Slim Calm Sexy Yoga: 210 Proven Yoga Moves for Mind/Body Bliss

pharmaceutical-based industry devoted to easing headache symptoms, but science also backs yoga as a less invasive alternative. Researchers in India compared the outcomes of treating headache patients with nonsteroidal anti-inflam-matories (such as ibuprofen), Botox injections (yes, this wrinkle smoother is approved for headache relief), and yoga. The patients treated with yoga reported less pain than the patients treated with the other methods. Step away from the lethal bacteria, people!
    In another study, researchers randomly assigned migraine sufferers to 3 months of either a yoga intervention or self-care. Guess who reported significantly reduced migraine frequency and pain? Yep, the om team.
    When you feel the pressures of the day weighing you down, take the time to reduce anxiety levels and open up some space in your brain. Try this routine three times a week while you’re sitting at your desk, either at work or at home. If your job is physical, find a quiet place to sit for a few minutes.
    the
ROUTINE
Hold each pose for 5 deep inhales and exhales.
    THREE WISE MONKEYS
      Eye Soother
      Ear Soother
      Jaw Soother
      Alternate Nostril Breathing
      Temple Massage
    Stay in your seated position and press your index and middle fingers of both hands gently on your forehead between your eyebrows. Hold here for a few breaths. Press gently upward on your forehead and then slide your fingers down toward your temples. Press in and up on your temples and hold here for 3 long, deep breaths. Repeat 3 times.
    |
Sage Secrets
| MONKEY WISDOM
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    ACCORDING TO THE ancient Three Wise Monkeys maxim, to be anxiety free is to be free of evil happening to us, or in yoga philosophy, evil that we inflict upon ourselves. The ancient yogis believed suffering is a choice. We can choose to be happy and free from our circumstances or attached to them. When we let go of them, we have an inner calm, no matter what is happening in our lives. Only with practice are we free from the roller coaster of emotions.
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    WATER WORKS
    Headaches are often related to dehydration. You could reach for some pills as a quick fix, but keeping hydrated might be a better option. In one study, Dutch researchers asked a group of headache sufferers to increase their water intake over a period of 12 weeks. The result? Headache duration and intensity decreased. The subjects increased the amount they drank by 1.5 liters a day. (That’s a little more than six 8-ounce glasses.) Keep a glass or bottle with you while you’re working. It’s easy to get dehydrated, whether you’re staring at the computer screen for hours on end or running around doing errands.

Heart Disease

    Heart disease is the number one killer of women over 25 in this country. It kills more women than all cancers combined. That’s scary. Fortunately, practicing yoga can help you sidestep the consequences of this devastating disease. Numerous studies have linked yoga to reducing body weight (see chapter 4) and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, all major contributors to heart disease.
    Heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, also has been shown to be greater in yoga practitioners than in nonpractitioners, according to a 2009 study in the
International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics.
    Using the breath to strengthen the body and release tension provides you with an ample flow of oxygen and promotes a healthy heart. And according to research from Yale University School of Medicine, people who practice yoga and meditation at least three times a week lower their blood pressure, their pulse, and their risk of heart disease. To protect your ticker, practice this sequence twice a week.
    the
ROUTINE
Try the following sequence, staying in each pose for 10 deep inhales and exhales, unless otherwise noted.
      Chair with Breath of Fire

    Breath of fire will get you warm and get your heart pumping, and holding a chair pose will get the muscles in your whole body involved.
    In your chair pose, start to increase your rate of even inhales and exhales until you are rapidly pumping air in and out of your body. Hold the breath pattern for 30 seconds. Return to standing. Repeat 3 times. If 30 seconds feels like a long time, start with shorter periods and work from there.

      Low Lunge

    Do to one side, then the other.
      Pigeon

    Do to one side, then the other.
      Seated Meditation, Arms in V
      Seated Meditation
    ADJUST THAT ATTITUDE
    Know the difference between