Yoga can help both body and mind

Everyday life often involves many tasks and it can be difficult to put the puzzle together and have energy left. We want to inspire you with some simple means to regain energy in both body and brain.

Maybe you are a new parent or have several children and are trying to find peace in the new chaos. Yoga can be a great tool for this. It can help both body and mind. Yoga often consists of both mental and physical exercises that can help you relax (breathing exercises), strengthen the body and focus on being in the present. Yoga with your baby also creates a nice moment together and may help an anxious baby.

Here are some tips that you can do for a few minutes every day, once a week or whenever you have the opportunity. YOU do it at your own pace and based on your conditions.

1. Do this: Start by taking a few deep breaths through your nose. Close your eyes and relax your shoulders and stomach.
Breathe in slowly through your nose while you mentally count to four.
Hold your breath with the air "in" and mentally count to two.
Exhale slowly through your nose while mentally counting to four.
Hold your breath with the air "out" and mentally count to two. Do the exercise 5-10 times.

2. Act as your baby and take the Happy Baby position. Do it like this: Lie on your back and slowly pull your knees up towards your chest with your arms inside your kneecaps. Grasp the left big toe with the left hand and the right big toe with the right hand. Breathe a few breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. It helps you relax and stretches the groin and hip.

3. Do this: Breathe in through the left nostril while holding the right nostril. When exhaling, hold the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. The breathing exercise helps you slow down. Repeat 5-10 times.

Interesting reading for those who want to know why yoga helps the body and brain, read https://www.svd.se/allt-fler-bevis-for-att-yoga-hjalper-kropp-och-hjarna .