Redirect prana

A human being is only interesting if he's in contact with himself.
I learned you have to trust yourself,
be what you are,
and do what you ought to do the way you should do it.
- Barbra Streisand

Outside the small gym in my daughters' school is a big poster that says: It´s all about balance.

A guidance every human being needs to follow, not only the school children.

The number one goal for Yogis is to promote balance and gain optimal health. (Sattva-guna - the quality or nature of living beings which is characterised by wisdom and purity). When the doshas are imbalanced we send out a sign of lack of health, vitality and enjoyment.

The chain reaction starts when Vata creates misunderstanding, Pitta criticizes and Kapha attaches their own point of view. With the right yoga poses you can redirect prana to the right direction. Thereby Vata feels refreshed, Pitta wants to serve others and Kapha is self-confidient.

To pacify Vata (ether and air) you direct the attention from the upper hips down to the toes.

With Uttanasana we get to massage the colon (seat of Vata) and help the constipated Vata. This pose is grounding the easily spaced out Vata and makes you honor the connection between the body and the Earth. This forward bend makes the mind peaceful and calm which is helpful for people suffering from depression. The weak Vata body structure gets support as the pose improves your flexibility and relieves pain in the sciatic nerves.

The focus on Pitta (fire and water) is from top of the pelvis up to the diaphragm

Parivritta Prasarita Padottanasana is a detoxifying asana that wrings out the kidneys and the liver. By stimulating the gastric fire the small intestines (seat of Pitta) gets pacified. Too much heat causes diseases like IBS, heartburn and rashes. Too little heat prevents the body from a proper digestion.

The region of Kapha (earth and water) is from the diaphragm up to the head.

Inversions such as Salamba Sirsasana gets the stable Kapha moving and offers new perspective instead of getting stuck in the treadmill. By warming the cold body and stimulating the circulation, inversions pacify the oxygen deprived extremeties. Increasing the lung capacity keeps respiratory related diseases at bay.