Breathe Free
YOGA
Entrepreneur and director of The Belgadia Palace and princess from the Royal Family of Mayurbhanj, Mrinalika Bhanjdeo, 28, started practicing yoga seven years ago and three years ago, she started teaching it too. It seeped into my everyday life and even though I did not enter the practice of yoga with the intention of making changes in my lifestyle, it made me aware of how I live my life—from what and how I eat, to having a phone-life balance,” says Bhanjdeo.
The stress caused by the digital medium is one of the main things yoga helps address, says the hatha yoga exponent. “The practice of yoga helped me master my breath, which was the first step to learning how to control my mind. We are bombarded with external stimulation which throws us off balance, especially as we live in the digital age where our biggest health concerns are related to poor lifestyle choices,” she says. Those choices are what you can address with mindfulness.
Bhanjdeo especially recommends “meditation to relax the body and mind” with nadi shodhana (alternate nostril cleansing) and sheetal pranayama which helps improve the flow of oxygen into the body, lowers blood pressure, and calms the mind and body.
For common ailments and problems she suggests cat/cow poses to improve circulation through spine and core and the cobra pose to “open up the chest and improve lung capacity” as well as alleviate lower back pain. She also advocates popular and relatively simpler poses like the standing forward bend and tree pose that help improve flexibility and balance.
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