Q&A

Please suggest asanas to cure sinusitis.PRIYA IYER, KOCHI

Pollution in cities is a major cause of sinusitis. Yoga asanas assist in dealing with sinusitis but these asanas need to be learned under a trained teacher. Most of the inversions like Sarvangasan, Halasan, Matsyasan etc, help in puncturing the sinus naturally and thus help the person spit out the phlegm. Regular practice of asanas and pranayam help to keep nasal passages free. Standing poses like Trikonasa, Uttanasan (forward bends) too help.

What is the right age to start practising yoga? KAVITHA KUMAR, MUMBAI

Yoga practice can be started at the age of 6 when the child has some understanding of communication. Everyone can breathe so yoga can be practiced by everyone, but not everyone can do all kinds of yoga, so it is very essential that you find a trained teacher to give you a practice suitable to your requirements.

I am desk bound for most of the day. Are there any asanas I can do in a confined space? S. KAMAT, BANGLORE

Sitting in one place can get very challenging and taxing as the joints become stiff; so I would suggest getting up from the chair and taking a brief walk every hour or so. Besides that, some of the asanas which you can do while sitting at your desk are; neck stretches, shoulder rotations, arm rotations and even stretching the arms up to stretch the spine. For legs; knee extensions, ankle rotations, pointing and flexing toes keep your leg muscles stay active.

It is impossible for me to schedule in much yoga in the morning. What are a few poses that I can practice each morning that can help energize my body and mind for the day? MAHANEEYA R, CHENNAI

Early morning practice is supposed to be the best time because it really helps the body and mind function better. You can do few basic asanas like Tadasan (spine stretch), Triyakatadasan (side or lateral spine stretch), Arm rotation (to open up shoulders), Neck stretch, Hip rotations and then move on to a Suryanamaskar ending with brief practice of Pranayam.

Are some poses better to do in the morning rather than in the afternoon. Child?s pose feels wonderful for me in the morning but uncomfortable for me at the end of the day. SUJATA N, SECUNDERABAD

Child's pose or Balasana is an excellent pose to relieve stiffness in the lower back and also connect with your breathing. The reason you feel great and comfortable doing a child?s pose in the morning is that it helps to ease the stiff lower back muscles and also it is very calming as it is a forward bend; all forward bends allow your inhalation to become longer, hence they calm the mind. Whereas the same child's pose when done later in the day is uncomfortable because you would not be having an empty stomach causing discomfort, which will not allow you to take deep breaths as you do the posture and the breathing becomes shallow or restricted.