Going back to age-old practices can contribute immensely to one's health, suggests Rujuta Diwekar. Find out how.
If you thought yoga is only performed on the mat, think again. You can derive the best of this ancient practice even when you are having your meal. While our desk jobs prevent us from sitting on the floor and having our food, it is believed that one should be in Sukhasana pose when eating as it not only helps us digest the food better, it also helps improve agility, explained celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar in an Instagram post.
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Week 3 guideline – Sit in sukhasana when eating The main theme of the #12week2020 is reviving our age-old health and well-being practices. A lot of times we feel that health is built by eating that one superfood or following that one exercise program, etc. But it’s the small things that we do daily that come together over a period of time and lead to good health. This is exactly what our elders did. One such small, but daily practice was to sit down and eat. Why? There are many benefits of this – • Allows for an improved posture as your spine is aligned and the shoulders square. • Improves focus and attention to the act of eating and prevents overeating • Better blood flow to the stomach and improved assimilation of micro-nutrients like vitamin B12, Vit D, etc. • Keeps the body young and mobile, retains lower body strength and stability In addition to sitting down, eat with your hands. Traditionally, eating is considered to be a Havan, an offering of food to the digestive fire in your stomach. So, the food that you eat must be with your hands and the offering heartfelt. Also, as you already know, no gadgets while eating. How? Here’s a weekly plan – Week 1 – Cross your legs on the chair and sit. Week 2 – every alternate day, change the cross of your legs and sit Week 3 – start sitting down on the floor for one meal everyday (with the cross that is easier) Week 4 – sit down every day, and alternate the cross of your legs daily. Week 5 – build it from one meal to sitting down on the floor for all main meals. Note – If you are not able to sit on the chair with both legs up, you can start with one leg up on the chair at a time, slowly building to both legs up. P.S – The ability to sit down is also a predictor of our overall health and fitness. Try the sitting rising test (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting-rising_test) and share your score in this week’s form (score range is 0-10, details online). Fill the week 2 form here – link in bio. Video in story.
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According to Diwekar, while some of us tend to count only on “one superfood or following that one exercise program”, it is the “small things that we do daily that come together over a period of time and lead to good health“. We couldn’t agree more.
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Here’s why.
Sitting down in Sukhasana has numerous benefits of health, including:
*It helps improve one’s posture as the spine is aligned and the shoulders square.
*It improves focus and attention when one is eating, and, in turn, prevents overeating.
*It improves the blood flow to the stomach and also the assimilation of micro-nutrients like vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
*It keeps the body energetic and helps build lower body strength and stability.
In addition, Diwekar, who is currently running the 12-week fitness project, mentioned that one should make it a practice to eat with their hands. “Traditionally, eating is considered to be a havan, an offering of food to the digestive fire in your stomach. So, the food that you eat must be with your hands and the offering heartfelt. Also, as you already know, no gadgets while eating,” she said.
Here are some other benefits of Sukhasana
*It is considered effective for people who have a stiff body.
*It helps create flexibility in the ankles, knees and hip joints.
*It helps improve concentration, which is needed for effective meditation practices.
Things you should know about Sukhasana
*Sukhasana helps relax the body after performing meditative poses for a longer duration like Padmasana.
*Though called ‘easy pose’, maintaining the posture for a longer duration is considered difficult as the weight of the entire body is supported only by the buttocks.
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