Ask Yogi Dr. Malik - your own advice guru
April 2008
I’d love to spice up my
love life a little. I’ve heard that
yoga can help. Is this true?
It depends on what kind of spice you want! There are
plenty of good books inspired by the Kama Sutra and tantra
yoga. (See our February issue, which featured a number of
positions from the Kama Sutra). If you are looking to
improve your flexibility then yoga can definitely help with
this. Poses like halasana (plough) and virbhadrasana (warrior)
will tone your inner thighs and improve spinal flexibility.
I experience drowsiness
and tiredness sometimes,
but recently it’s got worse.
I’ve examined my diet and
have cut out processed sugary
foods and also caffeine.
Can you recommend any
yoga exercises?
Your body is adjusting to the elimination of the
refined sugar and stimulating caffeine. You should try to
increase your intake of fruit as they contain natural sugars
(fructose) and should give you more energy. I also recommend
that you practise sitakari, a pranayama exercise to
help balance the body and give yourself a natural pickme-
up. Sit down in padmasana (lotus) or siddhasana
(perfect pose). Touch the tip of your tongue on the palate
of your mouth. The centre of the tongue should meet the
lips. Suck the air in through your mouth using the “seeee”
sound and hold the breath for as long as your stamina
allows. Exhale through the nose. Try this exercise daily for
30 days.
Why do I experience
cramp in the feet or sometimes
in the calves when I
practise poses like cobra
or locust? I drink plenty of
water and I know about
the need for potassium
(e.g. bananas) in the
diet to reduce salt levels
in the body.
Please help!
Cramp can result from a combination
of reasons including
poor circulation, lack of
salt, calcium or iron, or
pressure on the
calves (for example
from
wearing
high
heels). Sometimes there is no obvious reason, and if you
are drained and physically run down you can experience a
higher incidence of cramps. Cobra and locust are not traditional
poses where you would experience cramps in the
feet and calves. Try supporting the legs with rugs when
you perform these asanas. Massaging and stretching them
gently will help.
Is it really important
that you don’t eat before
doing yoga or meditation?
I tend to do my yoga practice
when I get up and
would usually be quite hungry
and have a small bowl
of cereal before doing
yoga. Should I resist the
temptation to eat?
It’s best not to eat before practice. If you are performing
inversions you could experience nausea and
headaches. But if you are really hungry, then eat something
light – a piece of fruit should be enough to stave off
the hunger which may distract you from your practice.
However, it is usually recommended that you don’t eat for
ninety minutes to two hours before yoga.
I find it difficult to relax
when going to sleep. Is
there anything you can
recommend?
The key to falling asleep is to combine a little feng
shui with some aromatherapy and yoga. Your bedroom
needs to be a sanctuary, so try not to have too many electrical
appliances in there. Start to wind down about an
hour before you go to bed. Go and have a bath with
scented oils such as lavender and ylang ylang, which you
can burn in your room as well. After your bath, relax on
your bed while reading a book or magazine, or if you find
that reading keeps you awake then spend five minutes in
savasana (corpse pose). If you really concentrate on releasing
all your muscles while in this position, you will feel
really tired.
Write to:
Ask Yogi Dr Malik
Yoga Magazine
26 York Street
London
W1U 6PZ
editor@yogamagazine.co.uk
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