Yoga

Yoga is the mental ,physical practices which originated in ancient India .The purpose was to still the mind.To attain divinity.yoga became a formal philosophy with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.Yoga practices are found in Buddhism,Hinduism & Jainism.Indian gurus popularised Yoga in the West mainly as physical exercise.Slowly & surely ,Yoga began to be favoured  to treat conditions like depression ,schizophrenia along with Medicines.

Human beings are unlike xerox copies of each other.Hence specific yoag asanas can help each person to reach maximum potential.Yoga is preferred as it not prone to injuries unlike other vigorous forms of exercises.

Studies have proved time & again that yoga offers numerous health benefits.Yoga is the total health package consisting of postures,breathing methods & meditation.Yoga asanas like Kapal Bhati & Suyanamaskar help in losing weight.Slowly ,as one practises yoga,awareness about body needs increase.This leads to seek food which will suit the body & this  eventually leads to weight loss. Yoga gives relief from stress.Women who are depressed are advised to opt for yoga to overcome depression.Yoga asanas involve stretching of  the body .Hence,muscles  get strengthened & body parts get massaged.This improves immunity.Yoga makes bodies strong ,supple & flexible.

Kapalbhati pranayam increases oxygen flow to the brain & body.Vajrasana is meant to relax both mind & body.there are yoga asanas for controlling hair loss as well.Some of them are Adho Mukha Svanasana,Uttanasana,Ustrasana &  Sarvangasana.There are many asanas to correct various ailments.

The National Institute of Mental Health & Science ( NIMHANS),Bangalore has come up with a yoga package to treat disorders like depression & schizophrenia.The doctors at NIMHANS have been comparing  the effects of yoga & medicine in treating certain disorders. The results are  encouraging.

In July,2013 ,an American Court in ruled that  Yoga is  secular.He was passing an order in acse wherein some schools had pulled out their wards from the school.Yoga was being taught in the school.Some parents were apprehensive that this  was promotion of  Eastern religions.The judge disagreed .He  declared that yoga is now  " a distinctly American cultural phenomenon " .That goes to show that Yoga is for all ! It has a Universal appeal !


This  is  my blog post for "Y " for the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

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Sulekha Rawat

Janaki Nagaraj

Carrots

I find carrots to be too good as they can be added to so many dishes.The best thing is they can be grated & mixed into so many things !

Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A.This vitamin A is good for eyesight.Including carrots in meals is a sure shot way to stay away from glasses which may, later in some extreme cases lead to blindness.Carrots have lots of fibre & hence help in weight loss.

There are a variety  of dishes in which a carrots are the main ingredient.I myself have made a carrot cake,carrot salad & carrot koshimbir,I add carrots grated and or chopped to upma,savoury vermicelli,dosa idli & paniyaram batters to make  them more healthy & colorful.Even cutlets & bread snacks  can be made fibrous with addition of carrots.

I even came across a carrot tomato rasam recipe.And I did give it a try & I was amazed by the taste! I puree carrots,onions & tomatoes & make a gravy for chhole & rajma.This ensures, that my kid eats some carrots ! Can anyone think of pulaos & biryanis without  carrots ? Same with avial  & pav bhaji.And winters are incomplete without garma garam  gajar ka halwa ! In South India ,finely chopped carrots with salt  cooked with fresh dessicated coconut & a vagar of mustard,urad dal,red chillies,green chillies,kadipatta,hladi ,hing  makes for a delicious carrot thoran!There is even a carrot kheer recipe ! Carrots blend easily with beetroot,beans,capsicum,cabbage,cauliflower,etc ! Moreover whenever a dish is made with more than one vegetable ,it gets more tasty be it a beetroot carrot cake,cabbage-carrot thoran,avial ,etc.

                                     Carrot tomato rasam with tur dal.

Carrots have a sweet taste.Hence,I find them very useful in case a dish has turned out too  spicy.Addition of  grated  carrots in such a dish & cooking it for a few minutes can reduce the spice content.

Some years back ,I read in the press, that one man had been eating so many carrots that he looked very carrot like ,in colour....like an orange.I would love to imbibe that colour as it can be easily mistaken for a peachy complexion, all over ! For that, I just have to eat more carrots ! This means, that I have to follow the  carrot & carrot ( not stick) policy  !

This is my third post for the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2014.

Sharing blog posts of my fellow bloggers here :

Corrine Rodrigues

Cynthia Rodrigues Manchekar