Though developed in India and considered part of more than one spiritual tradition, yoga has become a widespread practice without religious overtones. It is a form of exercise that is appropriate for almost everyone.
In Sanskrit, the word means yoke or bringing together. However, most people use the term to refer to the poses or asanas. Completing a series of poses involves both stretching the muscles in numerous ways and monitored breathing and can result in a strong feeling of well being
The key to benefiting is to establish a practice or regular routine. Flexibility and fitness are not required since there are modifications available. As strength grows, practitioners can move into more difficult variations and further increase the suppleness of the muscles. Classes are available in many places including community centers, health clubs, and yoga studios. Very little special equipment is required.
It may take some experimenting to find the class that best suits one's body because they vary in intensity. A good place to start is in Hatha classes where the poses are simpler and the pace slower.
Studies have shown that yoga may help limit the effects of certain conditions like asthma and PMS. However, it is also very well suited to reducing stress and anxiety. With a consistent practice, at each session, the body becomes both relaxed and energized. It may be the controlled breathing that targets stress best. Focusing on the breath takes the mind away from other worries.
Here is one asana anyone can try now as long as the back is healthy. It is called the cat pose. It increases familiarity with the body's center and helps with coordinating movement and breathing. Begin on all fours, preferably on a padded surface so that there will be less pressure on the knees. Make sure the hands are straight down from the shoulders and the knees are straight down from the hips. Rock forward and back gently to find the place where the spine is straight and the body is balanced. Inhale. On the exhale, pull the abdominal muscles up and curve the spine. Drop the head so there is a single semi-circular line running from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Inhale and release the pose.
Though becoming strong and flexible through yoga requires discipline and the drive to stick with it, the gains justify the effort. A sharper, calmer mind comes with greater physical ability.
Source: http://www.articlecity.com/
Showing posts with label Health / Wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health / Wellness. Show all posts
Sassy Shellie's Mindful Musings
Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? It's the perfect time of year to bring our focus to nutrition because spring is about to be in full bloom and we’re all a little happier and a little more motivated to take care of ourselves.
So, what about this elimination diet, you ask? Well, let’s talk a little about inflammation.
When you’re walking out to your car and you accidentally slip and turn your ankle, what happens? It gets swollen, turns red, heats up, and hurts like the dickens. Your body is responding to the injury with inflammation in order to repair and heal the trauma caused to the ankle. This is a good thing. We like this kind of inflammation.
The enemy is chronic inflammation.
Did you know that the foods you eat have the ability to influence inflammatory responses in your body? WHAAAATTT… Did you know that some foods you eat cause inflammation that may be the cause of chronic pain that you’re experiencing? OHH DEAAAARRRRR… Did you realize that chronic inflammation left unchecked in the body can lead to some awful diseases, such as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer????? THIS IS CRAAAZZZZY!
Well, honestly, it really isn't. Of course the food we eat is going to have an effect on our well-being; after all, on average, we eat at least three meals a day with a few snacks in between EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.!! Therefore, if you’re eating something that is triggering inflammation, chances are you may be eating it day after day and your body never has a break from the trigger and the cycle perpetuates.
I will be doing the Whole Life Nutritional Elimination Diet, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook
Yet maybe this is more your style: Optimum Health Challenge ~ Simplified Eliminaion Diet
Either way, the point of an elimination diet is to detoxify the body from foods that might be causing irritation. The elimination diet that I am going to be following is detailed on The Whole Life Nutrition blog, which is the first link. The first two days are the time to cleanse the body by having only green smoothies and juices. The next ten days are about consuming hypo-allergenic foods and keeping the trigger foods out of sight and out of that tummy!! After ten days of avoiding potentially reactive foods, they are slowly added back in, one at a time, with close attention paid to any adverse immune responses. It goes from here and is further elucidated on the website that’s linked to above.
In honor of National Nutrition Month, I would like to invite you to share this experience and this challenge with me! Come along on the journey to feel amazing! This will be my first elimination diet too!! No excuses!
I will be starting my elimination diet on Monday, March 19, 2012. This gives US a week to plan out acceptable meals and buy the groceries,which may be time consuming because this healthy, beautiful, delightful, exciting way of eating is NOT the norm in middle America. Therefore, one must PLAN. Organic vegetables are an extremely important part of this elimination diet. Just say no to GMOs and the pesticides that pollute your body. This is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning on our insides!! Yay!
In honor of National Nutrition Month, I would like to invite you to share this experience and this challenge with me! Come along on the journey to feel amazing! This will be my first elimination diet too!! No excuses!
I will be starting my elimination diet on Monday, March 19, 2012. This gives US a week to plan out acceptable meals and buy the groceries,which may be time consuming because this healthy, beautiful, delightful, exciting way of eating is NOT the norm in middle America. Therefore, one must PLAN. Organic vegetables are an extremely important part of this elimination diet. Just say no to GMOs and the pesticides that pollute your body. This is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning on our insides!! Yay!
In addition to the many wonderful recipes on Alissa and Tom's blog, here is a link for a wonderful source of gluten-free and vegan recipes that can easily be adapted for the elimination diet: http://ohsheglows.com/ ....just go to her "recipage" and search gluten-free and voila! Lot's of great stuff!
I'm not gonna lie, I'm really excited about this!!!
Get on the road to happy and healthy with me!!!
The countdown begins!!!!
Sassy Shellie's Mindful Musings
Hi Everyone,
I'm Shellie, a sassy and fun young lady who decided one day that I was tired of making choices that didn't honor my body.
Soooo, I delved into the wide open world of health and wellness. I'm here to tell you a little about my journey and to share with you some insights that I gathered along the way. I also want to invite you to follow me along as I set out on a short cleanse followed by an elimination diet.
Are you intrigued yet? Are you still reading?
Well, just stay put and you'll see that it's all in the name of feeling your best and living up to your greatest potential!! And, don't worry, I'm not generally the type of girl who can forgo solid food for 30 days so I won't be asking anything like that of you either. In fact, we are about to get up-close-and-personal with some real, whole foods and learn how to nourish ourselves and feel our absolute best!!!
When I decided I was ready to change it was not easy turning away from habits that I had spent considerable amounts of time forming, such as drinking too much, being too lazy, stressing myself out over small, easily changeable issues, and NOT EATING VERY WELL. These facets are interconnected. And over time, the general well-being of someone who lives this way diminishes.
This was happening to me...
But when I was ready, I opened my eyes to the choices I was making every day. I saw that the habits I'd formed in my early college years had stuck and instead of making choices, I was surrendering to these habits. Upon this realization, I felt ashamed of myself, but now I understand that we all struggle.
We all suffer.
And through our suffering we have the opportunity to learn and to grow. This is where true change takes place.
Are you ready to begin afresh? I definitely was. And I started small.
So let's begin here. Right here. Today.
Start by thinking about your choices.
Think about the foods that you eat all throughout the day and just begin by becoming mindful and aware. If it would help, you could start a food journal where you document everything you consume during the day. You could even put your smartphone to good use and download an app that will do the calorie counting for you....but keep in mind, this is not about calories.
This is about feeling good and nourishing your body and your soul.
Together let's strive to keep that at the center of this journey.
In the coming posts, I'm going to be divulging tidbits of health and wellness information that I feel can aid us in this journey. I may mix it up by mentioning some controversial nutrition and wellness topics that I believe we should all be privy to. Later this month, I will be embarking on the elimination diet that I mentioned earlier (I hope you will too!) and I will be updating my progress along with the sources and any helpful information as I go.
Keep in mind that I'm on this journey with you. You may have insights to share or questions about what is mentioned here, so please feel free to join the conversation!! A friend of mine once likened learning about nutrition and wellness to opening Pandora's Box, and I completely agree with him.
This is the ultimate journey.
I'm Shellie, a sassy and fun young lady who decided one day that I was tired of making choices that didn't honor my body.
Soooo, I delved into the wide open world of health and wellness. I'm here to tell you a little about my journey and to share with you some insights that I gathered along the way. I also want to invite you to follow me along as I set out on a short cleanse followed by an elimination diet.
Are you intrigued yet? Are you still reading?
Well, just stay put and you'll see that it's all in the name of feeling your best and living up to your greatest potential!! And, don't worry, I'm not generally the type of girl who can forgo solid food for 30 days so I won't be asking anything like that of you either. In fact, we are about to get up-close-and-personal with some real, whole foods and learn how to nourish ourselves and feel our absolute best!!!
When I decided I was ready to change it was not easy turning away from habits that I had spent considerable amounts of time forming, such as drinking too much, being too lazy, stressing myself out over small, easily changeable issues, and NOT EATING VERY WELL. These facets are interconnected. And over time, the general well-being of someone who lives this way diminishes.
This was happening to me...
But when I was ready, I opened my eyes to the choices I was making every day. I saw that the habits I'd formed in my early college years had stuck and instead of making choices, I was surrendering to these habits. Upon this realization, I felt ashamed of myself, but now I understand that we all struggle.
We all suffer.
And through our suffering we have the opportunity to learn and to grow. This is where true change takes place.
Are you ready to begin afresh? I definitely was. And I started small.
So let's begin here. Right here. Today.
Start by thinking about your choices.
Think about the foods that you eat all throughout the day and just begin by becoming mindful and aware. If it would help, you could start a food journal where you document everything you consume during the day. You could even put your smartphone to good use and download an app that will do the calorie counting for you....but keep in mind, this is not about calories.
This is about feeling good and nourishing your body and your soul.
Together let's strive to keep that at the center of this journey.
In the coming posts, I'm going to be divulging tidbits of health and wellness information that I feel can aid us in this journey. I may mix it up by mentioning some controversial nutrition and wellness topics that I believe we should all be privy to. Later this month, I will be embarking on the elimination diet that I mentioned earlier (I hope you will too!) and I will be updating my progress along with the sources and any helpful information as I go.
Keep in mind that I'm on this journey with you. You may have insights to share or questions about what is mentioned here, so please feel free to join the conversation!! A friend of mine once likened learning about nutrition and wellness to opening Pandora's Box, and I completely agree with him.
This is the ultimate journey.
Healing Effects of Yoga
Yoga is an exercise practiced by many for a variety of reasons. A variety of health conditions have been mentioned as being helped by practicing yoga such as asthma, back pain, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, etc. Many turn to this exercise for pain management, while others practice it for the mental performance benefits that it offers. Self-awareness is a common theme among those who practice yoga, as the exercise promotes the mind-body relationship.
There are several types of yoga with each offering various benefits. Some practice what is referred to as hot yoga (Bikram yoga), which is designed to sweat out toxins while the individual assumes certain poses. The room temperature during hot yoga is increased to around 85 to 120 degrees Fare height during this exercise. The body sweats out toxins while the individual must focus his or her mind to stay focuses during the exercise. Those seeking stress relief, weight loss or who want to boost their immune system may turn to this form of yoga. Pregnant women are often discouraged from participating in hot yoga.
Restorative yoga allows the body to be completely at rest while assuming certain positions. Note that rest is different from sleep, however. To assume poses in this type of yoga, props are used. This may include pillows, blankets, blocks, chairs, walls, etc. The props hold the body in position during the pose. This form of yoga, as well as others, helps to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS balances the body and brings it into equilibrium. Stimulating it may help to improve heart rate, blood pressure and stimulate the immune system and has positive effects on the endocrine system.
Restorative yoga helps many patients relax, which is why many turn to it when experiencing infertility or going through fertility treatment. This may be a troubling time in the lives of many experiencing infertility, so finding a way to relieve stress, anxiety and depression is often important. This form of yoga may help individuals achieve a more hormonally balanced body as well.
It is important that women who are pregnant inform the instructor that they are pregnant prior to beginning the class unless they are taking a class dedicated to pregnant women or those wishing to improve fertility. Women who are pregnant may be discouraged from assuming certain poses while pregnant such as those that require twisting, inversion, are stressful to the abdominal region or require balancing.
There are several types of yoga with each offering various benefits. Some practice what is referred to as hot yoga (Bikram yoga), which is designed to sweat out toxins while the individual assumes certain poses. The room temperature during hot yoga is increased to around 85 to 120 degrees Fare height during this exercise. The body sweats out toxins while the individual must focus his or her mind to stay focuses during the exercise. Those seeking stress relief, weight loss or who want to boost their immune system may turn to this form of yoga. Pregnant women are often discouraged from participating in hot yoga.
Restorative yoga allows the body to be completely at rest while assuming certain positions. Note that rest is different from sleep, however. To assume poses in this type of yoga, props are used. This may include pillows, blankets, blocks, chairs, walls, etc. The props hold the body in position during the pose. This form of yoga, as well as others, helps to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS balances the body and brings it into equilibrium. Stimulating it may help to improve heart rate, blood pressure and stimulate the immune system and has positive effects on the endocrine system.
Restorative yoga helps many patients relax, which is why many turn to it when experiencing infertility or going through fertility treatment. This may be a troubling time in the lives of many experiencing infertility, so finding a way to relieve stress, anxiety and depression is often important. This form of yoga may help individuals achieve a more hormonally balanced body as well.
It is important that women who are pregnant inform the instructor that they are pregnant prior to beginning the class unless they are taking a class dedicated to pregnant women or those wishing to improve fertility. Women who are pregnant may be discouraged from assuming certain poses while pregnant such as those that require twisting, inversion, are stressful to the abdominal region or require balancing.
Yoga for Sinusitis
Immune system plays an important role in the prevention of colds and nasal allergies. Yog Mudra and breathing exercises can improve breathing, reduce tension and stress, and support the immune system. If ling mudra is practised daily, for some time, along with a proper practise of Pranayama etc, then various incurable disease of the Chest can be healed.
Pranayama
Deep breathing techniques like Bhastrika helps in inhaling more oxygen into the lungs, which helps in alleviating colds, congestion, and sinus. This pranayama naturally massages the airway and strengthens the neck tissues. And clear the spasm caused by the excess neck tissues.
Process:
• Go in an open air.
• Start to inhale and exhale through nose rapidly for half to one minute, relax for few seconds and repeat.
• In this pranayama kriya there is no restrain of breath.
This pranayama kriya can be repeated for around 7-8 times but should be done before meal.
Rapid Sun Breathing.
Process:
• Go in an open air.
• Close the left nostril and start deep inhaling and exhaling through Right nose rapidly for half to one minute, relax for few seconds and repeat.
• In this yoga kriya there is no restrain of breath.
This yoga kriya can be repeated for around 5-6 times but should be done before meal. This process will increase the heat energy in the body and burn the mucus of the region and help in clearing the nasal cavity region.
Mudra Healing
Ling Mudra: Join both palms and lock the facing fingers together, keeping right thump straight and upright. The upright thumb must be encircled by the other thumb and index finger. Through this yoga mudra, the fire element of the body increases, and simultaneously heat in the body also increases which results in increase in energy. The practise of this Ling Mudra, will help in curing bad cold and also help in curing chest complications which emerges due the Cough Tridosh.
Pran Mudra: Join the tips of Little finger and Ring Finger with tip of the thump. Practise of this yog mudra will help in improving the immune system and recharge the vital energy of the body.
NetiKriya:
In simple Netikriya can be defined as the process of Nasal Cleansing. Neti is the best process to overcome the snoring. As it clears the airways and helps in curing nasal infections such as allergies, sinusitis and other upper respiratory complaints like sore throats and coughs, inflammation of tonsils and adenoids. It is advised to learn this process under competent supervision. You can get benefit a lot if you do a yogic nasal wash, called neti, once or twice a week.
Meditation:
Even the latest scientific experiments shows that Vibrations created from chanting Om can help clear your sinuses and ward off infections. Vibration created through Chanting and humming sounds encourage the air movement and opens tiny ducts that connect your nose to your sinuses and allows your sinuses to drain properly. So daily "Om" chanting may prevent such an infection.
Process
• Sit in a comfortable Padamasan or sukhasana cross-legged seated position. Keeping both hands on top of the knees in Pran Mudra.
• Keep the spine straight and the shoulders relaxed. Close your ears with both palms. Close your mouth and raise and stretch you head especially chin upwards.
• Close the eyes softly and take a slow and deep breath and hold the breath in.
• Begin slowly exhaling, making humming sound of a bee, while reciting "OM" mentally. Try to feel the vibration in the nasal region.
• Repeat the exercise 10 times.
Pranayama
Deep breathing techniques like Bhastrika helps in inhaling more oxygen into the lungs, which helps in alleviating colds, congestion, and sinus. This pranayama naturally massages the airway and strengthens the neck tissues. And clear the spasm caused by the excess neck tissues.
Process:
• Go in an open air.
• Start to inhale and exhale through nose rapidly for half to one minute, relax for few seconds and repeat.
• In this pranayama kriya there is no restrain of breath.
This pranayama kriya can be repeated for around 7-8 times but should be done before meal.
Rapid Sun Breathing.
Process:
• Go in an open air.
• Close the left nostril and start deep inhaling and exhaling through Right nose rapidly for half to one minute, relax for few seconds and repeat.
• In this yoga kriya there is no restrain of breath.
This yoga kriya can be repeated for around 5-6 times but should be done before meal. This process will increase the heat energy in the body and burn the mucus of the region and help in clearing the nasal cavity region.
Mudra Healing
Ling Mudra: Join both palms and lock the facing fingers together, keeping right thump straight and upright. The upright thumb must be encircled by the other thumb and index finger. Through this yoga mudra, the fire element of the body increases, and simultaneously heat in the body also increases which results in increase in energy. The practise of this Ling Mudra, will help in curing bad cold and also help in curing chest complications which emerges due the Cough Tridosh.
Pran Mudra: Join the tips of Little finger and Ring Finger with tip of the thump. Practise of this yog mudra will help in improving the immune system and recharge the vital energy of the body.
NetiKriya:
In simple Netikriya can be defined as the process of Nasal Cleansing. Neti is the best process to overcome the snoring. As it clears the airways and helps in curing nasal infections such as allergies, sinusitis and other upper respiratory complaints like sore throats and coughs, inflammation of tonsils and adenoids. It is advised to learn this process under competent supervision. You can get benefit a lot if you do a yogic nasal wash, called neti, once or twice a week.
Meditation:
Even the latest scientific experiments shows that Vibrations created from chanting Om can help clear your sinuses and ward off infections. Vibration created through Chanting and humming sounds encourage the air movement and opens tiny ducts that connect your nose to your sinuses and allows your sinuses to drain properly. So daily "Om" chanting may prevent such an infection.
Process
• Sit in a comfortable Padamasan or sukhasana cross-legged seated position. Keeping both hands on top of the knees in Pran Mudra.
• Keep the spine straight and the shoulders relaxed. Close your ears with both palms. Close your mouth and raise and stretch you head especially chin upwards.
• Close the eyes softly and take a slow and deep breath and hold the breath in.
• Begin slowly exhaling, making humming sound of a bee, while reciting "OM" mentally. Try to feel the vibration in the nasal region.
• Repeat the exercise 10 times.
How Yoga and Cycling Fit Perfectly Together
At first glance the two don't seem to go together do they? Cycling can be so frenetic, and yoga so serene. Yet, yoga can enhance your cycling experience greatly.
I started cycling in 1992 with endurance rides in the Colorado Rockies. They typically covered anywhere from 68 miles on a single day ride to 700 miles on a multi-day event. Some of those miles were over 12,000-foot passes and others on the flat wide-open plains of eastern Colorado.
After a long ride I would most always pay for a massage to help eliminate the toxins, which had accumulated during the hours in the saddle. Having arrived home I would also stretch to stay limber and decrease soreness.
When I started practicing yoga a few years later I happily discovered unexpected benefits, which lent themselves to cycling very quickly and enhanced what I was already doing.
In yoga breathing is a vital part of every session. You learn to breath slowly, predictably and purposefully. This practice enables you to focus on the muscles being used, the balance required and the mental calmness needed to chase away the rest of the world for a few precious moments.
In cycling breathing correctly is a vital part of the ride. Does that sound familiar? When I saw how much my breathing during yoga changed how I performed, I knew instantly how it would affect my cycling. Learning to breathe during an endurance ride or a race is an important part of performing properly.
Yoga teaches us to breathe into the muscles being worked, relaxing and energizing them at the same time. When I am racing a time trial, which is a race against yourself and the clock, I have learned to apply these yoga principles to keep my breathing under control. Breathing deeply, slowly, and by mentally directing the oxygen and energy toward my legs, lower back, neck, or triceps I can reduce the pain and suffering and increase the effectiveness of racing techniques.
As I mentioned earlier, in Colorado we ride a lot in the mountains and they present a whole host of problems to a cyclist's body. We climb to absurd heights, descend at ridiculous speeds while covering hundreds of miles. As you might surmise, this takes enormous concentration.
Yoga provides the techniques to concentrate on the tasks at hand enabling the cyclist to push through pain, long hours on a skinny seat, breathe sufficiently in the thin oxygen and focus on narrow roads while descending.
During a yoga session we learn to balance on one foot with our arms extended over our head in the tree pose. Poses like this help you have real sense of your body, gain stability, strength, and a quiet focus on your physical condition. This all translates extremely well to cycling.
Consider combining the two, you may find the results to be worth the effort.
I started cycling in 1992 with endurance rides in the Colorado Rockies. They typically covered anywhere from 68 miles on a single day ride to 700 miles on a multi-day event. Some of those miles were over 12,000-foot passes and others on the flat wide-open plains of eastern Colorado.
After a long ride I would most always pay for a massage to help eliminate the toxins, which had accumulated during the hours in the saddle. Having arrived home I would also stretch to stay limber and decrease soreness.
When I started practicing yoga a few years later I happily discovered unexpected benefits, which lent themselves to cycling very quickly and enhanced what I was already doing.
In yoga breathing is a vital part of every session. You learn to breath slowly, predictably and purposefully. This practice enables you to focus on the muscles being used, the balance required and the mental calmness needed to chase away the rest of the world for a few precious moments.
In cycling breathing correctly is a vital part of the ride. Does that sound familiar? When I saw how much my breathing during yoga changed how I performed, I knew instantly how it would affect my cycling. Learning to breathe during an endurance ride or a race is an important part of performing properly.
Yoga teaches us to breathe into the muscles being worked, relaxing and energizing them at the same time. When I am racing a time trial, which is a race against yourself and the clock, I have learned to apply these yoga principles to keep my breathing under control. Breathing deeply, slowly, and by mentally directing the oxygen and energy toward my legs, lower back, neck, or triceps I can reduce the pain and suffering and increase the effectiveness of racing techniques.
As I mentioned earlier, in Colorado we ride a lot in the mountains and they present a whole host of problems to a cyclist's body. We climb to absurd heights, descend at ridiculous speeds while covering hundreds of miles. As you might surmise, this takes enormous concentration.
Yoga provides the techniques to concentrate on the tasks at hand enabling the cyclist to push through pain, long hours on a skinny seat, breathe sufficiently in the thin oxygen and focus on narrow roads while descending.
During a yoga session we learn to balance on one foot with our arms extended over our head in the tree pose. Poses like this help you have real sense of your body, gain stability, strength, and a quiet focus on your physical condition. This all translates extremely well to cycling.
Consider combining the two, you may find the results to be worth the effort.
Yogic eating
Any dog or horse trainer will tell you that what is fed to an animal influences its behaviour. Although we like to forget this when it comes to ourselves, what we eat has a huge influence not only over our physical well being, but also over our thoughts, and ultimately our emotional and spiritual well being. The yogis of ancient times knew this, and many classical yogic texts, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, contain advice on a yogic diet. However, proper diet is a controversial subject. Nutrition has been extensively researched by modern science, and there seems to be as many 'proper' diets as there are scientific studies. It is more than a bit confusing for someone to devise their own individual diet amidst so much, often contradictory, advice.
The advice given below is based on the classical yogic texts and on the author's experience. It also gives pointers for further research and experimentation.
Unlike modern scientists, yogis are not interested in the chemical content (protein, vitamins, etc...) of the food. Instead, food is traditionally classified according to its effect on the body and mind, using the the three Gunas: Sattva (the quality of love, light and life), Raja (the quality of activity and passion, lacking stability) and Tamas (the quality of darkness and inertia, dragging us into ignorance and attachment) :
How and when to eat is also important. One should not eat too late at night, for there should be a gap of at least two, and preferably 3 to 4 hours between supper and sleep. Food should be freshly prepared and eaten with attention, respect and gratitude. While one should eat to live, rather than live to eat, food should be tasty, so as to be appreciated. The attitude of the person preparing the food is important as well, as the mood of the cook permeates the food. Most Indians still prefer their lunch box prepared at home to lunch in a restaurant for this reason, and some yogis only eat food prepared by themselves or other yogis.
Another important issue with a yogic diet is that of vegetarianism. Not only are fish and meat specifically listed amongst the "food injurious to the yoga" by the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (I, 59), but eating the flesh of dead animals violates the first principle of yogic ethics (yamas) as laid down by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, that of non- violence (ahimsa). Yogis believe that the fear of death permeate every cell the body of an animal when it is slaughtered, and therefore, the traditional yogic diet is lacto-vegetarian and avoids eggs as well as all animal flesh (including fish!). Indeed modern research has shown that vegetarians are generally in better health than meat eaters. Proteins that can be obtain from nuts, dairy products and legumes are generally of a better quality than meat.
Anyone who has lived for a while on a dairy farm might go as far as questioning the morality of eating dairy products when the milk is taken from a cow whose calf has been taken away and slaughtered. This is a valid point, and while milk is not inherently "injurious to the yogi", it may be that in the world we live in, only a vegan diet can really be sattvic, because of the poor treatment of the milking animal, the stress they are subjected to, and the quantity of drugs that they have to ingest (some of which undoubtingly find their way into their milk). However, I believe that dairy from farms where animals are well treated, such as organic ones, is acceptable.
Another important point to consider is how any particular diet suits an individual's particular constitution and circumstances. Ayurveda, the classic system of Indian medicine, classifies people, as well as food into three categories according to their nature. These three categories, or doshas as they are called, are Pitta (hot and oily), Vata (dry and light) and Kapha (cold and moist) and in ayurveda, the individual's diet should be tailored to the individual's constitution to keep the doshas in balance. Some foods which are recommended for a particular ayurvedic constitution may not be suitable for another; for example, while milk, a sattvic food, is generally good for Pitta constitution, it may not suit someone with a Kapha constitution. The ideal ayurvedic diet also changes depending on the time of the year. For further information, see our articles on Ayurveda, Ayurvedic diet, and Ayurvedic cooking
Finally, the issue of food combining, which has received some attention in the West in recent years, is also important, for even the right foods taken in wrong combination can cause problems. Without going into too much details, let's just say that some types of food combine well, while others, because of the difference in the digestive process they require, should not be mixed. For example, strong proteins should not be mixed with carbohydrates. To be safe, avoid mixing too many different types of food in the same meal. See "Food Combining Made Easy " by Herbert Shelton, or "The Tao of health, sex and longevity", by Daniel Reid (also offers a wealth of advice on diet and exercise) for more information on that subject.
They are many more approaches to dieting, and eating the right food, in the right amount, in the right combination, at the right time, is a difficult art, that can only be learned by experimenting to find out what works best. I hope that the recipes from our recipes section will inspire you!
The advice given below is based on the classical yogic texts and on the author's experience. It also gives pointers for further research and experimentation.
Unlike modern scientists, yogis are not interested in the chemical content (protein, vitamins, etc...) of the food. Instead, food is traditionally classified according to its effect on the body and mind, using the the three Gunas: Sattva (the quality of love, light and life), Raja (the quality of activity and passion, lacking stability) and Tamas (the quality of darkness and inertia, dragging us into ignorance and attachment) :
- Sattvic food promotes clarity and calmness of mind and is favourable for spiritual growth. It is "sweet, fresh and agreeable" and includes most fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables, whole grains, honey, pure water and milk (with the reservation that commercially produced milk may not nowadays be so sattvic...). Given the amount of pesticides and chemical fertilisers used on commercial crops, only organic products still qualify as Sattvic, and tinned or frozen food certainly don't.
- Rajasic food feeds the body, but promotes activity and therefore induces restlessness of mind. It disturbs the equilibrium of the mind and is generally to be avoided by yoga practionners. Rajasic foods include most spicy foods, stimulants like coffee and tea, eggs, garlic, onion, meat, fish and chocolate, as well as most processed food. Eating too fast or with a disturbed mind is also considered rajasic. Rajasic food should be avoided by those whose aim is peace of mind, but will benefit people with an active lifestyle. A little rajasic food can be sattvic, for example, hot spices can help digestion, and therefore help create peace of mind!
- Tamasic food (to be avoided) induces heaviness of the body and dullness of the mind, and ultimately benefits neither. It includes alcohol, as well as food that is stale or overripe. Overeating is also tamasic. The traditional advice is to fill the stomach half with food, one quarter with water, leaving the last quarter empty.
How and when to eat is also important. One should not eat too late at night, for there should be a gap of at least two, and preferably 3 to 4 hours between supper and sleep. Food should be freshly prepared and eaten with attention, respect and gratitude. While one should eat to live, rather than live to eat, food should be tasty, so as to be appreciated. The attitude of the person preparing the food is important as well, as the mood of the cook permeates the food. Most Indians still prefer their lunch box prepared at home to lunch in a restaurant for this reason, and some yogis only eat food prepared by themselves or other yogis.
Another important issue with a yogic diet is that of vegetarianism. Not only are fish and meat specifically listed amongst the "food injurious to the yoga" by the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (I, 59), but eating the flesh of dead animals violates the first principle of yogic ethics (yamas) as laid down by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, that of non- violence (ahimsa). Yogis believe that the fear of death permeate every cell the body of an animal when it is slaughtered, and therefore, the traditional yogic diet is lacto-vegetarian and avoids eggs as well as all animal flesh (including fish!). Indeed modern research has shown that vegetarians are generally in better health than meat eaters. Proteins that can be obtain from nuts, dairy products and legumes are generally of a better quality than meat.
Anyone who has lived for a while on a dairy farm might go as far as questioning the morality of eating dairy products when the milk is taken from a cow whose calf has been taken away and slaughtered. This is a valid point, and while milk is not inherently "injurious to the yogi", it may be that in the world we live in, only a vegan diet can really be sattvic, because of the poor treatment of the milking animal, the stress they are subjected to, and the quantity of drugs that they have to ingest (some of which undoubtingly find their way into their milk). However, I believe that dairy from farms where animals are well treated, such as organic ones, is acceptable.
Another important point to consider is how any particular diet suits an individual's particular constitution and circumstances. Ayurveda, the classic system of Indian medicine, classifies people, as well as food into three categories according to their nature. These three categories, or doshas as they are called, are Pitta (hot and oily), Vata (dry and light) and Kapha (cold and moist) and in ayurveda, the individual's diet should be tailored to the individual's constitution to keep the doshas in balance. Some foods which are recommended for a particular ayurvedic constitution may not be suitable for another; for example, while milk, a sattvic food, is generally good for Pitta constitution, it may not suit someone with a Kapha constitution. The ideal ayurvedic diet also changes depending on the time of the year. For further information, see our articles on Ayurveda, Ayurvedic diet, and Ayurvedic cooking
Finally, the issue of food combining, which has received some attention in the West in recent years, is also important, for even the right foods taken in wrong combination can cause problems. Without going into too much details, let's just say that some types of food combine well, while others, because of the difference in the digestive process they require, should not be mixed. For example, strong proteins should not be mixed with carbohydrates. To be safe, avoid mixing too many different types of food in the same meal. See "Food Combining Made Easy " by Herbert Shelton, or "The Tao of health, sex and longevity", by Daniel Reid (also offers a wealth of advice on diet and exercise) for more information on that subject.
They are many more approaches to dieting, and eating the right food, in the right amount, in the right combination, at the right time, is a difficult art, that can only be learned by experimenting to find out what works best. I hope that the recipes from our recipes section will inspire you!
Christophe Mouze
Christophe is one of the resident yoga teacher and chefs at the Clare Island Retreat Centre, Ireland
Christophe is one of the resident yoga teacher and chefs at the Clare Island Retreat Centre, Ireland
Yoga for Brides
Every bride wants to look trim, toned, and relaxed as she glides down the aisle in her beautiful wedding gown and pearl earrings. A great way to achieve all three? Yoga! With its unique combination of muscle-toning and stress-busting postures, many brides have found that yoga is the perfect form of exercise to prepare them for their weddings. Learn more about yoga for brides.
First of all, you should know that you do not have to be flexible or experienced to enjoy the benefits of pre-wedding yoga. Flexibility is something that you develop from practicing yoga, just as you develop strength from lifting weights or endurance from running. So never be afraid to try yoga, no matter what your current level of fitness or flexibility. As long as your doctor says you are healthy enough for exercise and you work with a qualified instructor, you will get all the benefits from yoga whether you are a beginner or experienced.
Many brides wear strapless wedding gowns with their pearl earrings, and toning their arms and shoulders can be a major concern. The classic yoga posture Downward Dog is excellent for developing slim muscles in those areas showcased by a strapless gown. A great thing about yoga is that you never have to worry about getting the bulky muscles which can come from weight lifting. Any poses in which you bear some of your body weight on your arms will help to tone that area, including postures like handstands (full expression or modified for beginners), Crow, or side angle. Even postures in which the arms are engaged in space will tone the biceps and triceps, like the Warrior poses.
Looking to trim your waist to look more slender in your wedding gown? There are many great yoga postures which can help. To get a firmer tummy, feel the burn with Boat pose. Many of the balancing postures like Eagle also require you to engage your core muscles to hold the pose. Unlike conventional sit ups or crunches, yoga has a number of poses which are effective at tightening the muscles down the sides of the waist. Holding a side bend will do wonders to whittle your waistline for your wedding. Side angle is great for slimming the sides of the waist as well.
Don't forget your back when you are trying to trim your waist. Losing the back part of a "muffin top" is a definite wedding "do". Any back bending poses will help tone up your back muscles. Good options include Cobra, Wheel, Bridge, and standing back bends like Dancer. Your teacher can help you adapt the back bends to be appropriate for your level of experience and flexibility. A healthy strong back also aids in creating a tall elegant posture - perfect for gliding down the aisle on your wedding day with a regal bearing.
Of course, you can always recognize a yogini by her "yoga bottom", so if losing the junk in your trunk is one of your pre-wedding fitness goals, you will find yoga to be very beneficial. Any of the postures which involve kicking your leg behind your body like floor Bow will firm, lift, and round your tush to get it in shape for a trumpet or sheath style bridal gown. And certainly any of the lunges are great to firm up your entire lower half. Best of all, not only will yoga help you look better in your wedding gown, it will help you achieve the serenity and radiance that all brides seek for their wedding day.
First of all, you should know that you do not have to be flexible or experienced to enjoy the benefits of pre-wedding yoga. Flexibility is something that you develop from practicing yoga, just as you develop strength from lifting weights or endurance from running. So never be afraid to try yoga, no matter what your current level of fitness or flexibility. As long as your doctor says you are healthy enough for exercise and you work with a qualified instructor, you will get all the benefits from yoga whether you are a beginner or experienced.
Many brides wear strapless wedding gowns with their pearl earrings, and toning their arms and shoulders can be a major concern. The classic yoga posture Downward Dog is excellent for developing slim muscles in those areas showcased by a strapless gown. A great thing about yoga is that you never have to worry about getting the bulky muscles which can come from weight lifting. Any poses in which you bear some of your body weight on your arms will help to tone that area, including postures like handstands (full expression or modified for beginners), Crow, or side angle. Even postures in which the arms are engaged in space will tone the biceps and triceps, like the Warrior poses.
Looking to trim your waist to look more slender in your wedding gown? There are many great yoga postures which can help. To get a firmer tummy, feel the burn with Boat pose. Many of the balancing postures like Eagle also require you to engage your core muscles to hold the pose. Unlike conventional sit ups or crunches, yoga has a number of poses which are effective at tightening the muscles down the sides of the waist. Holding a side bend will do wonders to whittle your waistline for your wedding. Side angle is great for slimming the sides of the waist as well.
Don't forget your back when you are trying to trim your waist. Losing the back part of a "muffin top" is a definite wedding "do". Any back bending poses will help tone up your back muscles. Good options include Cobra, Wheel, Bridge, and standing back bends like Dancer. Your teacher can help you adapt the back bends to be appropriate for your level of experience and flexibility. A healthy strong back also aids in creating a tall elegant posture - perfect for gliding down the aisle on your wedding day with a regal bearing.
Of course, you can always recognize a yogini by her "yoga bottom", so if losing the junk in your trunk is one of your pre-wedding fitness goals, you will find yoga to be very beneficial. Any of the postures which involve kicking your leg behind your body like floor Bow will firm, lift, and round your tush to get it in shape for a trumpet or sheath style bridal gown. And certainly any of the lunges are great to firm up your entire lower half. Best of all, not only will yoga help you look better in your wedding gown, it will help you achieve the serenity and radiance that all brides seek for their wedding day.
Yoga Benefits Teens - Helps Them Deal With Many of the Challenges Specific to Adolescence
Yoga is well known as a great full body workout and a way to manage stress. These same benefits apply when teens do yoga. As well, there are a myriad of other ways in which yoga helps alleviate many of the concerns specific to the chaotic world in which teens live.
First yoga helps teens de-stress. Between academic pressure and the social jungle that is Junior and Senior High School, teen lives are extremely stressful. There is a significant amount of peer pressure. They have to make decisions which impact the rest of their lives. Their schedules are filled to overfull with school, sports, part-time jobs and a social life. Their hormones are completely out of balance most of the time. Yoga helps teens deal with all of these challenges. It teaches them to look inward for inspiration, to connect with themselves. Furthermore, it provides training in relaxation techniques and breathing exercises which promote calm and stimulate the relaxation response.
Second yoga is a full body workout which builds strength, increases flexibility, improves balance, develops coordination, reduces fatigue, clears the mind, stimulates the immune system, and invigorates the entire body. Yoga means 'to join' or 'to unite' and works at bringing into harmony the body, breath and mind. A regular yoga workout will stabilize core muscles, engage the mind, and challenge teens on all levels.
Third yoga helps teens develop confidence and improve their self-esteem. The physical changes inherent in adolescence often lead to poor self-image. Yoga focuses on accepting they body as it is today while working toward improvement. Learning to stand with proper posture, to carry oneself with confidence, to find the beauty within and without are all repercussions of a regular yoga practice. In addition, yoga helps to develop creativity and is a means for self-expression through journalling, yoga dance, flow sequences, guided meditation, and other outlets.
Fourth yoga provides a foundation for lifelong health to all teens regardless of ability, gender, race, age, or socio-economic status. The yoga mat is a level playing field. There are no tests, no competitions. Athletes will discover a wonderful cross-training tool. Non-athletes will learn to appreciate and care for their bodies and minds. Teens who engage in self-destructive behaviours can find a healthy and challenging way to experiment and push boundaries. Teen yoga classes are a place to feel comfortable, to receive positive reinforcement and encouragement, and to provide a means for lifelong health and vitality.
Teens truly can benefit from yoga. They are at a perfect age to develop good habits. Their innate curiosity and desire for self-expression work beautifully to create fun and dynamic yoga classes. Yoga in turn empowers them with confidence and peace, allowing them to live their lives to the fullest.
First yoga helps teens de-stress. Between academic pressure and the social jungle that is Junior and Senior High School, teen lives are extremely stressful. There is a significant amount of peer pressure. They have to make decisions which impact the rest of their lives. Their schedules are filled to overfull with school, sports, part-time jobs and a social life. Their hormones are completely out of balance most of the time. Yoga helps teens deal with all of these challenges. It teaches them to look inward for inspiration, to connect with themselves. Furthermore, it provides training in relaxation techniques and breathing exercises which promote calm and stimulate the relaxation response.
Second yoga is a full body workout which builds strength, increases flexibility, improves balance, develops coordination, reduces fatigue, clears the mind, stimulates the immune system, and invigorates the entire body. Yoga means 'to join' or 'to unite' and works at bringing into harmony the body, breath and mind. A regular yoga workout will stabilize core muscles, engage the mind, and challenge teens on all levels.
Third yoga helps teens develop confidence and improve their self-esteem. The physical changes inherent in adolescence often lead to poor self-image. Yoga focuses on accepting they body as it is today while working toward improvement. Learning to stand with proper posture, to carry oneself with confidence, to find the beauty within and without are all repercussions of a regular yoga practice. In addition, yoga helps to develop creativity and is a means for self-expression through journalling, yoga dance, flow sequences, guided meditation, and other outlets.
Fourth yoga provides a foundation for lifelong health to all teens regardless of ability, gender, race, age, or socio-economic status. The yoga mat is a level playing field. There are no tests, no competitions. Athletes will discover a wonderful cross-training tool. Non-athletes will learn to appreciate and care for their bodies and minds. Teens who engage in self-destructive behaviours can find a healthy and challenging way to experiment and push boundaries. Teen yoga classes are a place to feel comfortable, to receive positive reinforcement and encouragement, and to provide a means for lifelong health and vitality.
Teens truly can benefit from yoga. They are at a perfect age to develop good habits. Their innate curiosity and desire for self-expression work beautifully to create fun and dynamic yoga classes. Yoga in turn empowers them with confidence and peace, allowing them to live their lives to the fullest.
Yoga Cure for Hypertension
Hypertension, the extensive problem found in all age groups has created a panic throughout the world, as its proper and harmless cure is still not confirmed even by the physicians of the modern world. Hypertension in its definition means a condition where the blood pressure is higher than the normal.
There are several causes of hypertension but the major ones are:
o Hormonal imbalance (increased secretion of epinephrine)
o Food habits (Excessive intake of oily foods)
o Age factors (narrowing of the arteries due to deposition of fat in them making the arterial wall narrower thereby which in turn increases the flow of blood)
Hypertension has drastic consequences like:
o Strokes
o Heart Attacks
o Heart Failure
o Arterial aneurysm
o Renal/Kidney Failure
It is true that hypertension could be controlled through intake of several allopathic drugs like - ACE inhibitors, terazosin, propranolol, amlodipine, bendroflumethiazide etc. though there are several hundreds besides them. But it is mostly found that there are always some side effects associated with them.
The burning question! Is it fully curable? The answer for this is same for all deadly illness - Every disease is curable but...? The statement continues. Anyway in this article I would like to focus how to control the problem of hypertension through Yoga practices.
Hypertension is mainly caused by improper working of arteries and heart which is ultimately controlled by our brain impulse. So if we are able to calm our brain it's possible to calm our body parts too. Yoga provides a unique technique to handle this. Practices of several Yoga asanas (Postures) and Dhyana (Meditation) has proved beneficial to several high blood pressure patients.
Postures includes bending of legs and sitting in a fixed position, slow movement of neck in circular directions, lying on the floor over the front and bring legs closer to back etc., this relaxes the muscles which ultimately strengthens the blood vessels.
The other technique includes Meditation which is considered to be the best weapon against hypertension, this is one of the most ancient technique used for managing stress and other mental disorders. But some recent studies have shown that meditation even help in control hypertension because hypertension is caused by more or less a mental disorder. Meditation or Dhyana involves severe concentration of mind over one point, in order to do medication bring yourself in a relax able posture you like, after that concentrate your mind (Not eye, as we found in many books / articles which focus our eye over one object, it is entirely different phenomenon used to sharpen memory and has nothing to do with mental ailments) over any object with eyes shut. Practice this method in several body postures regularly and ultimately you will find your mind in calm position thereby helping in coping with your Hypertension.
Now-a-days several modern health organizations are promoting yoga for treating the hypertension and launching campaigns and workshops for the people to follow several Yoga guidelines in its treatment against Hypertension.
There are several causes of hypertension but the major ones are:
o Hormonal imbalance (increased secretion of epinephrine)
o Food habits (Excessive intake of oily foods)
o Age factors (narrowing of the arteries due to deposition of fat in them making the arterial wall narrower thereby which in turn increases the flow of blood)
Hypertension has drastic consequences like:
o Strokes
o Heart Attacks
o Heart Failure
o Arterial aneurysm
o Renal/Kidney Failure
It is true that hypertension could be controlled through intake of several allopathic drugs like - ACE inhibitors, terazosin, propranolol, amlodipine, bendroflumethiazide etc. though there are several hundreds besides them. But it is mostly found that there are always some side effects associated with them.
The burning question! Is it fully curable? The answer for this is same for all deadly illness - Every disease is curable but...? The statement continues. Anyway in this article I would like to focus how to control the problem of hypertension through Yoga practices.
Hypertension is mainly caused by improper working of arteries and heart which is ultimately controlled by our brain impulse. So if we are able to calm our brain it's possible to calm our body parts too. Yoga provides a unique technique to handle this. Practices of several Yoga asanas (Postures) and Dhyana (Meditation) has proved beneficial to several high blood pressure patients.
Postures includes bending of legs and sitting in a fixed position, slow movement of neck in circular directions, lying on the floor over the front and bring legs closer to back etc., this relaxes the muscles which ultimately strengthens the blood vessels.
The other technique includes Meditation which is considered to be the best weapon against hypertension, this is one of the most ancient technique used for managing stress and other mental disorders. But some recent studies have shown that meditation even help in control hypertension because hypertension is caused by more or less a mental disorder. Meditation or Dhyana involves severe concentration of mind over one point, in order to do medication bring yourself in a relax able posture you like, after that concentrate your mind (Not eye, as we found in many books / articles which focus our eye over one object, it is entirely different phenomenon used to sharpen memory and has nothing to do with mental ailments) over any object with eyes shut. Practice this method in several body postures regularly and ultimately you will find your mind in calm position thereby helping in coping with your Hypertension.
Now-a-days several modern health organizations are promoting yoga for treating the hypertension and launching campaigns and workshops for the people to follow several Yoga guidelines in its treatment against Hypertension.
Yoga and Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are a common cause of frustration for children and adults. It is estimated that as high as 15 percent of Americans have some sort of learning disability. By definition, they are defined as the psychological or neurological conditions that influence a person's ability to communicate and learn efficiently.
While people who have disorders such as ADHD and autism may very well also possess learning disabilities, these types of disorders don't belong in the learning disability category. Diagnoses that do belong, however, can greatly vary, ranging from reading disorders, such as dyslexia, to disorders that disallow for the comprehension of mathematics, such as dyscalculia.
Those who are plagued with learning disabilities are not always of high or low intelligence, though presence on both ends of the spectrum are possible. Likewise, a person born with a learning disability wasn't necessarily born with an inability to learn. Instead, the individual simply possesses a processing impairment, such as an auditory impairment or visual impairment, that makes their ability to learn from routine ways of teaching particularly difficult.
While learning disabilities can weaken a person's ability to learn, the damage they do often falls into deeper crevices. Some people, particularly children, with learning disabilities may have severe self esteem issues, anger problems, behavioral problems, and a desire to quit things like school or extracurricular activities.
How Yoga Helps
The treatment of a learning disability can vary from person to person. Different disabilities require different treatment options and even then, therapy must be determined on an individual basis: what works for one person with dyslexia may not work for another. However, yoga, because it does not focus on the disability but the person, can benefit a variety of people with a variety of learning problems.
Self Esteem: Self esteem can be a hard thing for some people to obtain, particularly when that person feels as though they have something wrong with them. Yoga is a vehicle of self-awareness, self-realization, and self-acceptance, three things that work together to increase a person's sense of self, ultimately solidifying their self esteem.
People who do yoga feel better about themselves and the world around them. They become motivated, better able to tackle the hardships a learning disability, or any kind of disability, can bring. Yoga also helps them gain acceptance of their disability, accepting that they have it and learning what can help minimize the effects of it. Yoga also provides time for self-reflection, helping students to become less influenced by their negative capacities and more influenced by their positive ones.
Conscious Breathing: If there is one function that can help just about anything, it's probably the act of conscious breathing. Breathing helps a person on innumerable levels.
From increasing circulation to providing oxidation, from ridding the body of stagnant energy to bringing in fresh forces, breathing helps people to be more in tune, more empowered, and more ready to learn.
Breathing can also help thwart a major element of learning disabilities: frustration.. Because frustration comes along with nearly every learning disability, with some people succumbing to aggravation and hindering their ability to learn even more, the breathing techniques taught in yoga can help people to relax, rejuvenate, and try again.
Concentration: The ability to concentrate is a major factor in the ability to learn. Oftentimes, those with learning disabilities have an impaired ability to concentrate. Yoga, however, facilitates concentration.. Not only does the actual practice of it require students to focus on their breathing as it weaves through the poses, but yoga also gives people the ability to focus when away from the studio.
Yoga increases the circulation of oxygen and blood to the brain, allowing people to focus, to concentrate, and to remember things with greater clarity. It also stimulates the Central Nervous system, the system that serves as the messenger between the brain and the rest of the body. Through the meditation and mindful practices of yoga, people become more centered and balanced, allowing them to focus on tasks at hand with greater attentiveness.
Eye Movements: People who have dyslexia, a learning disability that affects reading and writing, may particularly benefit from practicing yoga. This is because parts of yoga involve eye exercises, with students forming poses and focusing on a certain spot for an extended period of time. These eye exercises can increase the efficiency of the optic nerve, relax the muscles of the face, and increase the functionality of certain areas of the brain. These benefits all work together to improve a person's ability to focus visually, helping them to correctly recognize words in the process.
People with learning disabilities may need a wide range of therapies. Children, in particular, may require more one on one attention during class or tutoring. Even with therapy, however, learning disabilities might not go away entirely. Because many are biological or genetic, some people are just programmed to learn differently than others. However, yoga can help those afflicted to accept their impairment and gain strength by removing the focus from their disabilities and placing it on their abilities.
About us: TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, Hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body's natural healing potential.
While people who have disorders such as ADHD and autism may very well also possess learning disabilities, these types of disorders don't belong in the learning disability category. Diagnoses that do belong, however, can greatly vary, ranging from reading disorders, such as dyslexia, to disorders that disallow for the comprehension of mathematics, such as dyscalculia.
Those who are plagued with learning disabilities are not always of high or low intelligence, though presence on both ends of the spectrum are possible. Likewise, a person born with a learning disability wasn't necessarily born with an inability to learn. Instead, the individual simply possesses a processing impairment, such as an auditory impairment or visual impairment, that makes their ability to learn from routine ways of teaching particularly difficult.
While learning disabilities can weaken a person's ability to learn, the damage they do often falls into deeper crevices. Some people, particularly children, with learning disabilities may have severe self esteem issues, anger problems, behavioral problems, and a desire to quit things like school or extracurricular activities.
How Yoga Helps
The treatment of a learning disability can vary from person to person. Different disabilities require different treatment options and even then, therapy must be determined on an individual basis: what works for one person with dyslexia may not work for another. However, yoga, because it does not focus on the disability but the person, can benefit a variety of people with a variety of learning problems.
Self Esteem: Self esteem can be a hard thing for some people to obtain, particularly when that person feels as though they have something wrong with them. Yoga is a vehicle of self-awareness, self-realization, and self-acceptance, three things that work together to increase a person's sense of self, ultimately solidifying their self esteem.
People who do yoga feel better about themselves and the world around them. They become motivated, better able to tackle the hardships a learning disability, or any kind of disability, can bring. Yoga also helps them gain acceptance of their disability, accepting that they have it and learning what can help minimize the effects of it. Yoga also provides time for self-reflection, helping students to become less influenced by their negative capacities and more influenced by their positive ones.
Conscious Breathing: If there is one function that can help just about anything, it's probably the act of conscious breathing. Breathing helps a person on innumerable levels.
From increasing circulation to providing oxidation, from ridding the body of stagnant energy to bringing in fresh forces, breathing helps people to be more in tune, more empowered, and more ready to learn.
Breathing can also help thwart a major element of learning disabilities: frustration.. Because frustration comes along with nearly every learning disability, with some people succumbing to aggravation and hindering their ability to learn even more, the breathing techniques taught in yoga can help people to relax, rejuvenate, and try again.
Concentration: The ability to concentrate is a major factor in the ability to learn. Oftentimes, those with learning disabilities have an impaired ability to concentrate. Yoga, however, facilitates concentration.. Not only does the actual practice of it require students to focus on their breathing as it weaves through the poses, but yoga also gives people the ability to focus when away from the studio.
Yoga increases the circulation of oxygen and blood to the brain, allowing people to focus, to concentrate, and to remember things with greater clarity. It also stimulates the Central Nervous system, the system that serves as the messenger between the brain and the rest of the body. Through the meditation and mindful practices of yoga, people become more centered and balanced, allowing them to focus on tasks at hand with greater attentiveness.
Eye Movements: People who have dyslexia, a learning disability that affects reading and writing, may particularly benefit from practicing yoga. This is because parts of yoga involve eye exercises, with students forming poses and focusing on a certain spot for an extended period of time. These eye exercises can increase the efficiency of the optic nerve, relax the muscles of the face, and increase the functionality of certain areas of the brain. These benefits all work together to improve a person's ability to focus visually, helping them to correctly recognize words in the process.
People with learning disabilities may need a wide range of therapies. Children, in particular, may require more one on one attention during class or tutoring. Even with therapy, however, learning disabilities might not go away entirely. Because many are biological or genetic, some people are just programmed to learn differently than others. However, yoga can help those afflicted to accept their impairment and gain strength by removing the focus from their disabilities and placing it on their abilities.
About us: TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, Hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body's natural healing potential.
Eight Yoga Exercises For the Lower Back
EXERCISES FOR BACK RELIEF
Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but actually, what your back really needs when it's hurt is exercise. Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury. This is a use it or lose it situation: the more you rest, the weaker your back gets, even if it is hurt. Studies have actually shown that you can heal your back pain faster and get back to your regular activities with just two days of rest. This article will focus on Yoga Exercises. Remember to contact your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
YOGA EXERCISES FOR YOUR BACK
A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain. However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, as an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses. Here are some of the best yoga poses for relieving back pain. Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.
CORPSE: Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, arms resting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned out slightly. If it hurts your back to have your knees turned outward, do this pose with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds while allowing any tension to leave the body.
CAT STRETCH: Start out on your hands and knees with a flat back. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Knees should be directly under the hips. Head is held loosely so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck your chin in to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Hold, then release back into your original position.
WIND-RELEASING POSE: Lie flat on your back as in Corpse pose. As you inhale, bend your knee, place your hands right below the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain flat on the floor. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch your knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with the other leg.
SAGE TWIST: Warning for this pose-it involves twisting your back, so you should take particular care not to twist too far or you risk aggravating any existing back pain. This should be a gentle stretch; twist just as far as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. This is where you need to be careful not to twist too far. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.
PALM TREE: Stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise both arms over your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms are facing upward. Next, place your palms on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. Stretch your arms upwards, and at the same time, come up onto your toes if you can do so without pain. Stretch your entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people have difficulty balancing during this pose, so just do the stretching part if you need to.
FISH POSE: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as far as you comfortably can and raise it off the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head backwards and rest the crown of your head on the floor. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one minute if you can.
LOCUST: Lie face down with arms at the side, palms down, and elbows slightly bent with fingers pointing towards the feet. Raise your legs and thighs as high off the ground as possible without causing your back any pain. Hold for one second and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must take care to strain already injured muscles.
BENDING FORWARD POSTURE: Stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms straight above your head. While breathing out, bend forward and touch your toes if you can. If you can't reach your toes, grab hold of your ankles or calves. To complete the pose, you should touch your head to your knees, but this may be too difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.
Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but actually, what your back really needs when it's hurt is exercise. Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury. This is a use it or lose it situation: the more you rest, the weaker your back gets, even if it is hurt. Studies have actually shown that you can heal your back pain faster and get back to your regular activities with just two days of rest. This article will focus on Yoga Exercises. Remember to contact your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
YOGA EXERCISES FOR YOUR BACK
A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain. However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, as an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses. Here are some of the best yoga poses for relieving back pain. Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.
CORPSE: Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, arms resting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned out slightly. If it hurts your back to have your knees turned outward, do this pose with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds while allowing any tension to leave the body.
CAT STRETCH: Start out on your hands and knees with a flat back. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Knees should be directly under the hips. Head is held loosely so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck your chin in to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Hold, then release back into your original position.
WIND-RELEASING POSE: Lie flat on your back as in Corpse pose. As you inhale, bend your knee, place your hands right below the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain flat on the floor. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch your knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with the other leg.
SAGE TWIST: Warning for this pose-it involves twisting your back, so you should take particular care not to twist too far or you risk aggravating any existing back pain. This should be a gentle stretch; twist just as far as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. This is where you need to be careful not to twist too far. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.
PALM TREE: Stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise both arms over your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms are facing upward. Next, place your palms on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. Stretch your arms upwards, and at the same time, come up onto your toes if you can do so without pain. Stretch your entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people have difficulty balancing during this pose, so just do the stretching part if you need to.
FISH POSE: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as far as you comfortably can and raise it off the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head backwards and rest the crown of your head on the floor. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one minute if you can.
LOCUST: Lie face down with arms at the side, palms down, and elbows slightly bent with fingers pointing towards the feet. Raise your legs and thighs as high off the ground as possible without causing your back any pain. Hold for one second and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must take care to strain already injured muscles.
BENDING FORWARD POSTURE: Stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms straight above your head. While breathing out, bend forward and touch your toes if you can. If you can't reach your toes, grab hold of your ankles or calves. To complete the pose, you should touch your head to your knees, but this may be too difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.
Relieve Your Neck Pain with Yoga
Everyone gets a little stiff neck once in a while, and yoga can wipe away the pain with a few concentrated exercises. First, though, you must be certain the pain isn't related to something more serious than a simple stiff neck. Instead of yoga, see a doctor if any one of the following is true:
- You neck pain has persisted for more than three days, or it keeps coming back.
- Your neck pain is accompanied by dizziness or nausea.
- The pain seems to radiate down into your arms or legs.
- The pain began with a fall or accident.
If your stiff neck does NOT meet any of the above conditions, these simple yoga exercises can help increase your neck's flexibility and strengthen the neck muscles. By exercising you speed blood and needed nutrients to the area, easing the neck pain gradually. Try these:
Neck Stretches
Sitting cross-legged, tall and straight, and inhale eyes forward. Exhale, moving chin to chest. Repeat this breath five times, the fifth time holding chin to chest breathing three times through the nose. Inhale, raising the head to center again. This time drop your right ear to your right shoulder during the exhale. Repeat this breath five times, the fifth time holding ear to shoulder for three breaths. Repeat this sequence with the left ear to left shoulder.
Half-Circle Rolls
Drop your chin to your chest. Slowly roll it up to your right shoulder, down to center, up to the left shoulder and down to center. Repeat this three to five times. Never roll the head in a full circle, as this can cause damage.
Shoulder Hunches
Hunch your shoulders up as high as you can, then relax them completely. Repeat five to six times. Next roll your shoulders in forward circles five to six times, then backward circles five to six times. Notice how relaxed your shoulders feel. Try this quick relaxation exercise any time you feel tension building.
Chest Expander
Stand with your feet together and your fingers interlaced behind your back. Inhale while raising your hands behind your back, squeezing your shoulder blades together and tucking your tailbone under to keep from over-arching your back. Hold this position for three to four breaths, then lower your arms slowly during the next exhale.
Arm Lifts
Hold your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground with palms facing each other but not touching. Inhale while bringing them up next to your head. Exhale while you bring them down again. Repeat this four to eight times.
Press It
Place either palm on the back of your head. Simultaneously press the head and hand against each other for a count of ten. Move the palm to the forehead and repeat the pressing for another count of ten. Now place the right palm against the right side of your head and press head and hand together for a count of ten. Repeat with the left palm and left side of the head.
These yoga exercises are designed to relieve physical stress and related pain. The best pain relief is pain prevention, so be sure to watch your posture and set your workspace to avoid slouching.
- You neck pain has persisted for more than three days, or it keeps coming back.
- Your neck pain is accompanied by dizziness or nausea.
- The pain seems to radiate down into your arms or legs.
- The pain began with a fall or accident.
If your stiff neck does NOT meet any of the above conditions, these simple yoga exercises can help increase your neck's flexibility and strengthen the neck muscles. By exercising you speed blood and needed nutrients to the area, easing the neck pain gradually. Try these:
Neck Stretches
Sitting cross-legged, tall and straight, and inhale eyes forward. Exhale, moving chin to chest. Repeat this breath five times, the fifth time holding chin to chest breathing three times through the nose. Inhale, raising the head to center again. This time drop your right ear to your right shoulder during the exhale. Repeat this breath five times, the fifth time holding ear to shoulder for three breaths. Repeat this sequence with the left ear to left shoulder.
Half-Circle Rolls
Drop your chin to your chest. Slowly roll it up to your right shoulder, down to center, up to the left shoulder and down to center. Repeat this three to five times. Never roll the head in a full circle, as this can cause damage.
Shoulder Hunches
Hunch your shoulders up as high as you can, then relax them completely. Repeat five to six times. Next roll your shoulders in forward circles five to six times, then backward circles five to six times. Notice how relaxed your shoulders feel. Try this quick relaxation exercise any time you feel tension building.
Chest Expander
Stand with your feet together and your fingers interlaced behind your back. Inhale while raising your hands behind your back, squeezing your shoulder blades together and tucking your tailbone under to keep from over-arching your back. Hold this position for three to four breaths, then lower your arms slowly during the next exhale.
Arm Lifts
Hold your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground with palms facing each other but not touching. Inhale while bringing them up next to your head. Exhale while you bring them down again. Repeat this four to eight times.
Press It
Place either palm on the back of your head. Simultaneously press the head and hand against each other for a count of ten. Move the palm to the forehead and repeat the pressing for another count of ten. Now place the right palm against the right side of your head and press head and hand together for a count of ten. Repeat with the left palm and left side of the head.
These yoga exercises are designed to relieve physical stress and related pain. The best pain relief is pain prevention, so be sure to watch your posture and set your workspace to avoid slouching.
Yoga for gas trouble
Yoga is very helpful for gas trouble as it helps to expel the gas by stimulating peristalsis and increasing blood flow to the digestive organs so that they can work more effectively. Try these pose to relieve your gas problem –
- Vajrasana – sit in vajrasana for 10-12 minutes after your meals daily, this pose is very helpful in eliminating the gas problem. For this place yoga mat on the floor. Sit on the mat with legs straight. Now bend one leg at a time at knees and place it under the hips. Place both legs carefully in such a way that the toes touch each other and the knees are apart forming a ‘V' shape. Place your hips on the heels and place your hands under the stomach. Concentrate on your breathing while you are in this pose.
- Pawanmuktasan – lie on your back on a yoga mat that is placed on the floor. Bend your left leg at the knee to fold it and bring it close to your stomach with the support of the left hand. Bend at neck and try to touch your nose to your knee, stay in this position for 30 seconds and then repeat the same thing with right leg. Then bend both the legs together and perform this pose. This pose will not only help to eliminate excess gas but also provide flexibility of hips and knees and reduce the belly fat.
Yoga for Brain Injury
For people recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion or head trauma, yoga offers gentle exercise with therapeutic benefits. Many survivors find themselves unable to pursue former ways of staying in shape. Balance difficulties, loss of motor control, vertigo, and neck injuries limit physical activity, further restricting an already curtailed lifestyle. Fortunately, a yoga practice can adapt itself to any illness or injury, lending itself particularly well to TBI recovery.
Where to start? With yoga's recent popularity in the West, students can now choose anything from hot yoga to Kundalini to Ashtanga. People with neck or back injuries in addition to head trauma probably want to begin with a teacher trained in Iyengar yoga, which uses props to support proper alignment without strain. Kripalu trained teachers also tend to offer calmer, restorative classes. Any yoga class that emphasizes flow (not too fast, though) will help retrain sequential processing-an advantage for people who suffered damage to their left-brain or rational side. A vinyasa sequence links breath and movement, emphasizing step-by-step progression in a set order. Learning and remembering such movements through repetition becomes a form of cognitive therapy.
Before beginning a yoga practice, survivors should talk with their treatment providers, as well as their intended yoga instructor. Most teachers ask about injuries in the beginning of class, but few people understand the intricacies of TBI on their own. Explain any unusual sensitivities or restrictions you experience and ask the instructor for recommendations within his or her own class, or for suggestions on where to find more compatible classes. Yoga is supposed to support and nurture growth, not exhaust the body and nervous system.
For this reason, survivors might initially want to stay away from Kundalini Yoga or Bikram Yoga, both of which offer intense workouts. Kundalini Yoga aims to awaken dormant energy potential, which sounds like a good thing for TBI survivors. Indeed, it can help tremendously--once neurons have stopped misfiring and "short-circuiting." Most survivors inaccurately gage their stamina, though, easily over-stimulating themselves. Kundalini Yoga works powerfully on subtle levels, making energy levels more difficult to monitor. Sometimes the rapidly awakened kundalini proves too much for a sensitive TBI survivor. Bikram Yoga takes place in a very hot room, moving rapidly through poses that encourage the sweating of toxins. As with Kundalini, adherents of Bikram rave about its benefits. For a hypersensitive survivor, though, the excessive heat, body odor, and physicality of Bikram make it a less safe option. In the beginning, look instead for class titles like: "Restorative," "Beginner," "Iyengar," "Kripalu" and "Gentle."
Yoga Journal offers many DVD's, in case survivors prefer to learn in the comfort of their homes. Start with short sessions to build up mental and physical stamina. Twenty minute DVD's allow survivors a sense of accomplishment, without the potential fatigue caused by hour or hour and a half long in-person classes. Downward Dog Productions with Sarah Bates also offers accessible yoga DVD workouts designed especially for people with disabilities. At-home yoga workouts take most of the expense out of learning yoga, too, since survivors can invest in one or two DVD's to practice every day, rather than paying for class each time. On the other hand, a good yoga teacher can personalize routines to support survivors' own unique health challenges.
Besides sculpting lean, strong muscles and naturally realigning the spine, yoga offers TBI survivors a chance to reconnect with their bodies in a positive way. Robin Cohn, a TBI survivor and Vice President of the New York State Brain Injury Association, recognized the transformative effects of yoga in her own recovery: "I began with a beginner's gentle yoga class, where I slowly started to get atrophied muscles moving once again. The more I went, the better I began to feel." Inspired, she began co-teaching yoga classes designed especially for other survivors. "These students are so thrilled to have the opportunity to be practicing yoga and reaping the wonderful benefits of asana and pranayam (breathing). ... The happiness, tranquility and peace that yoga brings to them is so rewarding! Their smiles just say so much about how happy they are to be practicing."
Yoga brings awareness from 5000+ years of connecting human body, mind and spirit. It began as a means of calming the endocrine system and relaxing the body so that practitioners could sit longer in meditation. These calming, strengthening and relaxing effects make it an ideal practice for TBI survivors whose systems run on constant overload. Slowing down and bringing oneself to center can help anyone deal with stress. For TBI survivors, though, yoga offers a glimpse of not just "normal" functioning; yoga also brings the chance for optimal health and well-being. Many practitioners experience peace and self-acceptance for the first time in their lives, including pre-injury. Yoga becomes part of a greater awakening (facilitated by TBI)-helping survivors to find and appreciate the hidden blessings of their journey.
Where to start? With yoga's recent popularity in the West, students can now choose anything from hot yoga to Kundalini to Ashtanga. People with neck or back injuries in addition to head trauma probably want to begin with a teacher trained in Iyengar yoga, which uses props to support proper alignment without strain. Kripalu trained teachers also tend to offer calmer, restorative classes. Any yoga class that emphasizes flow (not too fast, though) will help retrain sequential processing-an advantage for people who suffered damage to their left-brain or rational side. A vinyasa sequence links breath and movement, emphasizing step-by-step progression in a set order. Learning and remembering such movements through repetition becomes a form of cognitive therapy.
Before beginning a yoga practice, survivors should talk with their treatment providers, as well as their intended yoga instructor. Most teachers ask about injuries in the beginning of class, but few people understand the intricacies of TBI on their own. Explain any unusual sensitivities or restrictions you experience and ask the instructor for recommendations within his or her own class, or for suggestions on where to find more compatible classes. Yoga is supposed to support and nurture growth, not exhaust the body and nervous system.
For this reason, survivors might initially want to stay away from Kundalini Yoga or Bikram Yoga, both of which offer intense workouts. Kundalini Yoga aims to awaken dormant energy potential, which sounds like a good thing for TBI survivors. Indeed, it can help tremendously--once neurons have stopped misfiring and "short-circuiting." Most survivors inaccurately gage their stamina, though, easily over-stimulating themselves. Kundalini Yoga works powerfully on subtle levels, making energy levels more difficult to monitor. Sometimes the rapidly awakened kundalini proves too much for a sensitive TBI survivor. Bikram Yoga takes place in a very hot room, moving rapidly through poses that encourage the sweating of toxins. As with Kundalini, adherents of Bikram rave about its benefits. For a hypersensitive survivor, though, the excessive heat, body odor, and physicality of Bikram make it a less safe option. In the beginning, look instead for class titles like: "Restorative," "Beginner," "Iyengar," "Kripalu" and "Gentle."
Yoga Journal offers many DVD's, in case survivors prefer to learn in the comfort of their homes. Start with short sessions to build up mental and physical stamina. Twenty minute DVD's allow survivors a sense of accomplishment, without the potential fatigue caused by hour or hour and a half long in-person classes. Downward Dog Productions with Sarah Bates also offers accessible yoga DVD workouts designed especially for people with disabilities. At-home yoga workouts take most of the expense out of learning yoga, too, since survivors can invest in one or two DVD's to practice every day, rather than paying for class each time. On the other hand, a good yoga teacher can personalize routines to support survivors' own unique health challenges.
Besides sculpting lean, strong muscles and naturally realigning the spine, yoga offers TBI survivors a chance to reconnect with their bodies in a positive way. Robin Cohn, a TBI survivor and Vice President of the New York State Brain Injury Association, recognized the transformative effects of yoga in her own recovery: "I began with a beginner's gentle yoga class, where I slowly started to get atrophied muscles moving once again. The more I went, the better I began to feel." Inspired, she began co-teaching yoga classes designed especially for other survivors. "These students are so thrilled to have the opportunity to be practicing yoga and reaping the wonderful benefits of asana and pranayam (breathing). ... The happiness, tranquility and peace that yoga brings to them is so rewarding! Their smiles just say so much about how happy they are to be practicing."
Yoga brings awareness from 5000+ years of connecting human body, mind and spirit. It began as a means of calming the endocrine system and relaxing the body so that practitioners could sit longer in meditation. These calming, strengthening and relaxing effects make it an ideal practice for TBI survivors whose systems run on constant overload. Slowing down and bringing oneself to center can help anyone deal with stress. For TBI survivors, though, yoga offers a glimpse of not just "normal" functioning; yoga also brings the chance for optimal health and well-being. Many practitioners experience peace and self-acceptance for the first time in their lives, including pre-injury. Yoga becomes part of a greater awakening (facilitated by TBI)-helping survivors to find and appreciate the hidden blessings of their journey.
Five Ways Swami Satchidananda Yoga Can Balance Your Life Article
Swami Satchidananda brought his brand of popular yoga to the United States in the Sixties. Half a century later, there are facilities all over the country that make his teachings and his practices available to millions of Americans searching for enlightenment and balance. With yoga, they find exactly that. In fact, yoga isn't just good for the body. It's good for the mind. There are many ways his practice and teachings can benefit interested parties today. You want to truly improve your life? Pick an area, and yoga can give you exactly what you need:
Family: With the healing peace of yoga, you can find calm in the relationships with those closest to you: your family. This yoga practice gives you time, peace, and energy to evaluate the bond you share with those around you, and helps direct your mind to ways you can improve upon that bond. Of the millions who have taken advantage of Swami Satchidananda's teachings over the years, this has been one area universally agreed upon as beneficial.
Relationships: Imagine not worrying about finding Mister or Missus Right. Imagine being at peace with who you are. Can you see how that could open you up to possibilities in your relationships with other people. You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends and lovers. Swami Satchidananda yoga helps you to pick these things wisely by placing you in a position where you can be at peace with yourself and what you hope to gain from outer relationships.
Religion: Who created us? What happens to us when we die? What should I believe? What should I condemn? Traditional religion is plagued with questions that bring judgment and doubt. Yoga is not a practice for absolutes. It doesn't focus on who's right and who's wrong and what must be done about it. It focuses on you. It does not condemn your faith, nor uphold it. It simply helps you find peace with what you believe and what your purpose is in this world.
Self Improvement: Swami Satchidananda yoga has so many benefits for the mind, but it helps the body, too. Improve the way you look and feel with yoga strategies that challenge your body even while making it stronger and more effective. Health and wellness is as much physical as it is mental, and yoga understands this.
Lifestyles: Eat better. Live better. Yoga teaches you to treat your body and mind as a temple.
Satchidananda and his yoga teachings and practices seek to include every person and every belief. It's the perfect complement to who you are and what you hope to achieve from life. Give your body and mind what it needs with yoga, and wake up to a better you.
Family: With the healing peace of yoga, you can find calm in the relationships with those closest to you: your family. This yoga practice gives you time, peace, and energy to evaluate the bond you share with those around you, and helps direct your mind to ways you can improve upon that bond. Of the millions who have taken advantage of Swami Satchidananda's teachings over the years, this has been one area universally agreed upon as beneficial.
Relationships: Imagine not worrying about finding Mister or Missus Right. Imagine being at peace with who you are. Can you see how that could open you up to possibilities in your relationships with other people. You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends and lovers. Swami Satchidananda yoga helps you to pick these things wisely by placing you in a position where you can be at peace with yourself and what you hope to gain from outer relationships.
Religion: Who created us? What happens to us when we die? What should I believe? What should I condemn? Traditional religion is plagued with questions that bring judgment and doubt. Yoga is not a practice for absolutes. It doesn't focus on who's right and who's wrong and what must be done about it. It focuses on you. It does not condemn your faith, nor uphold it. It simply helps you find peace with what you believe and what your purpose is in this world.
Self Improvement: Swami Satchidananda yoga has so many benefits for the mind, but it helps the body, too. Improve the way you look and feel with yoga strategies that challenge your body even while making it stronger and more effective. Health and wellness is as much physical as it is mental, and yoga understands this.
Lifestyles: Eat better. Live better. Yoga teaches you to treat your body and mind as a temple.
Satchidananda and his yoga teachings and practices seek to include every person and every belief. It's the perfect complement to who you are and what you hope to achieve from life. Give your body and mind what it needs with yoga, and wake up to a better you.
Source: http://EzineArticles.com
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.
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.
The Significance Of Hatha Yoga To Contemporary Man
There is a lot more to Hatha Yoga then becoming a preparation for greater phases of Yogic practice. These days, contemporary Yoga sages and experts have observed a way to make use of its bodily training and postures to the benefit of present day man. What is Hatha Yoga?
Hatha Yoga is defined by present day yogic experts as an implies to attain complete control about your physical self -- accomplishing total bodily concentrate and letting go of distractions that can restrict you on your quest for self-improvement.
Ancient texts define Hatha Yoga as a tradition of breaking the body's limitation to attain its final likely. Its quite a few practices aim to discipline the practitioner to forcefully control his or her system in planning to the subsequent route of Yogic tradition -- the Raja Yoga or meditation.
There has been an important debate heading on among diverse Yoga college on the significance of bodily Yoga (hatha) and meditation (raja). Nevertheless, experts all agree that these two phases are opposite sides of the same coin -- the coin being the entire body of the practitioner and call for mastery on the two sides in order to attain comprehensive enlightenment.
The Facets of Hatha Yogic Practice
The philosophy of Hatha Yoga is defined by its Sanskrit word. The phrase "hatha" indicates "to forcefully unite" or "union of opposing forces". It is additional explained by breaking it down into "ha" and "tha". The Sanskrit words "ha" offers which means to the energetic masculine vitality or the sun, and "tha" as the receptive feminine vitality or moon. The human physique is composed of two opposing forces -- or energies -- like fire and h2o. These energies are known as the solar and lunar channel.
These two opposing forces are related to the concept of Yin and Yang. The photo voltaic channel is defined as the energetic masculine energy, and the lunar channel as the receptive feminine power. The word "hatha" defines the forceful union of these two energies for man to realize total bodily manage and enlightenment.
What's Concerned?
The practice of Hatha Yoga is a technique of exercises that assists the modern guy realize complete manage of his or her bodily faculties before proceeding to the upcoming stage of enlightenment. Reference to ancient texts indicated that the practice of Hatha Yoga requires the purification of the physique (shatkarma) or a healthy and balanced way of living; meditative postures to boost the body's flexibility and vitality circulation (Asanas), breathing exercise to regulate the circulation of the body's important force (Pranayama) along the energy centers of the human system (Chakra) and the manifestation of man's latent instinct (Kundalini).
Hatha Notion
The only way to adequately fully grasp the notion of Hatha Yoga is to really place it into practice. There is no way for an person to encounter the teachings if it is not undertaken by your physical self.
Hatha Yogic tradition expounds the use of bodily meditative postures (Asanas) as element of the purification ritual (shatkarma). Along with gestures (mudras) and breathing physical exercises (Pranayama), a practitioner can disciple his or her system to enter a state of physical trance that is a prerequisite for meditation.
In order for man to attain full handle of his or her bodily self, postures allows a single to discipline their head to achieve stability that is required to concentrate correctly throughout meditation. The bodily distractions are always component of meditation and the notion of Hatha permits one particular to overcome his or her senses in order to push by way of with mental workout routines with no any hindrances.
Modern-day Application
Ancient texts define the consequence of Hatha yogic practice with aim to enable man attain complete enlightenment. Nevertheless, modern-day application of Hatha is purely centered on overall health. Such examples include:
The posture or asanas of Hatha Yoga targets all the muscle tissue in the human physique. This is ideal for individuals who are always stressed out with function and lack bodily physical exercise that success to a whole lot of aches and pains all through your human body.
two. Breathing Exercising
We can never ever deny the actuality that contemporary guy is constantly subjected to physical, emotional, and psychological pressure. Obtaining methods to calm one's faculties may well need us to resort to chemical indicates -- like pills that aids your muscles chill out -- in order to get rid of pressure.
However, Hatha Yogic physical exercise, like the Pranayama or breathing training is one particular strategy to obtain complete tension relief even when you're in the center of your work. Focusing on one's breathing can aid a person concentrate -- receiving rid of stray thoughts that confuse the head; common and constant breathing ensures proper oxidation of your blood and distributes significantly required oxygen to all the muscles in your entire body.
2. Pregnancy
A stiff bodily body is always a dilemma for pregnant ladies. In most situations, having a massive stomach as you carry your little one for 9 months may limit your system in terms of training. Modern-day yogic specialists believe that the practice of Hatha Yoga and particular exercise and postures can assist alleviate a woman's burden through the phases of pregnancy. Breathing physical exercises can aid during childbirth and comprehensive control of your muscles makes for an easy delivery.
four. Muscle Pain Relief
Hatha Yoga introduces modern-day man to numerous flowing exercises to aid them attain a healthy physical state. Right now, some of these workouts are utilized to help guy cope or alleviate agonizing muscle episodes by focusing on regions with chronic pains. These postures and flowing movements handle both your bones and muscle tissue.
Taking Classes
Hatha Yoga courses are very well-liked in the modern planet. Due to the discipline involved and the accuracy of movements expected to push via with the teachings, it is required to get yoga courses with a skilled and compassionate instructor to guide you via it. Even though there is no rule that says that you can't do yoga at property, it is important to make sure that you know the basics ahead of you test performing it on your very own.
Yoga classes generally start off out with an introduction if you're a newbie. You will be taught the philosophy of Hatha Yoga and its rewards to the human entire body. You will be provided a set of regimen schedules such as warm ups, slow and flowing postures, superior movements, and the likes. In most scenarios, consultation with an expert Yogic instructor can decide which courses would match you very best and stay clear of issues during and soon after sessions.
Hatha Yoga is defined by present day yogic experts as an implies to attain complete control about your physical self -- accomplishing total bodily concentrate and letting go of distractions that can restrict you on your quest for self-improvement.
Ancient texts define Hatha Yoga as a tradition of breaking the body's limitation to attain its final likely. Its quite a few practices aim to discipline the practitioner to forcefully control his or her system in planning to the subsequent route of Yogic tradition -- the Raja Yoga or meditation.
There has been an important debate heading on among diverse Yoga college on the significance of bodily Yoga (hatha) and meditation (raja). Nevertheless, experts all agree that these two phases are opposite sides of the same coin -- the coin being the entire body of the practitioner and call for mastery on the two sides in order to attain comprehensive enlightenment.
The Facets of Hatha Yogic Practice
The philosophy of Hatha Yoga is defined by its Sanskrit word. The phrase "hatha" indicates "to forcefully unite" or "union of opposing forces". It is additional explained by breaking it down into "ha" and "tha". The Sanskrit words "ha" offers which means to the energetic masculine vitality or the sun, and "tha" as the receptive feminine vitality or moon. The human physique is composed of two opposing forces -- or energies -- like fire and h2o. These energies are known as the solar and lunar channel.
These two opposing forces are related to the concept of Yin and Yang. The photo voltaic channel is defined as the energetic masculine energy, and the lunar channel as the receptive feminine power. The word "hatha" defines the forceful union of these two energies for man to realize total bodily manage and enlightenment.
What's Concerned?
The practice of Hatha Yoga is a technique of exercises that assists the modern guy realize complete manage of his or her bodily faculties before proceeding to the upcoming stage of enlightenment. Reference to ancient texts indicated that the practice of Hatha Yoga requires the purification of the physique (shatkarma) or a healthy and balanced way of living; meditative postures to boost the body's flexibility and vitality circulation (Asanas), breathing exercise to regulate the circulation of the body's important force (Pranayama) along the energy centers of the human system (Chakra) and the manifestation of man's latent instinct (Kundalini).
Hatha Notion
The only way to adequately fully grasp the notion of Hatha Yoga is to really place it into practice. There is no way for an person to encounter the teachings if it is not undertaken by your physical self.
Hatha Yogic tradition expounds the use of bodily meditative postures (Asanas) as element of the purification ritual (shatkarma). Along with gestures (mudras) and breathing physical exercises (Pranayama), a practitioner can disciple his or her system to enter a state of physical trance that is a prerequisite for meditation.
In order for man to attain full handle of his or her bodily self, postures allows a single to discipline their head to achieve stability that is required to concentrate correctly throughout meditation. The bodily distractions are always component of meditation and the notion of Hatha permits one particular to overcome his or her senses in order to push by way of with mental workout routines with no any hindrances.
Modern-day Application
Ancient texts define the consequence of Hatha yogic practice with aim to enable man attain complete enlightenment. Nevertheless, modern-day application of Hatha is purely centered on overall health. Such examples include:
1. Stretching Exercising
The posture or asanas of Hatha Yoga targets all the muscle tissue in the human physique. This is ideal for individuals who are always stressed out with function and lack bodily physical exercise that success to a whole lot of aches and pains all through your human body.
two. Breathing Exercising
We can never ever deny the actuality that contemporary guy is constantly subjected to physical, emotional, and psychological pressure. Obtaining methods to calm one's faculties may well need us to resort to chemical indicates -- like pills that aids your muscles chill out -- in order to get rid of pressure.
However, Hatha Yogic physical exercise, like the Pranayama or breathing training is one particular strategy to obtain complete tension relief even when you're in the center of your work. Focusing on one's breathing can aid a person concentrate -- receiving rid of stray thoughts that confuse the head; common and constant breathing ensures proper oxidation of your blood and distributes significantly required oxygen to all the muscles in your entire body.
2. Pregnancy
A stiff bodily body is always a dilemma for pregnant ladies. In most situations, having a massive stomach as you carry your little one for 9 months may limit your system in terms of training. Modern-day yogic specialists believe that the practice of Hatha Yoga and particular exercise and postures can assist alleviate a woman's burden through the phases of pregnancy. Breathing physical exercises can aid during childbirth and comprehensive control of your muscles makes for an easy delivery.
four. Muscle Pain Relief
Hatha Yoga introduces modern-day man to numerous flowing exercises to aid them attain a healthy physical state. Right now, some of these workouts are utilized to help guy cope or alleviate agonizing muscle episodes by focusing on regions with chronic pains. These postures and flowing movements handle both your bones and muscle tissue.
Taking Classes
Hatha Yoga courses are very well-liked in the modern planet. Due to the discipline involved and the accuracy of movements expected to push via with the teachings, it is required to get yoga courses with a skilled and compassionate instructor to guide you via it. Even though there is no rule that says that you can't do yoga at property, it is important to make sure that you know the basics ahead of you test performing it on your very own.
Yoga classes generally start off out with an introduction if you're a newbie. You will be taught the philosophy of Hatha Yoga and its rewards to the human entire body. You will be provided a set of regimen schedules such as warm ups, slow and flowing postures, superior movements, and the likes. In most scenarios, consultation with an expert Yogic instructor can decide which courses would match you very best and stay clear of issues during and soon after sessions.
Yoga - Offering You Benefits Beyond a Healthy Body
There is no doubt at all that the craze for doing Yoga has swept across the world. A lot of people follow this ancient exercise routine because they are aware that it offers them immense health benefits. Yogic routines comprise of a lot of bending and stretching exercises as well as regulated deep breathing. Certain styles are slow paced whereas others are very vigorous. The benefits differ accordingly which makes it easy for a person to get exactly what he or she is looking for. There are plenty of health benefits of doing these exercises and certain styles such as Power or Bikram Yoga are great ways to lose weight. However, there are many people who incorporate this exercise into their daily routine because it offers them more benefits beyond a healthy body. Yoga is one of the best exercise routines for a person who is troubled by mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. There is probably no better exercise than this for reducing stress especially since it requires you to spend a certain amount of time meditating. The deep breathing routines that you have to follow help to regulate your heart beat and bring down your anxiety levels. You will also find it very easy to focus your mind on things once you begin this exercise. This will help you concentrate on things better and will improve your memory. Mood swings will also be a thing of the past. Your productivity at work and your social interactions will improve once you begin exercising.
Many children today suffer from hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Getting them to practice Yoga is a great way to channelize their energy correctly so that they find it easier to get along with other people. They also relax a lot thanks to this exercise and rarely exhibit symptoms of aggression and anger since they have a better way of channelizing their emotions and energy.
The improved blood circulation that happens as a result of doing these exercises is very helpful to improve your immune system since it increases the levels of antioxidants in the body. If you suffer from headaches as well as skin problems the improved circulation will improve your condition. You will also find it very easy to sleep if you include Yoga in your daily schedule and will be filled with energy during the day.
Many children today suffer from hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Getting them to practice Yoga is a great way to channelize their energy correctly so that they find it easier to get along with other people. They also relax a lot thanks to this exercise and rarely exhibit symptoms of aggression and anger since they have a better way of channelizing their emotions and energy.
The improved blood circulation that happens as a result of doing these exercises is very helpful to improve your immune system since it increases the levels of antioxidants in the body. If you suffer from headaches as well as skin problems the improved circulation will improve your condition. You will also find it very easy to sleep if you include Yoga in your daily schedule and will be filled with energy during the day.
One of the biggest advantages of this style of exercise is that you can practice it at home without supervision once you have gotten the hang of it. All you need is an exercise mat and comfortable clothes that have a lot of stretch. You can keep aside an hour or so every day in which to practice the different Asanas or positions you have learned. Your mental and physical health will improve considerably and so will your appearance since your skin and hair will look better than before. The time that you spend doing Yoga will certainly be well spent considering all the advantages you get.
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