Holiday Pounds Twist ’em Out

From the hard core vegans to carnivores, weight gain during the Winter Holiday season is a cultural norm.

The unwanted belly bulge comes from overindulgence, lack of sleep and an increased stress. Plus family obligations, airport chaos, and crazed shopping. 

Yoga Twisting poses support your overall health and wellbeing:

1. Balance the digestive fire in your belly
2. Cleanse internal organs
3. Reduce stress and fatigue

Digestive Fire is a popular phrase used in yoga classes. Your digestive Fire, also known as Agni, processes and absorbs the foods we eat.

Each person digests certain foods better or worse than others. Rather than saying “You are what you eat,” Alternative Medicine says, “You are what you digest.”

Your Agni is literally a fire in your digestive system. 

Unhealthy Agni creates undigested food in your body. Yuck. The residue is toxic. These toxins clog, block, and stick to the channels in the mind and body, ultimately resulting in disease.

Twisting poses promote detoxification and elimination in the body on a deep cellular level.

When you practice twists, the internal organs are compressed and toxins are being pushed out, like a good massage.

As you unwind from twists, fresh oxygenated blood is released and nutrients are rushing in. 

If you don’t snooze you lose.

Sleep is one of the best remedies to carry out all of your healing.  Most yoga poses, including twists, lower your stress levels and reduce fatigue.

In yoga spinal twists, you’ll release trapped energy along the spinal column. Like ringing out a wet dish rag. After practicing, you’ll feel more open and at ease.

Furthermore, a rigid spine and a flexible mind can rarely be found together. If the body is tied up in knots, the mind and emotions are too.

Get your TWIST on

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose/ Ardha Matsyendrasana– one of my favorite poses. It stimulates the upper and lower abdominal organs, extra cleansing.

1. 

   Sit on the floor, legs straight out in front of you. Bend your knees, put your outer feet on the floor. Slide your left foot under your right leg to the outside of your right hip. Lay the outside of the left leg on the floor. Slide your right foot to the outside of your left knee. The right knee will point directly up at the ceiling.

2. Exhale and twist toward the inside of the right thigh. Press the right hand against the floor just behind your right hip. Set your left elbow on the outside of your right knee. Pull your front torso and inner right thigh snugly together.
3. Right foot is flat on the floor. On your inhales lengthen your spine from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
4. On your exhales twist and look past your left shoulder. Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release with an inhalation, return to the starting position, and repeat to the left for the same length of time.

Benefits

To assist in losing weight and unwanted belly fat, practice Half Lord of the Fishes pose in the morning for five minutes on each side. Drink warm water with the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon. Grab your favorite magazine and head to the bathroom.

Twist, twist, twist,

Cindi