Yoga To Prevent Hair Loss.

Beautiful hair is truly one’s crowning glory. Hair condition is a direct barometer of your health as hair condition is directly related with your general health.

The main reasons for hair loss are stress, hormonal disorders, bad eating habits, diseases, drugs, hair dyes, genetic disorders, smoking, etc.

Yoga will not only restrict hair-loss but will also give you good healthy hair.Yoga benefits the whole system. It will improve your all round health physically and mentally also. Yoga will help enhance circulation of blood in the scalp, improve digestion and reduce anxiety and stress too.

Asanas beneficial  for Hair loss:

1. Adho Mukha Savasana

Down facing dog yoga pose is one of the most essential pose in yoga practice. This is because it helps to rejuvenate and stretch the entire body from your feet, all the way up to your hips, waist and down to your hands and wrist. As the head is lower than the pelvis in this pose, it is often classified as inversion posture. This pose works well as a warm up posture for all the muscles and can be practiced at the beginning of the yoga practice. This yoga posture helps to stretch your shoulders, shoulder blades, hands, arms, hamstrings, lower back, Achilles tendons and calves. It also helps to strengthen your entire back and thus alleviate any lower back pain.

Steps:

	STEP 1: Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Stretch the elbows and relax the upper back between the shoulder blades, which gives you the feeling that the arms fall into the shoulder blades.
	STEP 2: Exhale and lift your knees and draw your back backwards from the pelvis, so that your arms and back form one line.
	STEP 3: Stretch your legs in such a way that you get the feeling that someone behind you is pulling your legs and hips backwards from the top of your upper legs. Let your head hang down in a relaxed sort of way.
	STEP 4: When you have placed your back and your legs correctly, stretch out your arms. This results in a stretching from two sides of the back: a stretching from the pelvis and a stretching from the arms. When the back and the chest are placed correctly, you will notice that you can quietly breathe in and out through the belly. You should not let your chest hang downwards or make your back extremely sunken. In this Asana, the back should be lengthened along its entire length. Take your time to work out the stretching further and further.

  

Benefits:

• Elongates and releases tension from your spine
• Stretches your hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
• Strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back
• Improves mobility of your digestive system
• Relieves back pain, headaches, insomnia and fatique
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
• Downward-Facing Dog is a mild inversion that calms the nervous system and helps relieve stress

Cautions:

• Wrist problems like carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis
• High blood pressure
• Eye or inner ear infection
• Avoid this pose in late-term pregnancy

2. Utthanasana

Uttanasana is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘ut’ meaning intense and ‘tan’ meaning stretch while ‘asana’ refers to pose. Uttanasana or Standing Forward Bend Pose is an incredible stretching yoga pose that has a number of therapeutic benefits. In the Standing Forward Bend Yoga Pose, your head hangs below the heart allowing for fresh oxygen-rich blood to flow to your brain. This rejuvenates and revitalizes cells and gives the entire body a quick boost of oxygen. Though this is often considered a basic yoga pose, it is very important that the proper technique is followed to ensure that you stretch your hamstrings completely and do not injure your back.

In this exercise, you literally stretch stress, tiredness, and stiffness from your body. At the same time, you learn how to rest and relax in case of discomfort and effort.

Steps:

	STEP 1: Start with the Mountain Pose.
	STEP 2: Bend your knees, support your upper body with a straight lower back, and slowly bend forward so that your belly touches your upper legs. Maintain the position of your lower back or else your chest will sink. Move your pelvis, taking the back as the starting point, relax your groins, and keep your weight on the front parts of your heels.
	STEP 3: Keep breathing correctly through your belly and slowly stretch your chest to the knees without losing the support of your lower back. Stretch your legs everytime you exhale. Your pelvis moves upward from the back until your legs are eventually stretched. Touch the ground or grab your ankles. Stretch downward from your crown and when you have grabbed your ankles, use a slight stretching force to lengthen the body. Important! If you lose the supportive power of the lower back during the exercise, you lose a major part of its effect. As a result, your chest will sink, making your breathing irregular. Also, stretching will not be effective. Now, stand up straight again and jump back to Tadasana.

Bear in mind that you perform this forward bend through relaxation and not through force by pulling your feet with physical strength. When you pull too hard, the body stiffens, your thinking and breathing will be affected and worst of all, you run a risk of injuring yourself. 

Benefits of Uttanasana

• Stimulates nervous system and the endocrine.
• Stimulates the spleen, kidneys and liver.
• Improve flexibility.
• Strengthens the leg muscles, knees and spine
• Improves cellular growth, blood circulation, posture and alignment.
• Relieves tension neck and shoulder.
• Activate and tones abdomen muscles.

Cautions:

• If you suffer from any type of back injury, try this pose with your knees bent
• You can also try the Ardha Uttanasana instead of the Uttanasana if you suffer from chronic back pain
• Avoid this pose completely if you have recently had back surgery, knee surgery or surgery to your hamstrings
• Do not do this pose if there has been recent injury to your legs, hips, and shoulders

3. Vajrasana
   

Vajrasana makes the body exceptionally strong and healthy. Vajra means thunderbolt in Sanskrit. During this asana, feel the sensations in the body as you move them. Do the Movement slowly and in a relaxed manner. Inhale and exhale slowly. While drawing the Abdominal region inwards and expanding the chest, focus the attention on these body parts. The way the muscles move must be felt.

It is the only asana which can be practiced immediately after food also.  To practice all  the other asanas, there should be a gap of at least 3 hours after food.  Like Padmasana, Vajrasana is also an Asana for meditation.  You can sit comfortably for a longer period in the Vajrasana.

Steps:

• Fold your left leg in the knee and place the toe on the floor
• Fold right leg in the knee and place the toe on the floor and now join both the toes
• Sit on the pit formed by the parted heels
• Place the palms on the knees.
•  Now start to inhale slowly then exhale.
• When you exhale try to think that your disorders are coming out from your nose.
• Repeat these steps for 5 minutes and take a rest. You can increase the time for 15 minutes.

Benefits:

• Calms the mind and bring stability in mind.
• Cures constipation, acidity, increases digestion process.
• Those suffering from gas problems can practice immediately after lunch or dinner.
• Helps to get rid of back pain.
• Cures stomach disorder.
• Cures urinary problems.
• Strengthens the sexual organs.
• Increases blood circulation.
• It is preferred for meditation and concentration.
• Helps to reduce obesity.
• Strengthens the thigh muscles.
• Acts as pain killer in arthritis patients

Caution:

• A person suffering from joint pain should not practice this asana.( Knee injuries or problems with cartilage or ligament tears,Ankle pain) .
• Should practice under expert guidance

4.      Apanasana

Apanasana or the knee-to-chest pose is a great pose for those of you who might be battling any kind of stomach disorder. A great pose to relieve gas in the stomach, constipation, indigestion, bloating and acidity, apanasana is very effective in aiding and improving your digestion and detoxing your entire system. It is also a great pose to relax the muscles of the back, the tense muscles of the neck and thighs and can completely calm your mind. It is also an asana that you should perform after a long day of sitting at your desk, since it can do away with back strain that you might commonly feel at the end of the day.

Steps:

• Firstly lie down on your back and breath in,
• Put your hands on your knees.
• Breathe out and close your knees to your chest.
• Maintain this position for 5-10 breaths.
• Release your knees and do it again for few more times.

Benefits:

• Emphasizes cooling.
• Releases the muscles that insert onto the low back and back of the pelvis.
• Massages and purifies the abdominal organs.

Cautions:

·        Abdominal surgery or hernia.

·        Spinal,knee or hip injury.

·        During pregnancy.

 5. Pavanmukthasana

This yoga pose, as its name suggests, is excellent for releasing abdominal gas. Pawanmuktasana is pronounced as PUH-vuhn-mukt-AAHS-uh-nuh.
Pavana = wind, mukta = relieve or release, Asana = Posture or Pose.
As per yoga science, our body is made up of five basic elements. Deficiency or excess of any of these elements causes disorders in the body. Air is one of them. This asana balances the air element to remove the extra air from the body.

On waking up in the morning drink a glass of warm water and then perform this Yoga posture. Regular practice will remove trapped wind; regulate the bowel movement and tone up the digestive system. Appetite will improve and you will feel more energetic.

Steps:

• Lie straight on your back.
• While exhaling, fold both legs from knee and press the thighs on the stomach with hands.
• Bend the neck and place the chin on the knees.
• Stay in this position while holding the breath for as long as comfortable.
• While inhaling, return back to normal position.
• Practice above steps 5 to 6 times.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the back and abdominal muscles
• Tones the leg and arm muscles
• Massages the intestines and other organs in the abdomen
• Helps in digestion and release of gas
• Enhances blood circulation in the hip joints and eases tension in the lower back

Cautions:

• High blood pressure and heart patients must practice this asana with normal breathing.
• Patients of severe slip disc and cervical pain should not raise the head while performing this asana.
• This asana is not advisable for pregnant ladies.
• Must be avoided if there is a recent abdominal surgery as there is a lot of pressure on the abdomen.
• Anyone suffering from hernia should avoid this asana.

6.Sarvangasana

Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) is a yoga pose which involves the muscles of the entire body. It is classified as an inverted pose. Inverted poses help to tone and stretch the body by working against the force of gravity. There are many health benefits of practicing this pose on a regular basis. This is termed "all-members' pose," because all the parts of the body are engaged when this Asana is performed
In yoga, sarvangasana is one of those poses which improve blood circulation throughout the body. The blood flow is directed from the lower body to the heart. This pose also helps to prevent the occurrence of varicose veins in the legs. Sarvangasana benefits also include strengthening the lungs. During breathing, the lower region of the lungs receives most of the oxygen due to the effect of gravity. Inverted yoga positions such as sarvangasana help to direct the flow of oxygen to the upper parts of the lung, thereby strengthening the capacity of lung tissue. The inversion also allows a better blood flow to the brain and this enhances mental alertness and concentration. Many individuals with thyroid problems also obtain benefit from practicing sarvangasana. This is because the thyroid gland which is situated in the neck receives a good supply of oxygen through the blood.

Steps:

	STEP 1: Lie down with your back on a Yoga Mat.
	STEP 2: Your shoulders should lie on the edge and your head rests on the mat. Your legs are drawn in and still stand on the mat.
	STEP 3: Lift your hips off the floor and bring your legs up, over and beyond your head.
	STEP 4: At this point, lift your back and move your legs further beyond your head.
	STEP 5: Straighten your spine and keep your back straight. Move your hands toward your back.
	STEP 6: Place your arms against your upper back and try to place your hands as near as possible to the shoulder blades. Try to place your elbows at shoulder-width. If you cannot do this, put them at a somewhat wider distance from each other. If you want, you can use a belt to keep the arms together.
	STEP 7: Push your back upwards with your hands. You will get a force upwards coming from the seventh neck-vertebra. Use your hands to push the back forward with the result that it gets narrower and straighter and there is an increased pressure on your shoulders. At the same time, this requires more power of the muscles of the lower back. Rest your weight on the back side of the shoulders. See to it that you do not bend the upper back and the chest.
	STEP 8: Lift up your legs, one at a time, and see to it that the pelvis is placed straight over your back and your hands. Your legs are placed a little forward. Divide the weight of your legs between the hands and the shoulders. Build up strength in the upper lower back and give space to your chest and shoulder muscles. A slight bending of the legs sees to it that the back remains straight and that the dynamism from the sacrum and the hip is maintained. Wait until your shoulders start to relax more. Try to increase the right dynamism through the angle of the legs and via the hands.
	STEP 9: After some time, try placing your arms a little lower in the direction of the shoulder blades on your back. See to it that the elbows do not stand too far apart. Breathe in and out quietly and try to find your balance. Slowly bring your legs back to the mat, one by one, stretch out your arms (lengthwise), away from you and slowly roll your back downward.

Remark: For people who practice Yoga and have stiff muscles and a weak lower back, this Asana may be quite difficult. As a general rule, it may be said that healthy pain and discomfort are things that quickly disappear when the exercise is over.  

There are three important power lines in the Shoulder Stand:

• from the upper back inward and upward
• from the chest upward
• from the sacrum to the pelvis

Benefits:

•    Inverted poses are extremely important because they reverse the action of gravity on the body and get the blood and lymph flowing in opposite directions.
•    On an emotional level shoulder stand helps turn everything on its head and helps us see things from a different angle.
•    It helps boost self-confidence.
•    Because of the increased blood flow to the top of the body, shoulder stand can help improve brain function and cognition and reduce anxiety and depression.
•    It takes pressure off the heart, which has to work less to get blood flowing to the brain.
•    Helps with lung function by improving blood flow to the area, making it useful for people suffering from respiratory tract disorders.
•    After a yoga class, inversions help to divert blood from the legs into the abdominal region, which means a fresh flow of oxygenated blood to the organs. This has applications in improving both digestive and reproductive functions.

Cautions:

• Should not be performed by people suffering from high blood pressure, heart conditions or brain diseases.
• Should be avoided during menstruation and pregnancy.
• Should be avoided if suffering from a very enlarged thyroid, enlarged spleen or liver as well as cervical spondylitis, slipped disc, headache and weak blood vessels in the eyes.

 Apart from all these yoga poses its important to maintain a healthy diet.

Until Next,Stay Wow!
XOXO