Yoga Asanas to Beat Stress

Yoga has been practiced in India since thousands of years. It is an ancient way to keep body as well as mind fit. Yoga was practiced by ancient seers in India, hence the name yogi. A yogi used to follow the various asanas to achieve discipline, concentration, and good health. Yoga has also proved to be highly successful in relieving stress. Here are some of the Yoga Poses that work as stress busters.

Mountain Pose

This pose helps keep you in focus and places awareness on your feet being connected to the floor, which is very grounding.

1. Stand straight with your feet together.

2. Spread your toes out like a fan.

3. Distribute your weight evenly across both feet.

4. Lift the kneecaps by tightening the thighs.

5. Move your thighs back and tailbone in.

6. Straighten the arms, palms facing in.

7. Pull your shoulder blades back and lift the chest.

8. Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.

9. Look straight ahead.

Hold for 1 to 2 minutes.

Focus points: Don't just stand passively! Activate every part of your body, from your heels to your head.

Other benefits: Strengthens and tones the whole body. Improves alignment. Creates balance.

Upward Hand Pose

Not only is this standing pose good for relieving tension in the back, but it will give you a sense of lightness in life.

1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart.

2. Lift the kneecaps by tightening the thighs.

3. Roll your shoulders back.

4. Extend the arms forward and lift up.

5. Straighten elbows, wrists and fingers.

6. Relax neck and shoulders.

7. Keep your head straight and look forward.

Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat 3 times.

Focus points: Activate elbows on fingers and really open the chest.

Other benefits: Alleviates stiff shoulders and arms. Releases tension in the upper back.

Foot and Big Toe Pose

This basic pose benefits the whole body and will teach you to be calm and patient.

1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart.

2. Lift the kneecaps by tightening the thighs.

3. Roll the shoulders back and lift the chest.

4. Bend forward starting at the hips.

5. Grab your big toes with thumb and first two fingers.

6. Look forward.

Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Focus points: Keep legs strong and chest lifted.

Other benefits: Strengthen lower back and hamstrings. Tones belly. Improves digestion.

Downward Facing Dog

This pose calms the brain and will help relieve everyday stress.

1. Place palms on floor in front of you.

2. Step legs back one at a time.

3. Feet should be in line with hands.

4. Spread fingers and press palms down.

5. Stretch arms forward, keep elbows straight.

6. Raise your butt up to sky and move thighs up and back.

7. Lower heels to the floor, feet point straight.

8. Relax your head and back of the neck.

Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Focus points: Keep legs firm and elbows straight as you lift your derriere to the sky!

Other benefits: Relieves depression. Increases flexibility of hips, knees, and ankles. Calms the mind.

Child's pose

Another brain-calming pose which we all need to keep our sanity intact!

1. Get on hands and knees.

2. Knees hip distance apart. Feet together.

3. Lean back and sit on your heels.

4. Extend arms and torso forward.

5. Rest your forehead on the floor.

6. Stretch arms out in front of you.

7. Press palms into floor and butt into heels.

Hold for 1 to 5 minutes.

Focus points: Stretch out your back. Relax your neck.

Other benefits: Calms nerves. Lowers blood pressure. Releases tension in neck, back, shoulders.

Yogic Calm

Stress has been called the 'silent killer', and for good reason too, as it can lead to heart attack, high blood pressure and many other ailments. In today's world with prevalent pollution, cut throat competition and stressful lifestyles especially in a student's life. So follow these asaanas to lead a stress free life and bring yogic calm in your world.

Healthy Benefits of Regular Exercise

Regular exercise can help protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and can improve your mood and help you to better manage stress.  

Exercise is essential for maintaining the fitness levels of the body and also for improving the immunity system of the body. Exercises are very similar to the regular cleaning that you do to keep your house clean from dust and other harmful particles. Through exercises the body flushes out some of the harmful toxins and energies from the body and thus our internal system is able to work much better. Through exercises blood is pumped to the heart and other organs and thus the body has better flow of oxygen, which is another advantage for your health. Apart from this there are a bunch of unusual benefits of exercising that you probably don't know, here's a list.

Anti Depressant

Regular exercise works as an anti depressant for us. It makes us feel positive and happy due to the chemicals are released in the body during the physical activity. It is this reason that makes exercising  so great  for not only healthy body but healthy mind as well.

Promotes Learning

Regular exercise promotes learning as it makes our mind sharper . It increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors, which help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us learn. Complicated activities also improve our capacity to learn by enhancing our attention and concentration skills, according to German researchers who found that high school students scored better on high-attention tasks after doing 10 minutes of a complicated fitness routine compared to 10 minutes of regular activity. (Those who hadn't exercised at all scored the worst.)

Self Esteem Booster

You don't need to radically change your body shape to get a confidence surge from exercise. Studies suggest that simply seeing fitness improvements, like running a faster mile or lifting more weight than before, can improve your self-esteem and body image.

Euphoria

Yes, that "runner's high" really does exist if you're willing to shift into high-intensity mode. It is recommended to  sprint bursts through interval training. Run, bike, or swim as fast as you can for 30 to 40 seconds and then reduce your speed to a gentle pace for five minutes before sprinting again. Repeat four times for a total of five sprints. This will make you feel sparky the whole day.

Healthy Mind

Even mild activity like a leisurely walk can help keep your brain fit and active, fending off memory loss and keeping skills like vocabulary retrieval strong.

In a 2011 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Canadian researchers analyzed the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults over the course of two to five years. Most of the participants did not work out; their activities revolved around short walks, cooking, gardening, and cleaning. Still, compared with their sedentary peers, the most active participants scored significantly better on tests of cognitive function, and they showed the least amount of cognitive decline. By the study's end, roughly 90 percent of them could think and remember just as well as they could when the study began.

Ability to Reverse Damages

Jumping on the treadmill or cross trainer for 30 minutes can blow off tension by increasing levels of "soothing" brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. What's fascinating, though, is that exercise may actually work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on our aging process, according to a 2010 study from the University of California San Francisco. The researchers found that stressed-out women who exercised vigorously for an average of 45 minutes over a three-day period had cells that showed fewer signs of aging compared to women who were stressed and inactive. 

Helps You Sleep

Regular Exercising aids in good sleep too, so for a person who exercises regularly sleeping well is no problem at all.

Make exercise a part of your day, for a healthy body and happy mind.

Best Budget Tabs of 2014

Today's fast evolving technology makes more and more gadgets being introduced to the users. The market is flooded with so many options that it is difficult for one to decide, which to buy and which not to. The same goes for Tablet PC's, which like most gadgets have become a necessity for most of us, budget for the same is however an issue. That's why we have decided to bring to you the best technology available under 10,000 rupees, in the Indian Tablet market. Have a look.

XOLO QC800 Tablet

Price : Rs 9999

A tablet powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad core processor, yes that is XOLO QC800 Tablet for you available at just Rs.9999. This tablet sports a stunning 8 inch display with a resolution of 1024×768 pixels. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean firmware and supports 1 GB RAM. It has a 2 MP camera at the back and 0.3 MP front camera. Additional features include 4 GB internal storage, Wi-Fi and 3G support.

Byond Mi -book Mi7 Tablet

Price : Rs 9899 

The Byond Mi-book Mi7 Tablet is a beautiful tablet available just for Rs.9899. The tablet has a stylish design and runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Under the hood, it sports a 1.2 GHz Dual core processor combined with 512 MB RAM, which is pretty low though. The tablet has a huge display, a 7 inch TFT LCD touchscreen offering a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. Added features include a 2 MP primary camera, 0.3 MP secondary camera, 4 GB internal memory expandable upto 32 GB with both Wi-Fi and 3G support.

Google Nexus 7 2012 Tablet

Price : Rs 9999
  
The Google Nexus 7 2012 Tablet available for just Rs.9999 is a flagship device from Google offers a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad core processor so you can easily play all the NVIDIA Tegra 3 optimized games without any problems. It is supported by 1 GB RAM and currently comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. It has a 7 inch display with a HD resolution of 1280×800 pixels. Added features include 1.2 MP front camera, 16 GB internal memory, NFC and WiFi support.

Simmtronics  Xpad Mini Supertab

Price : 8499

The Simmtronics XPAD Mini features a 7.85-inch IPS display and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The device sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It packs in 8GB internal storage which is expandable up to 32GB. It is powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM. The tablet supports 3G via USB dongle and is backed up by a 4000mAh battery. It comes with dimensions 200x134x8mm. 

Oplus Xonpad 7 Tablet

Price : 9990

Oplus Xonpad 7 - A bigger display, a slimmer profile. The sleek and metallic finish Xonpad 7  comes with a  7 inch TFT Capacitive Touchscreen to give a an awesome viewing experience. Taking performance and speed to a whole new level, Xonpad 7 is powered by a 1.2 GHz Cortex A7 Quad Core processor and a DDR 3 RAM of 1 GB.

Powered by a 3500 MAH battery, Xonpad 7 is equipped with Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 connectivity and bluetooth connectivity as well. Equipped with an impressive 5 MP Primary camera and 2 MP front camera, with a single SIM and latest Android 4.2 jellybean OS technology, it is a steal for this price.

So, while buying a tablet, stretch your search and not your budget!

Beat the Monday Blues

Most people live for their weekends. They love the freedom to choose what they are going to do. However, that freedom costs money and most people have to crawl out of bed on Monday morning and head to work. You can take a few simple steps to kick-start the week and beat those Monday morning blues.

Do you ever get that sinking feeling on a Monday morning when the weekend feels a million miles away? Do you ever start the week feeling that your motivation levels are running on empty? If this sounds like you, here are five ways to help boost your motivation and start the working week with a more positive, driven outlook.

Plan The Weekend

The first thing is to plan the weekend well, ensuring that you have all the hectic activities in the initial weekend phase. This would help one to plan the Sunday well too.

Sunday The Relaxation Day

Sunday should be the relaxation day, keep this day only for yourself. Pamper yourself, leave time for hobbies and family and most important sleep well, so that you are fresh as a peach on Monday.

Plan A Fun Activity On Monday

Monday is dreaded by almost everyone, who wants to leave the comforts of home and head for work, college or anywhere else. To beat this one should plan one fun activity on Monday, like a coffee evening with friends every Monday or if you can take time out for a quick lunch, then you can plan a Monday lunch with your best buddies. It will make you look forward this day even after the weekend is gone.

Dress Your Best

Plan to dress up your best, for extra confidence on Monday. Keep your best and most favorite attire for this day and you won't regret it. So make Monday your favorite dress day, it will do wonders for your confidence and will kick those blues away.

Read Up

It pays to prepare well, not only does it make you feel good personally, it also leads you to your goal. One should take up some time in the weekend to prepare for their work or classes by going through the important concepts studied in the past week and the important ones to be studied in the coming week. This is a must, to have a good Monday, because not only you would be rejuvenated and relaxed by the weekend, but also prepared for the coming week.

So, let's face it, it's not that difficult to turn the blue Monday into the super Monday.