Weird Habits that only Indians follow

All our habits that we have today were ingrained into life by our ancestors. Though we might not know the origin or exact reason behind it, we still follow it blindly. These are some habits that are followed by indians.

1. Super Brain Yoga or Sit-ups

A simple squatting exercise that is performed while seeking blessings from lord ganesha (hindu god associated with knowledge and memory) disguised as super brain yoga. In tamilnadu,it is popularly known as thoppukarnam, thorpi means with the hands and karnam means ears. Even in these days, people visiting ganesha temple perform this act in front of the deity. 

Dr Joie P Jones of the University of California researched about super brain yoga and found out that the practice activated the acupuncture points on the earlobes which improves concentration and mind stimulation if it is practiced regularly.

Filipino esotericist, Master Chao Kok Sui also mentioned in his book that this exercise can boost the brain’s grey matter activity and has the ability to prevent the effects of memory loss and dementia. Not only performed as divine act but it's also an age old Indian school punishment. Teachers used to punish those mischievous kids and for not completing homework

2.Waking up at right side

When i was young, my mom used to say to wake up on my right side so that my day will be filled with happiness. I still wake up on my right side. But that's not real. I had my fair share of crazy days in my life. Only few months ago, i read an article about it and got amused to know the scientific reason behind it.

According to science, our body has two magnetic fields around it, one is formed from the head to toe and another one going vice-versa. The first magnetic field is the basis of our existence, while the latter defines our strength and energy. When you wake up on your right, you strengthen the second field and it boosts the body’s energy flow.

3.Eating in banana leaf using hands

If you visit south india,you might be surprised to find people using banana leaves as plates. With all sorts of food items lined up in entire leaf and eating the food by hand, it's such a delightful experience. Though it's not a everyday incident, one can witness it during festival seasons and in hotels. Banana leaves are packed with polyphenols which are abundantly found in green tea and some leafy vegetables, it's also rich in anti-oxidants that helps to prevent ageing. Banana leaves have a thin waxy coating and when hot food is served on the leaves,the wax melts and adds a distinct flavour and aroma to the food. Eating by hands also have some reliable reason. Eating with one’s fingers stimulates the nerve endings on our fingertips that aids in digestion and feeling your food by its texture, aroma and taste becomes a way of signalling the stomach that you are about to eat. You become more conscious of eating the food.

4.Cross-Legged sitting

Before chair and table become a common thing in every household, people used to sit cross legged on the floor. Though it's a simple posture, it helps in digestion and relaxes your mind and body. In yoga, this posture known as sukhasana. Sitting cross legged makes it easier for the heart to pump   blood and circulate to other parts of the body. This posture also corrects our back straight and strengthen spine with no effort. Sitting cross legged regularly, one can bid goodbye to the back pain and aches.

5.Siddha walk or Eight walk

Maybe it might be the first time you have heard about this walk and it's not that popular all over the world. Last year i saw a poster of siddha walk/ Eight walk hanging on the wall when i visited siddha clinic. Instructions and benefits were bulleted neatly with diagram representation. Since then, whenever i go for a walk, i try to include the siddha walk in my routine. It has miraculous benefits as suggested by the Tamil Siddhars (yogis). Bare foot walk gives a pressure on foot that activates all acupressure points on foot. It also helps to improve eyesight while concentrating on the figure of eight and helps with arthritis or stiffness of joints. With regular practice, it reduces blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Good thing about the siddha walk is, it can be done in your apartment space or in terrace. Interestingly, to attain a two wheeler license, there is a 8-drive test in which the person has to drive the bike/scooty in the shape of eight without balancing the feet on ground