FICTION: Believe in Me, Lucy Neave, UQP, $32.99

Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent, wrote Ludwig Wittgenstein. On the other hand, as Audre Lorde warns, your silence will not protect you. In Believe in Me, Lucy Neave charts a course between these two imperatives, putting the unsaid into words to reflect on the powerful effects of silence. This adroit, elegant novel follows Bet, a young woman living in Sydney in the early 2000s, as she tries to repair decades of miscommunication and reconstruct the story of her mother, Sarah.

Lucy Neaves second novel show how love is sustained over decades Credit:Hilary Wardhaugh

Bet draws on her memories and the fragmented words and images she finds in Sarahs scrapbooks to reveal a dramatic history. Sarah grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, in a devout churchgoing family that shielded her from the sexual revolution of the 1960s. As a teenager, she travelled to Idaho with a missionary. She was sent to Sydney alone after becoming pregnant, staying in a home for unwed mothers, and then raised her daughter as a single mother in Adelaide.

Distance is a fascination of Neaves. Her first novel, Who We Were (shortlisted for ACT Book of the Year in 2013), was also set between America and Australia, and Neave has lived in the US several times, including on a Fulbright grant. The distance between past and present is also a theme. Believe in Mes richest scenes bring to life textured accounts of America and Sydney in the 1970s and Adelaide in the 80s.

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Sarahs experiences of predation and neglect, including at the home for unmarried mothers for which Neave drew on research into the Abbotsford Convent, are harrowing. As the book progressively tells the lives of Sarah and her daughter, it shifts between their viewpoints and offers fascinating, detailed scenes as well as lightly sketched fast-forwards through decades.

Believe in Me does not provide the kind of immersion in another time and place of, say, a Kate Morton novel. Published by UQP, known for its literary fiction list, Neaves novel balances storytelling with an explicit intellectual edge, a meta-commentary on the process of imagining. This scaffolding is foregrounded from the beginning, when the reader is told that little is known of Sarah and that Bets memory is unreliable. Like Poppy by Drusilla Modjeska, another mother-daughter story that is also a meditation on biography, the act of trying to understand is as much a focus of the novel as the life story it tells. The conceptual commentary feels somewhat cool, but delivers a satisfying payoff as the ideas in the book come together.

The interplays between silence and words, stasis and action, inner worlds and outer expression run through the novel. Sarah often seems to be a character to whom things are done, rather than one who drives the action. In Neaves hands, this apparent passivity becomes an intriguing trait. Sarahs religiosity means she tries to accept suffering as Gods will, but she also uses passivity strategically, as a form of strength. Neave skilfully creates a character who often refuses to speak or act, but who nonetheless crafts moments of drama, cunning, violence and, ultimately, self-fashioning.

One of the quiet ways both Sarah and Bet express passion is through the care of wounded animals. The novel opens with teenaged Sarah raising an injured fox from the woods outside her home, and Bet becomes a veterinarian (as Neave was for a number of years). This deep, wordless love for animals is a powerful touchstone in the book, a complement to other forms of connection that words cannot express: not only between people, but in how characters relate to themselves.

Believe in Me is a compelling meditation on love and its power to withstand long periods of misunderstanding and disconnection. The broad historical sweep of the novel allows Neave to show how love is sustained over decades. The friends, mothers and daughters in this novel are separated, but find their way back to each other. Imperfect, damaged love endures. As Bet promises, You will be known, Sarah ... I will try to make you known, at least to me.

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Lucy Neaves compelling meditation on love and its power - Sydney Morning Herald

Parisa is taking refuge in her home. Its 2020. She is unable to work because of COVID-19 and she cannot afford her rent. She takes a bath twice a day because she is so afraid of COVID-19. At dusk on Dec. 11, 2020 in Ratchaburi, Thailand, a team of researchers catch bats as they fly out of the Khao Chong Pran Cave. The team studied the saliva, excrement, blood, and tissue from the bats, attempting to understand the origins of COVID-19. Brianna Noble, an urban cowgirl, attends a Black Lives Matter movement on horseback on July 26th, 2020. Her strength and values in social justice were magnetic, and she ended up leading the protest. These stories, from photographs entitled In Quarantine by Maryam Saeedpoor, The Virus Hunters by Adam Dean, and Brianna Noble: Urban Cowgirl by Deanne Fitzmauric are not just photos; they are photojournalism, which captures a diverse set of experiences that the public would have otherwise not known of.

The List Gallery, started in 1991 to showcase exhibitions from contemporary artists, in the Lang Center for Performing Arts is currently displaying an exhibit entitled 2020 In Perspective, which includes over 190 images taken during the COVID-19 pandemic by 36 photographers representing nineteen different nationalities. These images act as physical documentation of how people experienced 2020 globally. This exhibit serves as a way to process the year in which race, science, nature came to the forefront and truly tested humanity. The List Gallerys photographs and accompanying website 2020 In Perspective portray primary-source evidence of the year 2020 and how it impacted a diverse population.

Swarthmore Professor Ron Tarver, List Gallery Director Andrea Packard, and Tess Wei, the assistant to the director of the List Gallery and visiting Assistant Professor of Art, selected the award-winning images from the Pictures of the Year international competition. The collection includes photographs displaying how a diverse group of individuals experienced COVID-19. For example, Birthday shows a woman celebrating her 98th birthday surrounded by nurses, having just survived COVID-19. Other images examine racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd, the ongoing climate crisis, and everyday people living through a global pandemic. The exhibit is available to Swarthmore students, faculty, and staff members from Sept. 9 to Oct. 19, 2021.

Judging the Picture of the Year contest as Professor Tarver did in the 90s and again in 2020 gives viewers an outlet to discover what photographers focus on, and to create connections based on themes. When asked how the documentary images shaped his understanding of 2020, Professor Tarver discussed how photographers focused on water.

Water seems to be on everybodys mind in all different kinds of ways, you know, pollution or the lack thereof, the challenge of just getting water, Tarver said.

In particular, New Danger to Underwater Life COVID-19 Wastes by ebnem Cokun from the List Gallery raises not only the impending dangers related to water but also COVID-19. The photo depicts a scuba diver in a highly polluted part of the Mediterranean Sea collecting trash, and holding a face mask in hand.

One of the main roles of 2020 In Perspective is to act as a place of reflection and processing for viewers. It encapsulates themes from the entire year, and because of this, acts as an outlet to process the year 2020 as a whole. An image captures a split second that may have otherwise been unnoticed or forgotten in time, but with photography it is possible to reflect on that moment a year after it occurred.

Wei said, [The exhibit] allows us to look in retrospect and try to take in or have a moment and contemplate everything that we either werent aware of or part of.

2020 In Perspective elevates the importance of photojournalism. The photographs in this collection, which deal with difficult situations with compassion and care, came mostly from news publications and articles. Without photojournalists acting as a canary in the coal mine as Tarver described them doing documenting disastrous events alongside first responders this connection and empathy may have otherwise not been fostered.

Because of the List Gallerys position within the college, it is not concerned with selling its artwork, but rather working with students and serving as an educational tool for the community as a whole. As Tess notes, the List Gallery has a certain emphasis on looking, feeling, and learning from work in this space as opposed to other criteria.

Another role of the exhibit is to discover what the photographers valued. One of the goals of the exhibit is to shed light on the perseverance of humanity throughout the years struggles.

There are a few photographs that made particular impacts on Tarver and Packard. For Packard, Eid in Syria by Anas Alkharboutli stood out for its display of persevering humanity and connection through COVID-19 and military destruction. The image displays residents of a destroyed neighborhood (their neighborhood had been destroyed by military operations in Aleppo province) breaking fast together. Packard noted that if this piece had been portrayed as a painting it would have been altered to show more lighting in a particular place to create nuance.

But, Packard noted, This isnt about nuance, this isnt about perfection, and some ideal composition or beauty or color theory. This is reality. So thats what this show is letting us explore: the truth behind these pictures, and the experience and the bravery of the photographers that lets us go places we couldnt otherwise.

Fighting Locust Invasion in East Africa by Luis Tato specifically touched Tarver. This image displays Henry Lenayasa, a Samburu man and chief of the Archers Post settlement, trying to scare off a swarm of locusts next to Archers Post, Samburu County, Kenya on April 24, 2020. This image conveys a humans fight against nature. Henry Lenayasa is fighting a losing battle, according to Tarver. Lenayasa is in the center of the photograph, looking straight ahead, bent over. His raised right hand resembles how Jesuss right hand is often illustrated in portraits.

2020 In Perspective was extended to McCabe Library because there was an abundance of notable photographs that Tarver, Packard, and Wei wanted to display. McCabe offers a more academic setting for the photographs, as well as a more accessible setting for students. At the front of the library, one of the displayed collections includes And In Darkness You Find Colors by Elisabetta Zavoli which includes twenty images, most of them taken at night of her two sons outside. Tarver, Packard, and Wei also selected these photographs from the POY competition. 2020 was the first time photographers were able to digitally alter their photographs in the competition, and Zavolis photos are unique in that they were manipulated. These imaginative photos display a creative, magical innocence, and they were all made with simple materials at home. While it is important to document historical events, Packard argues that these images are also important to view.

She said, Imagination is also real. We live in our heads, why cant that also be captured?

In Professor Tarvers words, the creation of these photographs was just true ingenuity and the voice of wonder, in the midst of this big crisis that the whole world was in, and the pictures were just magical images, but they spoke to the depth of creativity that I think photographers have and just need to get released.

But I think for journalists, they have a different perspective on the world. And so I think they focus on issues that are really difficult. But how do you pull from that humanitarian side, an aspect of the service, the global aspect of the situation, without making the whole thing look like the world is on fire?

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2020 in Perspective: List Gallery Offers Reflection, Meditation on Tumultuous Year - The Phoenix - Swarthmore College The Phoenix Online

Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor) has described Midnight Mass as his most personal work. The unsettling series is an inquiry into the double barrels of faith and addiction both of which Flanagan has struggled with. The setting, a remote island, also draws from Flanagans life as he spent his childhood on a lonely little island.

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The show opens with the arrival of two people to Crockett Island. Riley (Zach Gilford) returns home after serving four years in prison for killing a teenager while driving under the influence. The other arrival is a young priest, Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), who comes as a temporary replacement for Monsignor Pruitt. The aging parish priest has gone on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Rileys homecoming is prickly; though his mother Annie (Kristin Lehman) is welcoming, his father Ed (Henry Thomas) is not as forgiving. Having lost his faith in prison, Riley finds it difficult to integrate into deeply Catholic Crockett. Erin (Kate Siegel), who used to date Riley, has also returned to Crockett. She is pregnant and staying in her mothers house and teaching in school like her mum.

Midnight Mass

Rileys teenage brother, Warren (Igby Rigney) like Riley is an altar boy at church. Warren with fellow altar boy, Ooker (Louis Oliver) and Ali (Rahul Abburi), the son of Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) goes to an isolated part of the island to smoke up. That is when they realise something is off with the feral cats and hulking presence.

Bev (Samantha Sloyan) is the overbearing driving force at St Patricks riding roughshod over the more temperate Mayor Wade (Michael Trucco) and his wife Dolly (Crystal Balint). Bev bosses everyone around from the handyman Sturge (Matt Biedel) to the sheriff. She is the one who convinces all the townsfolk to agree to a settlement when an oil spill wrecked the coastline and the fishermens livelihood. Meanwhile, the mayors daughter Leeza (Annarah Cymone) is wheelchair-bound after a shooting accident at the hands of the town drunk, Joe (Robert Longstreet).

Sarah (Annabeth Gish) is the island doctor caring for her mother Mildred (Alex Essoe), who suffers from dementia. Covering the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, Midnight Mass has used the names of books from the Bible for the episodes, starting with Genesis through Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, Gospels and Acts of The Apostles culminating in Revelation.

Midnight Mass is at its strongest as it meditates on humanity, faith and the afterlife. Sheriff Hasans reasons for coming to the island, Erins coming to terms with her loss, Rileys meditation on mortality, Bevs scary conviction of being right and everyone else being wrong, Eds resentment for his son, and Joes refusal to forgive himself all create characters we care for intimately. The sonorous hymns including Abide with Me (a personal favourite) add texture to these lives lived in quiet desperation.

A lovely-looking and deeply-unsettling show, Midnight Mass draws you in gently and keeps you in a devilish vice. It is towards the end when all is revealed that the show loses its punch moving from disturbing and humanist to a splatter fest. All the cast members are great with Linklater and Sloyan zooming to the top of the class. Linklaters Father Paul sheds three skins revealing a distinct character under each one while Sloyan has nailed zealous Bev perfectly.

If you can forgive the incredibly talky bits (they are admittedly well-written), the distortion of comforting prayers (you will not be calling on the angel of god, guardian dear anytime soon) and the rather silly conclusion, Midnight Mass asks many disruptive questions that would stay with you much after the fire and brimstone ending.

Midnight Mass is currently streaming on Netflix

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Midnight Mass review: A terrifying meditation on humanity, faith and the afterlife - The Hindu

There's no denying that Yoga's incorporation of meditation and breathing can help improve a person's overall health. In fact,modern science has confirmed that yoga has tangible health benefits like improved brain function, increased immunity, denser bonesand better nervous system functioning.

This is exactly why yoga has been one of the most revered exercises known today. Without further ado, let's look at fivehealth benefits that you can enjoy once you start doing it religiously:

Improve your flexibility with the help of yoga. Photo: Pexels The relaxing approach of yoga helps ensure that body stretching is done safely. Thus, allowing your nervous system to release the muscles into gentle and effective stretches.

Releasing your muscles tensions can also help them relax to help your body open up more. A study in 2013 proves that yoga does improve balance and mobility in older adults.

Reduce inflammation with the help of yoga. Photo: Pexels Inflammation is a normal immune response to your body. However, chronic inflammation can contribute to the development of inflammatory diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Doing yoga twists gently massages your organs and encourages new blood flow. This twist generates flexibility in the spine and reduces chronic inflammation.

In addition, a study conducted in 2014 revealed that 12 weeks of yoga reduced the inflammation in breast cancer survivors.

Get rid of your stress with the help of yoga. Photo: Pexels Yoga is known for its ability to ease stress and help people relax.This can be the perfect solution to your modern and fast-paced lifestyle.

Along with the relaxation that yoga brings, it also has a positive impact on improving activity levels. Studies show that adding yoga to your daily routine can promote better sleep. It alsohelps ease depression, anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

Improve your breathing by doing yoga regularly. Photo: Pexels Scientific studies have found that practicing yoga does improve breathing and improves lung capacity. It also promotes healthier lungs that do better oxygen circulation throughout your body.

Get a healthier heart by doing yora regularly Photo: Pexels Practicing yoga is known to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It also lowers excessive blood sugar levels in people with diabetes and reduces their need for medications.

In fact, yoga is included in many cardiac rehabilitation programs due to its cardiovascular benefits.

Changing your lifestyle can be challenging without knowing the basics first. Yoga Download provides everything you need to know and will guide you through the whole process until you develop a functioning and productive routine.

Yoga Download is one of the best ways to maintain yoga sessions regularly. Photo: https://yogadownload.com You can also get unlimited access to all yoga classes when you sign up on their site. They offer online classes and let you choose your own yoga instructor. You can even choose your own musicduring the entire session! Sweet!

Another great option for your yoga journey is Wai Lana. They offer yoga products such as mats, music for meditation, eco-friendly gearsand pilate kits. Healthy living can even come naturally with the lifestyle products they also provide, making the practice of yoga easy and accessible to all.

Wai Lana Yoga is a great way to maintain doing yoga. Photo: https://shop.wailana.com Aside from yoga, they also offer lifestyle course tutorials in the form of DVDs. You can also draw inspiration from the inspirational stories found on their website!

With yoga, your body can have the incredible ability to heal itself by helping you practice being calm and mindful amidst your hectic lifestyle.

Live a healthy life --with yoga.

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The Science Behind Yoga: Its Benefits And Why You Need It

Hayley Simonson, Managing Editor October 7, 2021

Take advantage of the group fitness yoga classes at the UNF wellness center, and embrace all the benefits that come along with attending yoga classes.

According to Hopkins Medicine, yoga has many benefits backed by scientific studies.

A common benefit most people recall is that yoga improves your strength and flexibility. Slow stretching and deep, focused, continuous breathing stimulates blood flow and warms up the muscles. Depending on the pose, one can build a lot of strength during yoga. This is due to the use of muscles that other exercises sometimes dont focus on.

Most students dont deal with too much back pain or arthritis, but yoga does ease these issues. The stretching poses are a safe route for increasing mobility without harsh movement. The American College of Physicians actually recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for chronic low back pain and gentle yoga has been shown to ease some of the discomforts of tender, swollen joints for people with arthritis, according to a Johns Hopkins review of 11 recent studies.

If these are issues you experience, or you know someone with these conditions, try it out and recommend the practice of yoga. Yoga is especially beneficial for athletes who put a lot of strain on their bodies. It can help with aiding or preventing injury.

Yoga is also very good for the health of the heart as it reduces stress and inflammation. It benefits heart health and helps you sleep better. Yoga also helps people sleep better because it slows down your breath, body, and mind and prepares you for rest.

The practice not only is mood and energy boosting but it seems to be ideal for reducing levels of stress, a common symptom of being a college student. If you need help managing stress and anxiety, yoga may be a great solution and self-care ritual.

According to the National Institutes of Health, some scientific evidence shows that yoga supports stress management and mental health.

Yoga is an excellent way to get connected to a community while putting your health and happiness first.

The UNF gym offers yoga classes throughout the week that Ospreys can attend free of charge.

Group fitness yoga schedule fall 2021:

Mondays: Relaxing Yoga at 7:30-8:25 am, Mixed Level Yoga at 6:00-6:55 pm

Tuesdays: Relaxing Yoga at 10:00-10:55 am

Wednesdays: Relaxing Yoga at 7:30-8:25 am, Mixed Level Yoga at 6:00-6:55 pm

Thursdays: Meditation 11-11:30 am, Mixed Level Yoga at 10:00-10:55 am, Relaxing Yoga 12:00-12:55 pm.

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For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact[emailprotected].

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The Benefits of Yoga UNF Spinnaker - UNF Spinnaker

Educated people and those who have been brought up on the internet are challenging expert advice. They think that they know everything. Even though they may know a little bit about many things through the internet, they still do not have the knowledge and wisdom gained by the experts through their in-depth study, reflection and practice.

People often forget the old sayings: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing or the more you know, the more you know how little you know. Americans in particular are brought up to believe in their radical freedom or leave me alone mind-set. I know as much or more than anyone else because I can read and write and get information from the internet. Therefore, I do not have to rely on the experts. I even know more than the experts.

This might lead to some major problems. For example: Experts and policy makers are two different kinds of people. Experts advise, whereas policy makers listen to this advice and take their own decisions affecting many people. Experts have no power except that of advising, whereas the policy makers might take wise decisions or politically motivated ones depending on their own priorities.

However, a number of people who use Facebook might utilize it as their major source of information. Since they learn about the COVID-19 virus and this pandemic from other people like them, they take their decisions on that basis. Nevertheless, the country in which we live to enjoy its comforts of electricity, gas, water, clean air, food and other amenities is also the one with whom we have signed an un-written social contract. In keeping with this alliance, we are committed to doing our part and society will do its part. We are a teamthat works together to achieve victory in the game of life. If 30% of the members of any team say that they would not go along with the other 70%, of the players, the end result might be a humiliating defeat for the entire team and its supporters. This pandemic might be our testing ground! Are we going to beat this opponent or is it going to defeat us. The choice is ours!

At present, our society, the world and each of us are facing the challenge of COVID-19. This pandemic is a test of whether we can follow our social contract. Since we belong to one humanity, we can beat this menace together. As human beings, we have survived through millenniums of adversity. We can also beat this calamity if we leave selfishness aside.

We should think about our children and grandchildren, whose future is being decided upon today by our actions. Do we want to leave the world safe for our offspring and, if so, how could we accomplish it? That is a big question. Can we bracket off our selfishness and think about the future of humanity during this pandemic? Are most of us going to be vaccinated to save our children and grandchildren? Our destiny and that of our offspring is in our own hands. Are we bold enough to take that difficult decision? Are we ready to confront this situation head-on? Once again, the choice is ours!

Most of us who try to digest bits and pieces of this enormous information feel stressed out. When this problem becomes unbearable, we rush to adopt some technique to lessen this mental anguish. During these uncertain times, we try to figure out the correct way to wade through this un-charted territory of information. We search for a tool to help us become one-pointed. We might explore various techniques.

One of them available to us is that of mindfulness meditation. Philosophers call it reflective thinking, whereas religions name it as prayer.

Driven by our intellectual or religious inclination, we might adopt one or the other which is convenient to offer solace during this difficult time. At present, to reduce this stress people might opt for the practice of yoga and meditation. When we are desperate, we are ready to seek the advice of the philosophers or religious people.

Whatever one does, hopefully it will lead to the easing of tension we are undergoing. We might be willing to take our chance. During a conversation between Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, they offered a distinction between prayer and meditation that might be useful here: Through prayer, you can talk to God to provide help to get through difficult time, however, through meditation God talks to you so that you can help yourself and others. The choice is yours!

Caution: The exercise below is a suggestion only. If done on a regular basis, it might help.

Suggested exercise

Sit in an easy posture on a mat or in a chair. Keep you back, neck and head straight up. Close your eyes. Breathe in and out for two minutes. Observe the flow of breathing. It will feel good.

Now, when you breathe in, think about love. When you breathe out, think about compassion. If other ideas come through your mind, recognize them and then go back to breathing in love and breathing out compassion.

Do this exercise for five minutes and then stop. Enjoy the relaxed feeling.

This exercise can also be done in bed before you fall asleep or when you get up in the morning.

Dr. Ashok Kumar Malhotra has been a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He is Emeritus SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and founder of the Yoga and Meditation Society at SUNY Oneonta. His 20 videos on Ashok K Malhotra Yoga Institute Interviews are available on YouTube and his books through http://www.amazon.com and Kindle. Malhotra donates all royalties from books to the Ninash Foundation (www.ninash.org), a charity that builds schools for underprivileged female and minority children of India.

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Yoga Life: Yoga and meditation during this difficult time - Oneonta Daily Star

World Mental Health Day: Pandemic has had a huge impact on our mind. Many of us have not only lost touch with the outside world but also with our inner self being constantly in stressful situations. The entire world is struggling with some or the other mental health issues. The cases of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems have skyrocketed. People are feeling burnt-out and trapped. Health experts across the world are cautioning people against the ill-effects of stress on their physical and mental health. Yoga is increasingly being suggested as an alternative therapy in many ailments and a holistic solution to our mental health troubles.

"For the past 1.5 years, we are disconnected with the outside world and mental health issues like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder are on rise. Apart from these, every individual has been suffering mentally in some way or the other. Acceptance of the situation is important, only then any kind of treatment or therapy will work. One has to realise why they are feeling these sudden bouts of anger, not able to concentrate on work, being lazy and lethargic and not feeling energetic. Mood swings are happening without any reason and people are experiencing drop in the energy levels even on second and third way of the week. This impact could have been exacerbated by pandemic. Yoga can provide a solution to this," said Yoga guru Grand Master Akshar in a telecon with HT Digital.

The renowned Yoga guru recommends a combination of asana, pranayama, meditation, mudras and positive affirmation to deal with our emotions during pandemic and for good mental health.

ALSO READ: Yoga for better mental health: Build mental clarity with these 5 easy exercises

Yoga asanas to boost mental health

Vajrasana

Gently drop your knees down. Rest your pelvis on your heels. Keep your heels close to each other. Hold Apana Mudra. In Apana mudra, we join the tip of the middle and ring finger with the tip of the thumb to balance the Apana Vayu present in the body.

Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)

Begin with Dandasana. Ensure that your knees are slightly bent while your legs are stretched out forward. Extend your arms upward and keep your spine erect. Exhale and empty your stomach of air. With the exhale, bend forward at the hip and place your upper body on your lower body. Lower your arms and grip your big toes with your fingers. Try to touch your knees with your nose. Hold the posture for 10 seconds.

Padahastasana (Standing forward fold)

Stand straight. Fold forward with your upper body as you exhale. Drop your head and keep your shoulders and neck relaxed. Bend your knees slightly if you are a beginner. Place palms next to your feet. Hold this asana for a while. The asana energises your body and alleviates stress. It also helps improve the blood flow.

Dhanurasana (Bow pose)

Begin by lying down on your stomach. Bend your knees and hold your ankles with your palms. Have a strong grip. Lift your legs and arms as high as you can. Look up and hold the posture for a while.

Chakrasana (Wheel pose)

Lie down on your back. Fold your legs at your knees and ensure that your feet are placed firmly on the floor. Bend your arms at the elbows with your palms facing the sky. Rotate your arms at the shoulders and place your palms on the floor on either side beside your head. Inhale, put pressure on your palms and legs and lift your entire body up to form an arch. Relax your neck and allow your head to fall gently behind.

These asanas stimulate happy hormones in our body and fill us with energy. Do each of these asanas for three minutes for one week to expect the desired result.

Pranayama for better sleep

A good night's sleep can keep many physical and mental diseases away. "When we are not able to sleep at night, our overall mental frame is affected and we become negative, sad, stressed and ill," says Grand Master Akshar. He recommends practicing Bhramari for five minutes every morning to improve the sleep quality.

How to do Bhramari

Sit in any comfortable pose such as Sukhasan, Ardhapadmasan or Padmasana. Straighten your back and close your eyes. Place your palms on your knees facing up in Prapthi Mudra. Place your thumbs on the 'Tragus', the external flap outside on your ear. Place your index finger on your forehead; your middle finger on the Medial Canthus and ring finger on the corner of your nostril. Inhale and fill your lungs with air As you exhale, slowly make a buzzing sound like that of a bee, i.e., mmmmmmm. Keep your mouth closed the entire time and feel the vibration of the sound disseminate throughout your body.

Tratak Kriya for controlling your emotions

For those who are suffering from depression, anxiety, and feeling negative in general, Tratak can be very effective. "Practicing Tratak daily can give a 360 degree turn to your life. It is said to increase your psychic power and help you respond to a stressful situation better. No matter how the other person is communicating with you, you will feel calmness while responding to them," says Grand Master Akshar.

"It actives our pineal gland one will be able to control their impulsive reactions. Most of us are stressed because we do not know how to communicate effectively or without showing agitation and how to be a good listener. This kriya helps you with that," adds the Yoga guru.

How to do Tratak

Sit in a comfortable position and look at a lamp's flame without closing your eyes. If your eyes seem strained, you can move them a bit, but keep them opened. To look at one direction continuously is called Tratak.

Mudras for mental health

Certain mudras can help calm mind and balance blood pressure. These mudras will keep your energies balanced, neither too high or too low. Kanishtha mudra, Siddha mudra, Sahaj Shankha mudra should be practiced regularly for achieving this.

Positive affirmations

One can begin their day with positive affirmations like - 'I am good', 'the world is with me', 'I'm beautiful' or listen to something motivational that puts you in a better frame of mind.

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Angry, tired or stressed? These powerful Yoga tips will help you conquer all - Hindustan Times

Have you ever felt like your yoga session simply wasnt enough?

Well now you can take your practice to the next level in the form of underwater yoga, a new activity created by the Windjammer Landing Hotel in Saint Lucia.

The classes take place 20 feet under the Caribbean Sea, and are designed to combat stress, promote healthy breathing and make new divers feel at ease in their underwater surroundings.

"The intent of the programme is to allow new divers to be able to relax under the water, because diving requires a lot of relaxing and getting comfortable in order to fine-tune your buoyancy and basically just be comfortable under there," explains Abigail Brown, Dive Master at Eastern Caribbean Diving.

"For experienced divers it's a way of just giving them another way to relax under the water, a more conscious way where they're actually thinking of their breath."

Once in the water, participants are encouraged to continue practising the deep breathing exercises they learned on the boat, as well as striking some underwater yoga poses.

The benefits of these exercises include slowing your heart rate and lowering your blood pressure, as well as inducing a feeling of calm - a key tool for those stranded at the bottom of the sea.

"The programme is also intended to allow folks to just unwind from the whole Covid situation and everything that's going on," explains Brown.

It's an introduction to yoga. So normally if we just say we have a yoga class people might not turn up. But if we have, say we have a yoga and diving class, divers might say 'ok I'm diving already let me just try it out' and that can be an introduction to yoga."

Watch the video above to find out more.

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Underwater yoga: The new travel trend you've probably never heard of - Euronews

I do yoga at least once or twice a week, but I've never tried a class specifically based on an affirmation, or even really considered it, until I found this affirmation-based, hips-focused flow from instructor Abiola Akanni, E-RYT 200. I took a class from Akanni on the Alo Moves app and loved it; she has a uniquely gentle way of teaching that helped me feel calm and grounded in the flow. My hips are always tight (lots of sitting, running, and neglecting to stretch as much as I should), so I knew I had to give this practice a try.

The best part about Akanni's hip-opening, affirmation-based flow is how completely, immersively relaxing it is. Eventually you ease your way down into Pigeon Pose and other deep hip openers, but Akanni lets you take your time getting there, starting with higher and more widespread postures like Pyramid Pose, Runner's Lunge, and Goddess Squat. And she mixes her affirmation "ease is always available" throughout the flow, encouraging you to modify a pose or go deeper as is comfortable.

Akanni explains her choice of affirmation at the beginning of the practice, saying, "As a Nigerian-American woman and a Black woman, society puts pressure on me to push myself." She says she puts herself in a box of "always trying to over-perform," and as a result, she doesn't take ease or comfort when it's available and sometimes creates barriers where there are none. To know that ease is always an option, Akanni said, "is truly transformational for me."

This affirmation infused the flow with a soft, tender feel, so I never felt like I had to pressure myself to hit a certain depth on any pose or force my body to look a certain way. By the end of the tension-releasing practice, I felt grounded in my body and comfortable with my boundaries and needs, both on my mat and off. You don't need any equipment for this practice, though I used a couple of blocks (thick books will also work) because my hips and hamstrings tend to be tighter. Watch the full video above and sink into this gentle flow!

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Take a Stretching Break With This Gentle, Affirmation-Based Yoga Flow For Tight Hips - POPSUGAR

World Mental Health Day: Yoga is beneficial to your mental as well as physical health. Here are some yoga poses that can help relive anxiety and stress.

World Mental Health Day 2021: Try these yoga poses to ease stress and anxiety

Your mental health is of utmost importance. Stress and anxiety are common issues faced by many these days. If left uncontrolled, these can affect your day to day activities and physical health. This holds true for physical stress, psychological stress and emotional stress. Yoga plays a significant role in relaxing your mind and body, promoting your overall mental health. Yoga involves breath work and rhythm come together to repair and restore your body. As World Mental Health Day is almost here, here are some yoga poses that can help you manage stress and anxiety.

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This yoga pose elongates your spine and opens up your hip muscles. The pose has a calming effect, bringing down anxiety, and mental and physical exhaustion.

A great pose for your lymphatic and nervous system, Balasana calms the mind by releasing stress. It stretches the muscles of the thighs, hips and ankles; and is also good for getting relief from backaches and neck pains.

This exercise is great for stretching the muscles of the entire back and hamstrings. Besides busting stress and fatigue, it bolsters digestion and liver function; and alleviates PMS symptoms.

Paschimottanasana can improve digestion and liver function Photo Credit: iStock

Another good exercise for getting rid of fatigue and stress, the Happy Baby Pose stretches out your spine and groin muscles gently and effectively.

Besides having a soothing effect on the brain, the Uttanasana vitalizes the kidneys and liver. It is also good for your lower body muscles such as hips, knees, hamstrings and calves.

The Bhujangasana stretches your chest and shoulder muscles. It gives instant relief from lower back pain and fatigue. You feel refreshed and energized.

Cobra pose can help improve back pain Photo Credit: iStock

It also strengthens the entire spinal column and makes it flexible. Further, this pose assists in reducing abdominal fat.

With Yoga, one can promote overall wellness, health, fitness, and well-being.

(Dr. Mickey Mehta, Global Leading Holistic Health Guru / Corporate Life Coach)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

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World Mental Health Day 2021: 6 Yoga Asanas To Reduce Stress And Anxiety - NDTV Doctor