Q: Is there any one yoga pose I can practise that can give me overall good health benefits as I don’t think I can do more than that due to time? P. Hopkins – Bournemouth

A: Yes I can recommend one in particular known as the Yoga mudra. This is a must-know yoga asana that is a great pick me up. It is a cure for over 40 diseases and has been used by yogis for centuries. There are other yoga postures you can try but this is just one of them – and a highly prized one indeed. The yoga mudra is a cure for over forty diseases that inflict the body, especially those that inflict the stomach. The exercise especially works to strengthen the organs of the body including the spleen, liver, heart and kidneys. The asana helps to improve your sexual libido and tones the muscles of the stomach and gives flexibility to the spine, thereby improving your chances of longevity. If you practice yoga mudra regularly the complexion of your skin on your face will improve. Your eyes are also given natural massage. When you perform this asana try and take your forehead right down to the floor so that the third eye point meets the floor. This helps to activate the sixth chakra.

How to perform yoga mudra

Sit down in lotus pose or cross-legged. Rest your left hand onto your left knee and your right hand onto your right knee. Slowly take both arms behind you and interlock them together. (As a variation you can also try sitting in vajrasana – on your knees). Slowly bend down and take your head right down to the floor. Bend your head downward and touch the floor with it. Simultaneously, take your arms upwards on inhalation above your head. Hold position for a few seconds. On exhalation bring arms back down to base of spine and lift head up and sit up back into the original position.