Yoga and Health:An Alternative Form Of Exercise

Yoga has long been used as an alternative form of healthy exercise. Today, a variety of yoga schools have become popular, so if you want to try this technique of healing and preventative health, research them all before signing up for a class. Yoga can be very helpful if you are suffering from pain or disease, but, as always, discuss this change in your exercise regimen with your doctor before you begin so that you can be sure yoga will work for you. Iyengar is the yoga of props and slow pose progression. Correct form is important, and so your instructor will stress this. It is an extremely useful kind of yoga for beginners to try, and people with disabilities or physical restrictions can also use Iyengar yoga. Props that are used help people overcome back and joint problems. Iyengar yoga, in short, teaches the fundamentals, and so this is an important kind of yoga to use if you are new to yoga. Power yoga, or Ashtanga yoga, is the most athletic form of yoga and used by those who want a difficult work out. Flexibility, stamina, and strength are all heavily stressed with this form of yoga, and meditation is not as important and usually not taught at all. A warm temperature is beneficial to this style to lessen muscle strain, so power yoga can also be combined with hot yoga, which is a highly physical workout done in temperatures of 100 degrees or even more in some cases. Breath control is important here, and the progression is swift to maximize athletic benefit. Ashtanga yoga is not as beneficial for beginners and can be especially difficult for those who are not accustomed to exercising. Hatha yoga can be viewed as the opposite of this, and is a more relaxing kind of workout that is concerned not only with physical well being, but also with mental and spiritual healthiness. Most types of yoga include aspects of Hatha yoga, and these techniques are important for beginners to learn.Kundalini is a more spiritual type of yoga exercise, and includes chanting, guided relaxation and meditations, and visualizations. It can be done by anyone of any religious practice, although yoga first began with Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Kundalini heals the body, emotions, and mind. Posture and breathing is important in this type of yoga, and those overcoming addiction have found Kundalini especially helpful.

Yoga: Feel Good, Look Good

Yoga is a philosophy and spiritual practice derived from Hindu theism, its aim is to suppress all activities of the mind and body, and separate them from one another to achieve liberation. In simpler terms, Yoga makes people feel better while loosing weight. It improves the posture, breathing, etc. Other than its physical effect, Yoga has proven to be a powerful tool in managing or controlling anxiety, back pain, blood pressure, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, headache, stress, and heart disease. Needless to say, it’s worth trying.Most people try Yoga to improve their muscle tone, stamina, flexibility, and strength; but some do it to reduce stress and tension, improve circulation, and lower fat. Whatever the reason, it leads to one ultimate goal and that is to improve their appearance. Yoga is defined as “union” in the classical Indian language. Based on the principles of the original yogis; practicing Yoga helps a person to achieve true happiness, enlightenment, and liberation. It was designed to take away the negative factors that make people unhappy or grouchy in their every day lives. In effect, people are placed in a position to better manage their reactions, emotions, and responses when dealing with everyday stress and problems. The Following Are Basic Yoga Practices That Must Be Done On A Daily Basis:1. Sun Salutations.People who are too busy to exercise can spend only a few minutes performing this ritual. It stimulates the muscles and joints. It is a series of 12 non-stop poses that go together with proper breathing. This may be done twice a day or more. 2. Breath Control.This is the most popular part of Yoga. It is done by sitting erect in the place chosen by the person for Yoga meditation alone. It is usually a place that is free from noise and preferably close to nature. 3. Meditation.Refers to mentally repeating ‘So” and “Ham” with every inhale and exhale respectively. It is one of the simplest practices in Yoga and works for everyone.4. Sun Salutation, Breath Control, And Meditation Combined.Combining these simple practices is great for beginners. This can be done for at least 3 minutes every morning or late afternoon. Doing this regularly can naturally expand the Yoga practices. Perhaps losing weight and attaining inner peace is the most sensible goal a person can achieve. It not only guarantees a positive aura and great appearance, it also offers psychological benefits that cause people to feel good about themselves.

Benefit of Yoga Part I

The practice of Yoga brings with it many physical and emotional benefits that the majority of people are unaware of. This article is quite long, so we have broken it up into two parts. The first part is an introduction to Yoga and a overview of the major physical and psychological benefits of Yoga, while the second part shows how practicing yoga daily can have a profound effect on your ability to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself. Yoga is a science; and indeed, in many places in the world (such as India), it is referred to as a science. This is not merely playing with words; it truly is approached as a science, which means that it is understood in terms of scientific methods. Yogic science seeks to verify cause and effect, and build principles based upon objective observations. Indeed, in many places in the world, to be a yogic master of any credibility, one must be highly educated in the sciences, including physics and the biological sciences. This discussion on yoga as science is important for us to include because it allows us to sensibly ask the question: what are the benefits of yoga? After all, if yoga is a faith or a belief, then asking this question isn't fair; because it's one that yoga cannot answer in terms that we can objectively understand. Yoga is a science; as empirical and pragmatic as kinesiology, or exercise science, which seeks to understand how the body acts and reacts to changes in the internal physical environment. And even more simply than any of this: each of us has a right to ask the basic question, "why should I bother practicing yoga and what experience or benefits can I expect?"Indeed, while the experience of yoga cannot be reduced to words – just as reading a book on preparing for a marathon isn't going to actually physically prepare you to run a marathon – the goals and principles of yoga can easily be discussed. Here's the Mayo Clinic's take on the benefits of meditation: "Meditation is used by people who are perfectly healthy as a means of stress reduction. But if you have a medical condition that's worsened by stress, you might find the practice valuable in reducing the stress-related effects of allergies, asthma, chronic pain and arthritis, among others."Yoga involves a series of postures, during which you pay special attention to your breathing — exhaling during certain movements and inhaling with others. You can approach yoga as a way to promote physical flexibility, strength and endurance or as a way to enhance your spirituality. The Mind-Body Connection Yoga is centered on the mind-body connection. This mind-body harmony is achieved through three things: - postures (asanas)- proper breathing (pranayama)- meditationMind and body draw inspiration and guidance from the combined practices of asanas, breathing, and meditation. As people age (to yogis, ageing is an artificial condition), our bodies become susceptible to toxins and poisons (caused by environmental and poor dietary factors). Yoga helps us through a cleaning process, turning our bodies into a well synchronized and well-oiled piece of machinery.Physical Benefits By harmonizing these three principles, the benefits of yoga are attained. And just what are these benefits? - equilibrium in the body’s central nervous system- decrease in pulse- respiratory and blood pressure rates- cardiovascular efficiency- gastrointestinal system stabilization- increased breath-holding time- improved dexterity skills.- Improved balance- Improved depth perception- Improved memoryPsychological Benefits As noted above, Yoga also delivers an array of psychological benefits; and in fact, this is a very common reason why people begin practicing it in the first place. Perhaps the most frequently mentioned psychological benefit of yoga is an improved ability to manage stress. Yoga diminishes an individual’s levels of anxiety, depression, and lethargy; thus enabling him/her to focus on what’s spiritual and important: achieving balance and happiness. In part II of the Benefit of Yoga we'll reveal how yoga can help deal with stress, unhealthy habits and pain management. The benefits of Yoga go far beyond meditation and stretching, it is a way to release those toxic emotions that tend to stand in the way of living a healthy life.

Understanding The Term Yoga

The term yoga is a common word in the Sanskrit language, which is the language in which most of the Yoga scriptures are written. It also happens to be one of the most versatile Sanskrit terms, having a whole range of meanings that extend from simple "union" to "team," "constellation," and "conjunction." It is derived from the verbal root yuj, meaning "to harness, yoke, prepare, equip, and fasten."The male practitioner of Yoga is referred to as a yogin or yogi and the female practitioner as a yogini. Common synonyms are yoga-vid meaning "knower of Yoga" and yukta meaning "yoked one". Sometimes the word yoga-yuj, meaning "one who is yoked in Yoga" is used. A master of Yoga may be referred to as a yoga raj ("king of Yoga") or yogendra (from yoga and indra, meaning "lord").In addition to yoga and yukta, the verbal root yuj also yields the old Sanskrit word yuga, denoting "yoke," which is the literal yoke placed on an ox and the yoke or burden of the years. It is probably in the latter, metaphoric sense that yuga is applied to the four great world cycles, which according to Hinduism, continuously revolve, thus creating history. At present we are believed to be in the final world age, the kali-yuga, in which spirituality and morality are at their lowest ebb. The kali-yuga is the Dark Age, which is destined to terminate in a convulsive cataclysm, accompanied by a major purging of humanity. Thereafter a new Golden Age will begin, starting the four-phase cycle all over again.The term yoga is closely related to a number of words in various Indo-European languages, including the English yoke, the German Joch, and the Latin iugum, which all have the same meaning. In a spiritual context, the word yoga can have two primary meanings. It can stand for either "union" or "discipline." In most cases, both connotations are present when the term yoga is applied. Therefore, dhyana-yoga is the unitive discipline of meditation; samnyasa-yoga is theunitive discipline of renunciation; karma-yoga is the unitive discipline of self-transcending action; kriya-yoga is the unitive discipline of ritual; bhakti-yoga is the unitive discipline of love and devotion to the Divine, and so on.What does the term unitive mean? It describes Yoga's disciplined approach to simplifying one's consciousness and energy to the level where we no longer experience any inner conflict and are able to live in harmony with the universe. In addition, unitive specifically refers to the goal of many branches and schools of Yoga, which is to realize our essential nature, the Self (atman, purusha), by consciously uniting with it. This understanding of Yoga is characteristic of those teachings that subscribe to a nondualist metaphysics according to which the Self is the ultimate singular Reality underlying all events.

Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! It's off to Yoga I go!

Can we be as harmonic as those seven fictional characters on their way to mine their day away when we have a back ache? Can we obtain relief or do we have to endure a day of aches and pains while on the clock?An article I recently viewed on the ArgusLeader.com website, indicates that back pain is the second leading reason people miss work. Truck drivers repeatedly have to deal with back pain from the continuous vibration of the spine while behind the wheel. Heavy lifting of patients and children puts nurses and parents at considerable risk. Statistics obtained from OccupationalHazards.com reveal that in the U.S., nursing ranks as one of the top 10 occupations for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. And, an estimated 12 to 18 percent of nurses wind up leaving their profession due to chronic back pain.Now it’s understood that the career we choose can have an adverse effect on our physical health. You can sit behind a desk all day long in air-conditioning, you can drive a tractor-trailer down Route 66 daily, or work in the hospital emergency room. Simultaneously, you are putting severe strain on your neck and back. Can we take the time to heal ourselves before our issues escalate? Can we do something to alleviate the pain if it is already present? Is there anything we can do?What is Yoga? It’s a system of exercises practiced for thousands of years as used to promote control of the body and mind.Why Yoga? Because it can help. It has consistently been used to cure and prevent back pain by enhancing strength and flexibility. As many practitioners can attest, Yoga can offer effective healing that's relatively free of side effects. The slow movements and gentle pressures reach deep into troubled joints. Additionally, the easy stretches in conjunction with deep breathing exercises relieve the tension that binds up muscles and tightens joints. Yoga is exercise and relaxation rolled up into one.Who is a candidate? Each year, millions of Americans suffer from debilitating back pain. Both acute and long-term stress can lead to muscle tension and exacerbate back problems. Despite Western medicine's phenomenal advances and powerful technology, two of the most commonly prescribed solutions—painkillers and surgery—do little to address the underlying causes of pain and can potentially cause side effects. In truth, a one-size-fits-all solution is impossible given that the causes and manifestations of pain—arthritis, strained ligaments, scoliosis, and herniated disks, to name a few—vary widely.How does Yoga assist pain management? Yoga helps reduce pain by helping the brain regulate the secretion of natural painkillers into the body. Breathing exercises commonly used in Yoga can also help reduce pain. Muscles tend to relax when you exhale, because of this lengthening your time of exhalation can help produce relaxation and reduce tension. Maintaining a certain awareness of ones own breathing helps to achieve calmer, slower respiration and assist in relaxation and pain management.What do I do to get started? First, rule out potential serious causes of the back pain. See your primary care physician and speak to her/him of your concerns. He will know how to proceed from there to investigate the cause of your back pain. Then, also inquire as to whether or not it is safe for you to practice Yoga as part of your recovery program.Treat the injury with extra care. When you are in a lot of pain, usually the tissues are inflamed, it’s critical that you proceed at a slow pace. If you work in an aggressive fashion in order to improve your strength or flexibility too early on, it can cause you even more pain.Looking for an experienced teacher with substantial training and experience should be your next course of action. A Yoga therapist will assist you by creating a program that is specific to your needs and limitations, especially those pertaining to your injury and medical condition. They will observe your form and practice, and track how you respond to the exercises. He or she will gauge which elements are likely to be helpful and determine whether modifications are necessary. Studies have shown that strict bed rest can cause you more harm than good. Go ahead and try breathing exercises and practice a gentle asana as soon as you experience pain. Stomach crunches are often prescribed by doctors in order to prevent recurring episodes of back pain. Looking at this from a yogic perspective this is imprecise. By doing to many crunches or ab exercises you can increase the tightness in the hip flexors, and potentially making the back problems worse. With Yoga, the approach is to examine which muscles need to be strengthened and which ones need to be stretched, and finally designing a program that would work on those specific needs.Do avoid poses that worsen or aggravate your problem. If you have a lumbar disk problem, be careful with forward bends, especially those that include some form of a twist. Also, during transitions take care, attention tends to wander. Sudden changes of position should be avoided and stepping rather than jumping should be the standard.Lastly, make certain to consult your physician before proceeding with any exercise program, including Yoga. Also, if Yoga is approved for you be sure to receive proper training from a qualified Yoga instructor.
Liana Mirkin is the IT Director for Spina Systems International, Inc., a company which specializes in distributing the Accu-SPINA machine, which treats chronic back pain in 86%-94% of patients without surgery. You may find the website at http://www.spinaprogram.com