It's all in the spine

Anti-ageing is the most common word in the world of beauty and fitness. According to yoga, it's the flexibility of the spine, not the number of years, that determines a person's age. Research shows that people who practise three hours of yoga a week are nine years younger than their non-yogi counterparts.

Here's a quick dose of anti-ageing asanas.

Aakriti Dhyana

• Wash face with warm water. Wipe dry. Place a mirror in front.

• Fill mouth with air and gargle by rotating it in all directions for two minutes.

• Make faces by rolling tongue inside mouth. Soon, the facial muscles will relax.

• Dip a napkin in warm water and squeeze it. Cover forehead, face and neck with it.

• Lie on back and relax. This asana works on tense facial muscles and the brain.

Shirshasana for beginners

• Place yoga mat in a corner, kneel down in front of it and place interlocked fingers in the corner close to the walls.

• Place head in the hollow of the palms and raise knees. Take a step towards the corner.

• Lift a leg and place it in the corner against the wall. Or ask a friend to hold the leg and put it in the corner. Kick the other leg up. Hold posture for 15 seconds.

• To release posture, lower one leg at a time. Or ask your friend to hold a leg while you lower the other.

• Start off in the headstand for about 15 seconds. Increase the time by 15 seconds every week until you reach three minutes.

Shirshasana for experts

• Kneel on yoga mat. Place interlocked fingers and forearms on the extra padding of the mat. Keep the elbows close together.

• Place the back of head in the hollow of the palms (not on the fingers). Rise off the knees and take a step towards head.

• Inhale and raise legs until they are vertical. Keep the back straight. Breathe slowly and deeply from the abdomen.

• Concentrate on the brain or the pineal gland between the eyebrows.

• To release the posture, bend knees and lower legs one by one. As in the beginners' stage, hold posture for 15 seconds and gradually increase to three minutes.

Simhasana

• Kneel with the heels pressed against the buttocks and the calves flat on the floor.

• Place palms on knees, straighten the arms and keep back straight. Look ahead.

• Inhale while leaning forward slightly, stretching the jaws wide. Stick out your tongue and fix your gaze between the eyebrows and stretch the fingers.

• Hold posture for the duration of the inhaled breath then exhale, relaxing the forward stretch, dropping the fingers to the knees and closing the mouth and eyes.

Ardh Matsyendrasana

• Sit with legs outstretched, hands by the side and fingers pointing forward.

• Fold right leg. Place heel at the perineum.

• Fold the left leg, bringing it from above the right knee, place it by its side on the ground. The left knee should point upwards.

• Bring the right hand on the left side of the left knee. The left knee should remain at the left side of the right armpit.

• Straighten the right hand and hold the toe or ankle of the left leg.

• Twist torso to the left. Place left hand on the right thigh from behind. Look back.

• To release the posture, remove the hand from the thigh and turn head forward.

• Return to start position after loosening the right hand and straighten legs one by one.

• Repeat asana by folding the left leg first.

Dhokan Kriya

• Sit in Padmasana. Place palms on knees.

• Keep the back straight and look ahead.

• Exhale forcefully through the mouth, pushing the stomach inwards.

• Relax the abdomen muscles and inhale. Return to start position.

• Practise with 50 exhalations and slowly increase it to 100. Similarly, hold posture for two minutes and increase to ten minutes.