Go Yo-yo for Yoga!
by Nilma Dole
Breathe in and breathe out....that’s how the mantra of yoga goes.
Roland Withanage is a yoga expert who has qualified with a
specialised yoga diploma from the Yoga College in India. He explains
that the immense benefit of yoga can be used to control various
ailments.
  Hailing from Rathnapura, Withanage was a dynamic individual very much
involved in various sports. “However, after learning and reading about
yoga quite randomly, I decided to give yoga a try and found it immensely
beneficial.” With this, he went to India and went on to study more about
it.
“There are various joints mushrooming about the art of yoga but I
have proved the results of my yoga classes from my students themselves”
he said. Also, yoga has been known to cure everything from heart
diseases to sports injuries and also improves concentration and brain
power.
“My advice to people is to learn from doing simple yoga exercises and
then move on with the more rigourous ones” said Withanage who has been
doing free yoga classes for the soldiers of the Ranaviru Sevana. Like
his motto suggests, do yoga for a healthy life, good body shape, beauty
and a stress and tension-free life!
Learn how to do Yoga
A simple lotus pose:
This is probably the most well-known pose, routinely used by Buddha
and is a very popular meditation pose. This is not always easy for all
to master. It may take time for the ligaments extended, so that the
Lotus Pose is comfortable. If one cannot master the Lotus pose or any of
the other seated poses, this will do quite well for the purpose of
meditation. Start slowly and acquire proficiency over a period of time
as this is one the basic yoga postures.
Techique:
1. Keep the right foot on the left thigh
2. Start moving the right knee. If the moving knee easily touches the
floor, then bend the knee, take hold of the left foot with both hands,
gently glide it over the crossed right leg and place it on the right
thigh
3. This will give symmetrical placement to the legs and you will be in a
lotus postition.
4. The hands should be kept on the knees, with palms open, and the thumb
and second finger of each hand should touch, forming the letter ‘O’.
Benefits:
1. This is an extremely good pose for meditation and concentration
2. It has a calming effect on the mind and the nerves
3. This pose keeps the spine erect
4. It helps to develop a good posture
5. It helps to keep the joints in flexible condition |
