Posts Tagged ‘Yoga Health’

Yoga for Women – Health Benefits

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Yoga Teacher Training Demonstration 2By Gopi Rao

There are many varied health benefits for women that come from practicing Yoga on a regular basis. In the medical community, it is well-known that emotional pressure and stress over a sustained period of time can have a profound impact on a woman’s mental and physical health.

In fact, it has been clinically shown in research studies that sustained emotional distress can eventually lead to a compromised immune system, and a variety of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Additionally, the vicissitudes of a woman’s hormonal fluctuations can have a profound impact on a woman’s health and sense of well-being. Yoga training has proven to be an effective tool at addressing many of these health issues.

As a woman progresses through life, different challenges can arise. Many women suffer from premenstrual syndrome, substantial menstrual cramps, and heavy bleeding. Puberty, peri-menopause and menopause pose their own challenges, as a woman experiences significant hormonal changes during these time periods.

Often these “rites of passage” can lead to higher stress levels for many women. Pregnancy is another time period when a woman experiences great hormonal changes and increased stress to her body. Yoga is a wonderful tool for helping to create a sense of ease, well-being and hormonal balance throughout these various time periods in a woman’s life.

A regular Yoga practice offers not only physical benefits, but mental and spiritual benefits as well. Yoga definitely helps to tone, balance, and strengthen the entire physical body, including the endocrine system. The more physically vigorous forms of yoga, such as Vinyasa Yoga or Flow Yoga, also provide substantial cardiovascular and metabolic benefits.

All Yoga practices, whether they are Vinyasa Yoga practices or restorative Yoga practices, if done properly, offer the benefits of relaxation and stress reduction. Some of the spiritual benefits of Yoga training come from uplifting spiritual practices such as kirtan and meditation and an overall heightened sense of self-esteem.

Truly, there are a many wonderful health benefits concerning Yoga for women. A regular Yoga practice can help a woman throughout her lifetime to establish physical well-being, emotional balance, and lower her stress levels.

Yoga does develop a woman’s sense of literal balance, but it also helps to establish hormonal balance and a gentle perspective on her life. For many women, just getting out of the house to spend a full hour or two practicing Yoga in a beautiful atmosphere will uplift their spirits and rejuvenate their bodies.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

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!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Yoga for Women | No Comments »

Yoga: The Optimal Health System

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

yoga instructor certificationBy Justin Benson

In our Western society we are constantly being bombarded with being healthy, whether that is to be strong, thin, flexible, agile, faster, smarter or in any way better. However, though all these messages are constantly being thrown at us, we as a society are never really given a way to achieve this goal. Yes, we are offered different things from power drinks to keep us awake, drinks to make us lose weight, drinks to make us smarter, and more pills to fix any other growing problem. It is really at this point that it should be argued that these healthy things that our society wants from us are in no way impossible to achieve, but are rather simpler to fix than could have ever been imagined and that is why I am going to present the argument for “Yoga as the optimal health system for all”. I can hear some of the critics now, I am too young, old, inflexible or manly, too busy etc., but Yoga can deal with all these worries and anxieties and more. Yoga is no longer just an Eastern science, but a science that is now available to everyone from the young to the old; it offers meditation techniques to combat stress and high blood pressure, ways to stay physically fit and healthy, ways to stay mentally fit and able to face everyday challenges, and even rounds it off with the ultimate exercise which is a spiritual one. From everything mentioned above it is just as the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali says, “From contentment one gains supreme happiness” (Patanjali 2: 42) which is what Yoga can offer us all.

The young are one area that the world should take time to slow down and truly examine. Our family units usually have both caregivers working which does not allow for as much time for moral and ethical instruction, and because of this the young are turning to television, movies and video games for answers, and unfortunately, they are oftentimes coming to the horrible conclusion that the world is not a beautiful place but one to fear which in turn breeds aggression and hatred. These fears have become so great that we are now seeing children on drugs rarely given to the young some 20 years ago ranging from anti-depressants to more severe mood altering drugs. However, this does not have to be the case, and that is why Yoga is a great thing to teach to the young. In Patanjali’s Yoga sutra he writes, “By abiding in nonviolence, one’s presence creates an atmosphere in which hostility ceases” (Patanjali 2:35). With this statement alone the doubters of Yoga should really stop and reflect on his words. The youth of this world would no longer fear because of the peacefulness which surrounds them and which is generated by them, and what’s more is that when people view these young students, especially those their own age they are going to stop and wonder what it is that is going on, and by doing so they will further advance the science which is Yoga; which will in turn continue to create a world with fewer fears, anxieties and hatreds that lead to the overmedicating problems of today.

Perhaps there are some that would argue that it is solely the young that suffer these anxieties and fears. But if that were true we wouldn’t have the news we have or the wars that are still ongoing, and not to mention on a smaller scale the fear of losing our job, being overworked, overtired, filled with worries and anxieties that range from the simple to the extreme whatever they may be. Yoga again can help with all of this as well, and the first thing it can help with is poor alignment. So many people today spend a lot of time in front of a computer, television or some other form of entertainment that causes the body to slouch, and by doing so the body develops poor balance, poor health, all of which can lead to weight problems. Yoga can help with these problems as well by correcting poor body alignment and stiffness while at the same time giving the practitioner the added bonus of expelling old air from the lungs and filling you with new air or prana (life energy).

As for the fears, anxieties and worries Yoga will help with these as well. No, it will not dispel them, but it will allow one to step back, breathe evenly and accept the problem while not becoming overwhelmed by it which causes the muscles to tighten and chronic ailments to set in because of stress.

Imagine at this point that you have been practicing Yoga since you were young (and I hope this trend takes off) and now find yourself in old age. Unlike what you expected to happen you now find yourself with a “proper curvature… to increase its flexibility by stretching the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments” (Swami Vishnu-devananda 55) because of Yoga. Yes, you are no longer the stereotypical old person who is hunched over; you, because of your long commitment to Yoga stand tall in old age- imagine it. What is even better than this is that Yoga has taught you how to breathe properly which in turn has led you to have fewer or no problems with illness which at one time would have been thought to be commonplace. Finally, if this were not enough, Yoga offers one of its greatest gems and that is the release from the fear of death, no Yoga cannot save you from death as great as Yoga may be, but it can offer something far greater, and that is through a stunning eye opener that allows the practitioner to understand the true meaning of the self which is the same as the universe which has no beginning or end.

Perhaps that last statement above was a lot to take in, so lets draw back down to a more worldly level which has to do with physical ailments. Our world, which as stated earlier, is moving at a speed that would make most of us get quite dizzy, and this dizziness as it were brings many ailments with it. Our society now faces an increase in high blood pressure both in the young and old, an increase in insomnia caused by excessive worries, nervous tensions that are being dealt with through drugs rather than eliminating the problem, an ever continuing of people smoking though most if not all people are aware of all the chemicals, diseases, and death that smoking causes, and of course links directly to the last ailment that is rising drastically which is asthma. This list of problems is just some of the things that Yoga can deal with and that is because of a thing Yogins call “prana” or life energy if you will. If people who suffered from any of the ailments above were to take up Yoga they would soon find a “renewal of the body cells, and that disease is unlikely to gain hold on a body whose every body cell is permeated with pranic energy” (James Hewitt 123). Due to the fact that Yoga teaches body alignment and proper breathing through pranayama, those who practice find themselves free from the fetters of worries and troubles and because of this not susceptible to the many if not all of the ailments listed above.

Linked to the physical ailments of course would be its opposite, physical well being to which Yoga is greatly concerned. First and foremost, as mentioned earlier Yoga teaches the practitioner to breathe properly, and maybe up to this point you thought you did, but the true way to breathe which most of us have forgotten is with a ratio of 1:2. This ratio for Yoga breathing Swami Vishnu-devananda explains is that by making the exhalation longer than the inhalation one “is to get maximum control over the lungs so that old foul air in the air sacs can be squeezed out” (Swami Vishnu-devananda 238).Furthermore James Hewitt argues that the Complete Yoga breath “vitalizes; removes phlegm; tones the nervous system; purifies and enriches the blood; improves appetite; aids digestion; broadens and strengthens the thorax; massages the abdominal organs; and makes consciousness lucid and alert” (91). With this type of breathing and exercise in place ones body is fit and able to withstand the ailments and pressures of society which of course leads us to our next examination which is one’s mental well being.

With the use of proper breathing as taught by Yoga, one now has the capabilities to withstand the tensions which are placed on the mind by constant or unnecessary worries and anxieties which only lead to physical tension as mentioned earlier. Once a person has been trained in Yoga which will lead one to breathe better, a practitioner will soon find themselves able to slowly become calm by controlling the breath in stressful situations which will it turn make one be, “able to feel a kind of floating sensation, as if one were as light as a feather (which allows for one to feel) peace and joy” (Swami Vishnu-devananda 203).

Since we are now physically well and mentally well, that only leaves us now to become spiritually well as it were. As mentioned earlier death happens to us all, and even the notion of it scares most people so much that we find our culture saying things like “if I die” and “I don’t want to die” in both statements there is a certain error as it were; first of all it is not a question of “if” and secondly you do not have a choice. Perhaps this sounds a bit harsh but in fact what must be pointed out is a very interesting argument from a Yoga standpoint and that is that “man has become prey to all evil emotions of the mind by identifying himself with the body and mind, and the only sure way to free himself from its clutches is by asserting his real nature, that is, ‘I am pure consciousness or self’. This identification with the self completes the process of relaxation” (Swami Vishnu-devanada 203). How could a person at this point not find perfect peace as stated by Vishnu-devananda, for if you can accept his argument then you come to realize that you are immortal, that death is nothing to be feared but the wearing away of the body, and that whatever higher power you acknowledge, you are it.

Yoga, as argued is the best and optimal health system for all and is exactly as Patanjali put forward so long ago, “ Yoga pose is mastered by relaxation of effort, lessening the tendency for restless breathing, and promoting an identification of oneself as living within the infinite breath of life” (2:47).

Namaste

Justin Benson is a certified Yoga teacher. He teaches Yoga classes in the Lewisporte, Newfoundland area.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Yoga for Health | No 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: , , , , , , , ,
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: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in yoga for depression, Yoga for Emotional Health, Yoga for Health, Yoga for Mental Health, Yoga for Physical Health | 1 Comment »

Yoga is the Ultimate Science of Health

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Yoga - Side Angle PoseWritten By Diana Timmins

Yoga is the ultimate science of health: the path of true enlightenment and tranquility through union of mind, body and spirit as nature intended. Considering the Sanskrit word ‘yoga’ translates to ‘yoking’, all various forms of Yoga share the same aim. That is, to acquire clarity through stillness of the mind and optimum health through a deep connection between all facets of one’s being. Ancient Indian Yogic philosophies are receiving increasing recognition within the Western world in terms of its power to have a profound impact on one’s entire lifestyle, while working hand-in-hand with modern medicine to achieve balanced health of mind, body and spirit.

Yoga may initially be perceived by those new to the techniques to be rather that of a surface transformation, and sometimes regarded with an air of trepidation when anxieties of bodily contortions and accompanying paraphernalia clutter the mind. However Yoga goes far beyond its physical characteristics. In fact, the main traditional Indian Yogas withhold strong psychological and spiritual themes of worship and praise for both the Divine One and one’s true self (Atman), teaching the student the art of staying within the present moment and hushing the mental turbulence that commonly pervades one’s brain. Taking the time to slow the mind and body in Corpse Pose (Sivasana) has been linked with improved heart rate and blood pressure, servicing our vital organs and allowing us to experience the sensation of being deceased without having to die for it. In this position, one works towards ultimate detachment and the ability to just be, and not do, as is not often hardwired in our daily functioning.

After some time of being shelved as a mysterious Indian cult, Yogic philosophies that are at least 5,000 years old now have credibility within the world of modern science, which in comparison sits at roughly 500 years of age. Unlike the disease and treatment foundations of modern medicine, Yoga is a treatment of prevention that defies the assumed inevitabilities of aging, rids the body of toxins and evokes an overall mental, physical and spiritual awakening and transformation.

Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani of Pondicherry Ashram, India, has had a profound universal influence in both modalities of medicine, that is Yoga therapy and modern medicine. Son of the respected Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri, Chairman of International Centre of Yoga Education and Research (ICYER) and Honorary Advisor of International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), Dr. Ananda has dedicated his life to bridging the gap between these modalities. His extensive research, educated knowledge and commitment to a Yogic way of life has brought him to the conclusion that ‘the bridge between mind and body has been disintegrated which is psycho-somatic unbalance which is disease’ and that the ‘journey back to health must start with the body’ (Dr. Ananda, 2009). While Dr. Ananda maintains that both modalities have a place in one another’s principles, he puts strong emphasis on Yoga’s potential to normalize one’s system to maintain best possible health within the restrictions of their individual karma.

As the general pace of life becomes busier and one exceedingly sidetracked by materialistic desires, this disintegration between mind and body occurs, and perception of reality commonly becomes distorted by ego, and hence ignorance. The practice of Yoga regains a sense of truth and brings about not just equanimity of the mind, but equanimity of one’s entire existence which is comprised of five Koshas; Annamaya Kosha (anatomical level), Pranayama Kosha (physiological level), Manomaya Kosha (psychological level), Vjnanamaya Kosha (intellectual level) and Anandamaya Kosha (universal level). These five layers of existence make a human whole and are vital to overall health; therefore attention is to be paid to all areas to ensure overall balance and coordination. This is possible with the help of Yoga therapy, in which the prevention, endurance and treatment of specific ailments is attended to by use of suitable Yogic practices. Yoga therapy culminates a number of modalities in order to attain this higher state of awareness: physical, emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual, preventative and pain relief therapies. It is fair to say the most famously adopted practice amongst Westerners is the physical practice of Asanas. However, more interest is exceedingly generated in other aspects of the art, such as; Kriyas, Mudras, Bandhas and, more commonly, Dhyana.

Normalization and overall human alignment can only occur if the entire human being is treated, taking into consideration their five Koshas and the body’s seven energy centres, known as the Chakras. This is the way in which Yoga therapy addresses the health of the human body. Every cell in the human body has a polarity, both a negative and positive charge, and in modern times it is common for one to lean towards a negative awareness of their body which is known to decrease immunity and affect the nervous systems. Yoga regains that positive sense and, as Dr. Ananda claims, ‘the ease which may have been lost through dis-ease’ (2009, pp.18). In Yogic practices increased awareness of the breath is pivotal and viewed as the link between all polarities of one’s being; inner and outer voice and consciousness, body and mind. In line with the goal to attain balance through breath-controlled Asanas, anything performed on the left is always performed on the right, just as any postures performed in back-bend is to then be complemented by a forward-bend unless a genuine medical reason is given for this not to be done.

In the healing breathing exercise of Pranayama, particular attention is often paid to either the left or the right nostril individually, which is used heavily in the attainment and circulation of healing Pranic life energy stored within one’s solar plexus, hence the enhancement of our physical, mental and spiritual health. Breathing through the left nostril (Chandra Nadi Prana) is particularly useful for stress-related conditions, for example; hypertension, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, acute migraines, gastro-intestinal ulcer diseases, depression, anxiety and insomnia. Whereas right nostril breathing (Surya Nadi Prana) has a hypo-metabolic effect on the body and works best for those who need activation, or may suffer from hyperthyroidism or bronchial conditions such as asthma. As breathing through the right nostril activates the left brain and vice-versa, inhaling and exhaling through both nostrils simultaneously can create a sense of mental turbulence and deterioration of health. Knowing this, it is clear that Pranayama can be used to effectively treat conditions of both mind and body, hence enhancing one’s personality and overall health.

In the modern world, stress-related disorders have unfortunately become more common, along with that the prescription of anti-depressant drugs. It is known that medications and stress-related illnesses themselves can have a number of accompanying side-effects that then too need to be treated in a vicious cycle. These include stiffness of the joints, rapid weight fluctuation, high blood pressure, fatigue, and dark feelings of alienation. Sadly, more serious health deficiencies as extreme as cancer can be the result of such disorders when not thoroughly treated. In line with this fact, Dr. Ananda has broken down sickness into four phases in his research and dealings with patients and students. These four stages are: psychic (one’s moods and emotions), psycho-somatic (during which the psychic phase starts to take temporary affect on body), somatic (permanent condition) and organic (settled in the organs) phase. Yoga therapy can potentially cure a condition when a patient is in either of the first two phases only, and research has shown it can also be used to stabilize and improve a condition when in the following two. Yoga therapy aims to bring a patient to a state of natural health in which they are able to reduce or completely terminate their medication, therefore also reducing or eliminating accompanying physical and mental side effects.

Part of Yoga therapy’s success is its profound ability to restore and rejuvenate one’s vitality and smooth even flow of Prana throughout the entire body by the use of previously outlined practices and adopting a nourishing diet. A Yogi pays careful attention to the purification of their body through a regimented lacto/vegetarian (Sattvic) diet free from preservatives, stimulants and toxins. Awareness of where food derives from should be highly regarded when considering one’s health; natural meat-free foods only are consumed by a Yogi, considered wholesome foods for the soul as much as for the body. Little intake of required nutrition can lead to negative mind-states such as irritability and listlessness, not to mention a downfall in the functioning of the physical body. Westerners often rely on night-time slumber alone to recuperate and restore energy levels, only to then undermine their bodies again the following day with consumption of fast foods and recreational drugs, as well as exposure to stress. Experienced Yogis residing in Ashrams often sleep very little in comparison as their daily practices aid in attaining, positively releasing and renewing energy.

Our entire beings are interconnected physically, mentally and spiritually. As the body is the vehicle for one’s journey it is important to service and optimize the health of that vehicle. This allows us to reach a point of clarity and embark on both inner and outer transformations to enrich our overall life experience. This transformation may occur by yogic healing of disease, as too it may occur by its control and endurance of ailments. This concept was proved by a study conducted by the University of California and the Preventative Medicine Research Institute (2008) to determine the affect meditation had on prostate cancer sufferers. While the physical condition itself was not cured through the practice, it was found their sense of well-being was remarkably enhanced, allowing them to sleep better and acquire a deeper sense of happiness and quality of life.

It is interesting Yoga therapy concepts and principles were known intuitively by Yogis in Ancient Indian Scriptures and practiced without the use of copious amounts of medical equipment often used for modern medicine and its research. This in mind, we can see how following Yogic practices opens our eyes to a natural existence that evokes union of self and consciousness. It is through such means that one may learn the true art of patience and being present in the moment, as one slowly works one’s way into more advanced Asanas and Pranayamas and thus gradual results enjoyed from such acquired skills. This is where the main difference lies between the treatment of health using Yoga therapy and modern medicine: whilst Yoga tends to offer more progressive and long-lasting improvements in health, modern medicine is more likely to offer what may be considered as instant solutions, or ‘band-aid jobs’.

Yoga therapy and modern medicine often have opposing views. Therefore if we bring both views together we are able to obtain a more integrated knowledge of effective treatment of one’s mental, physical and spiritual health than if we were to simply utilize one alone. As the art of Yoga provides foundational grounding there is truly no other way of life as natural or rewarding as a Yogic’s way. Dr. Ananda is living proof of this, having proudly followed in the footsteps of his father, who claimed just prior to his death that ‘modern medicine kept me alive, but Yoga gave me my life back’ (Dr. Ananda, 2009). This statement alone brings us back to the very heart of Yoga therapy’s importance in one’s life: with prescribed medications, acute treatments and operations we may be physically kept alive, but union of mind, body and spirit through Yogic practices returns us to the core of our authentic selves and existence, and awakens us to true health and happiness.
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Iyengar, B.K.S. and Menuhin, Y. (1966) Light On Yoga, 2nd ed, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London.

Hewitt, J. (1977) The Complete Yoga Book, Schocken Books, New York.

Vishnu-devananda, S. (ed. 3) The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, Three Rivers Press, New York.

The Sivananda Yoga Centre (2000) The Sivananda Companion to Yoga, Simon & Schuster, New York.

Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani (2009) ‘Therapeutic Potential of Yoga’, Yoga Life, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp.14-19.

Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani (2009) The Psychosomatic and Therapeutic Applications of Gitananda Yoga – A One Day Intensive Seminar, Sydney.

Diana Timmins is a Certified Yoga Instructor.  She teaches Yoga classes in Woonona, New South Wales, Australia.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Guest Authors, Yoga for Health, Yoga Therapy | 3 Comments »

SEARCH