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Yoga Improves Asthma
June 1, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
Researchers have found that yoga nearly halves symptoms of asthma in just 10 weeks. The study was done at the American College of sports medicine.
The group of asthmatics in the study did to yoga classes twice a week And were asked to do an extra 30 minutes of practice at home during the week. That’s really not so much yoga practice for such good results is it.
In fact the less is more route was a deliberate choice by the researchers as past studies had been of twice daily yoga and studied for fewer days. It was thought this was an impractical ask for most people.
None of the participants aged 20 – 65, had done yoga before. Results were based on a questionnaire that measured frequency and severity of symptoms, activities associated with breathlessness and social and psychological functioning.Overall, scores of individuals participating in the yoga arm of the trial improved an average of almost 43 percent.
Of course an important part of the improvement comes from deeper breathing, but the development of greater breath awareness is just as beneficial to asthmatics. This breath awareness from asana practice allows asthmatics to recognize early on when breathing is becoming impaired
It’s also thought that the deep breathing involved while holding yoga postures causes similar respiratory stress as in an asthma attack – as the subjects became used to this, they were better able to deal with their asthma.
Lead researcher Amy Bidwell, herself a yoga teacher said “There’s not much of a downside to yoga unless you have a major orthopedic problem,” She added "Yoga is an excellent way to relieve symptoms because there are no side-effects, unlike modern medicine such as corticosteroids"
Bidwell worked closely with a physician to design and conduct the study. He had been teaching breathing techniques to his patients. Based on the study results, he now is prescribing yoga practice as well.
This study joins a lengthening list of studies proving numerous health benefits from both yoga and meditation practice.
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Yoga A Treatment For Depression?
February 27, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
Feeling depressed or down? Don’t automatically reach for an anti-depressant. Do some yoga. These days, the typical treatment for depression comes in the form of a pill, which can often lead to serious side effects and dependency. Prior to modern drug companies, however, sages from the East discovered a method of calming the mind and soothing the spirit. These physical exercises, called "asanas," are what modern Westerners typically think of when they hear the term "yoga."
…Western studies have shown that regular exercise can provide relief from depression. In addition, yoga postures have been specifically shown to increase levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, which may alleviate depression. Furthermore, as many enthusiastic practitioners of yoga will tell you, yoga seems to go beyond the benefits of general exercise and helps increase overall happiness.
….On a physical level, yoga postures are designed to massage the internal organs, increasing and decreasing blood flow to targeted areas. This circulates the blood and lymph, thus removing stale bodily fluids from vital organs and helping flush toxins. The physical movement can also stimulate certain hormones and neurotransmitters, leading to positive feelings and emotions.
Additionally, according to the Eastern medical model, yoga exercises are also designed to specifically move the "prana" or life force energy in the body (traditional Oriental medicine calls this "chi"). Keeping this life force fresh and alive is vital to well-being, according to Eastern philosophy.
Above are short exerts from Yoga: An Alternative Treatment for Depression
You can also combat depression by altering your diet
Can Yoga Delay The Onset Of AIDS?
February 19, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
PANAJI: Fr Joseph Pereira, the first Christian priest to be awarded the Padma Shri for social work this year, has said that in India where
anti-retroviral treatment is beyond the reach of most people, yoga can delay the onset of full-blown AIDS by five to ten years, depending on the age of the person.
Popularly known as Fr Joe, the 67-year-old founder of Kripa foundation has done pioneering work in the field of yoga for alcohol de-addiction and HIV-AIDS in India and abroad for the last 27 years.
Read the rest of the article here
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Yoga For Hormonal Balance
December 29, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 5 Comments
WHILE A great number of women in our society develop various hormonal imbalances, many are confused about what it takes to achieve hormonal health. Our hormones are the messengers of our body, they tell our physiological systems what to do and when, they direct our emotions, they sustain us mentally, they tell us when to rest and they can even sustain our transcendental nature. Many people are under the impression that the aging process naturally creates “problems” in the endocrine system. However, endocrinologist Michael Borkin says that women’s hormonal problems are often formed, but remain unseen, during the adolescent years. So, by the time we reach pre-menopause and menopause, it is actually the cumulative physiological and psychological effects of stress over time, that disrupts hormonal balance. So what do we do with this information?
Yoga Medical Study For Back-pain
November 19, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
Yoga has long been considered beneficial to the body, but could it be a cure for lower-back pain?
More than 300 people in five centres across England have been recruited for the York University for a large trial to test how lower-back pain responds to a 12-week course of yoga therapy. Each participant will be monitored for a year afterwards.
David Torgerson, director of the University of York clinical trials unit, said there had been several smaller trials in the US into the effect of yoga on lower-back pain, but that because they were so small it had been unclear if any benefits were down to the therapies or a particular teacher. He said their Arthritis Research Campaign-backed project would assess moves from the two most popular types of yoga, lyengar yoga and Hatha yoga.
The yoga classes will be carefully structured for people who are complete novices and will not involve any difficult poses. They will start off gently but become more demanding over the 12-week period, with a combination of stretches, bends, lying, sitting, standing and relaxing poses. Patients will also be encouraged to practise daily at home."We hope that at the end of it we might have a potential treatment for back pain," he said.
One participant, himself a yoga teacher and the professor in foetal and maternal health at Manchester University has signed up. Twelve years ago John Aplin broke his back in a walking accident in which he broke several bones, including three vertebrae in his back and ribs, when he fell 30 feet off a crag.
Because of fears that he might never walk again and he was kept immobile in hospital for six weeks to allow his bones to slowly recover. Once he was able he began to "very gingerly to practise yoga again". A teacher of Iyengar yoga he was fortunate to get advice directly from the Iyengar family in India, who asked for pictures of his injuries. From looking at these pictures they recommended a specific program for him, Mr Aplin followed this program to a full recovery returning to teaching yoga within six months.
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