Posts Tagged ‘hatha yoga practice’

Prenatal Yoga Practice Advice

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

By Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250

Prenatal Yoga is an ideal holistic practice and it can help you to relax and enjoy your pregnancy. During your sessions you will find physical postures (Asana), mental exercises (Meditation), and breathing exercises (Pranayama) for mind-body preparation for the birth of your child.

Outline of Mother’s Emphasis During Prenatal Yoga Sessions:

1. Recommended asana practice with appropriate modification for each trimester.

2. Careful pranayama and meditation for relaxing the mind.

3. Focusing on healthy fetal development.

4. How to ease symptoms, which frequently occur during pregnancy.

5. Knowing the symptoms of pre-term labor.

6. Appropriate Yogic lifestyle of during pregnancy.

7. How to manage labor and delivery.

8. Becoming familiar with post-natal practice.

Guidelines of Safety for Pregnant Yoginis:

Pregnancy brings great changes in your body. Wear loose clothing at all times during pregnancy. During this period due to hormonal changes the ligament around the joints become loose and soft. Your body is adjusting to this new situation which can take up to 14 weeks. Hence the following points should be taken care of.

1. It is safety important not to overstretch the body but to stretch cautiously and slowly.

2. Never do jarring motions when entering a posture and exiting from it.

3. Never compress abdomen and pelvis.

4. During breathing exercise don’t hold the breath and don’t strain yourself.

5. Pregnancy can make you feel more tired than usual, so if you feel tired after yoga it means you are likely doing too much.

6. Symptoms such as pain, cramps, and headache should never be felt during or after yoga practice.

7. If you are new to yoga, you can perform gentle movements, meditation, and carefully controlled breathing exercises.

8. It is very important to be aware of fact that between 10-14 weeks the risk of miscarriage is greatest. To be entirely safe, you should not practice asana at all during this time.

The Aim of Prenatal Yoga Practice:

1. Asana increases flexibility, reduce stiffness in joints, relieve fatigue and tension that occurs in the internal organs.

2. By practicing asana, the pelvic region is expanded creating space inside the uterus for the baby to move.

3. Breathing exercises increase lung capacity and help to improve the circulation in both mother and baby.

Overall, Hatha Yoga practice during pregnancy reduces pain or anxiety – which often tend to occur during pregnancy. This gives Yoginis restful sleep, preparation for labor and gives a great deal of pleasure to the new life you carry within you.

© Copyright 2010 – Amruta Kulkarni / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Amruta Kulkarni is a certified Yoga teacher and an exclusive author for Aura Wellness Center.

Click here for more information about Yoga teacher certification courses by Aura Wellness Center.

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Effects of Breathing on Body and Mind

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

By Victor Sfirlea

The ancient yogis known very few on physiology but this didn’t stop them to know very much on the effects of the breathing on body and mind and to develop different breathing techniques.

For example they say that the breath is the link between body and mind. They also stated from a long time that if we control our respiration we can control every aspect of our being. We will take a look on how this bold statement can be sustained.

The yogic breathing exercises are having two purposes: the physiological effects and also the build up and control of prana, the main form of subtle energy, most simply collected by breathing the air which is considered by yogis the principal food.

Pranayama, the yogic science of breath control is the very heart of Hatha Yoga practice. Basically, Hatha Yoga is mastering of body and breath. This control is gained gradually

Breathing is usually at the edge of our awareness but will and volition are always at disposal to choose the manner of breathe. Most of time people run automatic breath. Yoga emphasize on choice. The sages discovered the value of regulating respiration consciously of breathing even and diaphragmatically, of hyperventilating for certain purposes, and of suspending the breath at will. But in the mean time the classical literature of Hatha Yoga warns students against experimenting intemperately with breathing exercises. In Hatha Yoga Pradipika is written: “Just as lions, elephants and tigers are gradually controlled, so prana is controlled trough practice. Otherwise practitioner is destroyed”.

The muscles of respiration

The respiration, which consisting basically in inspiration and exhalation, is a result of muscular activity. Three main sets of muscles are active in the normal breathing process: the intercostals muscles, the abdominal muscles and the respiratory diaphragm.

The intercostals muscles are disposed in two layers with the fibers oriented on a right angle to each other and are used in the thoracic breathing.

The abdominal muscles are very important for what yogis named even breathing and they are also the key of many exercises.

The respiratory diaphragm is complete hidden into the torso. Simply described, diaphragm is a domed sheet of combined muscles and tendon that spans in the entire torso and separate the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. Diaphragm is shaped like an umbrella except that is deeply indented to accommodate the vertebral spine. The surface of the dome is built by a central tendon which is the only tendon not linked to the skeleton.

Diaphragm movement Diaphragm works as a piston during the breathing process and have huge importance in many yoga techniques. Whenever the chest and spine are fixed as typically occurs during relaxed breathing in a supine position the top of the dome is pulled down during inspiration, like a piston with the chest wall acting like a cylinder. During the normal breathing process the movement of diaphragm is interrelated with the movement of the other respiratory muscles. The single positions in which we found the pure diaphragmatic breathing are the supine and the inverted positions.

Diaphragmatic breathing is also named abdominal breathing or belly breathing. We can also name this kind of respiration as abdomen-diaphragmatic breathing because the downward movement of the dome of diaphragm not only draws air into lungs but also pushes the abdominal wall in front. This way the diaphragmatic breathing makes a good massage of the internal organs stimulating their blood circulation and functionality. Diaphragmatic breathing is also known for the fast psychological effect of reinstating calm and self confidence.

Diaphragmatic breathing exercises

Posture 1 – a variation of Bhujangasana.

Lie face down and interlock arms on behind. Strongly tighten all the muscles from the hips to the toes and use the neck and deep back muscles to lift the head, neck and chest as high as possible. Inhale and exhale deeply to the nose. Notice that each inhalation rises the upper part of the body higher and that each exhalation lowers it. Because you keep the back muscle engaged continuously during both inhalation and exhalation, the lifting and lowering action is done entirely to the muscles of respiration. This is an excellent exercise for strengthening the diaphragm.

Posture 2 – the diaphragmatic rear lift.

Lie face down and place your chin against the floor, with the arms along the sides of your body and the palms near the chest. Keeping the chest firmly pressed to the floor relax all the muscles from the waist down, including the hips. Take 10 – 15 nasal breaths at the rate of one per second. You will feel at every inhalation the lift of the lower back and hips. This movement is also made by the action of diaphragm only.

Because the inhalation increases the lumbar curvature this exercise is good for anyone with back pain problems.

Respiration and the Nervous System

As ancient yogis stated that breath is the link between body and mind they included in this expression what we call today nervous system.

The nervous system influences breathing and breathing influences the nervous system with a great importance on our state of the mind and on the emotional status.

Let’s take for example what’s happen when we have a big emotion and how breath can magnify this emotion so as it become uncontrollable and how breath can reduce the emotion bringing calm. Our process of taking oxygen into the body and eliminating carbon dioxide is happening just in the millions of tinny alveoli which compound our lungs. All air in the rest of respiratory system is named dead air space because in the buco-nazo-laringian cavity, in trachea, bronchia, bronchioles, all the way down to the alveoli, no gas change happen.








So if someone breathes fast and superficial as is the tendency under a big emotion is to breathe, the amount of new oxygen is very low because almost no fresh air with new oxygen content does not entering in the lungs. The need for oxygen will increase so the stress level. This situation can lead to a vicious circle figurate in the drawing below. The result of such wrong breath pattern can lead to a panic attack.

There is a strong link between our minds, heart beat rate and respiration. For example if we are very concentrate on reading, or making a very delicate and precise operation, or meditating, the attention and calm of the mind will lower the respiration which will be very rare or even suspended for a time, automatically and as a consequence the heart rate will lower too. This is how mind influences the hart beat rate and the respiration.

If we are not highly skilled yoga masters we are not able to control our heart beats. Our emotional status is hard to be controlled. But in a very easy way we can control our breathing which will make the heart to beat more calm and regularly and will bring gradually the peace of the mind. Respiration is the key.







The connection between heart rate and breathing is known as respiratory breathing arrhythmia. It involves reflex activity from the circulatory system to the brain stem that causes the heart to beat more slowly during exhalation than it does in inhalation. We are able to produce effects that are usually regulated by autonomic nervous system by proper breathing techniques.

2:1 Breathing

One breathing technique that can produce a beneficent effect on the nervous system, especially on the autonomic nervous system is taking twice as long to exhale as to inhale. For a healthy person the ratio could be 6 seconds exhalation to 3 seconds inhalation. The practice will slow the heart down and will give a subjective experience of relaxation. Both inhalation and exhalation will be made thru the nose.

Respiration types

Thoracic breathing

Thoracic or chest respiration is sometimes banned but in fact there are two separate types of respiration, the empowered thoracic breathing and the constricted thoracic breathing.

The empowered thoracic breathing is have many positive effects on health. It expand the rib cage and increase the lung respiratory capacity, is bring a lot of oxygen in the body and also prana. It consist in breathing profoundly with maximum opening the thorax. In hatha yoga inhaling as much as you can is an excellent chest exercise any time you are doing standing backward bends, diaphragm assisted backbends, cobra postures, the upward facing dog, prone boats and bow postures, fish postures. Whenever is to take the deepest possible inhalation this can only made placing an emphasis on empowered thoracic breathing and is work in any posture in which is natural to thrust the chest out.

The constricted thoracic breathing is typically shallow, rapid and irregular. Is commonly associated with stress and tension and is inadvisable as habitually breathe. Is breathing described above as generating the vicious circle which can lead to increase of stress and “practiced” in a moment of tension leads to panic.

Paradoxical breathing

Empowered chest breathing carried to extremes is paradoxical breathing. Is happen when the abdominal wall moves rather in than out in inhalation. It naturally can appear in situations which shocks a person. The paradoxical breathing stimulates strongly the sympathetic nervous system. The one who do it 10-15 times becomes spontaneously jumpy and nervous. Paradoxical breathe gives an immediate jolt of adrenaline. It prepares for fight or for running and inhibits the digestion, sexuality and immune function. If it becomes habitual it will give a life lived in a continuous emergency.

Abdominal breathing

The antidote for chronic thoracic and paradoxical breathing is abdominal breathing or abdominal-diaphragmatic breathing. It is simple and relaxing especially in supine position. It calms, it give peace and confidence that why is used in many yogic exercises.

The role of will

Many physical, mental and environmental factors are join to influence our breathing. Our will can override most of them. You can counter the state of being sleepy and bored by practicing bellows breathing. In smelly toxic air areas from a crowded street you can hold your breath few seconds to escape in a cleaner area. If you have the habit of breathing you can learn meditative breathing and if you are upset you can change your state breathing slowly. Is important to learn to observe healthy breathing patterns while you are doing hatha yoga postures then to carry the refined habits into daily life.

References:Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners: H. David Coulter, Timothy McCall

Victor Sfirlea is a certified Yoga teacher. He teaches Yoga classes in the Tuzla, Judetul Constanta, Romania area.

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Yoga as Therapy

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

By Jennifer Juckel

For some time now, the popularity of the practice of yoga has continued to gain momentum in Western culture. The reasons for this are manifold. Among them are issues such as disappointment with Western remedies, and the fact that yoga caters to all ages and fitness levels. The state of society in the West, and the physical and mental afflictions it potentially leads to, sees more and more people favour this ancient practice over the latest fads in the fitness industry. Furthermore, some are finding that yoga helps lessen or eliminate the need for treatments, such as drugs, that address only the symptoms of their problems. This essay will look specifically at how yoga can be used as therapy for ailments. Firstly, how yoga postures can be used remedially for physical problems or injuries will be discussed, and examples will be presented. Secondly, the ways in which yoga can be used to alleviate mental or emotional problems will be explored. Next, it will be revealed that although yoga used in this way is sound and may be preferable to using drugs to treat symptoms in certain situations, the ultimate goal of yoga is the union of the mind and body to prevent these afflictions in the first place. Finally, how this union could be extended to apply to the union of Eastern and Western perspectives will be discussed. It should be noted that in the context of this essay, the word yoga refers to Hatha yoga – asanas, or postures – as opposed to the umbrella term that encompasses aspects such as philosophy and diet.

Many people first turn to yoga to address issues of physicality. For those already fit, they may begin a yoga routine to enhance fitness. For example, athletes may take up yoga to keep their limbs supple in order lower the chance of injury (Baker, Feuerstein, & Payne, 2003). For the non-athlete, there is a multitude of physical and physiological benefits associated with regular yoga practice. The physical benefits include; improved flexibility, better posture and balance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, improved muscle tone, enhanced joint mobility, and spinal flexibility (Iyengar, 2001; Payne, 2001; Stiles, 2000). Physiological benefits include; increased circulation, improved elasticity of the arteries, improved functioning of the endocrine system, a faster basal metabolism, increased oxygen consumption, cardiovascular efficiency, improved digestion and improved systolic and diastolic blood pressure (Payne, 2001; Stiles, 2000; Vishnu-devananda, 1960). Of the benefits presented, it can be seen that those pertaining to physiological issues would be of utmost significance in terms of those on long-term medication to keep their conditions under control. For instance, those with high blood-pressure may find they can lower the dosage of their medication, or perhaps eliminate it altogether, meaning yoga is not only a natural treatment, but also means to a drug-free body.

Yoga postures can be used individually to alleviate physical and physiological problems, or grouped as a routine. An example of how an individual pose can be used for a physical ailment is a variation of savasana, or corpse pose, for those with lower back restrictions. When the pose is performed with bent legs, it not only puts the problem area in a position of ease, it also induces relaxation and enhances breathing, both important contributions to a healthy back. A bolster or rolled up blanket may be placed under the knees if the back still feels tense in this pose (Baker, Feuerstein, & Payne, 2003). As for yoga routines designed specifically for ailments, there is a wealth of resources that contain tailored programs for a diverse range of ailments such as constipation, asthma, incontinence, obesity, low immunity, osteoarthritis, acne, migraines, and backache (Iyengar, 2001; Payne, 2001). As can be seen from these examples, yoga can be used therapeutically for a variety of physical and physiological issues and if performed on a regular basis may eradicate some issues.

Another reason people turn to yoga is to address psychological or emotional problems. A number of benefits have been identified by research into this area. For example, Joan Harrington (1981) published a summary of the outcome of scientific studies into the benefits of regular Hatha yoga practice which remains one of the most comprehensive to date (Stiles, 2000). Included in the mental benefits were improvements in; concentration, memory, intelligence quotient, mental fragility, performance quotient, sequencing of ideas, mental calm, and stress response (Payne, 2001; Stiles, 2000). As in the realm of physicality, yoga may be used to enhance existing levels of fitness, or to address problems. Also, as in the case for physical issues, yoga postures may be used individually or combined into a routine to address specific problems. For example, tadasana samasthithi, or steady mountain pose, may be used to treat depression. This pose is the starting point of all standing asanas, and additionally holds the benefits of reducing stress, bolstering self-confidence, and increasing alertness (Iyengar, 2001). In terms of mental afflictions that may be addressed by specific yoga routines, B.K.S. Iyengar offers routines dedicated to many mental ailments such as depression, anxiety, addictions, insomnia, bulimia, and mental fatigue in his book, The Path to Holistic Heath (2001). These examples demonstrate that yoga may be used to enhance mental health or to alleviate mental or emotional issues that may be otherwise treated symptomatically with counselling and/or drugs.

So far, it has been demonstrated how yoga postures may be used therapeutically to treat physical, physiological, psychological and emotional issues, and while using yoga in this way is preferential to using drugs, the ultimate aspiration of yoga is a union between body and mind. In fact, according to yogic philosophy, all illness originally arises from a loss of this union (Devereux, 2001). Indeed, many that initially come to yoga on the basis of individually addressing a physical issue find wonderful mental side-effects such as a calmer mind, increased concentration, reduced stress and improved mood. In the same way, those who initially seek out yoga to address mental afflictions may find themselves with a body that functions more efficiently and smoothly. This reciprocal and interactive aspect of yogic union is beautifully articulated by Godfrey Devereux (2001):

[Yoga] brings about union of the different, splintered aspects of ourselves. Within this union each of the different parts is empowered, validated and uplifted by its relationships with the others. This process occurs on many levels. Union of movement and breathing; union of the peripheral and central nervous systems; union of mind and body; union of thought and action; union of desire and intent.

This concept of union could extend to countless relevant areas, most poignantly in this case to the union of Western and Eastern healthcare philosophies. Specifically in this respect, it has been illustrated how many in the West turn to yoga with the initial intention of addressing the symptoms of various individual problems, but surprisingly come to find an ease and efficiency in other complementary or seemingly unrelated areas of their lives as a result of regular practice. This mirrors the duality of the generalised ideologies behind Western and Eastern therapies – reductionist, or fragmentary, which breaks down problems into small, defined, separate constituents; and holistic, which treats the organism as a whole. The former explains the traditionally Western mode of treating symptoms in response to a medical condition as opposed to the Eastern mode of treating the patient’s mind and body in an effort to locate the source of the problem.

Western medical philosophy is based on Cartesian philosophy, which sees the mind and body and two distinctly separately functioning entities, with the emphasis being on proven facts. On the other hand, Eastern medicine looks upon the mind and body as one entity, and recognises a deficit in one aspect affects the other. It also recognises concepts that cannot be scientifically seen or proven, such as that of chakras (Levin-Gervasi, 1999; Stiles, 2000; Vishnu-devananda, 1960). It is not difficult to see how maintaining a separatist perspective only reinforces separatism. That is, by treating symptoms alone, the cause of the problem is not treated and even has a chance of intensifying. By applying the yogic philosophy to the divide between the Eastern and Western perspectives, which is to acknowledge all separate parts but recognise they are part of a greater whole, it would be possible to use the two perspectives together to create a unified outlook. This is not a new idea however, as can be seen from techniques such Integrative Yoga Therapy and other forms holistic/scientific hybrids that have started to gain acceptance in the wider public perspective.

In conclusion, this essay has discussed yoga as therapy for a variety of separate physical and psychological afflictions. It has also pointed to the fact that while many start out using yoga in this fashion, they may come to find benefits in other areas of their lives. It was demonstrated that this initial idea of using yoga as a symptomatic treatment exemplifies the Western medicinal perspective, and that the harmony they come to find as a side-effect of regular practice exemplifies the holistic Eastern therapeutic perspective. The union that yoga has as its purpose, which is traditionally discussed in terms of the joining of mind and body, therefore is now, in this respect, applicable to the joining Eastern and Western perspectives. This East/West union that has begun to occur within individuals taking up yoga in the West, from a Western perspective, will see a shift occur on a societal and cultural level once a critical number of people have experienced this shift. And based on the ongoing popularity of yoga in the West, it seems this is only a matter of time.

Yoga is the most effective tool for achieving life goals and producing mental and physical harmony – Shri Mad Bhagavat Geeta

References

Baker, K., Feuerstein, G., Payne, L. (2003). Yoga for dummies: Australian and New Zealand edition. Sydney: Wiley Publishing.

Devereux, G. (2001). Hatha yoga: Breath by breath. London: Thorsons.

Iyengar, B.K.S. (2001). Yoga: The path to holistic health. Great Britian: Dorling Kindersley.

Levin-Gervasi, S. (1999). Smart guide to yoga. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Mahatyagi, R. D. (2007). Yatan yoga: A natural guide to health and harmony. Sydney: Yatan Ayurvedics.

Payne, B. (2001). Slow yoga: For enhanced fitness, strength and health. London: Souvenir Press Ltd.

Robinson, L., & Napper, H. (2002). Intelligent exercise with pilates and yoga: A contemporary and dynamic combination of Body Control pilates and yoga. London: Macmillan.

Stiles. M. (2000). Structural yoga therapy: Adapting to the individual. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc.

Vishnu-devananda, S. (1960). The complete illustrated book of yoga. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Jennifer Juckel is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches Yoga classes in the Atwell, Western Australia area.

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Practicing Hatha Yoga for Emotional Health

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How can Hatha Yoga practice improve your emotional health? How important is emotional health? How could a physical practice of posture sequencing create changes in emotional growth within children and adults? Let’s investigate Hatha Yoga beyond the surface layer to realize how it affects emotional health.

Hatha Yoga for Positive Emotional Health

Upon ending each Yoga session, students often remark how they feel refreshed, happy, inspired, and balanced. Each of us reacts differently at the close of each Yoga class. Happiness is a result of focusing on something that is not a problem. A typical Yoga practitioner uses mind, body, emotion, and spirit throughout the class.

Feeling refreshed is primarily a mental state, but your body is also relaxed and restored. The feeling of being inspired during, and after, a Yoga class is a mental and emotional sensation. It can also be said that the sensation of feeling balanced, encompasses all planes of our existence.

The Importance of Emotional Health

Without positive emotional growth and health, we have no stability in life. As an example of emotional instability, observe a misguided or troubled child. In such cases, a child will cry for no reason, but to gain attention. This child may learn how to manipulate parents, and some family members, but will be frustrated when using the same techniques on the public.

Hopefully, the child may grow out of this need to draw attention to him or herself. On the other hand, each of us has met an adult who wants attention. As adults, we tend to refine our techniques, but a few adults never manage to grow emotionally. This emotional instability tends to make us appear mentally unstable.

Yoga Creates Emotional Growth

Good emotional health is to some degree a form of happiness. Each of us is happy when we begin to understand our true purpose in life. Hatha Yoga enthusiasts learn many methods of practice. When you consider meditation, pranayama, kriyas, mantras, bandhas, asanas, and relaxation techniques; Hatha Yoga is much more than a physical exercise or a sequence of postures.

The objectives of various practitioners are different, but steady Yoga practice will ultimately train and calm the mind. To have complete control of your mind is not easy, and it takes practice, but to have no control over your mind is mental agony. To practice Yoga is an easy choice to make, but the true benefits take time to notice.

Many people practice Yoga for the physical benefits, but begin to feel better in all aspects of life as a result of continued practice. There is nothing wrong with this approach. People believe in what they see, but feeling better in all aspects of life takes a little more time to notice.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul

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Yoga as a Remedy for Anxiety

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

By Kim Kieffer-Williams CPhT

Hatha yoga is a discipline that was introduced in the 15th century by Yogi Swatmarama. It was meant to serve as a purification for the physical body as a means to attain higher levels of meditation. This ancient Indic practice of postures and movement is considered holistic. Hatha Yoga involves discipline of the physical body as well as the higher consciousness of the mind. Over the last several decades Hatha Yoga has become more and more popular within western culture because of its many mental and physical health benefits. In particular clinical studies have shown that the regular practice of Hatha Yoga promotes stress relief, well being and reduction of anxiety and depression in patients suffering from cancer, clinical depression, heart disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions. The following is a literature review of published studies that suggest the overwhelming efficacy of regular Hatha Yoga practice as a means to treat or augment the therapies of many chronic and acute health conditions.

Anxiety and depression are growing public health issues. These conditions can be debilitating and long time suffering can lead to other physical conditions and maladies. The Department of Integrative Internal Medicine V at the University Duisburg-Essen Germany conducted a study of 24 women who considered themselves emotionally distressed. The study method was controlled and non-randomized. The participants were divided into two groups. Group one participated in a three month long Iyengar yoga class that met twice a week for 90 minutes. Group two was put on a waiting list as a control. In addition salivary cortisol levels were taken from both groups at the beginning and the end of the study. At the conclusion of the study period, as compared to Group two, the women in Group one, reported significant reductions in their perceived stress and state anxiety. They also reported improvements in vigor, fatigue, depression, and physical wellbeing. Salivary cortisol levels were also decreased.1

In another study conducted by the Psychiatric Department of Islamic Azad University, the effects of yoga on depression and anxiety were studied. The test volunteers were assigned to two groups and assessed for state and trait anxiety. One group was assigned to a two-month yoga class; the other group was placed on a waiting list. At the end of the two-month study period the women in both groups were assessed. The women who participated in the yoga classes, and had been suffering from anxiety disorder showed significant reductions in their perceived anxiety over those who had been wait listed. It was concluded that yoga could be considered for a complementary or alternative therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders.2

Chronic and acute illness can also lead to stress, anxiety and depression. High stress levels can prevent the body from being able to fight illness to its fullest potential. Often medications used to combat various illnesses can cause unwanted side effects. All of these factors can lessen perceived quality of life. The regular practice of yoga has demonstrated that it can be very helpful in dealing with and combating illness.

Wake Forrest University School of Medicine conducted a study of 51 women suffering from either ovarian or breast cancer to determine if Restorative yoga should be indicated as supportive therapy. The study sought to measure levels of fatigue, psychological distress, wellbeing, and quality of life. Among the test subjects, many were undergoing active cancer treatment. The study period was 10 weeks in which participants attended a 75-minute class each week. At the end of the 10 weeks participants completed a questionnaire to assess their progress. Marked improvements were observed in depression, negative affects state anxiety, mental health, and quality of life.3

In a study conducted by the Department of Life Sciences and Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Banglor India, a positive correlation was made between the regular practice of yoga and the reduction of nausea, anxiety, depression and distressfulness during chemotherapy. Sixty-two study subjects who were receiving chemotherapy were divided into two groups. Group one received daily 60-minute yoga practices as either supervised or home practice. Group two was given supportive, coping therapy intervention. After the fourth cycle of chemotherapy both groups were assessed for levels of nausea and emesis, anxiety depression and quality of life. In a comparison of the two groups, those who had received yoga showed a significantly greater reduction of nausea and vomiting both pre and post-chemotherapy as well as a reduction of stress and anxiety. 4

Yoga has also proved helpful in a variety of other disease states. A comparative evaluation was made between yoga and conventional therapies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The Department of Physiology at the India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi designed a randomized control based study to assess 22 male patients with confirmed IBS. The conventional group was give loperimide tablets to control symptoms for two months. The yoga group was given 12 asanas (Vajrasana, Shashankasana, Ushtrasana, Majariasansa Padhastasana, Dhanurasana, Trikonasana in two variations, Pawanmuktsana, and Paschimottanasana) and right nostril breathing twice a day for two months. At the end of the two months both groups showed improvements in state anxiety, autonomic symptoms and reactivity and electrogastrography. The yoga group also showed enhanced parasympathetic reactivity. The study concluded that the yoga program showed additional beneficial effects over the conventional treatment. 5

Coronary artery disease has been shown to respond regular yoga practice. The Yoga Institute in Santacruze, Mumbai conducted a prospective, controlled, open trial with 71 total patients, 42 in the control group. All test subjects had confirmed coronary artery disease. Those in the study group were given a yogic program, including dietary modifications, stress management, and risk factor control measures for one year. Subjects were assessed at the outset and monitored at regular intervals throughout the test period. At the end of the study period the yoga trained group showed significant improvements in serum total cholesterol and serum LDL cholesterol, a greater regression of lesions and in improving myocardial perfusion. Also state anxiety scores improved. Over all the study indicated that clinical benefits and symptom improvments.6

Yogic practice as a lifestyle modification seems to show clinical benefits in the reduction of stress and anxiety. This reduction appears to promote greater healing, regression of disease states and increased quality of life in all of the above studies examined. The applications for better overall heath and wellness are still in the early stages in the west. However more and more western health care practitioner are becoming aware of the great benefits of yoga and referring their patients to this ancient practice. Unlike many other forms of exercise, forms of yoga can be practiced at many physical ability levels with maximum benefits, making it a good choice for almost any person at anytime. The literature suggests that Hatha yoga is not simply a physical exercise but a remedy for the mind, body and soul; the complete person. With the increased demand for quality yoga training in the west, perhaps the application for this ancient art form will become more and more a part of everyday health care.

Kim Kieffer-Williams is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches Yoga classes in Purcell, Oklahoma.

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Three Ways to Improve Your Hatha Yoga Practice

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Half Moon PoseBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Whether you are a Yoga teacher, or just started practicing today, the following tips will useful. There is a common belief that natural flexibility is the primary exceptional quality among Hatha Yoga practitioners. In the struggle to become more flexible than the person next to us, we may become frustrated enough to push and pull our bodies beyond their limits.

Yoga instructors often tell new students not to force, leave competition at the door, and breathe into a given posture (asana). The average student listens, but some students are driven by competition. How can a competitive person “turn the switch off?” It’s not easy to stop a lifelong habit. However, making progress in the study of Yoga is not a race.

1. Continuity in Yoga practice is the first key to improving. The student, who spends part of each day practicing Yoga, will advance and become well-rounded in knowledge. Physical mastery is part of Hatha Yoga, but it is not everything. Older students and seasoned teachers know Hatha Yoga requires knowledge. This is much more than walking into a class with God-given flexibility.

2. Look for guidance in your studies. The student / teacher relationship, with a Yoga teacher, Guru, or Swami is sometimes taken for granted. There is nothing like a bond with a person who has been where you are. On the other hand, finding a competent teacher can be a quest within itself.

One qualification that people overlook in teachers is their passion for passing on knowledge. There are many good Yoga teachers who are not famous. If a teacher takes the time to “pass the torch” to his or her students, that is the first measurement. A self-absorbed teacher will not guide you – no matter how famous he or she may be.

3. Independent study is time spent discovering the many facets of Yoga. If a person studied every technique, the subtle body, the physical body, various forms of meditation, pranayama, history, and philosophy – one lifetime is not enough time to learn it all. This is something we must accept, but we can design a weekly schedule, which will help us improve our knowledge.

If you study Yoga for one hour per day – at the end of one year, you have 365 hours of Yogic studies. After four years of study, at that pace, you would have 1460 hours of study. Do you think your Yoga practice would improve with nearly 1500 hours of study? Of course, but how many people really persist in their practice? The secret to independent study is to “stay the course.” The pursuit of knowledge is a healthy addiction, which benefits you and those who learn from you.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga for Weight Loss – Is it a Big Scam?

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

Yoga - pigeon poseBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Could it be possible that Yoga for weight loss is just a marketing strategy?  How could Yoga help you burn sufficient calories to lose weight?  Is the public being taken for a “sleigh ride,” with a holistic approach to weight control?  Let’s take a deeper look and get to the bottom of an issue that has puzzled researchers.

1. Could it be possible that Yoga for weight loss is just a marketing strategy? To be honest, anything is possible, when it comes down to marketing services and products.  Why should Yoga be different?  The most common style of Yoga, taught outside of India, is Hatha and its many sub-styles.

On the surface, Hatha Yoga practice doesn’t seem like it would burn the necessary calories to lose weight – let alone control it.  Hatha Yoga was not created to be a solution for an inactive population that suffers systematic complications from obesity.  When Yoga, in its physical form, came about – people still performed their fair share of physical labor.

Therefore, it is possible that exaggerated claims could happen, but Yoga is a great addition to a completely healthy lifestyle.  It’s not the calories burned on the mat, as much as the reinforced behavior from eating right and performing other beneficial physical activities throughout the day.

2. How could Yoga help you burn sufficient calories to lose weight?  Every time this subject is brought up, Yogis from everywhere refer to the 2005 study conducted by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. 

With the aid of funding from the National Cancer Institute, medical researcher and Yoga practitioner, Alan Kristal, performed a medical study on the weight reducing effects of Yoga.  The findings were positive, for those who feel that Yoga is a good adjunct to a weight control strategy.

Yet, science and medicine do not come to conclusions on the basis of one study, and questions about the calorie burning properties of Yoga practice abound.  Even, if you have the temperature of a room increased to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and run through faster sequences of postures, physical Yoga practice is still low-impact movement.

Claims about calories burned can range from 200 to 650 calories per hour, depending on the sequence of movements and the temperature of the room.  One snack could easily surpass the number of calories burned, so there is more to this mystery than calories burned.

Long-term Yoga practice opens an awareness that runs contrary to unconscious eating.  In other words: If you are conscious of what you eat, you will consume better food, and you will consume less, during the day.

3. Is the public being taken for a “sleigh ride” with a holistic approach to weight control?  Actually, the answer is “no.”  Weight control is not easy, especially during middle age, but Hatha Yoga does have solutions in the Yoga diet, postures, and living a healthy lifestyle.  The problem is: The public demands a magic bullet for weight loss; namely, pills that will temporarily reduce weight, but can have serious side effects and even cause death.

Yoga is part of a logical solution toward managing body weight.  Eating less, wise eating choices, drinking clean water, walking, weight resistance, and other physical activities are also part of the solution.  One point to consider about the intake of calories is sugar, or salt, hidden in drinks and processed food.

Yoga practice alone will help manage weight, but the practice of living healthy must be with us throughout the day.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Teaching Hatha Yoga: Explaining the Benefits of Relaxation

Sunday, December 14th, 2008

vajrasanaaBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Among the many benefits of Hatha Yoga practice is enjoying a state of relaxation. If you have been practicing Yoga for a while, you might think this is a “no brainer.” Yet, you cannot expect someone who has never practiced Yoga before, to automatically know the benefits.

Relaxation, reduced stress, and being able to manage body weight are attractive reasons to begin and maintain a consistent Yoga practice. However, let’s take a closer look at the benefits of relaxation.

When you think about relaxation, what picture do you see in your mind? Most people would envision a vacation, when thinking about a state of relaxation. When should you take a vacation? Most people have created a vacation deficit and devote their lives to their career.

I have attended enough funerals and wakes to hear more than one widow state, “We were planning a dream vacation next year.” This is a sad state of affairs, when married couples do not spend quality time on vacation, but will work “their fingers to the bone” at multiple jobs.

Why do people want to go on vacation? The reason people want a vacation is to relax the mind and see new sites. Yoga teachers cannot promise you will see new sites in their studios, but you can be guaranteed to feel better than when you initially entered your class.

Yoga classes help students to lower their stress levels, and they are much more affordable than a vacation. Therefore, Yoga increases the quality of life, until you are in a better position to take time off from work, and enjoy a dream vacation.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Hatha Yoga – Preventing Anxiety in Trying Times

Friday, December 12th, 2008

NatarajasanaBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

How can Yoga help you overcome anxiety in the worst of times? For some people, life is a good dream; for others, it is a daily nightmare, and for the vast majority of us, it depends on the circumstances. No matter which category we fall into, each of us has to perform daily maintenance on our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.

Your daily Yoga practice is part of a larger system designed to prevent anxiety, panic attacks, stress, and depression. If you suddenly feel short of breath, you should learn and practice a form of Pranayama, which brings calming effects to the core of your inner-being.

If you look at a list of symptoms for anxiety, it is very diverse, but Yoga has many diverse techniques to address each one of them. This does not mean you should avoid your physician. As a matter of fact, you should contact your doctor if you feel chest pains, heart palpitations, nausea, and dizziness. Not to worry you further, but these are also symptoms of a heart attack.

Doctors are often criticized for giving prescriptions, but medication for anxiety and panic attacks can be a life saver. If you suddenly find yourself on a prescription for anxiety, you should realize that it may be a temporary situation.

A daily Hatha Yoga practice may have profound effects on your well being. Talk to your doctor about Yoga for anxiety. He or she may refer you to a local Yoga teacher, studio, or center. In turn, you may be able to reduce your prescription intake, or completely stop taking medication, with your doctor’s guidance.

In situations where you have anxiety, but it is not overwhelming, please consider reality. Have you lost your job, unemployment benefits, home, or family? If you still have them, you are worrying about what might be. Try to look at your situation in the present tense. Find solutions that apply to life as it is, right now.

Action will change the present and future for the best. Worrying will change the present and future for the worst. You really have no choice. Some people will try to find solutions in alcohol – no solutions will be found in alcoholism or the side-effects of excessive drinking.

If you use your mind, you will find solutions in the worst of situations. Hatha Yoga is much like a tool box for prevention and control of anxiety. Chronic stress, panic attacks, and anxiety, cannot be ignored because they test the limits of your health.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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