We start with cardiovascular endurance.
Surya namaskar
Surya namaskar, or sun salutation, is a sequence of 12 postures. This makes for a complete workout session and can be moulded to increase flexibility, endurance and strength. It is an excellent way to improve lung capacity, breathing rate and stamina. But it should not be practised by those with high blood pressure, heart disease or hernia. Those who have back problems should stop the exercise if conditions are aggravated.
First perfect the 12 postures discussed and be comfortable practising them at a steady, slow pace before moving on to a faster one. If you have never done these before, it is a good idea to initially start with 5 rounds and then move on to 10 or 15 rounds in a week.
Step 1
- Stand straight, feet together, palms joined in front of your chest.
- Breathe normally.
Step 2
- Inhale, keep palms together and bend back, stretching arms over head.
Step 3
- Exhale and bend forward.
- Place palms on floor and head on knees.
- Keep knees straight.
Step 4
- Inhale, take right leg back and bend other knee.
- Arch back and look up.
Step 5
- Exhale, take left leg back.
- Keep body straight, toes tucked in and fingers pointing forward. Body weight should be balanced on toes and palms.
Step 6
- Hold breath, drop knees, then chest and chin to floor. Keep hips raised as shown.
Step 7
- Inhale and stretch body upwards.
- Straighten elbows, arch back and look up.
Step 8
- Exhale, push back on arms and raise hips.
- Tuck chin towards chest and look at navel.
- Keep heels flat on floor.
Step 9
- Inhale and bring left leg forward, arch back and look up.
- In subsequent rounds, alternate between left and right leg in steps 4 and 9.
Step 10
- Bring right leg forward, stand upright, exhale and bend forward, placing palms on floor.
Step 11
- Inhale, keep palms together and bend back, stretching arms over head.
Step 12
- Exhale and come back to position 1.
Cardiovascular endurance training:
Once you have reached a stage where you can comfortably do 20 to 30 rounds of Surya namaskar, raise the bar and aim for 50. Now you can start working on the time you take and increasing the number of rounds.
Try reducing the time taken to complete rounds and finishing about 8 rounds in a minute. That would mean you will have to finish 50 rounds in about 6 minutes.
At the same time, keep increasing the number of rounds. Gradually take the number of rounds up to 60 and then to 75. Your objective should be to finish 108 rounds in about 12 to 15 minutes.
If you can achieve this, you will have reached a commendable level of cardiovascular endurance.
Besides helping you lose weight and build stamina, this also has other positive side-effects.
It helps improve immunity, boost the efficient functioning of all internal systems and lead to glowing skin and better hormonal balance.
Breathing techniques or pranayamas can help you improve stamina.
The two most important factors of cardiovascular endurance — breathing rate and lung capacity — can be strengthened by practising these exercises regularly.
Bhastrika
- Sit back on heels.
- Bend arms at waist, elbows close to body. Fist palms.
- Raise both fists, a bit higher than your head, keeping elbows close to body.
- Exhale forcefully through mouth (with cheeks puffed out) as you pull arms down, taking elbows behind waist.
- Repeat 20 times. Exhalation should be rapid and movements smooth.
- Inhale deeply and slowly.
- Exhale slowly.
Kapalbhati
- Sit back on heels, place palms on knees, keeping back straight and eyes closed.
- Exhale forcefully and rapidly through nose in quick succession, pulling stomach in as you exhale. Inhalation will be automatic and passive between every two exhalations.
- Practise 50 exhalations at a stretch.
- Repeat 3 times.
Note: Those with high blood pressure, gynaecological problems, stomach ailments or those who've undergone surgery recently should avoid these exercises.
So yogis, brace yourselves for a solid workout. If you thought yoga is only about slow, gentle movements, you are in for a surprise.
— Bharat Thakur is the founder of Bharat Thakur's Artistic Yoga. For questions on yoga, write to dubai.artisticyoga
@gmail.com. For more information, log on to www.bharatthakur.com
