1 Jan 2023
In these 10 minutes, you would have circulated, breathed and oxygenated well. Towards the end, you would have composed and rested yourself well and your whole body would have charged up with hormones like serotonin, dopamine and endorphin, which bring joy and happiness, says holistic health expert, Dr Mickey Mehta
Published in Indian Express
Many people complain about the lack of time for working out every day. But I would say, spare five minutes every day for a month and you would be able to breathe, stretch, bounce, do a few simple postures and calm down at the same time. Five minutes can become 10 and it is these 10-minute workouts that help busy people stay fit.
We can start with compound warm-ups, such as circling your arms back and forth, expanding your arms laterally, horizontally and vertically, stretching your arms up and trying to come down, and then a little spot jog with breathing in and out.
(1) Forward bend – Exercise 1
Forward bends can also reverse your age as they take care of your spine health. The blood gush in the brain supports and improves your focus, attention and concentration. The agility of the spine is important as it improves longevity. And squeezing your stomach improves digestion, relieves constipation and supports the elimination of toxins.
Routine: Stand straight with legs a foot apart. Interlock your hands behind. Inhale, bring your hands up, exhale slowly, take your hands away from your body and bend forward. Repeat five times.
(2) Plie – Exercise 2
Also called a sumo squat, this is extremely good to improve the strength in your legs to get you more rooted in your thoughts, words and deeds and to anchor your mind, body and spirit. The more you work your lower body, the more you circulate better and the more you increase your metabolic rate.
Routine: Keep 3 ft distance between the legs, with feet at an angle to maintain balance. Breathe in, go down, breathe out, and slowly come up. Repeat five times.
(3) Leg lift plie – Exercise 3
Squeezing your waist and lifting your legs up simultaneously as you breathe out is very good for your entire body workout. It improves your gut circulation, makes sure your lungs get better oxygenated as you deep-breathe in and out and shapes your legs and waist.
Routine: Keep two feet distance between the legs. Breathe out as you raise your legs from each side. Repeat five times on each side.
(4) Twisting in plie – Exercise 4
Twisting and turning in the plie and kathak position is very good to squeeze out toxins from your organs and improve your digestive system. As you look to the left and right extremes, it works on your carotid artery.
Routine: Keep three feet distance in the legs. Squat down or go in a plie position. Keep both hands folded in front of the chest. Breathe out and twist on either side. Repeat 20 times.
(5) Snake mountain – Exercise 5
This is one of the wonderful exercises for absolute agility and flexibility of the whole body, reversing your physical age and making you taut, alert and quick in your responses, alertness and reflexes.
Routine: Bend forward and walk with your hands in front until your heels are on the ground. This is a mountain position. Inhale, raise the head and trunk, making the spine concave upwards without lifting the position of your hands and feet. Exhale, come back again to the previous position. Repeat five times.
(6) Mountain climbing – Exercise 6
Mountain climbing increases the tenacity and resilience of the lower body. It improves strength in the shoulders and arms. Climb the mountain, climb your confidence.
Routine: From the mountain, go in plank position, start moving alternate legs in front and take your knees towards the chest. Repeat 20 times.
(7) Alternate toe touch in Mountain position – Exercise 7
Make sure your right-hand touches your left toe and your left-hand touches your right toe. This exercise will help improve your left-right brain coordination, attention and balance.
Routine: In the mountain position, touch your right hand at the left toe and vice-versa. Repeat five times on each side.
(8) Ulta Naukasana – Exercise 8
Working on your upper and lower body as you breathe in, go down, breathe and come up. Not only does your stomach become strong, your stored fears, phobias, insecurities and anxieties, just above the stomach at your solar plexus in the Manipura chakra, get dissolved and breathed out as the stomach becomes stronger.
Routine: In the mountain position, touch your right hand at the left toe and vice-versa. Repeat five times on each side.
(8) Ulta Naukasana – Exercise 8
Working on your upper and lower body as you breathe in, go down, breathe and come up. Not only does your stomach become strong, your stored fears, phobias, insecurities and anxieties, just above the stomach at your solar plexus in the Manipura chakra, get dissolved and breathed out as the stomach becomes stronger.
Published in Indian Express