Relaxation in a lunge.From the position of the previous exercise, lower your right knee to the floor and lean forward, resting your chest on your thigh and relaxing your upper body. Lower your forehead to the floor, extend your left leg fully back, and place your arms along your body, palms up. Stay in this position with deep and slow breathing.
Time: 3 minutes.- Repeat exercises 1 and 2, lunging with your left leg.
Lean forward from a standing position.Stand up straight, the distance between the feet is about 60 cm. Bend over from the waist and touch the floor with your palms or fingertips. Perform deep slow breathing.
Time: 3 minutes.Ego eradication.Stand up straight again and extend your arms above your head at a 30-degree angle to the horizontal. The thumbs are pointing up, the remaining fingers are bent and pressed to the palms. Keep your arms straight at the elbows while taking deep, slow breaths. (When doing Ego Eradication in Easy Pose, we hold our arms above our heads at a 60-degree angle to the horizontal. When doing this exercise while standing, we change the angle to 30 degrees, as shown in the figure, for balance.)
Time: 3 minutes.Triangle Pose.Get on all fours and lift your pelvis up into Triangle Pose. Heels are on the floor, head and neck are relaxed. Hold this position.
Time: 3 minutes.Cobra pose.Relax lying on your stomach for 1 minute . Then bring your heels together and place your hands under your shoulders, resting your palms on the floor. Rise into Cobra Pose, lifting your chest off the floor. The head and neck are pulled back. Perform deep slow breathing for 1 minute . Then start turning your head from side to side, inhaling to the left, exhaling to the right. go on 2 minutes . Then inhale, exhale and draw in Mulabandha. Repeat 3 times.
Sit on your knees and heels in Rock Pose, spread your knees out to the sides. Lean forward and touch your forehead to the floor, palms resting on the floor in front of your knees. With an inhalation, rise, remaining on your knees and lifting your buttocks from your heels, stretching your arms up, like a flower opening towards the sun. With an exhalation, return to the starting position, lowering your forehead to the floor.
Time: 3 minutes.Attention teacher: Often when doing this exercise, students in the upper position bend back.
Yoga Mudra.Sit on your knees and heels, knees together, fingers interlaced behind your back at the level of the base of your spine. Lean forward and touch your forehead to the floor while raising your straight arms as high as possible. Stay in this position with deep slow breathing.
Time: 3 minutes.
Lunge forward.Lunge forward with your right foot: bend your right knee, right foot pressed to the floor, left leg extended back. Rest your hands on the floor for balance. Tilt your head back, arching your neck, and hold this position with deep and slow breathing.
Time: 1 minute.
Then during
2 minutes perform Breath of Fire.human endocrine system
- a system of endocrine glands localized in the central nervous system, various organs and tissues; one of the main control systems of the body. The endocrine system exerts a regulatory influence on the vital activity of the body through hormones - powerful intermediary chemicals.
The central link of the endocrine system is the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland. The peripheral link of the endocrine system is the thyroid gland, the adrenal cortex, as well as the ovaries and testicles, thymus, parathyroid glands, b-cells of the pancreatic islets.
Pituitary –
one of the most important glands of the endocrine system, located in the brain, which not only secretes hormones itself, but also affects the production of hormones by other glands. The pituitary gland has a rounded shape. Its weight is 0.5 g, and its size is about 1 cm. The pituitary gland regulates and coordinates the autonomic functions of the body. It is connected to the hypothalamus by a stalk consisting of nerve fibers into a single neuroendocrine complex. This complex ensures the constancy of the internal environment of the body, as well as daily, monthly and seasonal fluctuations in the concentration of hormones in the blood.
The pituitary gland is usually divided into lobes.
Anterior pituitary gland
Anterior lobe The pituitary gland produces hormones that excite other endocrine glands of the body, as well as some hormones that act directly on tissues:
– a growth hormone, as the name suggests, affects the size of the human body and organs. If there are violations, then dwarfism or gigantism occurs;
– prolactin stimulates lactation - the formation of milk in the mammary glands. In large quantities, it inhibits ovulation and the menstrual cycle;
– thyrotropin (TSH) stimulates the growth of the thyroid gland and its secretory activity;
– pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)) stimulates the adrenal cortex, which in turn secretes the hormone aldosterone, which regulates the content of sodium and potassium in the body, and cortisol, which is the regulator of the body's carbohydrate metabolism, saves our energy resources;
– gonadotropic hormones
affect the sex glands.
Follicle stimulating the hormone affects the development of eggs in the ovaries and sperm in the testes;
luteinizing hormone in the female body stimulates the production of female sex hormones in the ovaries estrogenand progesterone, causes ovulation and the formation of the corpus luteum, and in the male - the secretion of the hormone testosterone by testicular cells;
– growth hormone - the most important stimulator of protein synthesis in cells, the formation of glucose and the breakdown of fats.
Posterior pituitary gland
posterior lobe The pituitary gland contains two hormones, both of which are produced in the hypothalamus, and from there they enter the pituitary gland:
– oxytocin causes contractions of smooth muscles, such as the uterus, as well as contractions of the muscular walls of the gallbladder, intestines, ureters and bladder. Under its action, milk is secreted from the breast. In men, this hormone is associated with the development of orgasm;
– vasopressin regulates the amount of water excreted through the kidneys. It acts on the tubules in the kidneys, causing them to retain or release water.
As can be seen from the above, the pituitary gland is the most important organ that affects the functioning of the whole organism. Disorders in the work of the pituitary gland affect the physical and emotional health of a person, and, consequently, the quality of life.
pituitary gland and yoga
Kundalini yoga exercises that work with the pituitary gland:
- concentration on the point between the eyebrows allows energy to flow directly into the pituitary gland;
- the pituitary gland is affected by pranayamas and mantras (jappa). In the upper sky there are 84 active points associated with energy meridians. These points are associated with the hypothalamus and with the cerebral hemispheres. The touch of the tongue to active points plus the quality of breathing are a kind of code for the hypothalamus. From it, a neurochemical signal is transmitted to the pituitary gland and the pineal gland. The secretion of the pituitary gland and the radiation of the pineal gland lead to a change in the chemical composition of the brain;
– : Archer Pose, Child Pose, Yoga Mudra, Guru Pranam;
- singing "";
– ;
- kriyas, in the description of which the study (of the sixth chakra) is indicated.
Just recently, scientists and doctors became aware of the fact that our body is completely controlled by the hormonal - endocrine system of the body. This is a system of glands throughout the body that does not have ducts to the outside, and removes hormones directly into the system: into the blood. Hormones are sensitive regulators of our entire body. The most severe diseases in the human body are associated with dysfunction of one or another hormonal system. Yes, and such moments, as it seems to us, are purely mental, such as: depression, fatigue, dissatisfaction with life and others, are most often due to a lack of “good” necessary hormones or vice versa, an extremely active production of stress hormones, etc. In general, our whole life depends on the balance or imbalance of certain hormones: brain function, reproductive system, mood, well-being, immunity, psyche, etc.
But the ancients have long known all this. Both in Ayurveda and in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine, there is a doctrine of the so-called energy centers - chakras, which control certain organs of our body and give the body different energies. There are only seven large, main centers -. And each corresponds to a specific endocrine organ:
1 center -- corresponds to the adrenal glands and hormones. which they produce
2 center -- corresponds to the gonads (ovaries and testicles);
3 center -- corresponds to the pancreas;
4 center -- corresponds to the thymus gland (thymus);
5 center -- corresponds to the thyroid gland;
6 center -- corresponds to the pituitary gland;
7 center -- corresponds to the epiphysis (pineal gland).
This clearly shows the relationship of real physical (and very important) organs in the human body and energy centers. Yoga and chakras are very interconnected, you can often read or hear from yoga instructors how one or another chakra is controlled by certain asanas. Now it is clear what the organs mean - the endocrine glands attached to these centers will also be well stimulated or, on the contrary, relaxed by certain asanas.
Glands of the hormonal system and asanas to balance them
Let's start from top to bottom. A very important part of the brain pituitary , concurrently and producer of a very important hormone. This tiny gland controls the general activity of the entire endocrine system. It is very useful to perform shirshasana or headstand to balance the function of the pituitary gland.
Very important organs. The thyroid gland is responsible for the production and growth of new cells in the human body, affects all metabolic processes in the human body. The parathyroid gland is responsible for the metabolic processes of phosphorus and calcium in the human body. Since these glands are located in the upper body, inverted postures are also beneficial for them. For example, the following poses are very good as a light massage and stimulation:
- . Execution: Sit in padmasana, lean back, put the back of your head on the floor. The spine is well extended, the back is arched, the chest looks up. Grasp the tips of your toes with your hands. Look up. Stay in the pose for 30 sec.
- . Execution: Lie on your back, take your hands back behind your head, lift your legs and hips and tilt back (not jerkily). Distribute the weight on the shoulder blades (not on the neck). Take your feet with your hands, pull your heels back, knees straight, back rounded, stretching back.
Thymus gland (thymus)
The thymus gland is the main organ of our immunity. Influences in general on immunity, in particular on cellular. Protects the body from pathogenic and foreign organisms.
Also suitable for stimulating the activity of the thymus inverted and backbending poses.
Pancreas and adrenal glands .
These are very important endocrine glands. The pancreas controls the level of insulin in the human blood, is responsible for the metabolism of sugars. And the adrenal glands completely control the protein and mineral metabolism in the human body. In addition, adrenaline and norepinephrine are formed in the adrenal glands - very important hormones responsible for our emotional state, as well as the hormone - cortisol - a hormone that is produced as a response to stress or fear in humans. In general, studies have been conducted proving that, in general, the practice of yoga, reduces the concentration of cortisol in human saliva. However, there are a number of postures that are beneficial directly to these organs.
- . Execution: get down on all fours, palms turned toes, bend your elbows. Put the diaphragm on your elbows, lower your head to the floor. Try to transfer the weight of the body to the hands, the elbows rest against the peritoneum, tear off the legs (or in a modified version, one leg from the floor), and raise the head. Your body should be parallel to the floor.
- . Execution: lie on your stomach, feet together, stretch back, put your hands under your shoulders. Raise yourself on your hands, arms bent at the elbows. With an inhalation, try to rise as high as possible, bending in the back. Straighten your arms, stretch your neck, the top of your head looks up. Tighten your buttocks.
Sex organs
For women, the organs that secrete sex hormones are the ovaries. The well-being of a woman depends on their function; progesterone is produced in them. The female cycle, the condition of the skin, hair, mood, well-being in general depend on the normal functioning of the ovaries.
For men, this organ is the testicles, their main function is the production of testosterone - the main male hormone on which the male libido depends.
Here are the main asanas that are useful for normalizing the genital area and genital organs:
- First of all, any asanas associated with bends and bends forward from a standing or sitting position. This is very important for the development of Swadhisthana. Do this moderately, under the influence of gravity, let go of your body. Asanas such as padhastasana (downward bend from a standing position), jana sirsashasa are very useful for this purpose.
- Ushtrasana (camel pose). Execution: kneel, feet hip-width apart, throw your arms back, grab your feet with your hands, head looks back. With an exhalation, bend in the chest, the body is held by the strength of the legs.
- . Execution: stand with legs apart, turn to the right. Turn the right foot 90 degrees, and the left a little to the right, bend the right leg at the knee so that it forms an even right angle with respect to the floor. The left leg is extended back without bending at the knee. Hands up, connected above the head, look up at the hands. The arms are stretched strongly, the tension from the coccyx is felt.
In conclusion, I want to say that only long, persistent systematic training will help change your health for the better. Occasionally performing asanas, or doing it once, you should not hope for some quick and good effects. You need to remember that yoga can really change and improve your health, however, this is a long process, and you really need to want and change your lifestyle, include the constant practice of yoga in your daily life, and only then, after some time, you will see changes.
Strong immunity. Feeling of love. Birth pains. Good metabolism. Increased anxiety. An experience of joy. All these different manifestations of human activity depend on the work of the endocrine system. While hormones are in balance, we do not think about their existence. But suddenly, many of us notice that we have become prone to mood swings, that the daily rhythm has gone astray, the menstrual cycle has “danced”, the level of sexual desire has decreased, or immunity has begun to fail. Signs of disruption of the endocrine system are obvious.
Health Guardians
To restore the normal functioning of the endocrine system, Kundalini Yoga has many kriyas in its arsenal. The names speak for themselves: "Pituitary Gym Exercise", "Premenstrual Tension Kriya", "Kriya for Kidneys and Adrenal Glands", "For Thymus and Immunity", "A Series of Breathing Meditations for the Endocrine System".
Yogi Bhajan, the founder of the Kundalini Yoga school and the author of these kriyas, paid special attention to working with the endocrine system. He said: “Your endocrine glands are the watchmen and guardians of physical health and mental stability. Their secretion determines the chemical composition of the blood, and the blood, in turn, determines your personality. For example, a lack of thyroid hormones can make you impatient and make it difficult for you to stay calm. To become a master of the infinite consciousness within you, you must train your body to help you, not hinder you. Prepare your endocrine system now so that years, sickness, fatigue cannot disturb the joy of the divine consciousness you are creating.”
Wake up and sing
Exercise and meditation stimulate the production of "happiness hormones" - endorphins. This is the basis for the therapeutic effect of Kundalini Yoga in working with depression and drug addiction. Yakov Marshak, a famous doctor and scientist, one of the first Russian teachers of Kundalini Yoga, in the preface to the book “Practices of Aquarius. Kundalini Yoga wrote: “Over the history of human development, so many different ways to improve mood have been found that for most people, normal, natural regulation is becoming an increasingly difficult task. Modern man often experiences a feeling of anxiety and sadness. He resorts to the constant use of various doping, which, in turn, spoil the natural course of biochemical processes that maintain a good mood. It is necessary to teach a person how to "train" and make efficient the work of the brain responsible for the regulation of mood. Recently, Kundalini Yoga began to be studied and considered as one of the methods of body-oriented psychology. I think that in this area we are still waiting for a lot of scientific discoveries. But the very fact that yoga methods are beginning to be used in psychology and medicine speaks of the uniqueness and effectiveness of its impact on human health.”
Kriya to improve the functioning of the endocrine system
1.
Lie on your back and cross your legs at the ankles. Start moving your hips from side to side while keeping your head, upper body, and feet in place. Try to perform the movement statically and not bounce on the buttocks. The secret of the exercise is to loosen the pelvic region, making it more mobile. Runtime 2.5 min.
2. Lying on your back, raise your straight legs to a 90° angle. Start twisting your legs so that each leg describes its own circle, but at the same time they both move at the same time. Exercise time - 3 minutes. Posture effect: improves blood circulation in the pelvic area and stimulates the ovaries. Women exercise is recommended for daily practice.
3. Lying on your back: Bring your legs together and rotate them clockwise for 3 minutes. Without lowering your legs, raise your arms up and continue rotating your arms and legs. First clockwise 21 times, then counterclockwise 21 times. Lower your legs and arms. Relax for 3 minutes. This exercise activates the work of the gonads and thymus (thymus gland), helping to maintain youth.
4a. From a supine position, lift your upper body and legs, and place your hands under your buttocks. The body should resemble a boat. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
4b. Then touch your nose to your knees and return to the starting position of the boat. Continue moving your legs up and down for 2.5 minutes. (A complicated version of this exercise is to lie on your back after each touch of your nose with your knees). Exercise balances the brain.
5. Rise to your feet, lean forward. Lean on your palms, and bend your legs slightly at the knees. Raise your left arm and right leg at the same time, then lower and raise your right arm and left leg. Continue to alternately raise and lower your arms and legs for 3 minutes. This exercise improves blood circulation, stretches the back of the thighs and lower back, balances the work of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and stabilizes the nervous system.
6. Sit cross-legged on the floor and place your hands in the center of your chest, covering one palm with the other. Rotate your torso from your hips (right to left) for 4.5 minutes. Exercise cleanses the liver.
7. Get up, close your eyes and start dancing. Move the way you like, use any rhythm, but keep your body balanced. Do not open your eyes while dancing. Imagine that the whole world is dancing with you - that will be your meditation. Dance 9.5 min.
8. Sit cross-legged on the floor, raise your arms above your head, interlacing your fingers. Pull up. Then begin to rotate the whole body and arms (from right to left). Keep moving hard for 1 minute. Exercise is good for the spine and nervous system.
Keep practicing
The last exercise is meditation on the sounds of mantras. Remain seated in Easy Pose and sing a long Sat Nam. Inhale deeply and chant a long "Sat" and a short "Nam" (Ratio of duration is 35 counts to 1). Sing like this for 2 minutes. Then sing "Wa-hey Guru, Wa-hey Guru, Wa-hey Guru" in monotone for another 2 minutes. Say the mantra in a medium rhythm and break it into three parts: "Wa", "Hey", "Guru". At the end, say "Har, Har, Hari, Har, Har, Hari" for 30 seconds.
Complete the kriya
Take a deep breath, join your hands in the Prayer mudra at the heart, hold your breath for 30 seconds. and meditate on the energies of the heart and hands. Exhale. Repeat this sequence two more times. For the third time during the delay, focus on the area between the eyebrows. Relax at the very end. Lie quietly for 10 minutes.
It is for you!
Kundalini yoga actively uses the methods of the Yoga of sound - Nada (or Naad). Chanting of mantras is an integral part of the Yoga of sound. For those new to Kundalini Yoga for the first time, additional explanations may be needed to perform the kriya. Let me remind you that each class of Kundalini Yoga begins and ends with the chanting of mantras - this helps to switch attention from the outside world to the inside, to calm the mind. At the beginning of each session, the mantra "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo" is chanted three times, and at the end - "Sat Nam". But in the kriyas themselves, there are also quite often exercises associated with the chanting of mantras. The sounds of mantras have the same, if not more powerful, effect on the nervous and endocrine systems as physical exercise. In the context of this kriya, completing the practice with singing helps to restore a calm rhythm of breathing, feel the healing moment of being in oneself, realize the changes that have occurred in the body as a result of the kriya done, and then move on to deep relaxation.
The mantra "Sat Nam" is called the call of the soul. “Sat” means “truth”, “Nam” means “I call”. The human soul strives to experience the truth. Chanting this mantra calms the mind, balances the emotional background, relieves nervous tension. When we pull “Sa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-at” for a long time, then for a while we dissolve in a long sound “a-a-a”. This is the sound of the heart chakra through which we open the healing space of love within ourselves. The Wahei Guru mantra is the mantra of joy. “Wahei” is the sound of joy, “Gu” is darkness, and “Ru” is light, and all together can be translated as “Bliss of moving from darkness to light.” This mantra gives us hope and inspiration. The mantra "Har Har Hari" helps to balance the two aspects of being - creation (the sound of "Har") and destruction ("Hari"), gives us a sense of inner stability.
PITUITARY
The pituitary gland, an organ the size of a small walnut and weighing about 0.6 grams, is located in the cranial cavity, and is located on the lower surface of the brain in a bony pocket called the Turkish saddle.
It coordinates the work of other glands, but is not independent, but follows the stimulation of the hypothalamus.
The pituitary gland consists of three parts: the anterior pituitary gland or adenohypophysis, the intermediate and posterior pituitary glands.
The activity of the cells of the pituitary gland and the issuance of hormones to the blood is under the control of the nerve centers located at the base of the brain, called the hypothalamus.
Of the seven hormones produced by the anterior pituitary gland, four exert their action through other endocrine glands.
The pituitary gland is often noted in Eastern traditions as the "third eye". Numerous works of religious art and Indian mystical beliefs represent it as a point between the eyebrows on the forehead. In addition, this noble gland regulates memory, wisdom, intellect and thinking.
EXERCISES FOR THE HYPOPHYSIS
It is preferable to do this series of exercises while sitting with your eyes closed.
EXERCISE 1. DRUM
Position the middle and index fingers as shown.
- The middle finger lies on the upper phalanx of the index finger.
- Position your palms so that they cover your ears. In this case, the middle and index fingers should fall into the hole at the base of the skull.
Tap the base of the skull with your index fingers like a drum. This causes a resonance, a vibration that will reach the pituitary gland.
Concentrate on this vibration and also make the sound OM (or AUM.
EXERCISE 2.
Place the middle and index fingers of both hands in the area between the eyebrows and eyes.
Gently press the pads of your fingers on this area.
Then make a massage in a circular motion by placing the middle and index fingers of one hand between the eyebrows, and the fingers of the other hand in the hole at the base of the skull.
Massage as you feel comfortable and until you feel it's time to move on to another exercise.
EXERCISE 3. MASSAGE OF THE TEMPLE
Place your fingers on the temples. Massage in small circles.
EXERCISE 4.
Place the fingers of both hands above the ears and gently massage this area.
EXERCISE 5.
Place the middle and index fingers of both hands at the top of the nose, at eye level and up to the middle of the forehead, forming a straight line with the fingers.
Move your fingers (without removing them from your face) in a horizontal plane, along the eyebrows.
Then move your fingers in the same way in a vertical plane along the nose and up the forehead.
Then again along the eyebrows.
EXERCISE 6.
Rub your hands together, especially the part of the palms located next to the wrist, warm them up to heat. Place one hand at the "third eye" and the other at the base of the skull.
Repeat, warming your hands again and repeating the same gesture again. Do three times
