yoga has « Yoga Teacher Training Blog

Posts Tagged ‘yoga has’

Yoga for Skin

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Yoga provides many physical and mental benefits. One of the most overlooked benefits of Yoga is healthy and beautiful skin. Most people do not decide to practice Yoga for skin benefits. However, you need only to look at mature Yoga practitioners to see the amazing effect that Yoga has on the skin.

While it takes regular Yoga practice and a healthy diet, many people experience a remarkable improvement in their facial complexion and overall healthy appearance of their skin. Yoga increases blood flow and removes toxins from the body. This increased blood flow develops a youthful appearance and reduces the toxins that are released through the skin. The toxins are damaging to the skin, often creating a dry skin surface, with a dull appearance. In addition, the increased blood flow provides essential nutrients to the skin and also aides in collagen production. Collagen is essentially the elastic in the skin. As people age, collagen production diminishes and supple skin disappears.

Yoga develops a healthy mind, body, and soul. This practice relieves tension and stress. Tension and stress are two significant factors in the aging process. If you compare two people of the same age, similar jobs, and similar environmental factors, you will clearly see a stunning difference between the person who practices Yoga and the person who does not engage in physical activity. The person, who practices Yoga, will look significantly younger, which results in a much healthier appearance.

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. If the body is ill, the skin reflects this. You rarely see an ill person with radiant skin. If the inside of the body is healthy, then the skin will reflect that health. Many people are beginning to recognize Yoga as one of the best natural anti-aging tools. The health benefits of Yoga, for improving one’s skin, are drawing many people to the practice. In this youth driven culture, Yoga is becoming the most popular method for staying healthy and looking younger.

Conclusion

To achieve the “Yoga glow,” requires a regular practice of at least two times per week. Of course, avoiding excessive sun exposure, alcohol, and smoking plays a role in developing healthy skin and maintaining a youthful appearance. A regular Yoga practice, with a balanced diet and consumption of good quality drinking water, will help one achieve the best possible appearance. This formula will gradually translate into a healthy and radiant appearance. The benefits of Yoga for skin are a bonus for those who have incorporated Yoga into their daily lives.

All of the techniques learned in a typical Yoga class will help practitioners achieve radiant skin. Pranayama techniques increase oxygen flow throughout the body. Asana techniques strengthen, stretch, and tone the body below the surface of skin, but they also relieve tension and stress. Relaxation and meditation enhance mental health, while keeping emotional health in control. Finally, the Yogic lifestyle of moderation helps practitioners to form good dietary and exercise habits.

To see our complete selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please feel free to visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/Teacher-Courses/

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

Tags: benefits of yoga, practice yoga, yoga for skin, yoga glow, yoga has, yoga increases, Yoga provides
Posted in Yoga for Health | No Comments »

YOGA… A SCIENCE OF THERAPY

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

By Dr. Rita Khanna

Yoga has been internationally accepted as a therapeutic science which touches physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, social, psychological, and spiritual levels. In many countries, scientific and medical research is now being conducted into various Yogic practices. They found that Yoga had a tremendous influence on the physical and mental body. The Yoga postures harmonize the endocrine glands, and the practice of Pranayama creates a balance in the nervous system.

The effects of Asana and Pranayama, on the different organs of the body, were investigated. Scientists have also investigated and assessed the value of Meditation. They have measured the brain waves during deep Meditation and found a predominance of alpha waves, which arise during the state of relaxation. (Alpha waves are a type of brain wave that can be recorded by an electroencephalograph (EEG).

SALIENT FEATURES OF YOGA THERAPY

Upanishads have described five layers of existence of human being, called Panchakoshas. They are Annamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha, and Anandmaya Kosha. It is believed that diseases arise in Manomaya Kosha (mind) and percolate to Annamayakosha (physical body) because of disturbance in Pranamaya Kosha (Pranic energy channels – Nadi’s).

In Yoga, we say there are seventy two thousand channels, or Nadis, in the body, through which the flow of Prana, and the flow of mind, takes place. Out of these seventy two thousand channels of mental and Pranic energy, ten are considered to be major ones. Out of these ten major channels, three are most important. In Yoga, we call them Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. Ida represents mental force, Pingala represents Pranic force, and Sushumna represent spiritual force.

To counter the diseases, one needs to regularly practice Yogic practices, such as:

• Dehasadhana (Physical practices like Yogasanas, Kriyas, Yog Mudras)

• Pranasadhanas (Pranayama)

• Bhavasadhanas (Prayers, chanting of Hymns, listening to devotional songs)

• Divyasadhana (Change of diet, Meditation, listening to a discourse by a spiritual or Yoga Guru).

YOGIC CONCEPT OF DISEASE

The whole body is a composition of Prana and mind. Pranas are responsible for action and motion in life. The mind is responsible for thinking and feeling. Together, mind and Prana fill this living structure, penetrating it through and through.

In Yogic language, disease can be explained as disturbance in the flow of Pranic energy. The Pranic energy, instead of pervading throughout the whole body, equally and steadily, flows at an unequal rate. There is either irregular flow of energy, diminished flow of energy, or excess flow of energy, which causes disease. This is where Yoga works as a master key for physical, mental, and emotional well being. The science of Hatha Yoga is based on these twin forces. Pranas can be balanced by the practice of Asanas and Pranayamas. The mental force is balanced by the practice of Concentration and Meditation.

HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE?

This body lives on the life force, which is not the air you breathe, not oxygen, but bioplasm (the living material through which every form of life manifest itself). This life force is generated in everyone at the time of conception. It is part of the cosmic force. If there were no life force, everything would disintegrate. This life force is known as Prana. Prana is one part of your existence, and mind is the other. If there were no life or mind, you can imagine what would happen to your body. You would not be able to see, even though you have eyes. You would neither be able to speak, hear, breathe, touch, smell, or know – even though you have all the organs.

The physical body does not move on the basis of the brain, heart, lungs, hands, or feet. After all, a dead person has all of these. So, in this physical body, there are two forces; and a balance must be maintained between them. If the Prana or mind is low, you are sick or abnormal. Prana and mind can be compared to the two wires conducting electricity. In order to have light, the positive and negative cables must carry the same voltage. Therefore, to have a healthy body and a strong peaceful mind, it is most important that the Pranic and mental forces are kept in balance. The purpose of Hatha Yoga, Asana, and Pranayama is to create and maintain this balance, so that all the systems of the physical body are reconditioned.

RESTORING THE BALANCE

All over the world, people are living in a state of terror, fright, anxiety, passion, tension, insecurity, uncertainty, suspicion, and so on. These states influence man’s physiological structure, and cause most of the diseases that we suffer from today. In this context, Yoga comes to us as a great panacea. When we practice Yoga, the changes in the physical body are clear; they are earmarked. The behavior of the heart, consumption of oxygen, rate of respiration, reactions of the nervous system, secretions of hormones, alteration of brain waves, and all the systems of the physical body, are influenced and undergo certain changes. This has a beneficial effect on most disease states.

DEFINITION OF DISEASE

Yoga has its own definition. Disease manifests in the body, but does not originate in the body. Disease originates with a state of imbalance. There may be disharmony between the nervous systems, or an imbalance in the hormonal secretions, or in the digestive processes. As such, we define disease in a subtle manner, and we treat it according to its nature.

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. When we treat a diabetic patient, we don’t treat him for a deficiency of insulin (although we know that it is a deficiency in insulin). We also know that the sympathetic, and parasympathetic nervous systems, are controlled by higher centers. When these centers fail to activate the nervous system properly, then a deficiency of hormones, in a particular area, results. We also know that its root cause is stress and strain that is responsible. It means that Yoga doesn’t treat one part of the body, it treats as a whole.

2. When we treat a mental patient suffering from psychosis, neurosis, or a nervous breakdown, we take him as a personality, a human being, and individual, who can think and feel. We take him deeper into his own mind, through the practices of concentration and Meditation, bringing him to the root of his illness. If a person is suffering from high anxiety, we don’t prescribe practices to induce an immediate state of tranquility. Rather, we try to explode his personality – to express what remains dormant in the back of his mind. This is possible with the practice of Concentration, such as Mantra, which is part of Yoga. (Mantra is a very powerful instrument. Through the practice of Mantra, we try to explode the deeper phases of the consciousness. When the inner states of mind are exploded, then one comes face-to-face with all the thoughts, distractions, passions, and repressions deep within.)

THE PHYSICAL BODY

The physical body is influenced by the human mind. It is the sentiments, the emotions, feelings and objectives, passions, fears, anxieties and worries, in the mind, which create physiological changes in the body. The adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary secretions have a natural flow and order. A thought can, and does, influence the workings of our physical body. Through the practice of Yoga-nidra (psychic sleep), certain Pranayamas, and chanting of Mantra, we have been able to alter and harmonize the pattern of brain waves.

In the University of Barcelona, they have exposed people to medical tests and investigations, while the Mantra, “OM,” was being chanted. The sound was recorded by sophisticated instruments; and they found that when ‘O’ was being intoned, alpha brain waves were predominant, and when ‘M’ was intoned, the pattern changed into theta waves (Theta Brain Waves are the second slowest frequency of brain waves. These occur in sleep and are dominant in our highest state of meditation).

HOW DO ALPHA, THETA WAVES, and YOGA-NIDRA RELATE TO DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS?

Alpha and theta rhythm automatically reduce the blood pressure of a person suffering from hypertension. Since high blood pressure is a consequence of hypertension, it can only be balanced by bringing the alpha rhythm into action; and this can be achieved through the practice of Meditation. If one is suffering from hypertension and blood pressure, sit him down quietly in an easy chair. Let him close his eyes and chant OM for a short time. After fifteen to twenty minutes, when you take his blood pressure, you’ll be surprised to see that certainly OM has done the job.

In the same manner, research is also being conducted into Yoga-nidra. Yoga-nidra is a very important practice; and medical investigations have clearly shown that it is not hypnosis, but an entirely different technique. Yoga-nidra is a practice where you are allowed to relax, but not to sleep. Sleep is not relaxation, and relaxation can definitely occur in an awakened state. Yoga-nidra is very effective for people suffering from hypertension. Half an hour of Yoga-nidra, every day, can give permanent relief to these people.

For Yoga-nidra, lie down in the supine position, and follow the awareness through all the different parts of the body. As a result, a state of relaxation arises, and the brain undergoes a corresponding change. During the practice of Yoga-nidra, we have seen delta waves appear a few times – especially if the subject is tired. Delta waves are usually associated with the deepest stages of sleep, and it is the slowest of all five brainwave frequencies. Sometimes. theta waves also appear, but alpha waves usually predominate.

ADOPT FOLLOWING YOGIC METHODS TO MAINTAIN THE BALANCE:

Neti (the nasal Kriya)

In this practice, water is passed from one nostril to another, or a catheter is passed through the nostril, into the mouth. This practice is used for a migraine, sinusitis, eye problems, sore throat, epilepsy, and other disorders of the head.

Dhauti (washing the digestive system)

In Kunjal kriya, we drink salty water, and then vomit it out. In Vastra dhauti, we swallow a thin strip of cloth – about six feet long. It’s very effective for asthmatic patients.

Basti (sucking water in through the anus)

This is used mainly for the alleviation of piles, fistula, and diseases of the rectum.

Trataka (gazing on a fixed point)

This practice develops concentration and helps improve the eyesight.

Nauli (abdominal roll)

This exercise stimulates different parts of the intestines, and the benefits are numerous. It has immediate effects on the sexual debility of man. It also maintains the health of the kidneys and bladder.

Kapalbhati (rapid respiration, with the emphasis on exhalation)

The purpose of this practice is to purify the frontal region of the brain, and to revitalize and rest the mind. After five minutes of kapalbhati, you will find that your mind is very clear, without any confusion. It is especially useful when you are studying for an examination.

Asanas

After the practice of the above Yoga techniques, one should begin Asanas.

Pranayama

After Asanas, start Pranayama; and when you are sufficiently accomplished in these, then begin the practice of Meditation.

Meditation

The science of Meditation (Dhyana) is a very important part of Yoga. It has a great effect on the human body and mind. Meditation is not only a psychological or spiritual practice – it is an all-round practice for everyone, with or without a religious background. The research that has been carried out on the influence and effects of Meditation on the brain, nervous system, and body, has revealed that the practice of Meditation brings a great change in the behavior of the brain, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, as well as the entire personality. It is the most important practice for all mental and spiritual progress.

Following are some tips for Meditation:

• Any time of the day, or at fixed times – morning and evening, you can practice for ten minutes, not more than that. During these ten minutes, you are not going to spend; you are going to invest.

• First of all, fix your posture; keep your spinal cord upright and straight. Close your eyes, and fix them at the nose tip. That is essential. Don’t move the body; total immobility must be achieved for a period of ten minutes only, not more than that. The whole body should not move. It must become steady, like a statue.

• Next, become aware of your natural, spontaneous breathing process. Don’t try to breathe in and out. Don’t make any effort to breathe. You breathe all the time, but now you should become aware that you are breathing in and out. Become a witness of the spontaneous breathing process. That’s all; nothing else. Follow the breath awareness for a full ten minutes.

• At the end of this time, come out. You can keep an alarm clock beside you, if you like.

• Practice this day in, and day out; and if possible, after one month, you can expose yourself to medical tests – before, during, and after the practice. If there is a computerized polygraph testing available, then everything can be tested simultaneously. You will find total positive changes. Medical and psychological tests are not the only proof of your wellness – your own family members, as well as your colleagues in professional life, will also notice the change.

IN CONCLUSION

It is a fact, that Yoga is a science of therapy, a science of self improvement, and a way to discipline. However, besides all this, Yoga is a culture; and every nation must have one. A country, with a culture based on Yoga, has eternal existence. It can survive through the vicissitudes of life, the accidents of history, and the ravages of time. In the coming times, Yoga is going to emerge as a mighty world culture; it is going to direct the events of the world’s history, and you have a definite role to play in this. It is up to you to accept this great science with love, with admiration, with hope, and with sincerity.

AUM SHANTI

If you feel inspired by this article, feel free to publish it in your Newsletter or on your Website. Our humble request is to please include the Resource as follows: -

Courtesy: Dr. Rita Khanna’s Yogashaastra Studio.

A popular studio that helps you find natural solutions for complete health.

Also conducts online Yoga Courses & Naturopathy Guidance.

Mobile: + 919849772485

Ph:-91-40-65173344

Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required

Website: www.yogashaastra.in

Dr. Rita Khanna

Dr. Rita Khanna is a well-known name in the field of Yoga and Naturopathy. She was initiated into this discipline over 25 years ago by world famous Swami Adyatmananda of Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh (India).

She believes firmly that Yoga is a scientific process, which helps us to lead a healthy and disease-free life. She is also actively involved in practicing alternative medicines like Naturopathy. Over the years, she has been successfully practicing these therapies and providing succour to several chronic and terminally ill patients through Yoga, Diet and Naturopathy. She is also imparting Yoga Teachers Training.

At present, Dr. Rita Khanna is running a Yoga Studio in Secunderabad (Hyderabad, India).

Tags: in yoga, science of therapy, yoga has, yoga postures, yoga teachers training, yogic practice, yogic practices
Posted in Yoga Therapy | 2 Comments »

Yoga Teacher Courses – Train the Mind with Yoga

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

When we hear the phrase, “train the mind,” what comes to mind? Do we think of a change in behavior, morality, or intelligence? Higher forms of Yoga, such as Raja, Bhakti, Karma, and Jnana, can help us train the mind. Within all forms of Yoga are meditation techniques to develop the mind, as well.

Behavior

When considering behavior, there is always room for individual improvement. Unfortunately, none of us is perfect. Our perception of the objects around us has much to do with our personal behavior. Our inherent reactions to objects, or events, are different from one person to another. Two people hear the same message, but the mind’s unique level of awareness brings perception into clarity.

No matter how hard we try, we cannot translate the same message, in the same way, as the person beside us. One example of this is being a member of a book club. The members read the same book, but the club organizes meeting sessions to discuss various interpretations and increase the membership’s scope of intellectual abilities.

Diversity in interpretation also happens within groups, which read and examine scriptures. In the United States, the Supreme Court consists of one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. With nine extremely educated justices to interpret the law or the U.S Constitution, there is almost always a difference of opinion.

Enhancement of Intelligence

The enhancement of intelligence is a result of training the mind through study. This may happen in any form of Yoga, but Jnana Yoga encourages the aspirant to attain unity, through self-analysis and the investigation of speculative thought.

To study will increase one’s intelligence about a subject, but to study the Yogic system will bring about enhanced intelligence with regard to life. Yoga is a science of life. The more time one devotes to the study and practice of Yoga, the higher the odds are for accomplishing one’s intended purpose in life.

To be “book smart” is not enough to reach success in life. It is the application of knowledge toward all phases of life that tests a theory. Yoga and Yogic philosophy have moved far beyond theory. Yoga therapy has been successful, but a scientist wants to know: “why.”

Scientists, and some skeptics, argue that Yoga must now be tested on the other side of the Earth in order to collect enough data as to why it works. With every little step, Yoga has eventually been embraced by science and medicine as a system that works.

Moral Codes

The most neglected part of Yoga teacher training courses is a closer look at Yama and Niyama. In the Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali names Yama and Niyama as the first two limbs of Yoga. Yet, Universal moral codes are often over looked. Advanced students, especially Yoga teachers, should know differently. If each person reflected on the Universal principles of Yama and Niyama daily, we would suddenly have world peace.

To see our complete selection of Yoga teacher certification courses, please feel free to visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/Teacher-Courses/

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

Tags: forms of yoga, in the yoga sutras, two limbs of yoga, yoga has, yoga is a science, yoga teacher course, yogic philosophy
Posted in yoga teacher course, Yoga Teacher Issues, Yoga Teacher Training | 2 Comments »

Yoga Has a Strong Relationship with the Health Field

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

By Alexis Neal

Studies have shown that it has helped in numerous illnesses and stepped in when regular medical science could not complete the healing task itself. It has worked with the elderly, children and mental issues like depression and anxiety just to name a few. I personally have had years of struggling with severe anxiety and the inability to cope with stressful situations. I do not support the use of medications the majority of the time but was pushed by the medical field and after two and a half years on numerous medications that seemed to only make me worse, I reached out for spiritual help. After one meditation session, which lasted two hours, I felt a tremendous difference. I was able to do things that I could not do before like enter a crowded store. Though the healing is taking its time to get me back to 100% it is a much smoother healthier ride than the medications. Medications seemed to lower my concentration level and cloud my thoughts making daily tasks difficult. With daily Yoga and meditation I have not only felt clarity but have been able to take a stressfull situation and analize it rather than react to it. This is something that I have never been able to do in my life.

I have decided that I need to share this amazing power with every individual that I meet and that is why I enrolled in this school. To give a timeline, it was the end of April when I made this change and went from no energy and sleeping through most days to surfing and bicycling daily. I sleep a normal schedule and because of the intense improvement my doctors have agreed to remove me from all medications. Unfortunately, this is not an instant process and the lower my doses become-the more my body aches and the less I feel I can endure. This just assures me even more that they were not good for my body and probably did more harm than good. I can feel Yoga healing me daily.

In this economy, there is a tremendous amount of stress and you can feel it with each person you pass….and I live on an island so if you can’t relax here…there needs to be changes made. I am very glad to hear that with all the studies performed, health insurance companies are finally seeing the benefits of this exercise and adding it to their coverage for card holders. I have also heard that massages were added as well. I hope people take advantage of this great opportunity while they can. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize the signs of stress until their body starts ailing to get their attention. If a person is practicing Yoga and/or meditation regulary then when a stressful event comes along they will not only be able to recognize it but will be able to deal with it with deep breathing exercises and calming the mind. It is very difficult to wait until you are in a stressful position to then start Yoga because your mind is racing a hundred miles an hour and meditation would be almost impossible. I think Yoga needs to be practiced and learned to the best a person’s body will allow first before it is needed in such ways.

Yoga helps in other ways besides stress and anxiety issues, it helps with the lubrication of joints. My Nana used to get eight cortizone shots in each knuckle every day just so she can move her fingers because of severe arthritis and was still in tremendous pain. I worked with her for a month doing Tai Chi at a local senior center and she no longer needed the shots. I feel that Yoga will help the elderly with that as well as with the daily stiffness they wake up to or end up at the end of the day with. This would give them the ability to become more active in life…allowing more exercise rather it be soly Yoga or more and I believe would prolong their life by lifting their emotional mood. The saying “you are only as old as you feel” is true. If Yoga can take them back ten years where they can enjoy things they thought they could never do again then that would have to be a tremendous lift in emotions and spirit. To be able to give that gift to someone would be so rewarding there are no words to describe it.

Yoga is being taught in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers now and psychiatrists are even recommending it now as alternatives to medications. Of course, there are still doctors out there that just write prescriptions like its a race and truly don’t understand what they are doing nor do they believe in anything spiritual like Yoga. I hope one day everyone will see the benefits.

Yoga has been brought into the lives of children as well. I have watched it taught in preschools. It helps with the new child obesity problem in the United States right now for one. Overweight children usually just sit down during play time but this is not treated like free time, they make it mandatory to participate. Also, children that have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD have been tested with Yoga and relaxation techniques and it had helped a significant percent, though not all. I believe with patience, these children could get off the horrible medications for those disorders if they were persistant with the Yoga techniques. It also teaches straight posture before slouching becomes a habit. Studies are now being done on mental patients with schitsophrenia, OCD and bi polar disease. The testing results are still inconclusive last I checked but they did see signs of calming with the movements and the combination of relaxing OM music.

Health and Balance says “Among yoga’s anti-stress benefits are a host of biochemical responses. For example, there is a decrease in catecholamines, the hormones produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Lowering levels of hormone neurotransmitters — dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine — creates a feeling of calm. Some research points to a boost in the hormone oxytocin. This is the so-called “trust” and “bonding” hormone that’s associated with feeling relaxed and connected to others. That may be why so many romances start in the yoga studio. “

Yoga has been proven to aid in the healing of asthma, back pain, arthritis, lower blood pressure, slow heart rates, depression, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, memory, self esteem, self acceptance, body strength, flexibility, delaying ageing, harmonizing the mind and body, emotional balance, self enlightenment, balancing metabolism, highering pain tolerance, balance, body awareness, help with sexual impairments, moods like stress, anxiety and depression, self control, positive outlooks on life in general, improvements on social skills, lower cholesterol, increasing red blood cells, there is a lower risk of injury as compared to other exercises, eye hand coordination, more oxygen intake, increased range of motion, increased reaction time, depth perception, osteoporosis, alzheimers, type II diabetes, carpel tunnel syndrome, muscular dystrophy, migraines, less nausea during chemotherapy, arthritis, asthma, epilepsy, constipation, allergies, improve alignment and menopause just to name a few. Studies are being done every day to see what else this exercise can aid in.

Yoga makes you aware of your body so that you can sense an issue before it becomes a serious health issue….basically learning how to listen to your body and know what it is telling you rather than waiting until you are ill. Yoga can be practiced anywhere and that is something that most people do not know. They believe that they need the cute little mat in its case like Madonna is so often seen with but in actuality it can be done anywhere. If a person gets anxiety in the dentist office, heavy traffic, etc. then deep breathing exercises can help. I personally hate the laundromat so I sit on the washing machine and meditate with my headphones on to pass the time and ease my anxiety of knowing that I am stuck there for two hours with screaming children and machines that take your money. Oddly enough, on a few occasions women have jumped up on washers next to me and joined in…saying that I just glowed positive energy and that they just wanted some of it. That is when I decided to teach Yoga.

Yoga also teaches the right way of living. Practicing a lifestyle of calmness, a person is less likely to get into a verbal argument or altercation because they will think twice about it. A Yogi will feel the stress coming and stop it or control it before it rises keeping anything from happening and hopefully calming the other person(s) through their positivity. Also, if you just left a Yoga class and you feel rejuvenated and reborn so to speak…you will be less likely to stop for fast food on the way home of smoke that cigarette after class because it almost causes a feeling of guilt not to mention you feel like you wasted time in Yoga if you are going to continue harming your body. Yoga will promote healthier eating habits as most exercising does. According to Swami Sivananda: “About the last thing one should expect from yoga is wealth. Yet, when certain facts are pointed out, it becomes obvious that here is a value not to be overlooked.

First of all, as Swami Sivananda argues, “Health is wealth…. If you do not possess good health you cannot prosper in any walk of life” (Yogic Home Exercises). As we can see from the factors listed under Physical Health and Mental Health, yoga does affect our ability to deal with the problems in our businesses and professions. Many factors affecting our day-to-day and long-range; capacities for achieving business and professional goals may be influenced by yogic endeavors. One can hardly calculate results, but still can easily sense the significance of improved health for business success.Not only may one acquire more financially from good health, but he need spend less upon measures to alleviate illness. By reducing anxiety and desirousness, yoga tends to diminish our desires and the expenditures we make trying to satisfy those desires. A person who achieves peace with himself, even if only part of the time, has less motive for spending money to win the battle for satisfaction of his cravings. Yoga is less expensive than most other methods of attaining and maintaining health and relaxation.”

Yoga is both a physical and spiritual discipline and not an easy thing to jump into. It should be taken slowly like any exercise. I would want my students to come to me after class and tell me if they do not feel relaxed and calm after a class and then work with them on a one on one basis to see what is happening with them or running through their minds during the exercises when there should be nothing on their minds. They might require noisy headphones on like I do in order to drown out how easily I am distracted.

Today Yoga classes are offered almost everywhere, from small studios in shopping centers to hospitals and clinics. The more opportunities that become available I believe the more people will attend and see the benefits for themselves. At that point we can only hope that they pass that experience along because odds are most people have a child who could benefit, a sressed out spouse or an ailing relative, all of which could benefit greatly. This could also be a great bonding experience for either family members, friends, or co-workers. Yoga cannot be discussed in aspect to one benefit because there are just so many and the list gets bigger each day. I believe that it could benefit every situation. I am living proof that it heals and I hope to spend my life helping others heal themselves.

I have expressed and stressed the health benefits of Yoga but it also is very beneficial spiritually. I believe that is why women are more prone to take Yoga because we are more spiritual or rather require it in our lives. When a group of women are in close proximities there is an overwhelming energy and to be able to use that energy together in harmony will be extreme. I believe that my classes will be even more beneficial and spiritual because I will be doing them directly on the beach rather than inside a studio or airtight building with an ocean wave sound cd playing in the background. The sand is so much easier to ground yourself upon than a mat and women have this special connection with the ocean from birth so I think the benefits of having the classes there will be higher. I also think that just being at the beach…the smell…the sound…the peace…is almost meditation without even trying and will help those uncomfortable with trying something new or those who cannot clear their head long enough to benefit from meditation or breathing techniques. I look forward to the many health benefits Yoga will instill upon me and helping others achieve their goals.

Alexis Neal teaches Yoga classes on South Padre Island, Texas.

Tags: benefits of yoga, teach yoga, teach yoga class, teach yoga classes, teaches yoga, yoga has, Yoga Health, yoga is, yoga teaches
Posted in Yoga for Emotional Health, Yoga for Health, Yoga for Mental Health, Yoga for Physical Health | 2 Comments »

Yoga as a Health Practice

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

By Sabrina Smith

Yoga has been revered for centuries by many countries of Asia for its ability to heal and promote health and wellness. Some of the countries have derived medical practices that revolve around the key concept of yoga: balancing the mind body and spirit to achieve their goal of health and wellness. India, one of the Asian countries that has been at the heart of yoga for many years, developed the practice of Ayurveda. Yoga and Yogic practices such as meditation, and postures are key to its medicines. Aside from this form of traditional medicine Yoga has been proven to be very beneficial in modern day, curing such ailments like depression, decreasing the risk of heart attacks, stimulating irregular bowls and creating healthy eating habits, helping to release your body from addiction, as well as promote a healthy physical, mental and emotional body.

Ayurveda has been very much a common medicinal practice in India working hand in hand with yoga and it has most recently been made popular by Deepak Chopra, M.D. Chopra explains the methodology of Ayurveda, and its view of the human body as a quantum mechanical device, that is not easily fixed through the prescription of magic pills. But can return back to a balanced state once the body’s energies begin to function in harmony. He explains Ayurveda uses Yogic techniques of mediation to heal the emotional issues such as depression. In his book Perfect Health, Chopra tells a story of a young man whose parents had divorced causing him to fall into a deep depression. When he went off to college the symptoms worsened, causing him to suffer from blindingly severe headaches, acute pain, dizziness and vomiting. He dropped out of college before the end of the first semester, his father sent him to see a therapist that prescribed him an array anti-depressants. But nothing worked very good or for very long. After a few years of dealing with the depression and thoughts of suicide he had heard about meditation from a friend. The young man began to employ the techniques he learned. He began to find the place deep down inside of him where the headaches and the depression did not dwell. Through continued meditation his small island of awareness slowly became larger, and slowly he began to see his true self that had been hidden underneath the depression and pain (Chopra, 160-63).

The yogic practice of meditation can also reduce the risk of heart attack among those who suffer from borderline hypertension, and high cholesterol. A study conducted at Harvard medical School in 1974 studied twenty-two hypertensive patients. The study showed that the average reading dropped from150/94 to 141/88 it was enough to bring the diastolic pressure (the bottom number) down from borderline to a normal range. However the systolic pressure (the top number) was not lowered enough to be considered normal. However any elevation in blood pressure for an extended period of time can take years off one’s life. So, one might consider the experiment a success (Chopra, 164). Similar experiments to this one have been done regarding patience with high-cholesterol.

Meditation has been used in a study done by two researchers in Israel, M.J. Cooper and M.M. Aygen showed that employing meditation could lower cholesterol. The researchers took a group of 23 patients with elevated cholesterol, twelve were taught meditation and eleven were not. At the end of eleven months they screened their cholesterol again. The twelve that meditated dropped their levels from an average of 255 to an average 225 (the expectable number in the U.S. is 200). This same team did the same study with patience that had normal cholesterol numbers as well. The study showed that cholesterol could be lowered in people who had a normal cholesterol number (Chopra, 164-165). The mind is a powerful device in Yoga and meditation is a showcase of its power at work. However it is not the only device that is activated through yogic practices.

The postures used in Yogic practice as well as the Yogic diet can help to stimulate irregular bowels. Yogic postures give a gentle message to the abdominal viscera, postures like the cat and the plow help to correct constipation, aid in digestion and bowel action (Hewitt, 222 & 244). In regards to the yogic diet, “overeating and underrating are alike detrimental to success in Yoga. A Yogic rule is that one should finish a meal feeling that a little more could have been taken,” (Hewitt, 398). A Yogic diet is considered lacto-vegetarian, not eating meat for ethical as well as health reasons. The yogic diet is further broken down in smaller food groups.

There are particular food groups in the Yogic diet that are considered to influence the human personality, sattvic “pure” food, rajasic “stimulating” food, and “tamasic” impure food. The “pure” foods consist of milk, butter fruits, vegetables and grains. “Stimulating” foods are foods that are stimulating to the nervous system like, spicy, strong tasting foods, meat, fish eggs and alcohol. “Impure” foods are foods that have been putrefied, overripe, rotten or impure in some way (Hewitt 154.) Much of the modern diet consists of these “impure” foods, especially for those who consume meat and processed food.

Have you ever wondered how come meat is not hard and stiff due to rigor mortis, it becomes tender again due to putrefaction, or the decaying process. Much of all food that comes pre-packaged will fall into the category of “impure” due to the additives and preservatives that grace the ingredient list.

According to the Bhagavad-Gita these “impure foods make a person dull and lazy. Their thinking capacity diminishes and they sink almost to the level of animals or bushmen. They have no high ideals or purpose in life; on a physical side, they suffer from chronic ailments of the body,” (Swami Vishnu-devananda, 209). Throughout the practice Yoga one opens themselves up to a new level of awareness in regards to what they put in their body and how it affects them.

“Pure” foods are said to bring purity and calmness to the mind and are soothing and nourishing to the body. Rajasic or “stimulating” foods arouse the animal passion in man and brings a restless state of mind (Swami Vishnu-Devananda, 209).

Beyond the food that we put in our body there are substances that are not only physically harmful to our bodies but are very detrimental to our Being. For instance drugs and the addiction that accompanies them, ranging from nicotine to narcotics cause not only physical harm but disrupt the chemical patterns in bodies. For many, addiction is a hard pattern to break free from. Addiction is like when you manually over ride a program to make it do something out side of its memory. The body has a memory of how the body is suppose to work in a healthy pattern, but the addictive pattern has taken over. Yoga can be used to help restore and remind the body of what the healthy pattern is. When one begins to practice yoga they begin to open up the chakras in the body, freeing up the energy flow within the body. Yogic postures that are specific to the particular chakra where the addiction is held can be extremely helpful in freeing the body from the addictive pattern. For instance if the addiction rest in the Root Chakra or Muladahar, one would want to practice an asana that would ground them, consisting of seated postures, supine, as well as prone. It is good to have a well rounded set of asana’s so that the chakras do not become over or under stimulated but when you have areas that need focus it is good to give them the attention that they need.

This attention does not only have to be in the form of the physical asana, as mentioned before the mind is a very powerful device and through meditation addictions pattern can be broken as well. This can happen unintentionally. A study done in 1972, by physiologist Robert Keith Wallace, showed that a group of 1,860 mostly college students that began to practice meditation decreased their drug use significantly. After twenty-one months of practicing their drug dependency in the areas of narcotics, barbiturates, hallucinogens, marijuana and amphetamines decreased so much that most had stopped using all together. Marijuana was still used by about twelve percent and all the others ranged from one to four percent of users. The most interesting part is that they were not part of a rehabilitation program, they were not asked to quit, and the researcher did not follow their progress, nor reward them for abstaining (Chopra, 201-202). It was the mediators’ body coming back into sync, and no longer being part of the addictive pattern.

Yoga as a whole promotes a healthy lifestyle. Yoga makes you more aware of what you are putting in to your body, how you are. Whether you are exercising or not exercising, healthy and un-healthy habits that you have developed in your life, or habits that you hope to develop. Yoga can be used to encourage healing within the body whether it is physical, mental or emotional. This is often through meditation but not limited to meditation. Yogic postures and diet play an integral part in Yoga as a “health practice.”

Work Cited

Chopra, Deepak M.D. “Perfect Health.” New York, Three Rivers Press; 2000.

Hewitt, James. “The Complete Book of Yoga.” New York, Schocken Books; 1977.

Vishnu-Devananda, Swami. “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga.” New York,

Three Rivers Press; 1988.

Sabrina Smith is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches classes in the Oakley, California area.

Tags: book of yoga, certified yoga teacher, practice yoga, teach yoga, teach yoga class, teaches yoga class, teaches yoga classes, yoga as, yoga has, Yoga Health, yoga teacher
Posted in yoga for depression, Yoga for Emotional Health, Yoga for Health, Yoga for Mental Health, Yoga for Physical Health | 1 Comment »

Yoga and its Relationship to Self-Esteem

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

By Sharon Thiel

Yoga has many proven benefits for a person’s health, from calming the mind to easing an aching back. It helps many people to feel both physically and mentally healthy. Besides being all-around beneficial to a person’s health, Yoga can also be used to target specific illnesses and problems. This article will research Yoga’s potential health benefits related to increasing a person’s self-esteem. The National Association for Self-Esteem (NASE) defines self-esteem as “the experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness.” (www.self-esteem-nase.org). Many people, especially young women, suffer from low self-esteem, which can affect many areas of their lives in a negative way. Yoga can assist a person to increase their self-esteem.

Low self-esteem can be negative as it can lead to the person not taking responsibility for their mistakes, not realizing their personal worth, and trying to prove themselves to others (NASE). Also, “a close relationship has been documented between low self-esteem and such problems as violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, school dropouts, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement,” although it is noted that there are other factors involved as well that can lead to these problems (NASE).

“There is general agreement that the term self-esteem includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral elements.” Similarly, Yoga focuses on improving mental, behavioral and emotional aspects of a person’s life and body, and can help to improve all these areas in conjunction with one another. In this way, Yoga can be seen as a perfect choice to help improve self-esteem. The combination of mind and body activities through yoga seem to be what makes it so effective for problems such as low self-esteem. The meditative aspect of Yoga is probably most likely to increase a person’s self-esteem, although the physical side is also useful. The physical side will also help a person feel more confident about their body and to stand straighter. “The supreme goal of Yoga is the union of the individual spirit with the universal spirit, the finding of one’s essential nature (Self) beyond empirical ego” (Hewitt, p. 371). If a person attains this level of Yoga, their self-esteem will definitely benefit. They will shed the Ego that is comparing them to the beauty of everyone else and is subject to advertising and messaging that they are not good enough, skinny enough, pretty enough. They will get in touch with their true self and with the “universal spirit” and see more of their personal worth.

NASE finds that self-esteem is intertwined with a personal sense of worth and with the feeling that one is competent. Yoga practice can help a person become better, stronger, and more confident at doing poses, helping them to feel more competent. It can give a feeling of strength, both physically and mentally. A sense of worth can be found through Yoga as the person goes deeper into the spiritual journey of Yoga, as well as through bettering oneself physically and helping the mind through meditation. Yoga can help calm and quiet the mind, when it is telling you that you are not good enough or thinking negative thoughts. Yoga brings a positive side to life, that can increase confidence and self-esteem.

There are many ways Yoga helps to improve a person’s self-worth and self-esteem (www.worldwidehealth.com). This website explains that Yoga does this by helping the practitioner sleep better, by increasing their energy, by maintaining their weight, by helping their posture, and improving their self-acceptance and well-being. (www.worldwidehealth.com). The improving of the self-acceptance part is very true, in my own personal experience. Through Yoga, a person develops love and acceptance for themselves and the way that they are.

One method the NASE uses to increase self-esteem is to surround oneself with positive people who are supportive. A Yoga class is like this, with Yoga creating more positive outlooks on life. Most students and teachers of Yoga are supportive of all the students, creating a supportive environment to grow. Yoga teaches to respect and listen to your own body. This could help a person be more proud of the body they live in, as well as to physically improve that body. Yoga helps a person want to take care of their body better as well. “What the practice of yoga does is challenge you wherever you need it, transforming liabilities into strengths, making you a more balanced person” (McCall, p.8).

Another method is to end constant comparisons to other people, because there will always be something to make a person feel bad about themselves when comparing (NASE). Yoga can help with this as well, as Yoga is not competitive. Unlike many other forms of physical exercise, Yoga is based on respecting one’s own body and not comparing oneself to anyone else in the class. The good Yoga class is a safe and accepting place free of competition that would foster self-esteem. I strive to make my Yoga class that kind of place.

The NASE also suggests to renew and develop personally each day, by doing something like meditation or visualization. Yoga is definitely a way to provide this, as it includes some form of relaxation and meditation in every class. Similarly, they suggest to turn your home into a sanctuary from the stress and impulses from the outside world. Yoga at home can provide this as well, as it helps the practitioner to escape the outside world during their session, and the effects can also extend beyond the session. “Yoga meditation promotes psycho-physical poise and a quiet mind that protects against the stress of modern life, which destroys health and happiness, and is indeed a major killer in civilized society” (Hewitt, p. 373). Hewitt points out that Yoga helps the nervous system, which helps the person’s physical and mental health well beyond that one Yoga session.

Another related suggestion is to take some time in silence and stillness every day. Yoga provides this in the meditation part of the practice. “Gradually one feels more balanced, better able to endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (McCall, p.8). The person with low self-esteem becomes better able to mentally and emotionally handle the stress of the outside coming at them, and can better accept themselves within that. The Pratyahara part of Yoga gives the person “the ability to turn off the external messages from your eyes, ears, and other sense organs, and tune in to your internal environment” (McCall, p. 16).

A number of studies have been done linking Yoga to increased self-esteem, although there is definitely a need for more research. McCall shows that “Yoga has been shown in a variety of studies to improve a number of measures of psychological health, including mood, self-esteem, and sense of equanimity” (p.44). A 2007 study by Elavsky and McAuley found that although Yoga was not necessarily better than walking in terms of increasing self-esteem in menopausal women, Yoga did increase their self-esteem just as walking did. The study followed 164 menopausal women between the ages of 42 and 56. The women who did Yoga practiced Hatha Yoga for 90 minute sessions twice a week for four months. Yoga can also benefit self-esteem in kids. A 2003 study from California State University that followed children from kindergarten though 8th grade, found that Yoga increased self-esteem in 20% of the students who practiced.

Specifically related to setting up a Yoga session for those with low self-esteem, I would include certain poses that would benefit and increase their self-esteem. For the mental and emotional side of this problem, I would include meditation, utilizing poses such as Easy Posture, Lotus Posture, or any pose where the person is sitting up with their back and neck straight (Hewitt). Although the book recommends sitting postures for meditation, in my personal practice, I find that corpse pose leads to wonderful meditation. This pose has often lead me to very deep levels of meditation, without falling asleep. I prefer to use this pose with stage-by-stage relaxation throughout the body. I find that after I do a full Yoga session, when my body is properly tired, I do stage-by-stage relaxation for every part of my body in Corpse Pose, and my mind becomes calm and relaxed. During this point, I feel as though my mind leaves my body and I go to a much deeper level of relaxation and of meditation. When I come out of this state, I feel very calm, relaxed and refreshed. I have often felt as though an answer to a problem I was having at the time came to me during that period of meditation. Hewitt quotes the Gheranda Samhita, saying “this posture destroys fatigue, and quiets the agitation of the mind” (p. 227).

Physically, posture is one aspect related to working with people who have low self-esteem. Many people with low self-esteem tend to hunch over, with rounded shoulders and neck forward, causing them to suffer from neck, shoulder and back problems. In a Yoga class geared toward self-esteem, part of my focus would be on improving these areas. Many poses help posture in general, such as the Tree and Palm Tree poses. Another example would be the Standing Upright Posture, which would help the person become more aware of the posture of their whole body. The Camel Posture would be especially useful, as it “corrects rounded shoulders and a hump at the base of the neck” (Hewitt, p. 311). The Fish Posture helps to straighten and lengthen a rounded back.

I would also utilize poses that create a sense of strength and confidence. This could include Warrior I and Warrior II and Mountain pose. I would utilize a well-rounded Yoga session to give the students all the mental, emotional, and physical effects of Yoga.

Yoga “is about optimizing the functions of every system in your body from the muscles to digestion, circulation, and immunity. It is about emotional well-being, spiritual resilience, and buoyancy, even joy” (McCall, p.4). In order for Yoga to change the person, the “key is repetition…practice, ideally every day. This is what will most efficiently forge new neural pathways and strenghten grooves you’ve already begun to dig” (McCall, p.24). Yoga is something many people find easier to commit to than many other forms of exercise and relaxation.

Through personal experience, I can relate to this topic. Throughout my teens and early twenties, I had very low self-esteem. I started doing Yoga in college, and it was definitely one of the things that increased my self-esteem. Through Yoga, I became more secure in my own skin. I gained confidence with other people. I felt more mentally and emotionally stable to better deal with negative or controlling people, who previously would affect me too much. Most powerfully, I had amazing experiences through meditation, which I believe came from the “universal spirit”, that helped to show me my place in the world, my personal beauty and worth. Now that I have gained a lot of confidence and self-esteem into my late twenties, I would like to help other people in that way through Yoga. I consider at some point adding a specific self-esteem Yoga class to my repertoire, as I feel it would be very beneficial to many people, especially young women.

Sources

6 Reasons to do Yoga. www.worldwidehealth.com

Elavsky, S., McAuley, E. (2007). Exercise and self-esteem in menopausal women: A randomized controlled trial involving walking and Yoga. American Journal of Health Promotion, 22(2), 83-92.

Hewitt, James. 1977. The Complete Yoga Book. New York: Schocken Books.

McCall, Timothy, M.D. 2007. Yoga as Medicine. New York: Bantam Bell.

Naud, Rachel and McKinnon, Teri. 2003. “Kiddy Yoga hikes self-esteem, health and grades”. www.edmontonjournal.com

National association for self-esteem http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/

Sharon Thiel teaches Yoga classes in Coconut Creek, Florida.

Tags: aspect of Yoga, goal of Yoga, level of Yoga, Reasons to do Yoga, teaches yoga classes, yoga and, yoga focuses, yoga has, yoga practice, Yoga’s potential
Posted in Yoga for Emotional Health, Yoga for Mental Health, Yoga for Personal Growth, yoga for self-esteem | No Comments »

Yoga for Longevity, Quality of Life, and Awareness

Monday, March 29th, 2010

By Rachael Comeau

Yoga has gained immense popularity due to the short-term as well as the long -term benefits that it provides. There are many reasons why people incorporate Yoga into their daily lives. The issues of longevity and quality of life are 2 very popular reasons. The desire to live a longer life is the reason behind many of our activities as we pay attention to health and good life in many forms, all having more or less a hidden agenda, that of living longer and healthier. Longevity and quality of life are strongly related to one another. The quality of life being the ( intensity of life experience) is a qualitive progression of longevity.

In normal circumstances for most people they pay more attention to longevity, not being as much aware on the issue of quality. This is truly and totally not the case in Yoga. For in Yoga, the main issue is the quality of life experience that also attracts longevity as a component as the quality of life. Yoga sees longevity as a component, or more exactly as a result as Yoga practice. The fact that the Yogic discipline allows the body to function better and the mind to be under one’s own control has to lead to a longer span of life. But, Yoga is primarily about the quality of life.

From a Yogic perspective, the issue of quality of life has to be seen from both material and spiritual angles. The material angle can be simplified by considering it as an expression of the spiritual perspective. The spiritual side of quality of life takes credit for the material side that becomes just the right attitude towards material things. The spiritual side of quality of life has to be seen from the body and mind perspective. The body issue is essential as harmonizing the body becomes a solid foundation for addressing the issues of the mind that becomes the tool of extension for which we experience the world. Yoga recommends that the body needs to cleansed of impurities and toxins. The belief is that having toxins and impurities in the body alters the perception to a certain degree. It is the quality of the perception that gives to some fact the quality of life. This is the reason Yoga pays great attention towards the body as a vehicle to sense, feel, experience and host mind experiences. From a Yoga point of view, it is essential that the experience of awareness is the focus and end point of the practice. The quality of life is determined by the level of awareness. For some people who have experienced it; Yoga is in some form

The experience of awareness or experience of being alert. Awareness is a gradual process, as your Yoga practices becomes refined and you become more alert towards the environment, the world as whole, all being connected as one energy, and towards one’s own person. Having this awareness can also be described as a transcendent experience. Although we may reach different conscious states, they are mental states, therefore brain states.

Yoga claims that this enhanced quality of life adds to and is connected to the longevity of life, along with a multilevel degree of perception. We might ask “ What is a multi degree of perception”? Yoga explains it in simple words as “ Being able to be aware of more than one thing at a time”. Achieving these levels in Yoga practice not only increase awareness, but this awareness also produces the connection between mind, body, and spirit creating not only a better quality of life but a long life as well. Longevity is not measured by the span of life, but by the quality of the experiences.

As we move on a Yoga path with a goal for longevity, quality of life and awareness, a goal for balance and understanding of what life is and where we are going, the path can sometimes become challenging and complicated. Practicing Yoga which means( the union of the mind, body, breath and spirit), is currently approached in many different ways but all ending in the same result with a sense of awareness, and a long life of supreme quality. Yoga is meant to be a tool to make our life simpler in the end by strengthening the body, the nerves, the mind, and altering the consciousness in a way that life becomes something we can accept, appreciate and flow with it. This tool helps us live as householders in society, and the world at large, serving the family and community in a Yogic way.

Yoga as a physical practice alone can give us the strength and discipline to find and maintain our center, which helps us learn focus and stay focused. Yoga as a mental practice can vastly help us eliminate the baggage in our lives. Life feels simpler for having the discipline and taking the time out to clear the physical and mental cobwebs with mantra and breath. This can also result in a high quality of life, a healthier life, and removing ourselves from the world , meaning being in the world but not of it. Seeing all others as an equal manifestation of life with kindness and compassion are simple and helpful concepts in Yoga. After all, is not a life of simplicity ultimately a life of contentment? So if it is Yoga that gives you peace, give to yourself on a regular basis.

The one thing that is constant in this world is change. This accelerated life most people experience depreciates the quality and longevity of people seemingly younger and younger every year. People approach Yoga because they desire change. Yoga is a living process that changes moment by moment, watching when we eat, what we eat, when we walk, how we walk, what we say and how we say it. All of these things must be present in us to change and effect the quality and longevity of our lives. So remembering to be of flexible mind, looking for answers in life and through Yoga practice learning to go with the flow, remember that change is constant, so as we evolve, so does our practice, constantly improving our lives. Yoga is a way to teach us to concentrate the mind, to transform our thoughts, patterns and habits. The mind controls the entire human presence, and the way one progresses to get out of the cycle of misfortune and improve the quality of our life is to master the control of the mind. Our problem is that we lack the ability to concentrate. Yoga teaches us to control the mind and transform our self through practice. Helping us to become strong yet supple. Because the practice is so physical, and the mind once again plays an important part. You must have time to be by yourself, where there is nobody else, and work with yourself in practice. Sometimes we make all kinds of changes in hopes to transform our lives, improving the quality of our lives. We change our jobs, our looks, our diets, our spouse, our location, only to find our deep rooted unsettled issues are still present. In order to transform our lives through Yoga, it is helpful to alter our old ways of thinking and being. Often we are forced to transform our lives through loss, pain, or fear. Yoga can help us reach deep within to help us draw the lesson and learning. Yoga can and will is open transform all areas of our lives. Yoga teaches us to look for those unusual experiences, big or small, as they make us remember the wonder of life and each other.

Yoga is a unique science, and is the most complete approach to a healthy, long, high quality lifestyle. It urges us to explore and challenge our minds, our bodies and the very nature of our beings. Yoga is perhaps the only discipline through which an individual can truly experience inner harmony. Yoga is perhaps the only discipline that brings about an overall personality, separating us from the world of other people who have no definition. Not living under the control of the ego. Yoga leaves on feeling confident, energetic and motivated. It creates the perfect balance in all of our systems of the body. It tones the nervous system, releases anxiety, and promotes inner well being and harmony. Yoga strengthens the immune system, and helps to develop concentration, focus and mental flexibility. In our daily lives, it helps to develop awareness about the effects of the world around us, and Yoga provides us with the tools to mage it. It’s benefits extend from the home and the work place, to every aspect our daily lives. Regular practice of Yoga is proven to bring improved health in mind and body, higher energy levels and increased productivity. Yoga helps us come out of the vicious circles we create that are abundant in our daily scheduled lifestyles. Yoga teaches us to be humble, kind and giving to others. This most importantly makes us happier, healthier, and fitter. A better human being to others is undoubtedly the most high calling and most vital requirement of our times. If this can be accomplished not only through us but others, think of how enormous the magnitude the quality of so many peoples lives would become.

We hear that Yogis live a very long life to an very old age. Not only do Yogis live long but they live with excellent health. The quality of their life is great resulted from the Yogic lifestyle. There are many known benefits to the regular practice of Yoga which help to minimize many of the problems associated with a poor quality lifestyle. Yoga helps with stress, anxiety and depression, aiding in the maintenance of mental and physical health. The diet of a Yogi, (a vegetarian diet) can improve the quality and longevity of ones life as well. It has been shown that vegetarians live longer, have less heart disease, and lower rates of cancer. Yoga practice is a natural and healthy way to achieve many benefits of a long happy life without any associated risks, and aid in this manner the slowing of the aging process.

We need to realize there are healthy ways to regulate our lifestyles from this crazy world. Regulation is the key word here for the well being of the human personality and man kind. Yoga says there are certain methods to extricate yourself from the sticky part of the mind. In order to harmonize and balance yourself and the quality of your life, you need to develop certain qualities and aspects of your nature, beginning with the ability to release the tensions through the process of relaxation. It helps to remove blockages not only in the mind but also in the body. After you have adapted to Yoga and are able to relax physically, mentally, and emotionally, you are instructed through your Yoga practice to develop personal awareness. Awareness is the result of leading the Yogic lifestyle also developing a sense of positivism towards yourself and the world around you. This all resulting again in the goal for longevity, quality of life, and awareness.

Rachael Comeau is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches Yoga classes in the Big Bear Lake, California area.

Tags: certified yoga teacher, in yoga, incorporate Yoga, practice of yoga, teaches yoga classes, Yoga for Longevity, yoga has, Yogic discipline
Posted in Yoga for Health, Yoga Teacher Issues | No Comments »

STRESS AND YOGA

Monday, January 4th, 2010

By Marita Mittag

The first part of this essay will discuss what stress is and how it affects body, mind and life. The second part will explain how yoga can help and suggest some yogic techniques for stress relief.

Scientific evidence is showing that some of the biggest health problems in our time are stress related, including diabetes, depression, heart problems and multiple sclerosis, to name a few. Generally it can be noted that stress is the number one key player for diseases in the Western world today. The stress response system in its essence is necessary for the human being and its survival. However, if it remains activated continuously, it can create damage and cause disease. When a threat is received, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is activated almost immediately, blood pressure rises and the heart beats faster, bringing more blood to the muscles of the legs and arms.

Energy sources, like sugar or fats, are mobilized to provide plenty of fuel. This is necessary for the human being in order to defend itself or be able to leave from the threat (fight or flight). If the stress response system works healthy, once the threat is gone, the body shifts into a restorative mode, where the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) dominates over the SNS. Blood pressure and heart rate return to normal, blood sugar levels and stress hormone levels drop again. Typical contemporary “threats” are worries and problems in relationships and work, concerns about money, security, happiness and fulfillment in life. The danger with these “threats” is, that they keep the stress response system repeatedly reactivated, which in turn creates a “threat” to health and well-being.

The result of stress is an elevation of Cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which has been linked to increased fasting blood sugar, high blood pressure and insulin resistance and therefore to an increased risk of heart problems. Cortisol is also involved with stress-related eating, it lowers bone density, it has been linked to depression and it affects immune function. Cortisol is the main factor in immune suppression. Chronically high Cortisol levels can undermine memory and lead to permanent changes in the brain. Chronic stress may accelerate the decrease in mental function. Other ways of stress affecting health are poorer sleep, higher sensations of pain, fatigue, and moodiness.

How can yoga help? Yoga can help to overcome some of the main factors that undermine the health and well-being of many people in our modern world. One of these main factors is an out-of-balance stress response system. Since stress is a factor hosting a few medical conditions from heart attacks to infertility, the important role of yoga in stress reduction is easily explained. Stress reduction is beneficial to anybody, not only the sick. Yoga provides some suggestions that deal with the cause rather than the symptoms only. Yoga is seeking the root where the stress is created. Yoga asks to take a step back inwards and to critically review unhealthy habits and lifestyle. Yoga has been found to lower the levels of the stress hormone Cortisol.

Yoga has been found to calm the mind and to use thoughts in order to change the body and the mind. Yoga emphasizes healthy eating habits. Yoga holds the possibility of transformation. Despite the external causes, stress is often fuelled by thoughts. The mind produces stress by worrying about problems, by thinking the worst and by creating negative images. But thoughts are also capable of healing and creating well-being through positive and affirmative images. Yoga can turn the mind from an enemy into a friend.

Yoga helps to realize that many things which are stressed about are not that important in the end, hence stress may be reduced. The mind today is hyperactive, jumping from thought to thought, not being able to concentrate on something for very long. This creates repetitive, automatic thoughts about fears, desires and worries. The “jumpy” mind cannot be present in the moment as it is stuck in the glorious past, in the worries about the future and in the fantasies of how life could be. Like this, important things cannot be heard, food cannot be tasted fully and literally, the roses cannot be smelt.

The change of dysfunctional habits is mostly a matter of the mind. Yoga can make a difference in health and well-being by giving greater control of the mind which can lead to life transformation. Meditation is a useful yogic tool to see that in trying to be quiet, one realizes how busy the mind really is. The “jumpy” mind tends to keep the SNS activated which is the opposite of what people in today’s world actually need. Relaxation, calmness and the connection to the present moment shift the balance towards the PNS, the restorative state of the response system in the body.

The most important tool in yoga practice besides meditation is working with the breath. If the breath is controlled it can have profound effects on the nervous system. The focus in yoga is on slowing and deepening the breath to relax the nervous system, which in turn calms the mind. When the mind is still, creativity and healing can be accessed. Through correct breathing the feeling of stress can be lessened almost immediately.

A simple exercise to assess correct breathing is to sit on a chair or to lie on the back with one hand placed on the abdomen and the other placed on the lower ribs. Gently breathing, one should take note of how the hands are moving. In correct breathing, the abdomen comes out a little on the inhalation and moves back in on the exhalation due to the natural movement of the diaphragm. The ribcage expands only very gently with the inhalation.

One of the reasons for increased stress is an overload too many outside stimuli. Through meditation on the breath, the focus turns inward and one can rejuvenate. To bring the attention inwards is to build a bridge to the healing power of yoga. To meditate on the breath, this exercise may be tried: sitting up straight with the eyes closed, one starts to follow the breath without intention to change it and bringing attentiveness to the sound of the breath flowing in and out of the body.

If the mind begins to wander, gently bring the focus back to the breath, paying attention to the in and out breath being equally smooth and long and breathing deeply and rhythmically. The regular practice of yogic postures can help to lower stress and may also be practiced to prevent stress in the first place. Tight muscles can raise stress levels and asana reduces muscle tension. The following yoga postures balance the nervous system and bring relaxation. They may also be used as preparatory stage for deep relaxation. They can be practiced as individual poses or as the restorative sequence they are given in.

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the Wall pose) can be done with the hips on the floor or by elevating the pelvis with a bolster or a stack of folded blankets. Either, place a mat or a bolster a few inches away from a wall. Sit on one side of the mat or the bolster and place the hands on the floor for support as the legs are swung up against the wall. The natural curve of the lower spine should be kept to make the pose more relaxing. On the bolster, the pelvis is elevated and the lower spine naturally arched. On the mat, the pelvis is in a neutral position with the lower spine relaxing on the floor. The arms are kept by the sides in “cactus” position or palms upwards alongside the body. Soften the knees, if the hamstrings are very tight. Remain in this pose up to 15 minutes and rest. To come out of the pose, use the feet to push away from the wall and use the hands to help to sit up again.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Supine Bound Angle pose) is also a restful pose that relieves fatigue with the added benefit of opening and loosening the hips. Lie back on the mat or with a bolster supporting the head, the upper and the lower spine. The soles of the feet are together and placed as close as possible to the body. The knees are spread apart and the hips are softened. The hands are resting alongside the body with the palms facing upwards. Blankets may be placed under the knees to release tension in the hips and to make the pose even more relaxing. Stay in this pose up to 15 minutes and breathe deeply. From this pose, gently extend the legs straight out, relax the feet and let them roll to the side to come into Savasana (Relaxation pose).

Imagine the body getting heavier and sinking deeper into the floor, relax the face and follow the breath. Stay in this pose for 10-15 minutes and come out very slowly and gently in order to remain in a relaxed state. The support of a bolster underneath the upper body helps the ribcage to expand naturally, so the breath can be deeper. Generally, a progressive calmness should be felt after a few minutes in each pose, Restlessness or irritation may be a sign that something is not set the right way. If this is the case, make corrective adjustments until it feels right.

Stage-by-stage relaxation is a tool of guided relaxation, usually in Savasana position, that brings attention to different areas of the body and keeps the mind occupied. It is a practice suitable for people with serious illness and for those who may not have the strength or energy to do seated meditation. This technique relaxes not only the body and the mind, but also the nervous system.

In order to solve problems with stress and stress-related disease, it is important to consciously make time for relaxation and to get away some time from our modern stress-provoking way of life. Making time to go inward can mean exchanging bad habits with good ones. Instead of an hour in front of the TV, try 15 minutes in Savasana. Relaxation reminds us of the quiet place within. Our life depends on it!

NAMASTE!

Marita Mittag is a certified Yoga teacher. She teaches Yoga classes in the Korinthias, Greece area.

Tags: can yoga help, yoga can help, yoga has, Yoga provides, yogic techniques, yogic techniques for stress relief
Posted in Yoga for Stress Management | No Comments »

Yoga and the Seeds of Inspiration

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Whether you practice alone, or teach Yoga classes full of students, you are familiar with the state of inspiration you feel. Some feel that Yogic inspiration gives them guidance, in the form of a sudden jolt of intuition, while searching for a solution to a problem. Other practitioners admit that a steady Yoga practice helps their creative thinking process.

Regardless of which form of Yoga you practice, the benefits of inspiration stay with you throughout the day. Yet, how much time do we take to inspire others? If we have no inspiration, there is nothing to share. If we are inspired, but fail to motivate others, we have gathered positive energy without sharing it.

It costs you nothing to share positive energy with others. All you have to do is encourage those who need it most. This is not to be confused with excessive or insincere praise. Each person has unique talents, which can be brought out if he or she feels worthy. Therefore, sincere encouragement might create enough energy for motivation.

Motivation is the key element of inspirational energy. One might say motivation is the spark that lights the fire of inspiration. For example: Beginners may need motivation to practice Yoga, but as they become inspired, the drive to continue practicing is perpetual. This form of ageless, and everlasting energy, can be created with encouragement and education.

You cannot change the world by lecturing when it is not wanted. Each of us learns this lesson, when we raise children. Leading by example is the way parents train children. For better, or worse, the lifestyle each of us chooses can be mimicked by someone who observes our behavior.

This journey we call life is a work in progress, but all of us need a little direction at the right time. In fact, the timing of encouraging words or actions is critical. You might compare this to a teacher who leads a Hatha Yoga class. To lecture students about all that can go wrong, while practicing Downward Dog, means little if they are not practicing that exact posture at the time.

A timely physical assist, and words of encouragement, can leave positive memories in a student’s mind forever. To advise them of possibilities that may never happen will often bore them. Much like life, Yoga has many lessons to offer at precisely the right time.

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

Tags: Downward Dog, form of yoga, hatha yoga class, practice yoga, practicing Downward Dog, teach yoga classes, yoga and, yoga has
Posted in Recent Articles, Yoga for Inspiration | No Comments »

Yoga for Creaky People

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

By Miranda Innes

Advancing age is a subject most people would like to ignore. After a certain point in life, it is a challenge to find much to relish about the prospect of getting older. Most people simply have no provision for it, in contrast with the yoga tradition which posits four equally valid life stages: youthful student; family rearing householder; the forest-dweller on a quest for self-knowledge (when family responsibility is no longer so pressing), and finally the respected wandering scholar seeking spiritual enlightenment. One stage is not better than another – the goal is to realize the potential of each stage to the fullest, in which yoga has a definite and facilitative role to play.

People usually become aware of their own mortality when their parents start to fail, when menopause concludes their childbearing function, or when retirement shuts the lid on a socially useful role and automatic status. This is when yoga comes into its own – on reaching your fifties, you are very likely all too aware of how fragile and how precious your body is. I am often struck by how frequently people suffer some debilitating or even life-threatening illness in their fifties, almost like a necessary rite of passage which clarifies their desire either to give up completely, or throw themselves back into life with renewed vigor and purpose.

By your fifties it is likely that mobility and flexibility will have become somewhat diminished, and you may have suffered backache at least, or possibly falls, sprains or broken limbs, and the consequent period of repair and disuse will have come as a useful reminder of the miraculous machine you live in, and how carefully and respectfully it deserves to be treated.

Sadly, in most of the civilized world, ‘old’ equals ‘useless’. In our youth-orientated culture, we have no way of greeting old age except by trying to compel it to go away with surgery, botox, drugs, or the time reversal cures touted by one charlatan or another.

What distinguishes a vibrant old age is attention, engagement, interest and flexibility – in other words the ‘being in the moment ‘ that is a cornerstone of yogic mental and spiritual practices, combined with the physical flexibility that is the gift of the asanas. Without due care, people tend to ossify, their spines become stiff, and the surrounding muscles rigidify as a defense mechanism, thereby exacerbating the original problem. Ironically, people react with panic to the thought of doing yoga then, saying that they are far too stiff, this being precisely the situation that yoga can alleviate.

People are born supple. When they die they are stiff.

Trees are born supple. When they die they are stiff.

Stiffness accompanies death.

Suppleness accompanies life. Tao

Old age begins when the backbone stiffens – yoga is the prescription for keeping a flexible spine, that in turn encourages free circulation of oxygen, bringing blood and prana to the joints and organs, nourishing, cleansing and rejuvenating every cell. The thing is to take it gently, practice regularly and banish any shred of the urge to compete. Small steps get there in the end, and it is never too late to begin yoga. It does not guarantee that you will live forever, but people who practice yoga stay young longer and nurture what they do have, physically and mentally, gaining comfort and serenity from the spiritual path that beckons beyond the asanas.

Yoga asanas, approached with respect, help strengthen bones which benefit from the development of the surrounding muscles, lubricate and liberate joints, loosen the spine, deepen the breath, oxygenate the blood, stimulate the glands and calm the mind. Wonderful news for older practitioners. According to Mary Stewart in her inspiring book ‘Yoga over 50’, ‘many of the complaints associated with ageing can be made less severe by keeping active and taking time to understand our body’s need for movement as well as rest…..Human beings have the most remarkable facility for change and regeneration throughout their lives.’

Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be. The last of life for which the first was made. Robert Browning

As a mature adult, there is a world of energy, power and painless freedom to be gained from daily yoga, but there are a few cautions to observe before beginning. Medical problems must be respected. For example it is wise to avoid postures where the head is below the heart if you suffer from high blood pressure, heart problems, detached retina or glaucoma – though inversions are wonderfully rejuvenating for fortunate non-sufferers, counteracting the baleful effects of gravity. For people suffering simply from stiffness or insufficient strength to achieve a shoulderstand, stretching the legs up a wall fulfills the same function and is wonderfully relaxing. If high blood pressure is your problem, it is wise to avoid postures where your arms are above your head, and it is safest to avoid any of the bandhas. Long, slow breaths with an extended exhalation help this condition.

Anyone with vulnerable hamstrings should undertake forward bends and the dog pose with extreme caution. Women recovering from breast cancer and on a course of Arimidex may suffer from painful joints. According to the manufacturers of the drug brittle bones are another side effect, but they do recommend gentle yoga – bends and stretches performed from a seated position. Building and strengthening muscles and ligaments, particularly with weight bearing warrior poses, is helpful in the battle against osteoporosis.

The rule, as always, is to treat your body kindly, pay attention to it and never bully it, or allow pain to be part of the process.

A short relaxation, a gentle warm-up followed by breathing exercises to focus on this vital aspect of yoga helps, with reminders to relax into the postures on an exhalation. Use blocks, belts or straps to ease yourself gently into tricky poses. Women would do well to practice mula bandha whenever they remember during the day to stave off stress incontinence, and everyone will benefit from starting the day with a modified version of sun salutation using a chair if necessary, and a brisk session of stomach churning. There are variations of all the poses that are not too strenuous.

A good beginners’ program, moving slowly and thoughtfully from one position to the next could consist of corpse pose savasana; knee hugs, a hamstring stretch and a twist; then a moving breath meditation to gain awareness of the breath; once warmed up, start with a mountain pose for grounding and centering, followed by a forward bend standing or seated. Each pose to be held for six breaths to begin with, with rests in child’s pose if required in between. Move onto cat pose, a tree, and then one or two standing poses such as warrior or trikonasana. Consolidate with a dog pose, engage the back in sphinx or cobra, do whatever twist suits, and finish the asanas with a seated forward bend, and back into savasana and a few minutes of meditation.

From personal experience I am convinced that regular yoga helps the body to heal – after, in my case, breaking my right foot – not only physically, though it certainly restored flexibility and strength to my ankle very rapidly. For me it also helped enormously to counter the psychological devastation I felt on being immobilized and on crutches. Obviously I could not do any of the standing poses, but I went through a daily routine of seated bends, twists, and boat variations. Curiously, my heart yearned to do the tree balance and warrior poses. It was not just simple frustration; it was a passion to do those specific poses, addressing issues of strength and balance, qualities that were glaringly absent from my life at the time. Yoga definitely treats the psyche as well as the body, though I have still not regained enough confidence to do a dependable tree. I was interested to read in a medical journal that surgeons claim they know when they are working on the body of a yoga practitioner because all their internal organs are well supported, and exactly where they should be.

As a long-term back pain sufferer – along with half the known world and many older and sedentary people – I was always wary of my back muscles going into spasm as an automatic, though effectively unhelpful, protection mechanism. What helped me was one simple variant of the cat exercise detailed in Jim Johnson’s ‘Back pain: the Multifidus Solution’. Robin Rothenberg’s book and cd’s ‘The Essential Low Back Program’ had not been created when I was suffering. Her program is one of the very few treatments that has been clinically proven to help back pain. If I were still a sufferer I would follow her directives, and, all too well aware of how debilitating back pain can be, will pass them on to students with back issues.

Once my back achieved equilibrium yoga has prevented recurrence of spinal problems, and furthermore has cured all kinds of little aches and pains of which I was not really aware. I liken it to ironing out the little creases and internal glitsches that one just learns to live with as one ages. Only when I started doing yoga daily did I realize quite how many niggling little pains I was habitually putting up with, particularly since my work involves sitting at a computer for hours at a time – possibly the worst and most ageing thing one can do and a fertile seed-bed for back, neck and shoulder problems.

So, at an age when the future tends to look less than inviting, yoga performs a real miracle – it promises hope. Having positive bodily changes to observe and look forward to – since with dedication, physical improvement happens very quickly – runs wonderfully counter to the generally accepted notion of inevitable decline. Bucking the trend widens horizons and puts a definite spring in your step. Yoga also makes you much more aware of all the unconscious bad postural habits that cumulatively, over time, can cause permanent damage – kyphosis and lordosis, slouching in chairs, favoring one leg over the other which has a knock-on effect throughout the pelvis and spine. The insistence on symmetry, the careful conscious spinal awareness that comes with the Mountain Pose, the emphasis on core strength encouraged by navasana and leg lifts, all lead to hugely beneficial improvements in ordinary daily deportment.

Particularly as a mature person seeing evidence of human fragility, yoga has the heart-warming effect of making us appreciate the potential of our magnificently complex and self-healing body – when lovingly cared for – and awakening us to sincere gratitude for our capacities and ability to change, restore and ameliorate flexibility and strength.

But it must be emphasized continually that the way is gradual, and with caution. Sharp pain should never be part of the practice and is a signal to stop immediately doing whatever has caused it. The secret is to work slowly and gradually, breathing calmly into resistant joints, letting the body relax into postures, and making sure that only the appropriate muscles are working – it is astonishing how often a demanding pose is accompanied by knots in the neck and shoulders and a rigid facial grimace. If you feel a Gargoyle face coming on, the answer is to smile.

As we are told in a myriad different contexts, tension and overworked adrenals flood the body with noxious chemicals that are debilitating and harmful. Yoga, by making you think mindfully about tension and relaxation, helps to alert you to stress and nip it in the bud. It becomes automatic to react with a few minutes of deep, slow, conscious breathing: prana, the breath of life.

Yoga is a comprehensive beneficial cycle that counteracts tiredness and gives you an exponential increase in energy – especially noticeable among the more mature of us.

Stamina, vitality, concentration, mental acuity and calm: good qualities at any age and taken for granted by the young, but it is especially wonderful to take a positive turn when you were beginning to reconcile yourself to a dreary downhill drift. Which is a win/win result – you feel more positive, happier, life is better, and according to American psychologists you will enjoy life for an average 7 and a half years longer than those who can only see the gloomy side of things.

Miranda Innes is training to become a Yoga Teacher.

Tags: doing yoga daily, yoga daily, yoga for, yoga has, yoga is a
Posted in Recent Articles, Yoga and Aging, Yoga Lifestyle | 6 Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘yoga has’

Yoga for Skin

YOGA… A SCIENCE OF THERAPY

Yoga Teacher Courses – Train the Mind with Yoga

Yoga Has a Strong Relationship with the Health Field

Yoga as a Health Practice

Yoga and its Relationship to Self-Esteem

Yoga for Longevity, Quality of Life, and Awareness

STRESS AND YOGA

Yoga and the Seeds of Inspiration

Yoga for Creaky People

SEARCH

Calendar

Categories

Archives

February 2012
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Jan
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29

Posts Tagged ‘yoga has’

SEARCH

Calendar

Categories

Archives

Tag Cloud