People have always believed that yoga can do more for your body than just keeping it fit and flexible. Research now shows it can help weight control, lower back pain, insomnia and even heart disease. Studies indicate yoga helps with weight loss and maintenance. In a study of 15,000 adults, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that those who did not practice yoga gained approximately 18.5 pounds more over a 10-year period than those who practiced for at least four years. There was also a study done at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California. This study found people who regularly practiced yoga and meditation, exercised and watched their diet lost more weight than those who exercised, and ate a balanced diet, but did not practice yoga.
Additionally Yoga can improve your range of motion in your hips, reducing lower back pain. A study done at The American College of Sport?s Medicine, suggest that yoga increases lower back flexibility and decreases pain. It was a small study conducted on older women age 44-62. Persistent back pain however should always be professional diagnosed before embracing on any exercise program including yoga. Yoga?s back bends and forward bends may exacerbate some back conditions.
Yoga can also calm your body and your mind, which can help people who suffer from insomnia. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, PhD., an instructor of medicine, division of Sleep Medicine at the Harvard Medical School recently published a study. He found a half hour to 45 minutes of daily yoga practice with a focus on meditation and breathing, helped chronic insomniacs sleep through the night. The subjects increased their overall sleep by 12%.
Yoga breathing can help lower your heart rate and calm your nervous system. The breathing techniques can help alleviate serious anxiety and depression and reduce stress. Practicing yoga for an hour and a half three times a week can make your heart healthier in just six weeks. A recent study out of Yale University School of Medicine had 33 men and women who practiced yoga at that rate. This lowered their blood pressure and improved their blood vessels? ability to expand and contract by 17%. Researchers believe the improvements are based on the stress-reducing benefits of yoga.
? Copyright Diet-Newsroom.com, All Rights Reserved.
This article was written by Kim Black of http://www.diet-newsroom.com which specializes in diet, health, fitness and exercise topics.
Showing posts with label Anxiety And Depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anxiety And Depression. Show all posts
March 1, 2009
The Spiritual Art of Yoga
Just a few of the types of Yoga are Hatha, Bhakti and Karma.
Hatha yoga is a physical yoga that uses physical exercises. A Yogic sage in the 15th century named Yogi Swatmarama is known as the developer and compiler of Hatha yoga. It is derived from the origins of Mahayana Buddhism. It starts with the purification of the physical then leads to the purification of the mind and then lastly the purification of spirit which brings enlightenment. The physical exercises are called asanas which mean postures, which bring one in tune with one’s vital energy which is called prana.. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj which means to yoke meaning to join or unite. In the West it generally translates to union with soul or the atma. Thus the attainment of enlightenment and becoming the yogi.
Bhakti Yoga is another very popular style of Yoga. Bhakti translates as developing divine love and devotion to God and is often known as one of the more easier paths of yoga. Bhakti yoga generally uses 9 Bhakti movements and its goal is moksha which means liberation.
Karma is a term quiet familiar to western culture especially with the growth of the new age movements. Karma yoga is often called the discipline of action. There is good and bad karma. Karma is the law of cause and effect and is mainly known to be taught in Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and also Sikhism as well as Jainism. Although the early Christians also knew and taught about the teachings of karma they were the esoteric groups like the Gnostics, the Essenian teachings and the Rosicrucian’s. Even in today’s Christian bible you can read the phrase “What you sow you shall also reap” meaning what you sow or do you shall reap or experience the effect of your actions.
Some of the Physical health benefits of practicing yoga are reduced stress levels and a decrease in anxiety and depression; a great benefit for our fast paced world of today. Yoga also improves the immune system and reduces circulatory problems.
One simple yoga technique for releasing stress, which you can do anywhere, even while you’re at work without jumping into any posture or physical stance. Take a few moments out and close your eyes and follow your breath. Breathe in hold the breath for a couple of seconds then release it. Imagine the stress leaving on the out breath. Do that a few times then be aware when you’re taking the breath in imagine breathing in the prana, the vital energy of the universe. After a few more times, be aware, at first with your imagination, that your whole being is filled with this vital energy so it comes in with the in breath and also goes out with the out breath. Try this technique for five to ten minutes and you will feel the results.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
Hatha yoga is a physical yoga that uses physical exercises. A Yogic sage in the 15th century named Yogi Swatmarama is known as the developer and compiler of Hatha yoga. It is derived from the origins of Mahayana Buddhism. It starts with the purification of the physical then leads to the purification of the mind and then lastly the purification of spirit which brings enlightenment. The physical exercises are called asanas which mean postures, which bring one in tune with one’s vital energy which is called prana.. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj which means to yoke meaning to join or unite. In the West it generally translates to union with soul or the atma. Thus the attainment of enlightenment and becoming the yogi.
Bhakti Yoga is another very popular style of Yoga. Bhakti translates as developing divine love and devotion to God and is often known as one of the more easier paths of yoga. Bhakti yoga generally uses 9 Bhakti movements and its goal is moksha which means liberation.
Karma is a term quiet familiar to western culture especially with the growth of the new age movements. Karma yoga is often called the discipline of action. There is good and bad karma. Karma is the law of cause and effect and is mainly known to be taught in Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and also Sikhism as well as Jainism. Although the early Christians also knew and taught about the teachings of karma they were the esoteric groups like the Gnostics, the Essenian teachings and the Rosicrucian’s. Even in today’s Christian bible you can read the phrase “What you sow you shall also reap” meaning what you sow or do you shall reap or experience the effect of your actions.
Some of the Physical health benefits of practicing yoga are reduced stress levels and a decrease in anxiety and depression; a great benefit for our fast paced world of today. Yoga also improves the immune system and reduces circulatory problems.
One simple yoga technique for releasing stress, which you can do anywhere, even while you’re at work without jumping into any posture or physical stance. Take a few moments out and close your eyes and follow your breath. Breathe in hold the breath for a couple of seconds then release it. Imagine the stress leaving on the out breath. Do that a few times then be aware when you’re taking the breath in imagine breathing in the prana, the vital energy of the universe. After a few more times, be aware, at first with your imagination, that your whole being is filled with this vital energy so it comes in with the in breath and also goes out with the out breath. Try this technique for five to ten minutes and you will feel the results.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
February 24, 2009
Yoga in Practice: Ten Solutions for Depressed Yoga Students, Part 3
Put Ideas into Action: Procrastination in, and of itself, can cause many poor outcomes. Setting goals, and writing them down, was discussed earlier, but those steps are worthless without putting your plans into action.
The ?dreamer? who comes up with a great idea, and watches someone else put a similar idea into action, is truly depressed. Sometimes, great ideas are being worked on at the opposite side of the Earth, and it?s just a matter of who puts the idea into action first.
There are also co-workers and supervisors who will gladly take the credit for your ideas. Therefore, do not waste time or procrastinate in any way. If you make a mistake, use it to your advantage and learn from it, but don?t ?sit on an idea.?
One last point to cover on this subject is how often we judge ourselves harshly. In my Yoga classes, I often mention ?non-judgment? of others, but we are our own worst critics in this life. No one else will ever be as harsh as we can be to ourselves. So, stop criticizing your own ideas, before they get started, and put them into action.
Pranayama: Simple breath awareness alone can help relieve anxiety and depression. When you combine this with meditation, Pranayama can be a powerful tool. As a Yoga practitioner, you know many Yogic breathing techniques, but students should have a few ?go to? Pranayama techniques for daily stress and some for severe stress.
Ujjayi Pranayama would be the first selection; translated to English this means, ?victory or victorious breath.? Therefore, it is no accident that this particular Pranayama will purge depression and inner fears. As a matter of fact, Ujjayi Pranayama will instill confidence.
If Yoga students practice Ujjayi Pranayama, with an Asana sequence such as Sun Salutations or a Vinyasa series, they will conquer mild depression and develop new found confidence in themselves.
There are many more Yogic solutions for anyone to get rid of depression and gain confidence in his or her self, but these ten methods are familiar to Yoga teachers and most Yoga students. Yoga practice needs to be taken home, just like homework. If a Yoga student truly wants to see results, the practice of Yoga has to be maintained on a regular basis.
Within Yoga are many facets, but all of them lead to good health. A Yoga student who practices ?once in a while,? is better off than never having practiced at all, but should not expect to see significant results. This is why Yoga teachers have to tell their students the truth about expectations.
Do not ?sugar coat? a Yoga student?s responsibility to practice Yoga on an almost daily basis. This is also how a medical prescription works. Can you imagine what would happen if patients took their prescribed medicine once in a while?
Continuity is the key to good health and a steady Yoga practice will yield good mental, physical, and spiritual health. This is also true for everything worth attaining in life.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
The ?dreamer? who comes up with a great idea, and watches someone else put a similar idea into action, is truly depressed. Sometimes, great ideas are being worked on at the opposite side of the Earth, and it?s just a matter of who puts the idea into action first.
There are also co-workers and supervisors who will gladly take the credit for your ideas. Therefore, do not waste time or procrastinate in any way. If you make a mistake, use it to your advantage and learn from it, but don?t ?sit on an idea.?
One last point to cover on this subject is how often we judge ourselves harshly. In my Yoga classes, I often mention ?non-judgment? of others, but we are our own worst critics in this life. No one else will ever be as harsh as we can be to ourselves. So, stop criticizing your own ideas, before they get started, and put them into action.
Pranayama: Simple breath awareness alone can help relieve anxiety and depression. When you combine this with meditation, Pranayama can be a powerful tool. As a Yoga practitioner, you know many Yogic breathing techniques, but students should have a few ?go to? Pranayama techniques for daily stress and some for severe stress.
Ujjayi Pranayama would be the first selection; translated to English this means, ?victory or victorious breath.? Therefore, it is no accident that this particular Pranayama will purge depression and inner fears. As a matter of fact, Ujjayi Pranayama will instill confidence.
If Yoga students practice Ujjayi Pranayama, with an Asana sequence such as Sun Salutations or a Vinyasa series, they will conquer mild depression and develop new found confidence in themselves.
There are many more Yogic solutions for anyone to get rid of depression and gain confidence in his or her self, but these ten methods are familiar to Yoga teachers and most Yoga students. Yoga practice needs to be taken home, just like homework. If a Yoga student truly wants to see results, the practice of Yoga has to be maintained on a regular basis.
Within Yoga are many facets, but all of them lead to good health. A Yoga student who practices ?once in a while,? is better off than never having practiced at all, but should not expect to see significant results. This is why Yoga teachers have to tell their students the truth about expectations.
Do not ?sugar coat? a Yoga student?s responsibility to practice Yoga on an almost daily basis. This is also how a medical prescription works. Can you imagine what would happen if patients took their prescribed medicine once in a while?
Continuity is the key to good health and a steady Yoga practice will yield good mental, physical, and spiritual health. This is also true for everything worth attaining in life.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
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