Postures to relax the mind

Courtesy: Bharat Thakur

Sleep is not necessarily relaxation as man dreams, or continues to remain restless during the night. Rest is needed not only by the body but the mind as it works continuously without our control. You cannot stop worrying about a problem even though you know that agonising will not solve it. One way to rest our mind and body is the practice of Yoga Nidra, where a man 'sleeps' and at the same time remains aware that he is sleeping.


• Yoga Exercise 1

• Lie on your back on a mat or a hard mattress
• Concentrate on your breath. Breathe deeply from the abdomen and be aware of yourself inhaling and exhaling
• There are sixteen vital points in your body which can relax you totally, if you concentrate on them. Start concentrating on the forehead, move progressively to the nostrils, lips, chin, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingertips, chest, abdomen, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and toes. Repeat this cycle twice or thrice
• Now imagine your limbs are detached from your body. Only the head, chest and abdominal area exist now. As you breathe in, feel the air entering your spine and cleansing it
• Concentrate on the different vital nerve plexus or nerve junctions called chakras’. Breathe in and out 5-10 times while concentrating on each point
• Start with the root plexus or mooladhara in the space between your anus and your genitals
• Move to the solar plexus or swadhisthan, four fingers above the navel
• Then to the midpoint of the chest, anahat
• Move to the throat, to visudhi
• Move to the point between the eyebrows, ajna
• Finally move to the crown, the suryachakra
• Imagine your limbs are once again attached to your body. Be aware of your whole body as one unit for about two minutes
• Slowly open your eyes, stretch and get up.

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