Ramdev, whose real name is Ramkishan Yadav, was born in 1953 into a farming family in the northern state of Haryana and studied yoga with a local guru after leaving school.

He began his career offering free yoga classes around Haryana and established the Divya Yog Mandir Trust to promote pranayama the art of breath control. Today he is onne of India’s most successful yogi, attracting an estimated 40 million viewers to his daily television shows on the Aastha channel.

Now Ramdev, one of India’s most popular Hindu yogi’s is on a mission to wipe out corruption by forming his own party to contest the next elections in 2014.  Part of his yogic manifesto is to establish a new World Health Organisation through research work on the knowledge base of yogic sages. To establish pranayam (breath control) as a free medicine for the treatment of all diseases. To make the world a peaceful and tranquil place by using yogic techniques. In addition to this he would like to bring yoga to schools to improve concentration and relaxation.

What do you think of Ramdev and his yogic manifesto?

You’re having a challenging day and your shoulders are up around ears. Something that can help is self massage. When you don’t have time or money for a massage , you can pick up a few props and follow these handy tips. Take a peek below.

Healing Headaches

If pounding headaches visit you all too often, it’s time to learn how to tap into your craniosacral still point—a momentary cessation of the pulse of your cerebrospinal fluid that dissipates tension and pain. “It’s great for headaches,” says Ann Honigman, a chiropractor and craniosacral therapist in Berkeley, California. “It really helps you quiet the nervous system.” The pros do this for clients with their hands, but you can do it for yourself by lying on an easy-to-make still point inducer.

What you need

Two tennis balls and a sock (stuff the balls in the sock and tie a knot at one end to hold them in place side by side)

How to do it

Lie on your back on a comfortable surface with a pillow under your knees. Place the tennis balls under your head, at the base of your skull (in line with the bottom of your ears, as viewed from the side). Rest your head on the inducer, close your eyes, and lie quietly for 10 to 20 minutes. When you’re done, lift your head with one hand and slide the prop away with the other.

Ease your back pain

Massage your own back? It’s much simpler than you’d think. A couple of easy-to-find props can help you open your chest, release tension in your spine, and even work those tight back muscles exactly where they ache.

How to do it

A massage roller or one of those swimming pool foam “noodles” (can be found on Amazon) rolled in a towel or folded sheet. For a deeper massage, you’ll also need two tennis balls or racquetballs tied in a sock.

Lie on the roller with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, so the roller extends along your spine from your sitting bones to the top of your head. You can either relax on the roller without moving (which opens your chest laterally) or roll gently from side to side to massage the muscles along your spine. Try it for at least 20 seconds or until your chest begins to relax and open.

Nintendo’s new Wii Fit has been said to be causing a selection of strain injuries, from minor lower back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Nintendo’s Wii Fit is an exercise system. Players stand on a small pad and are guided through repetitive exercises. These exercises run the range  from track and field to hula hoop, and can be just as vigorous as the exercises they’re mimicking.

I have spoken to a range of people that use the Wii Fit and outline that they often feel out of breath after a play. Just like real exercises, these can lead to various kinds of physical discomforts such as sore joints and strained ligaments. Many users have said that they experienced lower back pain after yoga and hula hooping.

Nintendo’s Wii System has been the subject of controversy since its inception, initially stemming from its innovative Wiimote controllers. The Wiimotes, when not strapped to the wrist properly, have a nasty tendency to fly out of player’s hands and damage friends, family or televisions.

When faced with mounting damages following the initial Wiimote fiascoes, Nintendo introduced a warning screen before each game and warns users to make sure their wrist  straps are fastened.

I have also heard users mention that the initial Body Test used by Wii Fit uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is all very good and all but it doesn’t cope well with people who actually have a high muscle density. I have heard stories of people who have high muscle density being catagorised as being overweight. It seems like it can all get a little bit confusing.

It has been said that these Wii Fit injuries are on the increase and I am hearing more about them in my everyday. What do you think of the Wii Fit? Let us know any of your positive/negative experiences?

We’ve all been there at the weekend, too tired to do anything. Feeling tired and wired happens more often than many of us would like, and it can be hard to know what kind of practice is best to do when you feel this way.

The beauty of a yoga practice is that it’s specifically designed to bring the body and mind into balance. The first step is to rest the body. Even if your job is not physical work your body is tired at the end of the day because the mind uses a lot of glucose, which leaves you feeling depleted.

A short restorative session of different postures that combines forward folds to calm the nervous system and simple twists to revitalize the body and move stagnant blood, rebalancing your energy. Once your body starts to relax, Boccio says, you can bring your mind into balance with it by doing a simple breath-awareness practice. Start by exhaling completely, with long and steady breaths, as if the receding waves are drawing with them the accumulated detritus of the day; then take deep inhalations that feel like waves coming in with great force. Finally, be aware of how much you reactivate the mind with television or computer before going to bed.

To unwind just before going to sleep, try a foot massage: Coat the sole of your foot with raw sesame oil (you can add a few drops of a calming essential 
oil like lavender), and massage for a few minutes. This brings the energy down in the body.

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Begin by feeling the support of the earth 
beneath you. Mentally scan your body and 
notice your level of fatigue or overstimulation. As you move through the following sequence, hold each pose as long as feels right to you.

Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose)

Bring one knee into your chest, keeping the other leg straight on 
the ground. Switch knees, and then bring both knees into your chest. This pose helps release the kidney area, where fatigue is often felt.

Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose)

Extend your arms. Bring your knees over to your right side and hold; switch sides. 
Twists like these lift your 
energy and bring new 
blood to your 
internal organs 
and kidney area.

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)

This calming inversion takes pressure off the lower part of your body.

Janu Sirasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)

Come into the pose and hold; 
then switch sides. This forward bend helps calm the nervous system.

Depression and Anxiety are the most common forms of mental health problems encountered today. One in ten people will have to deal with one or the other in any given year. Yoga is a unique technique for dealing with these disorders. Yoga is a practice that has always had a holistic approach that recognises physical states affect mental states, mental states affect bodily states and all actions can affect the body and mind.

The general message is to work not only on the body but in conjunction with the mind to influence our mental state. Or perhaps to begin with we need a healthly body and mind to fully reach a state of well being and wellness. This is where yoga comes in, the word yoga means union and this union between the body and mind helps create mental harmony. Yoga does not offer a cure for depression, however it is powerful tool. Yoga focusing on asana (Postures), pranayama (breathing) and meditation help to develop a stronger state of mind which in itself will help overcome fears leading to anxiety. Depression is often caused by a combination of recent life events and personal factors including chemical changes in the brain.

Yoga can give back control over both of these factors, aiding in stress control and helping to create a balanced, calm state of mind with which to approach life. Feeling more calm and centred will begin to spread through everything other aspect of your life. Many sufferers find themselves withdrawing from society, lethargic, tired, suffering from appetite problems, sleeplessness, frustrated, miserable and unable to concentrate. Yoga provides a set of tools with which an individual can combat these symptoms. Yoga gives back control over both of these factors, aiding in stress control and helping to create a balanced, calm state of mind with which to approach life. Feeling more calm and centred will begin to spread through everything other aspect of your life.

Try making restorative poses the core of your practice if you are feeling run down or in need of a lift before Spring. Why not try the first two poses for 10 minutes or longer, and the third for 5 minutes or longer. If you want to wind down before bedtime or just feel like lifting your spirits then try this sequence and feel the benefits when you wake up with a beaming smile on your face the next morning.

Supta Baddha Konasana
(Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Supported

Sit on your mat in front of a bolster placed lengthwise behind you, Loop a strap behind your back at your sacrum. Bring it forward around your hips and over your shins, and secure it under your feet so that it encircles the lower part of your body, Place the soles of your feet together and put a folded blanket or block beneath each of your outer thighs. Lie back with your spine centered on the bolster and with your arms out to the sides, palms up.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Supported

Place a bolster or two folded blankets on your mat, and lie back over them so that they support your back rib cage but allow your upper back and shoulders to reach toward the floor. Place the soles of your feet together, cross your shins, or bend the knees and keep feet flat on the floor. More-experienced yogis can practice with the legs straight and the feet on a block. Let your arms rest out to the sides or stretch them overhead with elbows bent and palms facing up.

Viparita Karani (Legs-upthe-wall Pose) Supported

Inches away from the wall (the exact distance depends on your leg flexibility and comfort). Sit sideways on the bolster, with the side of your hip touching the wall. With the bolster under your bottom, lower yourself back and swivel around so that your torso is perpendicular to the wall and your legs are extended up it. Let your arms rest out to the sides, palms up. In the beginning, stayabout 5 minutes, and gradually increase the time to 10 minutes or longer

In yoga the breath can channel energy through the body. It’s can be a challenge to let go of thoughts and focus on the breath, I suddenly realized that Kundalini (the flow of energy itself) was a flow in itself. It’s possible to follow the flow, and feel overall more calm.

My firsthand taste of this flow made me realize that for hatha yogis who have experienced energy moving through the body, Kundalini meditation may be the most accessible form of meditation there is.

Energy flow

The word kundalini refers to the energy that resides at the base of the spine and that, once awakened, rises up the spine. By focusing on the feeling that the breath creates on the inhalation and exhalation, you naturally develop a greater awareness of the flow of energy within and between your body’s energy centers. As your sensitivity to that inner flow expands, an understanding may occur.

Kundalini is carried from the base of the spine throughout the body by way of three primary nadis, or channels. These are the shushumna, which runs alongside and parallel to the spinal cord, and the ida and the pingala, which weave back and forth along the spine.

The points where these channels intersect make up the seven major chakras: The first is muladhara, the root chakra located at the base of the spine. Svadisthana, the second chakra, representing sex, is at the genitals. Manipura, the third chakra, is located two fingers below the navel. At the heart center, you’ll find the fourth chakra, anahata, and at the throat you’ll find the fifth, called visuddha. Between the eyes is the sixth chakra, known as ajna, or third eye. And finally, the sahasrara, or crown chakra, is located at the top of the head. Once you get a sense of the seven points, then you can start to connect them and feel a more continuous flow of energy moving through you.

Springtime is great time to revive yourself. As nature moves out of the cold winter toward spring. Nature seems to make it look very easy, but for us yogi’s it’s not so easy to transition from one season to the next, especially from winter to spring. More often we find ourselves feeling a little bit heavy and like things have taken a little bit more of a slower pace.

Ayurveda,the world’s oldest surviving system of healing, teaches us that the key to feeling in step with the seasons is to harmonize with nature. The rishis (the ancient mystical “seers” who founded the yoga tradition) created rituals and festivals to honor each season and to remind us of our connection to the natural world.

The great yoga teacher Krishnamacharya adjusted his approach to practicing and teaching yoga to correspond with the time of year. You may not have a spring festival or an Indian yoga master to guide you, but by weaving some simple Ayurvedic principles into your life, you can weather this seasonal transition smoothly and emerge feeling transformed and ready to feel springy in Springtime.

Put some Spring into your step

To enjoy a healthy spring, you need to understand the kapha (pronounced CUP-pa) dosha and bring it into balance. Of the three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha— it’s kapha that endows your body with its earthy-watery qualities. It provides lubrication for joints, it also protects the sensitive tissues of the sinuses, lungs, and stomach; it also determines the size, strength, and suppleness of your muscles.

When kapha is in balance, you feel strong, composed, and stable. When it’s out of balance, you might feel sleepy, mentally dull, or depressed. It’s especially important to balance kapha in the spring, because kapha accumulates during winter and can create diseases by the time spring arrives. As the world becomes colder and wetter in winter, your body mirrors these kapha-like changes. You tend to eat, sleep, and stay inside more during winter, which can result in a “winter coat” of insulation. In spring, you need to shed this excess kapha or risk becoming vulnerable to seasonal allergies or head colds.

Put a bit of spring in your step by developing a rhythm and routine that helps you gradually lighten up without disturbing the stable virtues of kapha. The best approach is multidimensional and includes eating lighter foods, adding certain herbs to your diet, and practicing asana, pranayama and meditation.

So many people ask me about how to relieve shoulder, neck or back pain when they are at work. They can’t exactly get down on their trusty Agoy mat mid spreadsheet and come into down facing dog. So I have scoured the internet for a short sequence that would give you a bit of a mid day boost. Don’t worry you can still fit in your elevenses complete with hob nobs and tea. Take a look below for some yoga desk stretches.

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Arm Stretch

1. Bring your arms behind your back, clasping your hands. Or, hold a tie, sweater, or scarf between your hands.

2. Lift your arms as high as you can. Lift your sternum.

3. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds, relax for a moment, then repeat.

Shoulder Stretch

1. Interlock your fingers and extend your arms outward, straight in front of your shoulders. Your palms should be facing outward.

2. Slowly raise your hands overhead, stretching all the way from the waist. Work on straightening your elbows. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds, relax, and try again.

Chair Twist

1. Sit on the edge of your chair, sideways with your left side facing the chair back.

2. Throughout the pose, keep your feet and knees together and even.

3. Place your hands on the chair as shown.

4. Inhale while straightening your spine. As you exhale, twist toward the back of the chair, twisting from the very bottom of your spine — pushing with your left hand and pulling with your right hand.

5. Repeat the inhalation/straighten, exhalation/twist series several times.

6. Release and change sides.

Deeper Chair Twist

1. Sit in the middle of your chair, sideways with your left side facing the chair back.

2. Repeat the same routine as in Chair Twist 1.

3. Do you feel the twist in the spine at a slightly different place?

4. If you need to, place a book under your feet to keep them flat.

Just about everyone I come into contact with in London, it seems, share a similar sense of time deprivation. Of course, most of us, most of the time, have goals; having a job, going to school, raising children, all require us to get things to be done. There’s nothing wrong with drive but we live in a culture that prizes productivity and speed. Before we know it, we’re embroiled in a perpetual battle with time, missing out on our connections.

Is there a way to live that frees us from the cycle of longing for more time, misusing the time we do have, and then blaming a lack of time for our discontent? The answer is yes. I’ve worked with people on improving their relationship with time. Happily, doing so doesn’t require withdrawing from the world. Nor do you need to focus on timesaving tips for scheduling yourself with ever-greater efficiency. Instead, you bring greater awareness to the way you experience time by building small steps into your daily routine that help you savor your life.

To experience time differently, you need to cultivate and practice a new relationship with it, just as you’d nurture a yoga or meditation practice. At first, you may feel as though you’re swimming against the current of cultural cues that push you to do more and move faster. It may not be easy to change, but the rewards are great. This approach can bring you into a deeper harmony with time, allowing you to engage more fully with every moment.

Your first step is  self-study, one of the ethical principles of yoga. This asks you to look inward and get to know yourself better. It teaches you to feel the difference between your own natural rhythms and the world around you. It can teach you what’s practical and healthy to focus on, and what you may need to delegate or drop.

In much the same way that those who struggle with food issues may be unaware of what and how they’re eating, you may not have examined the behaviors and assumptions that shape your relationship with time. Taking a time inventory gives you a window into the values that underlie your time-spending habits. Begin your self-study by asking yourself questions like these: Besides eating and sleeping, how do I allocate my time in 24-hours? Do the activities on which I spend most of my time nourish me, or do they feel obligatory? When I long for more time, what do I imagine doing with it?

Do you feel time starved? Has your yoga or meditation practice helped you deal with any time issues?