Yoga Stress Relief

Yoga is a great method for relieving stress. There are recent studies showing how yoga stress relief is caused by reducing stress hormones as well as increasing brain chemicals that lessen the stress response.

The effects of yoga on brain chemistry are discussed in this article on yoga and brain chemistry. In particular it explains that:

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, New York Medical College and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons hypothesized that there are certain imbalances in the brain when a person has depression or stress-related conditions. Such imbalances include low activity of something called gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA); low activity of GABA is linked with epilepsy, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and PTSD, researchers said.

Different styles have different effects on stress. A strong workout may cause a small release of stress hormones during class, but the activity tends to use up the chemicals. Of course, the relaxation at the end of the class stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part that causes the body to relax. Relaxation after a strong exertion has a noticeable effect for most people.

A modern style of yoga, Laughter yoga, is shown to release stress in an obviously different way. As well as a reduction in stress hormones the feel good brain chemicals called endorphins are released bringing an even greater calm. The endorphin release is discussed in this laughter yoga article:

 It’s not a fantasy but a real therapy, laughter yoga is a system for making people laugh, regardless of their sense of humor. It lowers stress and increases the confidence in them. A course to learn how to smile is so artificial and spontaneous. The benefits are proven; you release endorphins and improve self-esteem. The laughter yoga session usually begins with breathing exercises, yoga-based techniques. A real laughter therapy, although based on different principle.

Another modern inovation is Yin Yoga which is holding stretches for a long time. It releases stress by allowing the participant to go inward to release blockages to the pose which relate to their inner workings. The method is discussed in this article on Yin Yoga in which she writes:

It works like this: We know, in yoga, that discomfort is okay. Discomfort can be good. It means that we have come right up to an edge—I imagine it as a literal fence. We can check out the borderlines, see how it feels there, and peer over to the other side without actually jumping on the barbwire. We can hang out in a place that threatens to reveal a deeper layer of our true selves, even while the mind is making up all kinds of tricks to try to get you back to your comfort zone, despite the fact that the only comfort you’ll often really find there is familiarity.

Find the style of yoga that appeals to you and give it a try. There are many more benefits than just yoga stress relief, but that is reason enough.

You can learn more about the styles discussed from these yoga videos.

Ease Into Ashtanga

65 Need-to-know Laughter Yoga Exercises

Yin Yoga: The Foundations of a Quiet Practice

Recommended Reading

• Yoga Videos
• Yoga for PTSD
• Reducing Stress with Yoga
• Body Mind Yoga

By Greenbelt Alliance from Flickr.com

Triangle pose or, Trikonasana in Sanskrit, is one of my favorite poses. So much so that I include it in every class I teach. It is a great warm-up as well as a pose for working various areas of the body. In the above photo you can see Julianne doing a very good triangle pose. She is flexable enough to have her fingertips on the floor. Some people can get their palm all the way down to the floor, others need to put their hand on their leg or use a block.

By Greenbelt Alliance from Flickr.com

The person on the right in the above photo is too deep in the pose. She has sacrifices alignment to get her hand low on the leg. It would be much better if she were to have her hand high enough up on her leg so she could have her upper body in alignment with her legs.

Triangle Pose with a Block

Here is Aimee showing triangle pose with a block. She could turn the block up on a higher edge for more comfort. Reaching further down with her fingertips is giving her better extention through the shoulders and upper back.

The way to make sure your alignment is correct is to stand in front of a wall. Have your back heel against the wall. The front foot will be forward from the wall two to four inches depending on how long your feet are. When you are in the pose your top shoulder blade will be against the wall. Avoid leaning against the wall though, it’s just there for alignment.

If your torso doesn’t rotate far enough to get your top shoulder blade to the wall you can align with your lower shoulder blade instead. And, work on that rotation!

Triangle pose has many actions on the body. You won’t find them all if your alignment is off. Keep your upper body drawn back as your first consideration placing your hand at an appropriate height on your leg.

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• Yoga Videos

Yoga for PTSD

Post traumatic syndrome is a very difficult condition to get over. Yoga for PTSD is such a great treatment though that the military should consider making it part of their regular training.

With all the other benefits of yoga it isn’t much surprise that yoga for PTSD would help the wounded soldiers described in this article. The proven way that yoga helps with the mind body connection should prove that the method will work.

You can find the original article here.

Yoga for PTSD

Yoga: an alternative therapy for wounded warriors with PTSD
Posted on January 19, 2012 by taniameireles2

Over time, yoga classes have been incorporated into civilian gyms, health centers and holistic therapy locations all over the world. Yoga uses meditation, deep relaxation, stretching and breathing to reduce physical, emotional and mental tension. In the last few years, yoga classes have also been added to the arsenals of many installations, Warrior Transition Units,  Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) and Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities for Service members, veterans and their family members.

“Many people who have gone through combat stress feel disconnected from themselves and others,” said Robin Carnes, certified iRest meditation and yoga instructor. She has taught yoga and meditation for almost six years for an intensive outpatient program, most recently at Walter Reed National Naval Medical Center. “Yoga means union, bringing together parts as a whole,” she said. “Yoga helps people connect with themselves and others again.”

Yoga serves as a physical and behavioral health fitness routine for strength, flexibility and awareness of the body and mind for active duty Service members. It is also being used to augment more traditional means of care for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Experts such as psychiatrists, psychologists and researchers have praised yoga’s calming influence and focus on whole-body wellness.

Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D., a PTSD author, clinician, researcher and teacher since the 1970s, asserts that therapists treating psychological trauma need to work with the body as well as the mind. He states that yoga may provide a safe and gentle means of becoming reacquainted with the body and allowing people to confront their internal sensations.

According to Nicole Carlin, a registered yoga teacher with a Masters of Arts in gender studies and a Bachelors of Arts in psychology, yoga can help people find a greater sense of peace and well-being. Based on her experience, she believes it can have a calming effect and help to clear the mind of troubling or obsessive thoughts. She states that yoga poses allow PTSD sufferers to turn their attention to their body instead of the thoughts in their mind.

Service members and veterans reported that yoga was useful in keeping them relaxed, thereby, allowing them to deal with anxiety caused by traumatic events. In several studies, including, “The Effect of Yoga on Symptoms of Combat Stress in Active Duty Personnel,” study participants noted that yoga helped to reduce those anxieties associated with military service.

The Department of Defense also conducted research at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) on the efficacy of Yoga Nidra, an ancient meditative practice. A study of the practice was conducted with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who were experiencing PTSD. The study was led by Richard Miller, PhD, a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar and spiritual teacher. The practice was eventually renamed Integrative Restoration, or iRest.

The research showed that iRest helps heal the various unresolved issues, traumas and wounds that are present in the body and mind, and thereby, aiding the body and mind in returning to a natural state of functioning. Following the study, WRAMC integrated the iRest protocol into its weekly treatment program for soldiers. iRest is now available at Walter Reed National Naval Medical Center, Md.; Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas; Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, N.C.; and VA facilities in Chicago, Ill.; Evanston, Ill.; Miami, Fla.; Palo Alto, Calif.; Sacramento, Calif.; Yuba-Sutter, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.

“Yoga shows people that they can feel peaceful again,” said Carnes. “It is possible. And it is something they can do for themselves.”

With January recognized as National Hobby Month, it is an opportune time of year to consider starting an activity to assist in well-being, such as yoga. If you are interested in yoga, ask your physician about participating in classes in your area. Also you may visit the National Resource Directory and do a word search for “yoga” to find community organizations offering yoga classes.

Imagine the hell those solders must go through. Fighting in a war is not something I would wish on anyone, but yoga is. I really hope the military takes this study seriously and takes appropriate action.

Be sure to post this to your Facebook page or google plus it, help get the word out about the benefits of yoga for PTSD.

Here is a yoga book that is sure to offer help to anyone wanting to find help for trauma of any kind.

Overcoming Trauma through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body

Overcoming Trauma through Yoga Reclaiming Your Body

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Yoga Ethics

This article is a bit of a rant on yoga ethcis, but a good one. Yoga has its roots in Truth that most people know nothing about any more. The author takes exception to this as do I. What some people consider spiritual and based on yogic scripture is really off.

You can find the original article here.

Yoga Ethics

All things in moderation, including yoga?
By Pari Bradlee
Yoga is good for your muscles and joints, but it’s not just exercise. It has always had a spiritual component. Ultimately yoga is about achieving the natural state of being. The goal of yoga is to recognize within and without what is blocking our birthright of happiness and freedom. Our old wounds and unfinished business add up to a lot of psychic weight we are all carrying around.

It’s only natural that the yoga in our country would mirror our culture, but recently the cultural effect has tipped away from spirituality into dogma of a kind that works against yoga’s ultimate goals.

I started personal training 15 years ago when yoga was just becoming popular in D.C. It was only offered in schools, gyms and churches. I was an amateur body builder at the time and was looking for something deeper. The first time I practiced yoga I felt reborn and awake. I needed to share this with everyone I knew, so I got certified.

Back then the classes were humble. There were only a few styles of yoga. I tried them all and even though I enjoyed some classes more than others, I always felt better when I left. I felt happier.

As the years went on I noticed people began to treat their particular yoga style like a distinct religion and this created much separation and competition in the yoga community. The only exception was the ubiquitous Lululemon outfit. That I saw from Bikram to Kundalini.

Now there are people who feel that they can’t do yoga without that outfit! This is both boring and silly, but not too surprising, given what we see on TV. Hours spent watching the belittling of others on reality TV encourages the same in our daily life, including our yoga practice. The music we listen to about big houses and designer clothes becomes embedded in our minds and we start to question our worth.

But that’s nothing compared to the holier-than-thou yogi who also makes us question our worth. I recently attended a conference in New York where we did three-hour “master classes” and were asked to chant: “From this day forward, I will be a vegan.” The lecture was titled: “Get the look to match your ethics.” Two very attractive young women began to speak about where our clothes come from and what happens to the animals that supply the fur, silk, cashmere, down, wool and leather — complete with pictures. This information was eye-opening and I was thankful to know it and vowed to be more mindful about my purchases. However, these women were filled with rage, judgment and self-righteousness. They suggested we sell or give away all of our clothes that came from animals and buy vegan clothes. Easy for a wealthy woman to suggest.

They also bragged about berating women on the streets for wearing fur and leather. Don’t we all have enough problems to worry about without being judged on a cold day in New York? My girlfriend walked into this conference with a faux fur coat the next day and a stranger gasped, rolled her eyes and said loud enough to hear: “Ugh. Fur.”

This is not the yoga I know. What happened to non-judgment and the belief that everyone is doing the best they can with what they’ve got? What happened to the idea that if you knew a person’s story, there’s no one you could not love?

But it only got worse. During the Q&A with the two yoga masters “masters” a student asked why this couple did not have kids. They answered: “Having kids is an ego trip. Having a mini-me is very selfish. It is very bad for mother earth. Each child born every year consumes an exorbitant amount of waste. Having children blocks your spiritual practice and enlightenment. The government encourages us to reproduce for guarantee of a future generation to send to fight our wars, so it’s a political statement. Having kids is detrimental for the population control problem on our planet.” Later on at lunch, one student said she had considered adopting a child but did not because these “gurus” strongly opposed it.

Thankfully, there was some relief. The next day one of the teachers started his class by holding up a statue of Krishna, stating: “I love this statue but not enough to put it on a swing and play with it or bathe it every night. The closest I’ve been to enlightenment is having my son.” He then proceeded to teach a large portion of the class holding one student’s five-month-old daughter.

This brings me back to my original definition. To me, yoga is happiness. Yoga is not a fashion statement or a label. I don’t give a damn if my students wear fur, leather, bamboo or Lululemon. I don’t care if they are vegan or eat steak every night. I don’t care if they decide to have children or not. I don’t care if they watch Bravo or the Discovery channel. Life is hard enough and I’ve had students who have battled cancer, drug addiction, child abuse, learning disabilities and many more. At the end of the day I just want my students to feel like everything is going to be OK.

I don’t claim to be a guru and would be very embarrassed if someone bowed at my feet in full prostration. I was always taught to never look up to anyone and never look down on anyone either. We are all human and equal. That’s where the magic is: seeing yourself in all beings and trying your best to use your thoughts, words and actions to contribute to the happiness and freedom of all. That’s my yoga religion.

Oh, and one more thing. It’s not that serious. Be light. It’s just yoga.

Pari Bradlee is a yoga instructor. She is the daughter-in-law of On Faith founder and editor-in-chief, Sally Quinn.

What yoga ethics is really about is finding and adhearing to a personal standard. Yogic scripture gives the ideal, but as humans we need to find that ideal within ourselves.

The great yogi Patanjali wrote a set of sutras that gives that ideal that yogi’s should strive for to find ultimate peace and enlightenment. I highly recommend reading them to see for yourself what the truth of yoga ethcis are, and to not just follow someone blindly.

Here are two versions of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. One is free for the Kindle — you can download a free Kindle app to view it on your computer if you like. The other is for those who may prefer a physical version.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: the Book of the Spiritual Man

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali the Book of the Spiritual Man

Here’s the link for a physical version of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The commentary from Satchidananda is better than most, but still not as perfect as the sutras themselves.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda

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Starting Yoga

Starting yoga practice can be intimidating. Going to a class for the first time is not something that most people actually look forward to. And, getting started on a regular yoga practice routine can be even more involved for some people with very busy lives.

Today’s article is about how to get started with a yoga practice, developing a personal routine and how to make it work for you. You can find the original article here.

Starting Yoga

The First Time: Developing a Personal Yoga Practice

I’m about to tell you two things most yoga studios probably don’t want you to know: yoga is meant to be free and you can do it anywhere. That is not to diminish in any way the value of working with an experienced instructor in a designated sacred space, but rather to encourage a personal practice into your lifestyle.

Described are the benefits of self-practices, advice about how to perform them, and important things to keep in mind upon doing so.

Do it because it’s good for you.
Aside from the obvious perks of avoiding traffic, skipping parking lot fights, and missing a class due to an altered schedule, you have the opportunity to learn much about yourself. You’ll not only find confidence in autonomy, but you’ll also be able to practice in accordance with your body’s more specific needs. Besides, as charming as it can be to turn into your neighbor’s energetic aura, do you really need to brush her sweaty arm every time you take surya namaskar? Not necessarily.

Do it like this.
It can be scary the first time.
Building confidence is the key to mastering the art of self-practice. Before you decide to take on your first session, perhaps begin to deepen in-class attention paid to the patterns your body already knows. All those times you’ve anticipated your instructor’s directions — though sometimes too soon– or decided to practice a progression or regression of a pose without being told, are instances in which your body let you know it already has the intelligence of an independent practice within. Always listen to instructors and practice patience ardently, but take those passing moments as signs that you are ready to supplement your study of yoga with your own teachings.

Set the mood.
Do it outside, do it at home, and do it with the lights on or off. If done in a public space, either be brave enough to overcome curious stares, or set aside a chunk of time in which you can travel to a more secluded space. Select a setting that complements your personality, whether you are a tree or ocean kind of spirit, or both, and plan accordingly.

If at home, create a sacred space and a focused energy. Hide or move to another room all your electronic devices, close the doors, open the windows, turn up your heater to erase the room’s chill, and remove distractions such as clutter. Before you roll out your mat, perhaps light some candles, burn some incense, and set your desired lighting. Some enjoy practicing in silence while others enjoy the aid of a good playlist, so experiment with both forms and identify which works best for you.

Let it feel good.
Listen to what your body wants to do. If you feel particularly lethargic or active, honor that particular feeling and design your practice around such. Never force your body to do anything too strenuous for your current mental state, but if you feel appropriately, by all means give yourself a challenging workout. Typically, warmer days and seasons entail more cooling practices, while chillier ones necessitate heating ones. Keep in mind, then, how different poses affect your body, engaging more effort and energy when necessary, and also more inward focus and expansion when appropriate.

Play with yourself.
Spice up your practice by throwing yourself some challenges here and there. Explore variations you may not try in class, and consider focusing intent on the thing that most challenges you, whether that is adductor muscle flexibility or finding stillness. You may accomplish something you haven’t dared to attempt in a room full of other people.

Rest well afterwards.
Leave a surplus of time for savasana and consider the option of taking that energy into a meditation. Set a gentle sounding timer for about seven minutes and allow your entire being to sink into this still and satiated meditative state. When you blink open your eyes, you will feel reborn.

Do it regularly.
Just as you would develop a consistent pattern of attending classes, you should consistently practice yoga on your own. Consider scheduling personal practices in your agenda so you are more likely to commit to them, and be patient with your ability to guide yourself through a session.

Do it like a pro.
One of the most wonderful things about yoga is that is does not function hierarchically. Though students certainly respect teachers and teachers have much to offer to students, teachers learn significant lessons from their students, as do students from other students. Opting to pick up a book, then, or deciding to take class from an instructor, marks not a regression, but a positively regarded step closer to enlightenment. A true yogi constantly learns and grows from all others, and should always seek further guidance.

Namaste

Starting a yoga routine can be very fulfilling, especially if you take the advice of this article. Starting yoga on your own can be even more fulfilling than taking a class. However, classes with good instructors will help you improve your postures. Be sure to take to heart what the instructor says in the class and especially what they say to you personally.

If you’d like to get started with yoga at home you might like to check out this yoga video.

Be sure to add this article to your Facebook page so your friends can gain the same benefit with starting yoga on their own. It’s based on one of the strongest styles of yoga practice, but designed for beginners.

Ashtanga Yoga – Beginners Practice

Ashtanga Yoga - Beginners Practice

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Reducing Stress with Yoga

This article contains yet another study that shows the power of reducing stress with yoga, this time from the Mayo Clinic. It dispels some myths related to yoga as well as giving a beneficial yoga pose for reducing stress. Read the original article here.

Reducing Stress with Yoga

Yoga can be an effective method to reduce stress and anxiety.

The Mayo Clinic reports the health benefits of yoga may include stress reduction, increased fitness, help manage other chronic health conditions and weight loss. Today, yoga classes teaching the art of breathing, meditation and posing are offered nearly everywhere. But you can also use some simple poses at home to wipe away the stresses of the day.

Dispelling yoga myths:

Do you have to wear tights? NO, just wear normal work out clothes

Is yoga just for women? No. Yoga is great for men too–it benefits humans!

Do I have to bend like a pretzel? No, yoga is very forgiving. Do what your body will allow and you’ll improve.

Is yoga for people who are already thin? No, not at all. There is no judgment in yoga. Yoga is for, and benefits all body types.

Yoga is for younger people. No, yoga is open to all ages. Yoga improves balance and concentration and really benefits people who are getting older and want maintain or regain flexibility.

Power Yoga Chicago
Locations: Lincoln Park and Lakeview
www.poweryogachicago.com
773.880.YOGA (9642)

More about Judd Albring (release)
Judd Albring, owner of Power Yoga Chicago, is a Vinyasa Yoga instructor certified with Yoga Alliance. He received his 200hr RYT Teaching Certification with Yoga Now in Chicago and completed Level One Teacher Training in Power Vinyasa Yoga with Baron Baptiste. Judd has been practicing all forms of Yoga since 2005. Per the recommendation of his Dr. to reduce stress, anxiety and lower his blood pressure Judd stepped into his first Yoga class in December 2006. Since then he has gone off heart medication, lost 75 lbs and continues on the road of recovery from a life long addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Instructions for Child Pose:

1)    Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.

2)    Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck…stretch your back.

3)    Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.

4)    Child’s pose is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.

If you have a friend you can help each other out in child’s pose by standing beside them with one hand on their upper back and one on the lower back. Apply a little pressure to give them extra stress relief. Add pressure as they are able to take it. Most people can take quite a bit of pressure here unless they have a knee issue.

If you want to practice reducing stress with yoga then you might like this yoga video that is designed to help you reduce stress.

Be sure to post this article to your Facebook page to help your friends reduce stress in their lives.

Yoga for Stress Relief

Yoga for Stress Relief

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Chair Yoga

There are many chair yoga poses people with limited mobility can do. Age doesn’t have to be the only factor either, a lot of people find chair yoga very useful for recovery and increasing range of motion.

You can read the original article here.

Chair Yoga

Chair yoga exercises offer health and social benefits for older adults

Dee Hocking of Sun Prairie has battled cancer three times. She also suffered a stroke that left her right side paralyzed.

But you’d never know by watching her move and stretch her way through 45 minutes of activity on a recent Tuesday morning at the St. Patrick Catholic Church parish center in Cottage Grove.

Hocking, 71 in March, is part of a group of older adults who meet regularly at the church for chair yoga, offered by the Parish Nurse program of St. Mary’s Hospital.

“I had a bad limp and my right arm was limited,” said Hocking, a retired production supervisor for Oscar Mayer. The weekly class, she said, helped her regain the ability to lift her arm to shoulder height and higher.

“I started chair yoga and my right arm came back,” she said. “It was shaking, but I got it up there.”

Continued exercises in the chair yoga group have meant even more improvement. “It was pure murder to raise (my right arm) high. Now I easily lift it above my head,” she said. “I noticed I could walk without a limp.”

Hocking’s story is one of many shared by participants in the program led by Meg Miller, a yoga teacher certified through Feel Your Best Yoga in Grafton.

“More than any other population, they really do experience the benefits so much,” Miller said.

The Tuesday morning clientele at St. Patrick Church is mostly people in their 70s. There also are 80-year-olds and even two or three regulars in their 90s, including Norma Sainsbury, 90, and Ann DiPiazza, 93.

“The exercise is good for us,” Sainsbury said. “It loosens up the muscles.”

DiPiazza noted the program can have other health benefits, too. “I had my blood pressure tested before and again after — and it was much lower,” she said happily.

On hand to perform blood-pressure tests and otherwise monitor participants’ health is Peggy Weber, the parish nurse at St. Patrick. Weber was responsible for setting up the chair yoga program after talking to Miller, 39, who led an exercise class Weber attended. Miller offers on-site yoga with a charitable spin (benefiting local food pantries, for example) through her business, Yoga for Good.

Chair yoga at St. Patrick Church is one of several Madison-area offerings provided through St. Mary’s Parish Nurse program. The class, free for participants, is part of a broader “Stepping On” program at St. Mary’s designed to help seniors avoid falls and improve their overall health.

The St. Patrick class spearheaded by Weber, a registered nurse, has been well-received, with growing attendance and new five-week sessions added several times already.

“I told Peggy, ‘I think you’re sent from heaven,’” said John LaBine, 71, who finds chair yoga a great way to help battle his Type 2 diabetes. She’s “making a big difference in everybody’s life.”

The Rev. John Sasse, pastor of St. Patrick Church, said the exercise program means more than just physical benefits for participants.

“When the body feels bad, it’s tough to feel spiritually good,” he said. “As they regain physical security, they feel better spiritually as well.”

He also noted the sense of fellowship the class brings to people who otherwise might feel isolated.

A recent session began by wishing happy birthday to Alice Mellin of Cottage Grove.

“I’m not going to ask you how old you are,” Weber called out.

“I don’t care if you do,” Mellin replied. “8-0!”

Miller then proceeded to lead the group of about 20 participants (as many as 35 show up regularly) through breathing exercises, neck movements and arm rolls in their chairs.

“Stay where you’re comfortable,” she said, coaching them to “give yourself a great big hug.”

“How many people have seen an improvement in their range of motion?” Miller asked, and heads nodded. “I see a huge improvement — it’s amazing!”

Participants then stood up for a series of light exercises, using their chairs for support. Focus was on core strength and maintaining balance.

“We’re not just learning to physically balance, we’re learning to mentally balance,” Miller said.

She encouraged her students to remember the exercises and practice them at home for even better results. “You could do this at your kitchen counter while you’re doing dishes,” she said.

Feeling more physically fit will help these older individuals in many ways, Miller said.

It can improve their self-esteem and make them more confident in their movements, which is especially important in winter when fear of falling on icy surfaces is much more real for them.

“It’s mind-body for sure,” Miller said.

Then she added: “And they get such a kick out of telling their kids they’re doing yoga.”

Health and well being can be greatly increased with yoga. Chair yoga is just another great way to find a way to participate and increase your health.

If you’re looking for some great chair yoga then you might like this yoga video. Very helpful information and some great techniques for doing yoga poses in the chair.

Be sure to post this to your Facebook page so everyone you know can benefit from yoga.

Stronger Seniors Chair Yoga Program - Experience the amazing practice of Yoga without getting on the floor. Improve flexibility, mobility, strength, proper breathing, and overall sense of well-being. Excellent for relaxation and better sleep.

Stronger Seniors Chair Yoga Program

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Body Mind Yoga

This article is about how body mind yoga has a healing effect for different conditions. I have seen literal miracles with people in my yoga classes. Often though it is after some time, they come tome and say how some condition they once had was healed through through the practice of yoga.

You can find the original article here.

Body Mind Yoga

‘Mindful yoga’ as therapy? Try it in 2012 for health’s sake
Practitioners say the discipline reduces stress, enhances recovery from injury and promotes overall wellness
BY BRANT ROGERS AND PAUL SALMON

“My doctor says I should practice yoga” is a common refrain as students come to class these days.

Even though yoga often evokes the sleek, acrobatic images found in glossy magazines, there is increasing recognition that this artful science can be modified to help manage symptoms of chronic illness and restore functional capabilities.

Physicians are turning to adaptive forms of yoga as a complement to medical care and therapy. Well-known surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, whose syndicated television show is watched by thousands each week, acknowledges that while high-tech biomedical interventions are valuable, they can only do so much. He routinely recommends yoga to patients as a way to enhance recovery and promote wellness.

Over the past year we have been collaborating to help define the dimensions of yoga that have the greatest relevance for medical professionals, psychotherapists and patients alike. We group these findings under the term ‘mindful yoga,’ to emphasize the connection with mindfulness, a meditation-based practice emphasizing moment-by-moment, non-judgmental awareness of life experiences.

Mindfulness-based interventions are now practiced in many healthcare settings. Practicing yoga mindfully offers several benefits to patients, including: enhanced recovery.; countering “disuse atrophy”; cultivating openness and curiosity about one’s capacity to heal; fostering awareness of the effects of movement (strength, balance etc.); and enabling better collaboration between patient and healthcare provider through greater awareness and interest.

Evidence continues to mount that an adaptive yoga practice can be beneficial. For example, a November 2011 article in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine showed that a yoga regimen was more effective than usual care for back pain. The journal Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation recently reported relief for shoulder injury using a simple yoga posture. Studies now touch on potential positive results for those who suffer depression, anxiety, pulmonary disease, cancer, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease and more. The very broad effects documented in these studies show that this practice affects our life as a whole. Those effects extend beyond fixing what is wrong to enhancing what is right in our inherent and global capacity for healing through heart, mind and body.

We have found the most helpful approach to yoga practice, particularly for individuals facing health challenges, is to minimize emphasis on complex poses and ritualized elements and instead focusing more on creating a safe, attentive and relevant personal experience for each individual.

We refer to this approach as “mindful yoga” to reinforce its way of making conscious the physical experience of life moment by moment. The result is a global form of self-care that uses our understanding of how mind and body interact. Although we have emphasized the relevance of mindful yoga in medical contexts, we find it is equally applicable in work with individuals at many levels of physical and mental health.

This approach is helpful for triathletes, those with anxiety, folks using walkers, and even couch potatoes.

We have been invited to present our work on mindful yoga for healthcare professionals and teachers at the Spring 2012 Annual Scientific Conference on mindfulness sponsored by the Center for Mindfulness, an affiliate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

More and more I have been finding articles like this one on body mind yoga. Studies are showing that this thousands years old practice has the healing benefits that yogic texts have always said.

Here is a yoga video on body mind yoga that you may find interesting.

Be sure to tell your Facebook friends about this article by clicking on the share button below. Everyone can benefit from the healing properties of yoga.

Ali MacGraw – Yoga Mind & Body

Ali MacGraw - Yoga Mind & Body

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Yoga for the Heart

This yoga for the heart article is rather technical. It is about atrial fibrillation which is irregular heart beat. There are several irregularities that are associated with atrial fibrillation like heart palpitations, chest pain, fainting and even congestive heart failure. In a recent study yoga is being shown to help.

The way it helps is by calming people down. The part of the nervous system that puts into fight or flight for emergencies is being calmed while the calming part of the nervous system is increasing. It isn’t curing the condition, but it is reducing the symptoms.

You can read the original article here, but you have to sign up first.

Yoga for the Heart

Yoga therapy for AF yields insight into brain-heart axis

Boston, MA – Investigation of the antiarrhythmic benefits of yoga is continuing in several different arrhythmia populations following the encouraging results of a small trial in atrial-fibrillation patients [1].

Dr Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy (University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City) said that his group plans to study how yoga can affect heart-rate variability and cardiac autonomic parameters in a phase 2 study that follows up on an earlier study of yoga in 49 patients with paroxysmal AF. Also, “we’re exploring the effect of yoga on neurocardiogenic syncope and inappropriate sinus tachycardia, where nonphysiologic fluctuation of the cardiac autonomics plays a big role,” Lakkireddy told heartwire following his presentation at the Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2012 yesterday.

“Yoga doesn’t really cure atrial fibrillation, but it definitely improves the symptoms and the arrhythmia burden,” he said at the symposium.

As reported by heartwire, in Lakkireddy and colleagues’ phase 1 study of 49 patients with paroxysmal AF found that AF episodes were significantly reduced, with 22% having no new AF episodes while practicing BKS Iyengar yoga. Anxiety/depression scores, quality-of-life scores, resting heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure also showed some improvement in the patients, so the researchers then conducted correlation analysis to see whether these cardiovascular benefits seen in the study were related to stress reduction only or if there were an independent influence of yoga on arrhythmia, he said. The analysis showed a nonsignificant trend toward the change in anxiety levels influencing the atrial-fibrillation episodes, but a larger study might show a statistically significant relationship. Also, the changes in systolic blood pressure appear to be influencing the changes in atrial-fibrillation episodes, while improvement in resting heart rate tracked with changes in anxiety scores.

He said his group chose the BKS Iyengar system because it combines the asanas (poses) with breathing programs and meditation. There is a large body of published evidence on the pleiotropic effects of BKS Iyengar yoga and their relevance to cardiovascular health. Other programs emphasize the breathing practices more while others emphasize the asanas.

Despite the benefits, the researchers have encountered some resistance to the program. Only about half of the patients originally enrolled in their phase 1 study adhered to the prescribed yoga program after the completion of the study. Also, it appears that men are much more reluctant to try yoga than women. “Men seem to be very reluctant to be wearing spandex and doing a downward-dog pose on a yoga mat.”

Combining old and new understandings of the mind-body connection

Lakkireddy’s group hypothesizes that yoga improves the plasticity and stability of the autonomic nervous system. In addition to its positive effects on stress and quality of life, “evolving evidence” suggests that yoga practice reduces the risk of arrhythmia by decreasing acute sympathetic surge while improving parasympathetic tone, Lakkireddy said. Previous studies have shown that these the autonomic effects can lead to improved heart-rate variability and blood pressure.

Men seem to be very reluctant to be wearing spandex and doing a downward-dog pose on a yoga mat.

Lakkireddy also expects his group’s work to shed more light on “the systematic pleiotropic effects of yoga” such as reduced inflammation, reduced oxidative stress, and better endothelial function. He also noted that people who start a yoga program often take on other lifestyle changes such as weight loss and reduced alcohol consumption.

There is a “complex interplay” between stress and anxiety and cardiac arrhythmias along the “mind-body continuum,” he said. Yoga fits into this mind-body model well, as the seven chakras can be analogously linked to the regional autonomic controls in the body, he said. Therefore, this research on yoga hopefully can contribute to a better overall understanding of the “heart-brain axis,” Lakkireddy suggested.

It’s unfortunate that men are reluctant to participate in the yoga for the heart program that was set up for them. Women though are happy with the program. The best thing is how this heart yoga is helping with stress which in turn helps with various conditions that people with irregular heart rate have.

This yoga for the heart video incorporates a lot of sun salutation which will certainly help with blood flow and can even work as an aerobic exercise. It’s also sure to be relaxing. Give it a try and let us know in the comments how you feel after a couple of weeks.

Be sure to post this to your Facebook page so your friends can learn about the benefits of yoga for their hearts.

Yoga for the Rest of Us: Heart Healthy Yoga

Yoga for the Rest of Us Heart Healthy Yoga

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Healing Yoga

This article is in response to the NY Times article about yoga being dangerous. The person quoted responds to what was said in his name. Here he talks about his view on healing yoga practices.

You can find the original article here.

Healing Yoga

Yogi Glenn Black Responds to New York Times Article on Yoga

The recent New York Times magazine article “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” (William Broad, Jan. 5, 2012) has stoked an international controversy, shaken the yoga world and focused the spotlight on my previously anonymous, reclusive yoga teacher, Glenn Black, who is liberally quoted within. A longtime, highly-regarded faculty member at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, Glenn is known for his gruff and demanding, yet deeply caring and precise teaching style. He told me that, among hundreds of emails, he was receiving death threats — the Times article doesn’t fully illuminate his uniquely wry sense of humor.

It is important to acknowledge the true damage on all levels that yoga can do when ego surpasses awareness and wisdom, when asana and goals trump deeply listening to the body, when yoga styles and methods are uncompromising, and when inexperienced or misguided yoga teachers lead bodies living modern lifestyles into places they are not prepared to go. The Times piece cites numerous articles from medical journals detailing yoga injuries ranging from joint degeneration and disc injuries to peripheral neuropathy and stroke. I have observed in my own gynecological practice that classical or contemporary yoga can contribute to symptoms of chronic vulvar pain and sexual dysfunction via painful ligamentous instability, hip injuries or herniated discs, overstimulation of already-stressed sympathetic nervous systems, and pelvic floor muscle spasms.

Upon deeper inspection, however, the physical practice of yoga and the injuries that arise from it do not seem to be the point. As the recent HuffPost entry (Jan. 10, 2012) illuminates, true yoga emphasizes spiritual exercises, discussing the eight limbs of yoga: yama (restraints), niyama (observances), asana (posture), pranayama (mastery of breath), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (higher levels of meditation).

Although Glenn has been barraged with interview requests and was just offered a book contract, he was kind enough to indulge me with some time to ask him questions of my own, punctuated in the background by soundbites from his Jan. 11, 2012 NBC News interview, in which an orthopedic surgeon detailed the hundreds of yoga injuries she sees in her practice alone. I recorded Glenn’s candid responses, which seem poised to generate yet more controversy and upheaval, as we wonder: What is yoga? And why are we doing it?

EF: What kind of injuries have you seen in the yoga practitioners who come to you for bodywork?

GGB: Pinched nerves in their neck, low back tightness, injuries to hips and knees. People often come to yoga classes with injuries that get accentuated, too.

EF: What about shoulder injuries?

GGB: Chaturangas are the worst things for shoulder problems and create repetitive use syndrome. Putting weight on a joint, one side is always stronger than the other, one side will eventually pay a price, one will compress more, one will stay open, some ligaments will tighten up, others will loosen.

EF: What is the best way to overcome injuries from yoga?

GGB: Remedial exercises that overcome the source of the injuries. And people need to get bodywork. Not just any bodywork. They need to look for people who work on really moving the joints and connective tissues.

EF: What yoga poses should people generally avoid?

GGB: Deep knee flexion with weight is not so good for anybody, especially Americans who don’t use their knees correctly. To put a knee in a rotational situation puts strain on ligaments and tendons. Sitting poses are hard on hips, where external rotation is limited. Tissues don’t want to do it. Never do headstand, shoulder stand, or plow.

EF: The New York Times article talked about neurological damage and strokes resulting from compression of the head and neck in those poses. What about arm balances?

GGB: With arm balances, lifting the head up is a problem and restricts blood flow. You should really hang the head, but most people lift it up, as a counterweight, I suppose. You have to be careful with the lower back and cervical spine. Any time you do flexion, extension, even rotation will deform those nerve plexuses. Even one nerve can have impingement and cause a problem.

EF: You now have a spinal fusion and screws in your lower lumbar spine to stabilize herniated discs and spondylolisthesis. How did your own yoga injuries come about?

GGB: Extreme backbends, and twisting coming up from my hands on my ankles. I overstretched my ligaments and destabilized my spine.

EF: What is your advice to the modern yoga student seeking to avoid injuries?

GGB: If a student is a total neophyte or even has some experience, the instruction is to be careful and listen to yourself.

EF: What do you think about the backlash that is coming from the statements you make in the New York Times article? It’s all over blogs, Facebook and the news. A lot of yoga teachers are saying now that they do in fact teach in a way that avoids injuries, and others are clearly feeling threatened that their livelihoods are in jeopardy, that it will discourage new students from trying yoga.

GGB: They are not teaching yoga. They are teaching physical exercise. They can do it in any gym. Yoga is an art and a science, and if you take just one small aspect, you never get to the higher end of it. Yoga is not taught correctly by many people.

EF: Your classes are known as rigorous and demanding on all levels, and you have often said that you demand your students to practice in a way that is not “mediocre.” What do you mean?

GGB: Most people have a limited view of yoga and approach it as a physical discipline, that’s what can make it mediocre. Awareness and consciousness are no longer emphasized, and yoga somehow became relegated to physical exercise. You need to do in-depth, serious practice in pranayama and yoga nidra, and hope for higher stages of yoga to happen. Now, everybody takes what they want, but it really gets back to the yamas and the niyamas. If someone’s an asshole, it doesn’t matter how he does the pose, he’s still gonna be an asshole.

EF: People have reacted very strongly to what you say in the New York Times article. They call you “angry” and an “asshole.”

GGB: I am not the most personable person on the planet, but I’m looking out for every person in that class.

EF: I have heard you speak about the “myth of asana.” What does that mean?

GGB: It is a myth that it’s safe to do asana without awareness and consciousness.

EF: I have long felt that doing more asana, like Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I), is not an effective way to get better at doing asana, and wonder if asana is even the point.

GGB: You don’t need to do specific poses to achieve awareness and consciousness. Elevating your consciousness comes from awareness and developing the ability to relax. This does not mean just having a drink and watching the news. It takes dedicated practice, such as pranayama and yoga nidra. You can use asana in a way, but it is not the best way. If one is an athlete and physically conditioned, physical practice could initiate some of that, and then the practitioner can feel the difference in savasana. But if you are in pain, you can’t do the practice, your mind will just focus on the pain.

EF: How does the ego get in the way of the safe practice of yoga?

GGB: Ego is the main obstacle to obtaining what I’ll call superconsciousness. Ego is a good thing because it gets you through life, but it also gets in the way of reaching perspectives we normally don’t have that were directly experienced by the yogis. The old sages had the capacity to reach these different perspectives. They noticed the unity rather than the separateness of everything. Things like technology and stressors that inundate us make it harder to attain this perspective in modern life and make it harder to access. Yamas and niyamas come before everything, but if they are even mentioned nowadays, it’s a cursory intellectual thing about how to treat animals well and not pollute the earth. It comes down to your basic psychology, it comes down to the depth of training. I was asked if going one or two times a week to yoga class, is that okay? Yes, but it is not the goal of the eightfold path to keep yoga only as a physical exercise, and you still need to be careful and cautious.

EF: The New York Times article mentions B.K.S. Iyengar, and his classic book, “Light on Yoga.” Would you talk about your time studying in India with Mr. Iyengar?

GGB: I went to Pune in 1987. He had a way of doing things. He was brought up in the British education system and had a hard, mean, certain way of doing poses and people thought it was way it was supposed to be done. Once a girl came up to Mr. Iyengar saying she was having trouble in headstand. He gave her instructions in how she should do it, and it was overheard by some of his students, then before you know it, everyone in the world was doing headstand like this poor woman.

EF: Do you have any credentials for teaching yoga or doing bodywork, or is it all based on experience?

GGB: I have no credentials at all. I didn’t get certified in Iyengar yoga, because I wanted to be able to do human movement and animal movement and have it be fun.

EF: What do you think of all the yoga teacher trainings and licensing that’s going on now? There are so many 200 hour teacher trainings churning out yoga teachers. You once made an analogy to “locusts.”

GGB: Those certificates they get even for 500 hours are worthless, because like in bodywork, unless somebody has a gift or innate understanding or depth of experience, they will just regurgitate what they have learned and apply it to the situations they are presented with. True ability comes from actually doing the practice.

EF: It seems that many inexperienced yoga teachers spend a lot of time updating their websites to attract students, rather than spending the time gaining the experience they really need. There are even workshops and private coaching designed specifically to help yoga teachers market themselves.

GGB: Updating websites will not help you gain consciousness. Yoga is no longer taught as a direct experience that originated the whole process. There are myriad amounts of people teaching asana in myriad different ways. They are very dogmatic in their approach, in the way they want the pose to look and be done, and if a big name or Madonna came to their class, then they become so large that they turn it over to their assistants to do all the work, who don’t have the skill or genius. Bikram, Seane Corn, Sharon and David, Rodney Yee — they created their own thing and trademarked it. As yoga teachers, they don’t hear about the injuries because they are up on the pedestal. Yoga is said to be the end all, but how many people can even take a deep breath without a problem? Most pranayama lasts for 30 seconds, a small part of class. It is rare to see pranayama done for an entire hour and a half.

EF: Are there any great yoga teachers that you know of?

GGB: Kofi Busia is one of best asana teachers around. Whether his students get hurt, I have no idea. But he is holding headstands for a long time, and people don’t say anything.

EF: What is your opinion about trademarking yoga?

GGB: I think that trademarking is an abomination.

EF: How do you deal with it when your students trademark the material you teach?

GGB: I don’t deal with it.

EF: Many yoga teachers present what they teach as having come from ancient lineages that are hundreds if not thousands of years old, before trademarking it, of course. What do you think about that?

GGB: Asana was only developed 80 or 90 years ago. Patanjali (author of the ancient yoga sutras) was talking about sitting poses. Headstands weren’t done when Patanjali was alive. Asana came from Indian military exercises. Indians are small people next to the British, and they developed a series of calisthenics to make them strong. They were already flexible, and they also wanted to do sitting poses. They named it Ashtanga due to the eight limbs of yoga, and asana is one of them, but just why somebody called it that, who knows why? Those sequences have nothing to do with real Ashtanga yoga, the eight limbs of yoga.

EF: Do you believe that, as many texts and teachers say, that vegetarianism is an important aspect of the practice of yoga?

GGB: Vegetarianism being essential to doing yoga is a myth. Tibetan yogis are heavy meat eaters.

EF: What about veganism? For example, I understand that the more recently certified Jivamukti Yoga teachers are required to sign an agreement pledging to maintain a vegan diet. This is something that has long been emphasized to Jivamukti yoga students, including in prenatal yoga classes.

GGB: Some bodies can do it, like Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III), some can’t do it, and shouldn’t or they’ll hurt themselves. Some people need concentrated protein, others don’t. If a serious practitioner dictates to themselves that it is totally immoral to eat an animal, I say, more power to you.

EF: What about in cases of illness?

GGB: Hatha yogis view the body as a vehicle for spirituality. You can’t do higher practices if you are ill, you must take care of the body first.

EF: What is the goal of yoga?

GGB: We have limited intellect, we have no idea what Samadhi is and if it’s same for everybody. To become more conscious and more aware and more able to deal with the stress that is constantly inundating us, I think that’s the best we can hope for in this day and age. The ancient sages had experiences beyond what the senses and the mind can contemplate. They realized that the body and mind are obstacles to awareness and spent a lot of time exploring that. It’s probably the basis of religion. But nowadays, after a yoga class, within seconds the students are looking in their pockets for their cell phones, so how long does it really last?

I have to take exception to his last comment here. I partly agree, people often lose themselves shortly after a meditative practice like yoga, but that isn’t the point in my view. Samadhi and enlightenment are possible for just about everyone. Taking strides toward consciousness is never wasted, the growth in consciousness remains. In each an every moment individuals are more conscious than any moment before.

But then, I have spent a lot of years pursuing consciousness and enlightenment, particularly through the Enlightenment Intensive.

If you are interested in knowing more about healing yoga, then you may be like this yoga book.

Be sure to post this to your Facebook page as every yoga practitioner needs to know how to take care of themselves with their practice, all exercise methods included.

Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing

Yoga as Medicine The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing

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