Enjoy a healthy Diwali this year

Diwali is almost around the corner and there is a whiff of sweets being prepared and coloured lights are being strung up outside every home. That's when the city of Mumbai truly looks beautiful in the soft evening light. The colourful rangolis and earthern diyas (lamps) and the crackers that just sparkle (and not make noise), all add up to a nice festive spirit. So, people will start doing up their homes soon.

Anu, a housewife agrees and says, "I will be decorating with a lot of candles and diyas and there will be a lot of chocolates this Diwali because I consider Diwali as a festival of lights." Even celebrities give this festival their all and make it point to do the traditional things with their families.

TV anchor and former actress Pooja Bedi says, "We celebrate with great style at home because every festival is very special to us. It starts with rangoli outside the door which I do personally. I put diyas alongside which kept burning the whole night."

MTV VJ, Cyrus Sahukar adds, "We are just going to have this lovely rooftop Diwali night. I live at place from we can see a lot of Mumbai, so it looks beautiful because of the firecrackers and light."

There are relatives to meet and friends to invite over and lots of food to eat everywhere. Also lets not forget the gifts and dryfruits that people tend to gift each other. Everything from wine, crockery to exotic holidays can be gifted to loved ones. But some like a box of sweets and Ganpati statues stand the test of time. A human resources consultant, Tulika says, "It's definitely auspicious to gift Ganesh as everybody likes it aesthetically also."

All the celebrations are fine. But there are some serious issuse like the polluting firecrackers that could contribute to some people not enjoying the festival, as much as they should. The ones who are hale and hearty don't give a thought to the people who suffer from respiratory problems, and for whom this festival does not provide pleasure. Or even the elderly who might feel stressed because of the loud crackers being burst.

For such people, calming down will help them. Also doing some simple yoga asanas might just make this Diwali a more cheerful event.

Pranayaam

Its been proven that yoga is one of the best ways to keep away diseases and if you do it regularly, then it can of great benefit for your body and mind both. The daily practice of yoga means a battery of asanas, but the pranayaam is the one which if you practice would keep your body and mind healthy. Particularly, if you feel all stressed out, then this will really help.

If you always complain of uneasiness, then you can do the sahajprayaam. This will help you to do away with the constant uneasiness that you suffer from. The procedure is very easy - you just have to inhale fresh air to the count of five. After inhaling, stop your breath for ten counts and after ten counts let go of your breath.

There are two types of pranayaam - one is called sheetli while the other is called sheetkaal. The sheetli is for the people who have a flexible tongue because the procedure requires a lot of movement of your tongue. While doing it, you have to roll your tongue and after rolling it you have to inhale air. The counting should be the same as explained earlier. Whereas, while doing sheetkaal, you are supposed to inhale through the spaces between your teeth.