Yoga is an ancient physical and spiritual discipline and branch of philosophy that originated in India reportedly more than 5,000 years ago. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means to yoke, join, or unite. The Iyengar school of yoga defines yuj as the "joining or integrating of all aspects of the individual - body with mind and mind with soul - to achieve a happy, balanced and useful life." The ultimate aim of yoga, they claim, is to reach kaivalya (emancipation or ultimate freedom).
History and Development of Yoga:
The practice of Yoga is believed to have started with the very dawn of civilization. The science of yoga has its origin thousands of years ago, long before the first religions or belief systems were born. In the yogic lore, Shiva is seen as the first yogi or Adiyogi, and the first Guru or Adi Guru.
Several Thousand years ago, on the banks of the lake Kantisarovar in the Himalayas, Adiyogi poured his profound knowledge into the legendary Saptarishis or "seven sages”. The sages carried this powerful yogic science to different parts of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa and South America.
The period between 1700 - 1900 A.D. is considered as Modern period in which the great Yogacharyas- Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Paramhansa Yogananda, Vivekananda etc. have contributed for the development of Raja Yoga.This was the period when Vedanta, Bhakti yoga, Nathayoga or Hatha-yoga flourished. The Shadanga-yoga of Gorakshashatakam, Chaturanga-yoga of Hathayogapradipika, Saptanga-yoga of Gheranda Samhita, were the main tenents of Hatha-yoga.
Meditative asanas:
Meditative asanas as the name suggests, facilitate meditation. These asanas are aimed at providing concentration stability peace, and calmness to the mind. They provide a comfortable and stable position to the body in order to make the mind steady for practicing Dharna, Dhyana, and Samadhi this group of asanas consist of poses in which one can sit comfortably for a long time.
1 Siddhasana (Adept Pose)
It improves immunity. It has a balancing effect on the nerves or nadis. To get benefitted from this pose, sit with the legs straight. Bend the right leg and place the foot very close to the body on the floor. Now bend the left leg and place the left foot on top of the right calf. The sole of the foot touches the right thigh. Pull the toes of the right foot up between the thigh and the calf of the left leg and the toes of the left foot down between the thigh and the calf of the right leg. If it is difficult to keep the body upright or the knees do not rest on the floor, then use a cushion to sit upon.
2. Vajrasana (Sitting on the heels)
It stimulates proper digestion therefore it is recommended to sit in vajrasana for about 5-10 minutes after a meal.
Initiate steps towards proper digestion by coming up onto the knees (knee stand). The legs are together. The big toes touch each other, the heels point slightly outwards. Tilt the upper body forward and then sit back between the heels. The trunk is upright. Place the hands on the thighs.
3. Sukhasana
The first step is to folds the legs so that each leg rests on top of the opposite foot. This is a popular crossed-legged seated posture. For reasons to be explained, it’s usually not considered a meditative posture.
Relaxative asanas:
Relaxing yoga helps you find balance and serenity. Yogic breathing and poses unburden your body of tension locks created in it all day long.
1. Balasana (Child Pose)
Balasana or the Child Pose resembles the fetal position of a baby. ‘Bala’ is a Sanskrit word that means child. It is a beginner level Vinyasa yoga asana. This asana should be practiced on an empty stomach. Hold the pose for 1 to 3 minutes for best results.
2. Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)
Makarasana or the Crocodile Pose resembles a crocodile with its head above the water. The pose is perfect to end a strenuous yoga session. It is a beginner level Hatha yoga asana. Practice Makarasana on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning. Hold it for 3-5 minutes.
4. Supta Matsyendrasana:
Supta Matsyendrasana or the Reclining Fish Pose is twisting pose and is named after a yogi called Matsyendra, a disciple of Lord Shiva. It is a beginner level Hatha yoga asana. Practice the asana on an empty stomach and clean bowels. Hold it for 30 to 60 seconds.
Correcting Yoga Asanas:
• Tadasana or tree pose. For this, stand with your legs and feet joined.
• Parsvottanasana or intense side stretch. For this, get yourself in the mountain pose with your left foot slightly behind you.
• Halasana or plough pose. Lie down on your back with your feet flat on the floor.
Yoga asanas for improved memory and concentration
Paschimottanasana:
This asana stretches the spine, calms the brain, and helps relieve stress and mild depression. Paschimottanasana reduces negative emotions like irritability and anger and energises your body. It is also a great yoga pose to massage and tone the abdominal and pelvic organs.
Ustrasana:
Ustrasana activates your nervous system, improves digestion and respiration. It also improves your posture by strengthening and stretching your back and shoulders. This yoga pose stimulates the endocrine glands and reduces fat in the body.
Setu Bandhasana:
The bridge pose can help calm the brain and the nervous system, thereby reducing the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. It improves blood circulation to the brain and helps in strengthening and stretching the neck and spine.
Savasana:
One of the easiest yet most effective yoga poses to release stress, fatigue, depression, and tension. Savasana or the corpse pose improves concentration and sleep quality, calms the mind and promotes mental health. This pose is also beneficial for people suffering from neurological problems, diabetes, asthma, constipation, indigestion. Surprisingly, Savasana may also help you lose weight by relaxing your mind and body.
Explain the Barrow's three General motor fitness test in detail:
Barrow’s Three-items General Motor Ability Test Motor abilities play a very vital role in achieving apex position in games and sports. Motor fitness involves speed, agility, power, coordination, strength and so on. These components of fitness are necessary for competing at top levels.
1. Standing long/broad jump:
Purpose: To measure explosive power of the legs.
Equipment: Measuring tape, non-slipery floor, mat.
Procedure: (i) Stand behind marked starting line.
(ii) Feet slightly apart
(iii) Swing your arms back and forth rthymically and bend the knees.
(iv) The athlete takes off and lands using both feet, arm swing and bend knees provide forward drive.
(v) The subject attempts to land as far as possible.
(vi) Landing on both the feet without falling backwards.
(vii) Three attempts are allowed.
Pull-Up Test (boys)
purpose: This test measures upper body strength and endurance.
equipment required: Horizontal overhead bar, at an adequate height so that the participants can hang from it with arms fully extended and feet not touching the floor (see pull-up bars).
pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender and test conditions. Measure and record the height of the bar. Perform a standard warm-up. See more details of pre-test procedures.
procedure: The pull-ups are performed starting from a dead hang (arms fully extended and locked), body motionless, feet off the floor. The grip can be either with both palms facing forward or to the rear, though with both facing in the same direction. From this starting position, a pull-up is performed without excessive body motion, and the body is lifted until the chin has cleared the top of the bar. The body is then lowered until his arms are fully extended or locked out. One complete pull-up is counted when the Marine's arms are locked out. This procedure is repeated until the Marine has reached the maximum 20 complete pull-ups, or can no longer complete a pull-up.
Flex leg sit-up test:
purpose: This test measures the endurance of the abdominal and hip-flexor muscles.
equipment required: flat ground, stopwatch
pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender, test conditions. Perform an appropriate warm-up. See more details of pre-test procedures.
procedure: The aim of this test is to perform as many sit-ups as you can in two minutes. The starting position is lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. The arms are folded across and the chest, and must maintain no gap between the forearms and the chest at all times. A second person is permitted to hold the lower legs or ankles. On the command ‘go,’ start the crunch by raising your upper body forward until the elbows or forearms touch the thighs, and then lower the torso until the shoulder blades touch the ground. This is one complete sit up.
Shuttle run:
purpose: depending on the distance and duration of the test, the shuttle run test will measure agility, anaerobic, aerobic fitness, or some combination of these.
usual equipment required: non-slip surface, marker cones, measurement tape, stopwatch.
pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender, test conditions (indoor/outdoor, surface type). Measure and mark out the test area. Perform an appropriate warm-up, including running at increasing speeds and incorporating turns. See more details of pre-test procedures.
procedure: Shuttle run tests require the participant to run back and forth between two lines or markers, at a particular pace or as quick as possible. Some tests use a set distance to shuttle between, others may use a ladder shuttle, in which the shuttle distance changes with each run.
