You may have heard, or even tried anti-ageing creams, anti-ageing serums, anti-ageing makeup, anti-ageing tablets …. But, have you heard of anti-ageing Yoga?
From DFN we wanted to know more about this anti-ageing Yoga (for obvious reasons!). So, we decided to interview Nizar Saab. He is the founder of anti-ageing yoga and a prominent kundalini yoga master who has been practicing and teaching kundalini Yoga over the last 30 years. He is also the founder of the Awakening Meditation (AM) technique, a simple and easy technique to reduce “stress and anxiety” if practiced for as little as 5 minutes per day.
WHAT IS ANTI- AGEING YOGA?
Anti-ageing yoga is a new type of yoga and aims to reverse the ageing process by utilizing specific poses and practices from the Kundalini yoga. It will help maintain vitality across all body parts, enhance physical and psychological strength and reduce “stress and anxiety” that are among the key factors of the ageing process.
Anti-ageing yoga capitalizes on the power of the 7chakras of Kundalini yoga. It facilitates the energy flow across the various parts of the body where each chakra or energy center is responsible for specific physical, emotional and personality features.
INTERVIEW WITH NIZAR SAAB
Hi Nizar Saab!
How is anti-ageing yoga any different from the other types of yoga?
Oh, well, the main difference is that anti-ageing yoga is not only a workout or a way to gain flexibility and strength. It is also a way to build stamina, maintain direct awareness of the body/mind energy. It helps the practitioner to utilize the breathing patterns and energy pathways in the body and across the body-mind connection.
What are the benefits of anti-ageing yoga?
Anti-ageing yoga provides enormous benefits that include enhancing physical and psychological strength, building more stamina, endurance, vitality, and self-confidence. We will also develop the ability to concentrate and maintain focus on whatever activity we do in daily life.
We will also take care of our spine. Having a strong, flexible, and healthy spine is one of the key secrets to reverse the ageing process and stay younger for longer.
As we age, our spine will start to become shorter and more rounded and this will lead to various health problems and will escalate the ageing process. By practicing specific anti-ageing yoga poses we can maintain a long, straight, and healthy spine.
Anti-ageing yoga helps to maintain a strong back, thighs, abs, shoulders, chest, etc. Also, it helps to reduce “stress and anxiety” that are among the key factors of the ageing process.
It includes specific breathing exercises to calm the mind, Mudras (hand positions), Bandhas (body locks to facilitate energy flow) and meditation practices to increase energy flow across various body parts.
From what age would you advise starting with the anti-ageing yoga?
Any adult can start practicing anti-ageing yoga stating from mid-twenties and carry on across all life stages. This will help to maintain vitality and keep the fountain of youth pouring at your heart, body, and mind.
How often should we practice anti-ageing yoga to notice its benefits? And when will we begin to notice its effects?
It is advised to practice it at least once per week in a class and maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Benefits will be noticed from the first week. You will start noticing changes in your body. You will feel you have more awareness and knowledge of your different body parts and how the energy is distributed.
In addition, we have heard about facial anti-ageing yoga. What is it?
Facial anti-ageing yoga includes specific exercises for the face and related parts combined with breathing patterns and exercises. We also work on specific visualizations. It should be practiced after you spend few weeks in practicing the general anti-ageing yoga sets that targets all body parts. That way, once you have a strong foundation you will be able to work on any body part specifically.
To wrap it up, can you give us some tips that we can do easily at home?
If you are serious about maintaining your health and vitality, practice anti-ageing yoga at least once per week. Exercise daily. Either by practicing some anti-ageing exercises or make short walks for 20-30 minutes. Movement is key.
The routine is to be practiced after you take few sessions in anti-ageing yoga. The idea is that you are familiar with the poses and to ensure correct posture. The set is called “fountain of youth” and includes some of the top yogic poses.
The Fountain of Youth
- 2-3 minutes of walking to warm up.
- Butterfly pose 30-40 times for 2 rounds.
- Seated forward bending. Repeat twice for each side: left and right. Hold it for 5-10 seconds each time.
- Downward facing dog. Repeat twice. Hold it for 5-10 seconds each time.
- Archer pose. Repeat twice. Hold it for 5-10 seconds each time.
- Boat pose. Repeat twice. Hold it for 5-10 seconds each time.
- Laying down for 1-2 minutes.
Would you like to practice anti-ageing yoga with Nizar Saab? You can get in touch with him through his Instagram or Facebook pages.