Watch That Waist

By Dinesh Dagar Yoga expert & instructor/Mail Today
Dinesh Dagar has done a BSC in Yoga and is also a gold medalist from the Himalayan Yoga Olympics. He is currently an instuctor with Bharat Thakur Artistic Yoga. In a wellness series for LIFESTYLE, he will share yoga techniques especially tailored to combat the stress of urban lifestyles.

HOW often have you looked at your wedding picture and thought “I really wish I could look like that again?” Do you think it is impossible to get your teenage waist back? Do you think its too late to change your habits?

Is there really a way to get there?
The answer is yes. If you practice yoga regularly it is possible to delay ageing and regain your teenage waist.
Why does the abdomen become thickened by middle age?
Due to lack of exercise.
Over eating, if you overeat and don`t exercise regularly you do not burn the fat so it gets stored in the body as fat. Eating at the wrong time. If you eat late in the night and go to sleep the body will convert the food to fat.
Pregnancy. During pregnancy the abdomen gets stretched immensely. These muscles will regain shape afterwards if you resume exercise and if you don’t gain more than 9kgs. Women often gain excess weight during pregnancy which should immediately be shed after delivery as it tends to be stubborn.

One of the most common issues after pregnancy women have is that their waist is just not as small as it used to be. They just want to get back into their normal clothes and while the rest of their body seems to be getting back to normal, the waist just doesn’t seem to be getting there. Most of the weight gain happens in this region. These muscle become very weak due to over stretching.

Try these simple postures below and see the fantastic results in three weeks only: Before you begin this practice make sure you do a warmup as this prepares the body Gently jog at one spot. Move your neck shoulders and arms and shake up the muscles for ten minutes.

1. Parighasana Variation
Stand on the knees.
Stretch right leg sideways to the right, keeping it in line with the left knee.
Inhale interlock your fingers behind the neck.
Exhale bend to the right side, and push your hips forward.
Make sure that the head and face should be forward.
On the same side move your upper body up and down 20 times.
Repeat the pose on the other side also.
2. Parivritti Janu sirshasana
Sit with the legs about a metre apart.
Bend the left knee and place the heel against the perineum. Inhale raise your left arm up and bend towards your right leg.
Hold your right foot with the right hand and stretch the left arm over the head.
Hold the pose for a comfortable length of time.
Repeat the movement on the other side.

3. Naukasana Variation Lie down on the mat.
Interlock your fingers behind the neck and lift your neck and shoulder off the mat. Inhale raise your legs up 45 degrees. Bend your left knee and touch your right elbow with the left knee. Now touch your left elbow with the right knee and left leg straight. Move on both the sides 20 times

4. Trikonasana Variation
Stand erect with the feet about a metre apart.
Inhale stretch the arms sideways at the shoulder level. Exhale, bend to the right side, don’t lean forward. Now stretch the left arm over the head and slowly stretch right arm forward straight
Now move your body up and down 10 times.
Repeat on the other side also.
5. Tiryaka Tadasana
Stand with the feet about 2 feet apart.
Interlock the fingers, inhale and raise the arms over the head. While exhaling, bend to the right side from the waist. Don’t bend forward or backward or twist the waist. Inhale and come to the upright position. Repeat on the right side.
Practice 8 to 10 rounds.