Yoga Posture: The Chair (Utkatasana)

Utkata means powerful, fierce, uneven.  This asana is like sitting on an imaginary chair.

The pose removes stiffness in the shoulders and corrects any minor deformities in the legs.  The ankles become strong and the leg muscles develop evenly.  The diaphragm is lifted up and this gives a gentle massage to the heart.  The abdominal organs and the back are toned, and the chest is developed by being fully expanded.  It is a beneficial pose for horsemen.


Note: Please perform the yoga under the guide of a certified yoga teacher especially for beginner. You are at your own risk and responsible if you perform on your own. Whatever provided here is just act as an information.


Source from Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar

Essential Nutrients For Optimal Health - Ask The Nutritionist

Some of you may not know that the supplements you are taking provides more health benefits than you are aware of.  This issue, USANA Nutritionist Kenny Tan, will share with you what are the key nutrients that are needed to achieve optimal health and their key  benefits.


 Multivitamins

Highly Recommended for:

• Every adult, to complement a healthy diet,
• Pregnant or lactating women

Health Benefits:

• May help reduce the visual effects of normal, age-related decline
• Supports healthy immune function
• Supports long-term health and well-being with energy-supporting co-enzymes
• Supports healthy vision
• Helps convert carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into energy
• Supports bone, joint, and dental health

Why It Is Important?

• To ensure a balanced and sound nutritional status is achieved, thus promotes general well being

Why Essentials vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplements?

Comprehensive

• The Essentials supplements provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals as well as trace minerals, mixed carotenoids, bioflavonoids, and other plant nutrients and antioxidants.

Potent and Balanced

• They supply a carefully balanced level of nutrients for optimal results.

Bioavailable

• They use high-quality ingredients that are in forms the body can absorb and use.

Patented Olive Extract

• They have the advantage of USANA's patented Olivol olive-fruit extract that provides the nutritional benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

"Best of the Best"

• Received top 5-star rating and Gold Medals of Achievement from NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, 4th Edition

 Omega-3

Highly Recommended for:

• People whose cardiovascular and neural health is a priority
• Women who want healthy pregnancies
• People who desire healthy, balanced immune function

Health Benefits

• A source of EPA and DHA, two long-chain omega-3 fatty acids important for memory and learning
• Supports sound cardiovascular health and joint health
• Critical for support healthy pregnancies

Why It Is Important?

• A support compound for normal brain and eye development, plus, various clinical studies had shown its anti-inflammatory properties.  Greatly beneficial in supporting healthy joint and cardiovascular health.

Why BiOmega Fish Oil Supplement?

• BiOmega fish oil supplement is double molecular distilled to be free from heavy metals and organic contaminants like dioxins and pesticides.
• It provides advanced levels of EPA and DHA, the two important omega-3 fatty acids, in just two capsules a day.
• Its lemon oil helps eliminate any fishy aftertaste.
• It supplies additional vitamin D, a nutrient found to be inadequate in many diets.
• It is effective, safe, and is independently tested and approved by ConsumerLab.

 Grape-Seed Extract

Highly Recommended for:

• People whose cardiovascular health is a priority
• People who want to maintain strong immune function
• People who desire healthy, younger-looking skin

Health Benefits

• Promote sound cardiovascular health
• Helps support balanced immune function
• Supports eye health
• Maintenance of healthy, younger-looking skin

Why It Is Important?

• A great antioxidant that works hand-in-hand together with other antioxidants to promote good skin health, healthy immune system and supports graceful ageing.

Why Proflavanol grape-seed extract Supplement?

• Proflavanol supplement combines top-quality grape-seed bioflavonoids with the antioxidant properties of a highly bioavailable vitamin C.
• Promotes sound cardiovascular health
• It is effective, safe, and patterned after pharmaceutical standards.

 Calcium

Highly Recommended for:

• Women, throughout their adult lives
• People whose diets are deficient in calcium and other bone-building nutrients
• People whose bone or muscle health is a priority

Health Benefits

• Helps maintain strong, mineral-rich bones
• Provides ingredients essential for healthy muscle function and strength

Why It Is Important?

• Adequate calcium intake over the years is the crucial causative factor in lowering the risk of osteoporosis and promotes proper muscle functions

Why Active Calcium Supplement?

• Active Calcium daily calcium supplement provides balanced levels of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D in bioavailable forms.
• It contains silicon, which is a key support to calcium mineralisation of the bone matrix.
• It is effective, safe, and patterned after pharmaceutical standards.

You may find out more detail about USANA at the following website.
http://sites.google.com/site/janetyogahut/Products/usana


Source from USANA Health Sciences

Concentrate On Your Own Capabilities

Don't worry about doing yoga wrong.  First of all, keep in mind that yoga is non-competitive.  Most of the time everyone in the class will close their eyes, and even when they're open,  the focus is inwards.  Secondly, yoga's motto is, "To the best of your ability".  Trained instructors will guide you with clear instruction, kind encouragement, and gentle adjustments to your posture.

If yoga were based on how well you can twist yourself up or perform headstands, then acrobats in the circus would be the best yogis!  But that is not true, and why not?  Because yoga goes much deeper than this.  Yoga accepts your body the way it is, and works with it from there.  And because it is holistic, yoga affects us positively on every level, from mind, to body, to spirit.


Source from K.I.S.S. Guide to Yoga by Shakta Kaur Khalsa

Carrot Cake Recipe

An attractive and appetizing way to encourage your children to eat vegetables.


Ingredients

• 225ml (8fl oz) oil
• 125g (6oz) brown sugar
• 110nk (4fl oz) honey
• 325ml (12fl oz) soya milk
• 700g (1 1/2lb) plain wholewheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mutmeg or allspice
• 225g (8oz) grated carrot
• 110g (4oz) chopped walnuts
• 110g (4oz) raisins

Icing

• 200g (7oz) creamed coconut
• finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon
• 3-4 tablespoons icing sugar, to taste
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 75-100ml (2 1/2 - 3 1/2fl oz) hot water
• 6 dessertspoons lightly toasted dessicated coconut

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Oil a 25cm (10in) ring-shaped cake tin.  Blend the oil and sugar; add the honey and soya milk, and beat together.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices, and add to the oil mixture.  Add the carrots, walnuts, and raisins; mix well and place in  the pan.

Bake in the oven for 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack.

To make the icing, beat together the creamed coconut, lemon rind, icing sugar, and lemon juice with enough hot water to give the mixture a spreading consistency.  Spread the icing over the cooled cake, and then sprinkle evenly with the lightly toasted coconut.
Makes a 25cm (10in) ring-shaped cake.


Source from Yoga Mind & Body by Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre