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1. What time is proper for Yogabhyas?

2. Should bath be taken before or after performing Asanas?

3. Can Yogabhyas be done after an operation?

4. How essential is it to have the stomach and bowels cleared up before Yogabhyas? If one's bowels are not properly evacuated, should Yogabhyas be stopped?

5. If exercises (Dand, Surya namaskar, etc) and yogasanas are to be performed in the morning, which should be done first?

6. What is the right age for starting Yogabhyas? Is it all right to start Yogabhyas in childhood when one can easily perform Asanas due to body flexibility?

7.What should be the order of various practices in Yogabhyas?

8.Is it better to perform more rounds of an Asanas or to perform it once and maintain it for a longer stretch?

9. What is meant when it is said "Maintain the Asana for 3 to 5 breaths?" In many books, instructions are given to maintain an Asana for 3 to 5 seconds or minutes. What is the difference between this and the earlier instruction?

10. During certain movements while performing Asanas, the breath gets held. Is it necessary to breathe normally throughout and in all the postures?

11. What time is proper for Yogabhyas?

12. Can a diseased person practice Yoga?

13. Can Yogabhayas be done after an operation?

14. Should ladies continue performing Yogic practices during the menstrual period?

15. What Asanas should be performed by those who have sedentary jobs?

16. Can one attain complete health anly by practising Yoga?

17. Can a heart patient do Yogabhyas?

18. Whether chronic cold can be cured by Yogabhyas?

19. Can Yoga improve eyesight?

20. What are the obstacles in the progress of Yogabhyas?

Q1. What time is proper for Yogabhyas?
A: Mornings are best for Yogabhyas. If this time is not suitable, you can practise Yoga in the evening. In Yogic texts, four times, namely morning, afternoon, evening and midnight, are mentioned, especially for Pranayama. The practice of Asanas is more easy and pleasurable in the evening than in the morning. This is because of the speedier blood circulation and because the body is also more flexible due to the movements of the day. If owing to practical difficulties, mornings or evenings are not suitable, you can practise Yogabhyas at any time. But it should be on an empty or light stomach. Further, depending upon the availability of time, your desire, capacity and needs, the schedule of Yogabhyas can be shortened, lengthened, or broken into two or more parts, to be done at different times.

Q2. Should bath be taken before or after performing Asanas?
A: It is desirable to do Yogabhyas after a bath, but this is not a must.

Q3. Can Yogabhyas be done after an operation?
A: After an operation, it is necessary to take rest and recuperate according to your need. Thereafter, there is no harm in doing Yogabhyas, starting with a few simple practices.

Q4. How essential is it to have the stomach and bowels cleared up before Yogabhyas? If one's bowels are not properly evacuated, should Yogabhyas be stopped?
A: It is desirable to have the stomach and bowels cleared before starting Yogabhyas because in many of the Yogic practices, positive and negative pressures are created in the stomach and bowels. Further, these parts are contracted and stretched during Asanas. To get maximum benefits from Yoga it is better, therefore, to have the stomach and bowels free while practising it. However, in exceptional cases or when proper bowel evacuation does not take place because of unhealthful habits, it is not that all Yogic practices should be necessarily dropped. Those having chronic constipation should rise early in the morning and take, instead of tea, a glass of luke-warm water with half teaspoonful of salt. Afterwards, one should make some quick movements of the stomach or perform yogic practices such as Tagadi Mudra, Uddiyana, Nauli, Vakrasana, etc. These activities create an urge for bowel evacuation. Now one should evacuate the bowels and afterwards do Yogabhyas. If the intake of salt is prohibited, on can take a small amount and evacuate the bowels. As a result of your daily practice of Yogabhyas, the bowels will slowly become active. Later, the use of teas will not be necessary. There is no harm in doing Yogabhyas when there is a small amount of tea in the stomach. However, one should slowly change the conditioned reflex and recondition it so that the bowels are evacuated on time.

Q5. If exercises (Dand, Surya namaskar, etc) and yogasanas are to be performed in the morning, which should be done first?
A: Exercises involve exertion and one necessarily gets tired. Therefore, the evening time is good for exercises as one gets plenty of rest afterwards. In the morning, light exercises such as Surya namaskars, Sarvangasundara Vyayam (free hand exercises) etc. are beneficial. Hence you may practice such light exercises first and Yogabhyas afterwards, keeping a gap of 20 minutes or so between the two. For Yogabhyas, any time is suitable. Nevertheless, the morning time is better. If both strenuous exercises and Yogabhyas have to be done in the morning, it is advisable to do Yogabhyas 20 to 40 minutes after finishing the strenuous exercises.

Q6. What is the right age for starting Yogabhyas? Is it all right to start Yogabhyas in childhood when one can easily perform Asanas due to body flexibility?
A: It is better to start Yogabhyas only when the growth of the body and brain is complete and a person attains maturity. Generally, there is no harm in starting Yogabhyas between the ages of12 and 20. Yoga puts emphasis on contemplation (Manan), reflection (Chintan), discipline (Anushasan), relaxation (Shithilata), stability (Sthirata), fixation of the mind (Dharana), continuous fixation of the mind (Dhyana), conscious control (Sanyam), minimisation of efforts (Prayatna Shaithilya), etc. Also Yogabhyas gives mental peace. However, in Yogabhyas there are no variations of movement, competitive spirit or entertainment in yogic practices. Therefore, these do not suit child nature and hence Yogabhyas is not proper in childhood. However, there is no objection to introducing children to Yogabhyas as a therapeutic measure to counter asthma, colds, stunted growth, obesity, etc. Children can also be introduced to yoga-like exercises to prepare them for Yogabhyas and to give them a foretaste of yoga.

Q7. What should be the order of various practices in Yogabhyas?
A: In Hatha Yoga, the following order of practices is recommended: Asanas, various Pranayamas, Mudras and Bandhas. However, some of the yogic practices can be included both in Mudras and Asanas, and therefore, it is impossible to follow this order of practices strictly. Moreover, there are different yogic traditions. Hence the prescribed order need not be considered rigid. You can make necessary changes in the Yogabhyas programme depending upon your needs.

Q8. Is it better to perform more rounds of an Asanas or to perform it once and maintain it for a longer stretch?
A: An Asana is a pleasurable and stable body posture. In a steady posture the flightiness of the mind is reduced and this is an objective of any Asana. Following this principle, it is more important to maintain as Asana for a longer stretch than to practise more rounds of it. However, for the first few days it is better to perform multiple rounds of an Asana for short lengths of time. This will accustom your body to perform the Asana. Once you have practised an Asana well, you should slowly reduce the number of rounds and maintain the Asana longer at a stretch.

Q9. What is meant when it is said "Maintain the Asana for 3 to 5 breaths?" In many books, instructions are given to maintain an Asana for 3 to 5 seconds or minutes. What is the difference between this and the earlier instruction?
A: "Maintenance of an Asana" is the most important aspect of performing it. The length of time for which an Asana is maintained is measured by 'counting numbers', 'counting seconds' or 'counting minutes' and these methods of measurement have been mentioned in many books on Asanas. However, many times the yoga practiser unknowingly holds his breath while counting numbers or seconds. Holding the breath is not desirable in Yogabhyas. Therefore, to prevent this mistake, it is advised her to count the number of breaths rather than mere numbers.

Q10. During certain movements while performing Asanas, the breath gets held. Is it necessary to breathe normally throughout and in all the postures?
A: Yes. We should breathe normally throughout. If the breath is held, there is a higher expenditure of body energy. A certain amount of body rigidity is also produced. This comes in the way of relaxation. The process of holding the breath also disturbs the principal features of an Asana such as stability, naturalness, pleasurability, etc. with normal breathing, efforts will be minimised while performing as Asana and that will give pleasure and stability. An Asana is a still posture, and so with practice your breathing gets slower and the breathing span gets lengthened. Thereby the objective of performing Asana is achieved. The weakness of certain muscles and their disuse results in a desire to hold the breath during their movements. If the leading practices are mastered before performing the traditional Asana itself, the tendency to hold the breath will go.

Q11. What time is proper for Yogabhyas?
A. Mornings are best time for Yogabhayas but, if sufficient time is not available then, you can practice Yoga in the evenings. If owing to practical difficulties, mornings or evenings are not suitable , you can practice Yoga at any time. But it should be on an empty stomach.

Q12. Can a diseased person practice Yoga?
A. Yes, Hathapradeepika claims that "Young, Old, very old, weak and even diseased can practice Yoga and get benefits out of it.

Q13. Can Yogabhayas be done after an operation?
A. After an operation, it is necessary to take rest and recuperate. Therefore, if the doctor consents, there is no harm in doing Yogabhyas, starting with a few simple practices.

Q14. Should ladies continue performing Yogic practices during the menstrual period?
A. During the menstrual period ladies should perform anly those selected Yogic practices which give rest and peace to the mind, relieve tiredness and relax the system.

Q15. What Asanas should be performed by those who have sedentary jobs?
A. They should prepare a programme of 45 to 60 minutes of Yogabhyas consisting of Asanas which give bends to the spinal column in all directions as also a twist to it. They should also select some Bandhas and Mudras as well as Pranayamas. These should be performend daily.

Q16. Can one attain complete health anly by practising Yoga?
A. A proper and balanced diet, moderation in activities and adecuate rest is the golden key to health. Moderation and balance in the trio i.e. "Aahar - Vihar - Nidra" help a person in attaining positive health. Hence, alongwith Yogabhayas, one should try to maintain a proper balance in his physical, mental & emotuional activities, diet and rest. However, one should not forget that heredity also plays a very important role in one's health.

Q17. Can a heart patient do Yogabhyas?
A. Yes, Heart patient can immensely benefit by performing selected Yogic practices strictly as per the principles advocated Patanjali i.e. one must perform Yogic practices with utmost ease and comfort (Sahajat) and with the objective of getting maximum relaxation.Simultaneously, change of life style and proper diet can be helpful in improving the condition of the heart.

Q18. Whether chronic cold can be cured by Yogabhyas?
A. Yes. Certain practices like Shwasana Marga Shuddhi, Kapalabhati, Uddiyana, Tadagi Mudra, Ujjayi Pranayama as also Yogis cleansing processes like Jalanti, Rubberneti are found helpful in curing the functional type of chronic cold.

Q19. Can Yoga improve eyesight?
A. Yes, to some extent. Disorders of the eyes amy be due to various reasons - heredity, wrong diet, misuse/overuse/ non use of eyes, tension and wrong habits. By practising Yoga, eyes and muscles connectd to them get relaxation and become healthy which help in improving eye sight and correcting functional disorders of the eyes. However, organic changes/disorders in eyes are very difficult to correct through Yogabhyas alone.

Q20. What are the obstacles in the progress of Yogabhyas?
A. Too much exertion, excessive talking, overreacting, underating, eating food that is too hot, too cold or stale, laziness and fickleness of mind create obstacles in the progress of Yagabhyas and hence one should avoid these to the extent possible.

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