Happy International Yoga Day! Today the world is celebrating the 5th International Yoga Day. We want to share a couple of yoga poses with you. And, we want you to keep in mind that the UN decided the theme of this year’s celebration would be “Climate Action.”

We’ve all at one point as kids shared a laugh, played with friends, and shared our favourite snacks. Looking back, did you ever think about the air we breathed in each time we did these activities. Today, the story is very different. If we all took the time to observe the air around us today, we’d notice how prominent the pollution is and how dangerous this is for our health. It’s difficult in this day and age to get a simple and clean breath of air. In the same way, we take care of our bodies through exercise and yoga, it’s important that we also try to take care of the environment. Yoga is all about being in tune with one’s natural environment. We inhale to gain power from the forces around us and therefore further unite our minds, spirits, and bodies. With this, Yoga has always had a deep connection to the environment. We’re happy to offer tips on some of the poses we know help forge this bond with nature:

Baddha Konasana: 
It helps in soothing menstrual pain and stimulates abdominal organs, ovaries, prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys and helps relieve the symptoms of menopause. It is even helpful for mild depression and anxiety problems.

• Sit in the Dandasana (Staff Pose).
• Now Bend your knees and join the soles of your feet.
• Now hold your feet or ankles.
• Move your heels to the groin as so much as doable.
• Breathe out and let down your knees to the ground.

Ardha Matsyendrasana:

This yoga pose helps to energize the spine and reduce belly fat. Matsyendrasana increases appetite, destroys most deadly diseases, and awakens kundalini. Doing this yoga pose, it relieves menstrual discomfort, fatigue, sciatica, and backache.

• Sit erect with your legs stretched out.
• Now, bend your left leg such that the heel of the left foot lies next to the right hip.
• Then, place the right leg next to the left knee by taking it over the knee.
• Twist your waist, neck, and shoulders towards the right, and set your gaze over your right shoulder.
• place the right hand behind you, and the left hand on the right knee.

Bakasana:

This pose will increase mental and physical strength and helps to make one’s body more flexible. It increases endurance capacity, provides a decent stretch to your higher back, and even strengthens your abdominal muscles.

• Widely stretch the fingers of your hands and place the palms on the floor right in front of your feet. Point your fingers forwards and keep the elbows slightly bent.
• Lean forward a little in order to bring your knees as close to the armpits as much as possible. Transfer your body weight to your arms completely while your toes are still on the floor.
• Gently press your knees against your arms and slowly lift your big toes off the floor. Raise your buttocks slightly and balance the body solely on your arms.
• Lift your head, lengthen your neck, and look straight to focus your gaze on a fixed point. Once you have secured the balance move your feet closer so as to bring the inner edges of your feet together.

Tadasana:

This pose provides strength and expansion to the lungs. It develops and activates the nerves of the entire body, is good for regulating the menstrual cycle, and solves problems related to indigestion.  

• Stand straight on the ground, and make a small gap between your feet.
• While deeply breathing in (inhale), raise both your arms.
• Keep your arms upward and interlock your fingers.
• Now move onto your toes by raising your heels simultaneously.

Makarasana:

This pose strengthens the arms, shoulders, legs, and abdominal. It also relieves menstrual cramps, back pain, headache, and fatigue and improves digestion.

1. From all fours, bring your elbows to the floor directly under your shoulders.
2. You have the option to clasp the hands in front of you with the elbows in place or bring your forearms parallel to each other palm faced down.
3. Curl your toes under, engage your core and lift your hips up and back like Downward Dog.
4. Keep your shoulder blades away from the ears and glued to your back, opening up the heart and shining it through between the legs.

Conclusion: It’s crucial that we do the most we can to keep our world alive and well so that when we do these poses and other exercises, we can ensure we breathe in clean air. We can all take small measures to help slow down Climate Change. This can be in the form of limiting meat intake, walking whenever we can, carrying around water bottles, and saying no to plastic bags at the store or reusing the ones we already have. It’s important that daily we try to limit the amount of fossil fuels we use. There are countries that contribute a large portion of the world’s pollution, others that suffer as a result, and thankfully, others (like Costa Rica) that are passing laws to decrease their carbon footprint.
This is a day that is about more than just yoga. It’s about recognizing how necessary Climate Action is in all aspects of life. We all want to live a healthy life, but that only works if the Earth is healthy too. Try to use products which are eco-friendly and save energy. By taking care of this world, we will also be taking care of our health. Remember our motto: Care for two, You and the Earth!