The purpose of yoga is to achieve liberation from suffering through the realisation of our true nature. By practicing the eight limbs of yoga, we purify our conscience so we can perceive our inner divinity. Two of these eight limbs, the yamas and niyamas, are the social and personal ethics that form the foundation of a yogic lifestyle that enables us to advance along a spiritual path towards enlightenment. These are tools for cultivating happiness and self-confidence. When you come across an obstacle, a moment that tries your patience, a person that rubs you the wrong way, think of it as an opportunity to practice using these tools. This will help you put your spirituality into action.

Babies are born with smooth and tender skin; it is a fact that we are all aware of. As much as we envy the baby-soft skin, it is not tough, and must be taken care of regularly to maintain the suppleness. While taking care of our children’s delicate skin, we must understand that it is significantly different from adult skin and must be treated with special care. The creams and lotions that we use on adult skin have distinctive ingredients including perfume and other chemicals that may be super sensitive to baby skin. That is why it is essential that we use emulsions that are expressly made for baby skin.

When addressing mental health in Bangladesh, we’re no strangers to being labelled ‘mad’ or in the Bengali definition ‘pagol,’ when we acknowledge our depression or want to invest in therapy. Among the mentally ill, the youth form a significant number. While many suffer needlessly, others actively seek assistance to tackle their mental health issues and overcome them.   

I was diagnosed as having obsessive-compulsive behaviour (OCD) when I was 22 years old, but I have had OCD all my life. Looking back, it was so obvious, yet how I never got diagnosed earlier is beyond me. Better late than never; at least now I know why I am ‘compelled’ to do the things that I do.

There is much on the Internet regarding puberty and its effects on girls. Not enough has been said about its effects on boys, however, even though it is just as hard becoming an adult male. For those raising boys, especially, this can be a truly daunting time as puberty catches them off guard and a parent is never fully prepared to see the changes that transform their innocent, often needy little boy into a sullen, outspoken teen.

Yoga is relevant in our age. Far from being mystical and otherworldly, it is a teaching firmly grounded in the physiological realities of science. Our experience of the world depends entirely on the state of our nervous system. This, in turn, is influenced by a host of factors – genes, diet, environment, and lifestyle. If the nervous system is fresh and rested, the body is healthy and the mind is alert. As a result, our thoughts are powerful and clear, our actions, which are manifested thoughts, are successful and rewarding.

How beds are shared in a particular culture says a lot about their customs, environmental conditions, values, and material wealth. Besides, who you share your bed with can determine the quality and the amount of sleep that you get, yet another testimony to the fact that sleeping patterns are as much a cultural factor as they are biological.

Most of motherhood that is glorified — the process of giving birth, breastfeeding, the sleepless nights — is visible. What if we say that this is only the tip of the iceberg? The invisible and infinitely more extensive workload frequently goes unseen by the world and is most often, the root cause of why mothers feel tired all the time. We call it the mental load and all mothers can relate.

It is important to remember that the immune system is intricate. Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet is just one way to help your immune system. It is also vital to consider other lifestyle factors that may have an impact on health, such as exercise and avoiding smoking.

Not washing your sheets on a regular basis exposes you to the fungi, bacteria, pollen, and animal dander that are typically found on sheets and other bedding. Other things found on sheets include body secretions, sweat, and skin cells. This will not necessarily make you sick. But, in theory, it might. Consider the health risks of not washing your sheets on a regular basis.

Even if there are no notifications or alerts, most individuals check their phones every 15 minutes. Anxiety has developed around our collective relationship with technology to the point that we fear losing out if we do not check in as frequently as we believe we should. Spending too much time on your phone is not just a waste of time, but also a mental drain. Using social media often has been linked to negative outcomes in research examining psychological well-being. It is a good idea to understand and look into minimising your addiction to smartphones.

A new study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that doing both aerobics, up to three hours a week, and strength training, up to two sessions a week can result in lower mortality risks and better overall health than doing just one or the other. Regular physical exercise has plenty of health benefits, one of which is a longer life. Until now, most research showed that regular cardio or strength training interchangeably was the key to cardiac health, but recently, more and more experts are waking up to the benefits of pairing the two together for maximum longevity and health.

There are many confusions and misconceptions surrounding the ideal diet of a person suffering from liver diseases. The diet of a person effected by liver disease like hepatitis and liver cirrhosis must be balanced yet nutritious as it is a part of treatment therapy.

In an age of hyper-consumerism, it is easy to get carried away buying too much of everything. If you are a parent, your child’s sweet requests often also have a part to play in filling the toy basket much more than intended at the monthly supermarket run. However, offering children fewer toys, rather than spoiling them for choice, has definitive benefits in the long run.

Long-COVID brain fog, mum brain or work burnout — there are quite a few reasons in today’s world that can bring intelligence levels to a drop. If left in that state, the mind, just like a person, can become lethargic and unwilling to get back to its original sheen. For a growth-oriented individual, low smarts could also mean a slowdown in their career. Fortunately, there are a number of ways one can constantly challenge their mind and keep it alert and focused.

There are many wisdom traditions and spiritual maps to help you journey inwards. Yoga is one of these. Vedic scholars in ancient India spent many years in meditation to intuit this knowledge. Buddha studied with many of these teachers before his awakening. The knowledge was passed down orally till they were most accurately transcribed in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. For this article, I am drawing from a fabulously accessible version translated by Alistair Shearer.

Have you considered yourself a Novid? If you do not know what the term means, it refers to someone who has never had COVID-19, special or just blessed with plain luck. Experts and researchers alike are trying to decipher the phenomena. In a post-pandemic world, almost everyone you know has been infected at some point. However, we all know someone who says they have never had it. A good amount of data indicates that millions who believe they never had COVID were infected by it but didn't get tested due to no symptoms or simply thought they had regular flu or allergies.

It is always difficult when someone turns you down and says ‘no.’ Be it a personal favour or a business pitch, it can be hard swallowing rejection. Sometimes, it is because we fear being rejected because of internal shame or embarrassment, or because of the way we were brought up, we sabotage our own relationships and opportunities which would be good for us. So, to learn how you can accept rejection, it might be worth trying to understand why you fear rejection in the first place.

It is no secret that the reigning royalty of summer fruits includes mangoes, lychees, pineapples, various berries, guavas, etc. And while we have said goodbye to most of these fruits as the season comes to an end, guavas are just about coming to a peak. Here are 8 ways to make the most out of this guava season while they are still in the market!

After studying 60,686 individuals who provided information on their napping habits four times between 2006 and 2019, the researchers have come to the conclusion that individuals who napped frequently have a 12 percent higher chance of developing high blood pressure and a 24 percent higher chance of having a stroke as opposed to people who never nap.