What Is Sleep?

Every night, nearly every person undergoes a remarkable change: we leave waking consciousness and for hours traverse a landscape of dreams and deep sleep. When we wake, we typically remember little or nothing about the hours that have just passed. Except in rare instances, we never contemplate and appreciate that we are sleeping while we are asleep. Thus, although everyone sleeps, most people would be hard-pressed to precisely define sleep. All organisms exhibit daily patterns of rest and activity that resemble the daily sleep and wakefulness patterns seen in humans. From observing changes in behavior and responsiveness, scientists have noted the following characteristics that accompany and in many ways define sleep:

• Sleep is a period of reduced activity.
• Sleep is associated with a typical posture, such as lying down with eyes closed in humans.
• Sleep results in a decreased responsiveness to external stimuli.
• Sleep is a state that is relatively easy to reverse (this distinguishes sleep from other states of reduced consciousness, such as hibernation and coma).

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Generate Sitemap Blogger Custom Domain !!!

Own a blog on Blogger? Using a custom domain (in other words you have your own domain name registered, and that’s the url where your blog is). Wondering how to set up your sitemap? It’s is not that difficult to do this, so let’s get started!

How to Create a Sitemap for a Custom Domain with Blogger:

1. Login to your Google Webmaster Tools dashboard (If you have not registered yet, you need to do so for this) Select the option to “Add a Site” if you did not yet add your blog in Google Webmaster Tools. Complete those steps first.
2. From your Google Webmaster dashboard, choose the domain you need to create the sitemap for, from the dropdown menu.
3. Now select, “Optimization” and then select “Sitemaps”.
4. Once you open the “Sitemaps” link you then select the, “Submit a Sitemap” button.
5. In the url box, add the url shown below in the field following your custom domain, without spaces.

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Natarajasana (Dancer's Pose)

Nata means dancer and raja is the word for lord or king. Below described sequence will guide on how to perform this asana.

Sequence of Steps:

1.      Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Inhale, shift your weight onto your right foot, and lift your left heel toward your left buttock as you bend the knee. Press the head of your right thigh bone back, deep into the hip joint, and pull the knee cap up to keep the standing leg straight and strong.

2.      There are two variations you might try here with your arms and hands. In either case, try to keep your torso relatively upright. The first is to reach back with your left hand and grasp the outside of your left foot or ankle. To avoid compression in your lower back, actively lift your pubis toward your navel, and at the same time, press your tailbone toward the floor.

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Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose)

Posture

Like Padmasana, this is also the Asana for meditation. One can sit comfortably for a prolonged period in this Asana. 

Pre Position

Sitting Position. 

Procedure

1. Fold the left leg in the knee and place the toe on the floor.
2. Fold the right leg in the knee and place the toe on the floor and join the two toes.
3. Sit on the pit formed by the parted heels.
4. Place the palms on the knees.

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Foods and Tips to look younger

Most of us want to look young and great, don't we? The truth is that aging not only affects the way we look, but also our overall health. The process has an impact on all vital body functions. But diseases like osteoporosis and atherosclerosis that commonly accompany old age are not an inevitable part of aging.

Interestingly, the process of aging is still a mystery. One theory is that when we are young, we produce plenty of active cells to meet our needs. But, during late adolescence and adulthood, cells inevitably age and die. In fact, free radical cell damage has been significantly associated with aging.

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Foods for great Skin

      Getting great skin is now within your reach without spending oodles of money in the parlour. Here are some food and beverages to help boost your skin's vitality

Cocoa

The bean has high levels of flavanols, plant compounds with antioxidant properties that help protect skin from sun damage. Apart from sipping it in the morning and evening you can also use it as a bath soak - add 1/8 cup ground cocoa powder and 1/3 cup fat-free dry milk in your bathtub.

Curd

The calcium and phosphorus in it helps strengthen tooth enamel and protect your teeth from cavities. It is also

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Foods that help fighting fat !!!

Fat Burning Foods can help you burn fat, lose weight, and get in shape in no time. Some foods require more calories to digest than they contain. Also, some foods boost your metabolism thus causing you to burn fat faster than just diet and exercise alone. The following list of foods consist of fruit and vegetables that are easy to digest and do not product harmful toxins, starch or fat thereby giving the body ample time to start detoxifying the excess fat.

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Too Much Coffee Leads to Hallucinations

May be you are missing the aroma of coffee beans or having mug of coffee with friends. You take coffee to get rid of your wrinkles and unavailability of tea in Mall culture or the instant making coffee force you to have coffee. However, Coffee is simply beneficial, but excess of coffee can hallucinate you.

If you are having coffee during stress, working extra hours in night, studying and unable to start your day without coffee, then may be chances of being addicted to caffeine are more.

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Drinking coffee is not that bad after all !!!!

 Many of us might have heard our parents, doctors saying drinking coffee is not good for the health. Did you know that drinking coffee is not all that bad? There has been much debate over the benefits of coffee, but the good outweighs the bad when it is used in moderation.

It is important to understand that while coffee has many health benefits it is not a substitute for an otherwise healthy diet and a natural health lifestyle. It simply means that it is a fantastic supplement and an enjoyable treat for many people.

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What good chocolate can do to us?

          Healthy chocolate sounds like a dream come true, but chocolate hasn’t gained the status of health food quite yet. Still, chocolate’s reputation is on the rise, as a growing number of studies suggest that it can be a heart-healthy choice.

Chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it every day can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. 

Health benefits of chocolate :

The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.

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Asanas for Back Pain

       Most people tend to suffer from lower or upper back pain. Barring a few cases of slipped disk, the majority tend to collect stress and tension, which results in week abdominal muscles and eventually, back pain.

Regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension and also, strengthen the abdominal muscles that sometimes cause back pain. In fact, there is no medicine to cure back pain and studies have shown that Yoga is the most effective way of relieving back pain. Then again, not all Yoga poses relieve back pain. Some can even aggravate existing pain. This is why it is best to do these practices under the supervision of a certified Yoga instructor. Even just one or two sessions with an instructor will help.

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Shavasana (Corpse pose)

With proper practice of relaxation asanas you can learn to relax while engaged in effort or while resting physically. Relaxing with awareness and proper knowledge brings deep rest to your body and mind. You can apply this skill of relaxing in effort to every day activities as well.
You can practice relaxation asanas at any time of the day, when the body is tired. The relaxation asanas are:

Shavasan or the corpse pose

With this final relaxation you reap the benefits of your Asana practice. You experience very deep peace and

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Shalabha-asana (Locust Posture)

The Sanskrit word Shalabha Means locust or grasshopper.

 Sequence of Steps for Shalabha- asana: 

• Lie on your abdomen, feet together, chin on the floor.
• Tuck arms under the body, keeping elbows straight, hands facing up.
• Breathing in, raise the right leg up. Keep the leg straight and do not twist the hip.
• Hold and keep breathing.
• Breathing out, bring the right leg down.
• Repeat steps 3-5 with the left leg. Take 2-3 deep breaths.

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Pavanamuktasana (Knee to Chin Press)

"Pavan" means 'wind' and "Mukta" means 'free' or 'release'. This posture helps in removal of excess wind in the digestive system.

Seqeunce of steps:

1. Lie down on your back with legs stretched out and arms on the sides.
2. Rest your palms on the ground.
3. Inhale and lift your legs up and keep it perpendicular to the ground.
4. Fold your legs at the knee and bring the knees close to your chin.
5. The thighs should rest on the abdomen.
6. Keep the knees and ankles of both legs together.

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Bhujangasana (Cobra Posture)

Bhujangasana means a snake. In this asana, the body attains the shape of a raised-hood, the stance of a snake.
Below steps are to be followed to perform this Asana.

• Lie on your abdomen, forehead on the floor, hands under the shoulders, palms on the ground, elbows close to the rib cage, pressing the pelvis and navel firmly on the ground, feet together with soles facing up.
• Breathing in and keeping the hands and elbows on the floor, look up and, gently arching the spine, lift the chest up.
• Relax the shoulders and focus on bending from the upper back.
• Hold

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Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

Fish pose stretches the upper body and opens up the chest area. It improves hormonal function of the body.

Below are the steps to perform Matsyasana.

• Lie on your back, feet together and hands relaxed alongside the body.
• Place the hands underneath the hips, palms facing down. Bring the elbows closer toward each other.
• Breathing in, lift the head and chest up.
• Keeping the chest lifted up, lower the head backward and bring the top of the head to the floor.
  

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What and Why Meditation?

   Meditation is universal. It transcends all divides like religion, country and culture. It is a gift given to mankind to access the infinite sprit not limited by any identity. It is the only tool that can aid a person to return to innocence.

Modern life style has high exposure to anger, hate, fear and other negative emotions. These human emotions have a high tendency to duplicate and spread. For example, when a person gets cheated, he starts to suspect everything around him. This also has an impact on people around him. These emotions form strong impressions and opinions on an individual and social level. The result of which is an insecure individual and an unstable society.

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Benefits of Sun Salutation - More than Weight Loss!!!

Did you know that Sun Salutation is not just physical exercise for weight loss? This beautiful set of yoga postures work not only on the body but also on the mind and at the spiritual level.

If you have been doing Sun Salutation so far only to shed off those extra inches, here’s some food for thought. This wonderful gift of yoga, if practiced regularly, can work wonders for every part of the body – from head to toe! Yes, Sun Salutation (also known as Surya Namaskar) is a set of 12 yoga postures that helps improve overall health and well being.

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Food and Yoga

‘Isn’t it enough just to practice the Yoga asanas/ poses, do I have to regulate my food?’ wonder many. In itself, practicing Yoga asanas is one of the most beneficial regimes, but when complemented with the right food, it can really create wonders. In fact, eating the right food is an essential part of living a Yogic life.

What we eat, not only influences our physical well being, but also our emotions and thoughts. Yoga, does not dissect food into proteins, carbohydrates or fats, instead it classifies them according to the effect they have on the body and mind, into three types – satva, rajas and tamas. Tamasic food is the kind of food which makes us lethargic

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Surya Namaskar (The Sun Salutation) - The Perfect Yoga Work Out !!

              If you are pressed for time and looking for a single mantra to stay fit, here’s the answer. A set of 12 powerful yoga asanas (postures) that provide a good cardiovascular workout in the form of Surya Namaskar. Literally translated to sun salutation, these postures are a good way to keep the body in shape and the mind calm and healthy.
Surya Namaskar is best done early morning on an empty stomach. Let’s begin with these simple yet effective Sun Salutation steps on our way to good health.
Each Sun Salutation round consists of two sets. These 12 yoga poses complete one set of Surya Namaskar. To complete the second half, you need to repeat the same sequence of postures, only moving the left leg instead

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Tips To Prevent Hair Loss, You can try at Home !!

In modern day, a common problem for almost every body around us is Hair fall. We might have seen many of our friends under going hair loss treatments and using many product available out there, emptying the pockets and wasting of so much time. But is n't better to use few natural tips and products to stop hairfall than to go in for expensive parlour treatments, that may not help the problem.

Try the following easy tips at home and see how effective they are in reducing hair loss!

1. Hot oil treatments: Take any natural oil - olive, coconut,

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Tricks to Activate or Use Both Side of Brain

Generally in every human on side of a Brain is dominant.Though one side of your brain is dominant, a few tricks can activate both hemispheres so you can be both creative and logical

A man paints with his brains, not with his hands. When painter Michelangelo said this 500 years ago, he did not know how far science would take this idea. The theory of lateralisation says that the human brain is separated into two cerebral hemispheres, the left and the right brain, both of which execute different functions. And painting is to do not just with the brain, but in fact, with the right side of it.

While several theories on the left-brain and right-brain dominance abound, the basics are easy. The right hemispherecontrols your body's left side, and vice versa. When you use the left or logical side, you are being analytical, attentive, objective

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How to Keep Your Knee Healthy ?

Few tips to keep your knee healthy.


1. Warm-up and stretch before exercising. Warming up and stretching can help the knee joint in many ways, including increasing the circulation of the blood and lymph fluid into and out of joint structures and the adjacent soft tissues and ensuring that the muscles and the ligaments attendant to the knee joint are not too tight. As a result, tension on the tendons is reduced, and pressure on the knee is relieved.

2. Develop muscle balance. Strengthen the muscles of the lower body to reduce the amount of force that goes through the knees. Make sure that you maintain an appropriate muscle balance between the quadriceps and hamstrings (i.e., a 3-to-2 strength ratio is recommended) to provide an improved level of stabilization and strength for the knee joint.

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Balasana (Child's Pose)

(bah-LAHS-anna)
bala = child
Step by Step
Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.
Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.

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Plank Pose

Step by Step
Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana. Then inhale and draw your torso forward until the arms are perpendicular to the floor and the shoulders directly over the wrists, torso parallel to the floor.
Press your outer arms inward and firm the bases of your index fingers into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then spread them away from the spine. Also spread your collarbones away from the sternum.

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Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

(AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna)
adho = downward
mukha = face
svana = dog
Step by Step
Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under.

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Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand)

Like its inverted cousins such as Forearm Balance and Headstand, a major obstacle to Handstand is a natural fear of falling. So the basic pose will be described with the heels supported against a wall. Make sure that there are no hanging pictures or other decorations on the wall directly above you.
(ah-doh moo-kah vriks-SHAHS-anna) adho mukha = face
downward (adho = downward; mukha = face)
vrksa = tree
Step by Step
Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) with your fingertips an inch or two away from a wall, hands shoulder-width. If your shoulders are tight, turn your index fingers out slightly; otherwise arrange them parallel to each other. If you're uneasy about this pose, you're not alone. To ready yourself for and secure yourself in this inversion, firm your shoulder blades against your back torso and pull them toward your tailbone. Then rotate your upper arms outward, to keep the shoulder blades broad, and hug your outer arms inward. Finally spread your palms and press the bases of the index fingers firmly against the floor.

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Bitilasana (Cow Pose)

Step by Step
Start on your hands and knees in a "tabletop" position. Make sure your knees are set directly below your hips and your wrists, elbows and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the floor. Center your head in a neutral position, eyes looking at the floor.
As you inhale, lift your sitting bones and chest toward the ceiling, allowing your belly to sink toward the floor. Lift your head to look straight forward.

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Marjaryasana (Cat Pose )

Marjari = cat

Step by Step
Start on your hands and knees in a "tabletop" position. Make sure your knees are set directly below your hips and your wrists, elbows and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the floor. Center your head in a neutral position, eyes looking at the floor.
As you exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, making sure to keep your shoulders and knees in position. Release your head toward the floor, but don't force your chin to your chest.

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Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

(SET-too BAHN-dah)
setu = dam, dike, or bridge
bandha = lock
Step by Step
Lie supine on the floor, and if necessary, place a thickly folded blanket under your shoulders to protect your neck. Bend your knees and set your feet on the floor, heels as close to the sitting bones as possible.
Exhale and, pressing your inner feet and arms actively into the floor, push your tailbone upward toward the pubis, firming (but not hardening) the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off the floor. Keep your thighs and inner feet parallel. Clasp the hands below your pelvis and extend through the arms to help you stay on the tops of your shoulders.

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Marichyasana (Marichi's Pose)

(mar-ee-chee-AHS-anna) 
Marichi = literally means a ray of light (of the sun or moon). Marichi is the son of Brahma and chief of the Maruts ("shining ones"), the war-like storm gods. He's one of the seven (sometimes 10 or 12) seers (rishis) or lords of creation (prajapatis), who intuitively "see" and declare the divine law of the universe (dharma). Marichi is the great-grandfather of Manu ("man, thinking, intelligent"), the Vedic Adam and the "father" of humanity.

Step by Step

Sit in Dandanasa (Staff Pose), then bend your right knee and put the foot on the floor, with the heel as close to the right sitting bone as possible. Keep the left leg strong and rotated slightly inward; ground the head of the thigh bone into the floor. Press the back of the left heel and the base of the big toe away from the pelvis. Also press the inner right foot actively into the floor, but soften the inner right groin to receive the pubis as you twist.

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Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

(pod-MAHS-anna) 
padma = lotus

Step by Step

Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front. Bend your right knee and bring the lower leg up into a cradle: The outer edge of the foot is notched into the crook of the left elbow, the knee is wedged into the crook of the right elbow, and the hands are clasped (if possible) outside the shin. Lift the front torso toward the inner right leg so the spine lengthens (and the lower back does not round). Rock your leg back and forth a few times, exploring the full range of movement of the hip joint.

Bend the left knee and turn the leg out. Rock your right leg far out to the right, then lock the knee tight by pressing the back of the thigh to the calf. Next swing the leg

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Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend)

(JAH-new shear-SHAHS-anna)
janu = knee
sirsa = head

Step by Step

Sit on the floor with your buttocks lifted on a folded blanket and your legs straight in front of you. Inhale, bend your right knee, and draw the heel back toward your perineum. Rest your right foot sole lightly against your inner left thigh, and lay the outer right leg on the floor, with the shin at a right angle to the left leg (if your right knee doesn't rest comfortably on the floor, support it with a folded blanket).

Press your right hand against the inner right groin, where the thigh joins the pelvis, and your left hand on the floor beside the hip. Exhale and turn the torso slightly to

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Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose)

(par-ee-POOR-nah nah-VAHS-anna) 
paripurna = full, entire, complete 
nava = boat

Step by Step

Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your hands on the floor a little behind your hips, fingers pointing toward the feet, and strengthen the arms. Lift through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly. As you do this make sure your back doesn't round; continue to lengthen the front of your torso between the pubis and top sternum. Sit on the "tripod" of your two sitting bones and tailbone.

Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the floor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the

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