On 17 Jun 2023, Seniors Today hosted their weekly Health Live Webinar with Dr Sheetal Goyal, a Senior Neurologist and Yoga Expert who spoke on and answered question about Yoga for Better Health of Seniors, to mark the occasion of Yoga Day which is celebrated on 21 Jun, 2023.
About Dr Sheetal Goyal
Dr Sheetal Goyal is a well-known senior consultant neurologist in Mumbai. She has done her MBBS and MD Internal Medicine from Guwahati Medical College, Guwahati Assam, and DM Neurology and PDF in Cognitive Neurosciences from NIMHANS Bangalore. She has to her credit both National and International publications. She has also obtained separate training in the treatment of various memory and movement disorders, skills of Inj Botulinum Toxins and Deep Brain Stimulation. She is a certified yoga instructor. She is a certified ‘Raja Yoga’ trainer of hearfulness.
She has done many certification courses of which prestigious ones are VEEG Certification by the Indian Epilepsy Society and a one-year learning course by ‘World Headache Society’. She is also trained in Botox injection given for writer cramps, cervical dystonia blepharospasm, etc. She is an ex-consultant Neurologist in Nemcare Superspeciality hospital, Guwahati and Apollo Clinic Ulubari, Guwahati. Dr Goyal is currently working at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, Mumbai.
Yoga is a union, integration and oneness with your inner and outer state of being.
The lack of integration is not natural and leads to personality disorders- which is the opposite of a holistic way of living.
There are 8 limbs of yoga. Patanjali was an ancient Rishi who introduced Ashtanga yoga to us. Where he says that you need to practice these 8 forms of yoga to live a spiritually content life.
The 8 limbs include:
- Yama- good conduct
- Niyama– regularity and keen observation
- Asana- posture
- Pranayama- breath regulation
- Pratyahara- inner withdrawal
- Dharana- mental focus
- Dhyana- meditation
- Samadhi- balance
We tend to confuse yoga with only one of the 8 elements, which is asana, however it is more than just that.
Yama
The word “Yama” means regulation or self discipline.
Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, a renowned rishi wrote, “Giving up untrue feelings and untrue thought is Yama. Yama means to give up.”
It is the act of giving up unwanted things from the heart and the removal of everything that is unnecessary for our spiritual journey.
There are 5 sub limbs in Yama
- Aparigraha
- Ahimsa
- Satya
- Asteya
- Brahmacharya
Niyama
Yama tells us about the things that we are not supposed to do.
Niyama on the other hand, tells us about the things that we should do.
Just as Yama denotes destruction of all that is unwanted.
Niyama is the embracing of the required qualities in the heart.
Its sub limbs include
- Shaucha
- Santosh
- Tapas
- Swadhaya
- Ishwar Paridhan
Asana
This limb of yoga is probably the most popular and also the least understood limb.
This is the limb that is confused with the entirety of yoga.
Here are a few ways in which you can proceed to inculcate asana in your daily routine:
- Wake up early
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Surya Namaskaras- for warming up
- Asana- to stretch your body
- Pranayamas- to freshen up
- Meditation- for mental peace and joy
Surya Namaskara has 12 different positions, and every position in the surya namaskar has its individual as well as cumulative benefits.
The benefits include:
- Enhancement of blood circulation
- Improves the functioning of the digestive system
- Weight Loss
- Helps you detox
- Helps in lowering your blood pressure
- Glowing skin and luscious hair
- Helps to strengthen muscles and joints
- Calms you and your body
- Activates the heart
- Solves heart problems
6 asanas you can add into your daily physical activity routine to improve your health and the quality of your life:
- Parsva Uthanasana
- Dvipada Pitham
- Mahamudra
- Jatarapariritti
- Veerabhadrasana
A few signs to know that a particular asana is not right for you or your parents/ grand parents:
– Shortness of breath
– Feeling dizzy
- Experiencing sudden weakness
Balasana– has been proved to help in patients with hypertension.
To be avoided in pregnancy, knee injury, stomach infection and severe spondylitis
Shavasana- you need to feel the entire length of your spine relaxing towards the floor.
A good savasana should last for at least 10 minutes.
20 minutes is even better.
It allows you body and mind some time to relax.
Virasana (Hero Pose)- rest your hands comfortably on your thighs and close your eyes.
Bring your attention to your breath- extended exhale breathing
Baddha Konasana- bound angle pose
Also known as the butterfly pose
It is helpful for hypertension
Paschimottanasana- forward seated bending pose
This is a good asana for individuals with dementia and hypertension
It also enhances cognitive functioning
Yogas for patients with diabetes:
- Viparita Karani- leg up the wall pose. Recommended to stay in this position for a minimum of 10 minutes.
- Shoulder stand
- Reclining bound angle pose
- Halasana
- Upward facing dog pose
- Ardha Matsyendrasna- this also helps you calm down
Pranayama
The word Prana is derived from Sanskrit which means ‘to move or to breathe with the prefix of Pra which is generally used to intensify the meaning of the root word.
The word Ayama means ‘expanding, extending, stretching’. Thus. Pranayama means to extend or expand the life force or breath.
Ayama also sometimes means ‘restraint or control’, in which case it can also mean controlling or restraining the breath.
The purpose of pranayama was to regulate your breath and draw your attention inwards, to calming your mind and help dissolve scattered thought patterns.
When you are at work and want to activate your brain and logical thinking- breathe through your right nostril, the surya nadi.
When you want to calm yourself down- breathe through your left nostril, the Chandra nadi.
Pratyahara
It is the most neglected, but the most important if the 8 limbs
It helps in refining attention and helps in aligning the senses inwards
Dharna, Dhyana and Samadhi
They are the last 3 limbs of yoga
There is no clear operation between the three, they are closely interlinked with one another.
