30. Connective Tissue
As you read all the ways yoga improves your health, you probably noticed a lot of overlap. That's because they are all intensely interwoven. Change your posture and you can change the way you breathe. Change your breathing and you can change your nervous system. Everything is connected-your hipbone to your anklebone, you to your community, your community to the world. Such interconnection is vital to yoga. This holistic system simultaneously taps into many mechanisms that have self-perpetuating and even multiplicative effects. Synergy may be the most important way off all that yoga heals.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
29. Healing Hope
In much of conventional medicine, most patients are passive recipients of care. In yoga, it's what you do for yourself that matters. Yoga provides you with the tools to help you create change, and you might start to feel better the first time you try practising . You may also notice that the more you commit to practice, the more you benefit. This results in three things: You get involved in your own care, you discover that your involvement gives you the power to effect change and seeing that you can effect change gives you hope. And hope itself can be profoundly healing.
In much of conventional medicine, most patients are passive recipients of care. In yoga, it's what you do for yourself that matters. Yoga provides you with the tools to help you create change, and you might start to feel better the first time you try practising . You may also notice that the more you commit to practice, the more you benefit. This results in three things: You get involved in your own care, you discover that your involvement gives you the power to effect change and seeing that you can effect change gives you hope. And hope itself can be profoundly healing.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
28. Clean Machine
Kriyas are another element of yoga. They include everything from rapid breathing exercises to elaborate internal cleansing of the intestines. Jala neti, which entails a gentle lavage, or washing, of the nasal passages with salt water, removes pollen and viruses from the nose, keeps mucous from building up and helps drain the sinuses.
Kriyas are another element of yoga. They include everything from rapid breathing exercises to elaborate internal cleansing of the intestines. Jala neti, which entails a gentle lavage, or washing, of the nasal passages with salt water, removes pollen and viruses from the nose, keeps mucous from building up and helps drain the sinuses.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
27. Vision Quest
If you contemplate an image in your mind's eye, as you do in yoga nidra and other practices, you can effect change in your body. Several studies have found that guided imagery reduced postoperative pain, decreased the frequency of headaches and improved the quality of life for people with cancer and HIV.
If you contemplate an image in your mind's eye, as you do in yoga nidra and other practices, you can effect change in your body. Several studies have found that guided imagery reduced postoperative pain, decreased the frequency of headaches and improved the quality of life for people with cancer and HIV.
Count on yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
26. Sound System
Asana, pranayama and meditation all work to improve your health, but there's more in the yoga toolbox. Consider chanting. It tends to prolong exhalation, which shifts the balance toward the parasympathetic nervous system. Done in a group, chanting can be a powerful, physical, and emotional experience. A recent study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute suggests that humming sounds-like those made while chanting Om-open the sinuses and facilitate drainage.
Asana, pranayama and meditation all work to improve your health, but there's more in the yoga toolbox. Consider chanting. It tends to prolong exhalation, which shifts the balance toward the parasympathetic nervous system. Done in a group, chanting can be a powerful, physical, and emotional experience. A recent study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute suggests that humming sounds-like those made while chanting Om-open the sinuses and facilitate drainage.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
25. Brain Waves
An important concept of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory and even IQ scores. People who practise Transcendental Meditation demonstrate the ability to solve problems and acquire and recall information better - probably because they're less distracted by their thoughts, which can play over and over like an endless tape loop.
An important concept of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory and even IQ scores. People who practise Transcendental Meditation demonstrate the ability to solve problems and acquire and recall information better - probably because they're less distracted by their thoughts, which can play over and over like an endless tape loop.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
24. Good Relations
Love may not conquer all, but it certainly can aid in healing. Cultivating the emotional support of friends, family and community has been demonstrated repeatedly to improve health and healing. A regular yoga practice helps develop friendliness, compassion and greater equanimity. Along with yogic philosophy's emphasis on avoiding harm to others, telling the truth and taking only what you need, this may improve many of your relationships.
Love may not conquer all, but it certainly can aid in healing. Cultivating the emotional support of friends, family and community has been demonstrated repeatedly to improve health and healing. A regular yoga practice helps develop friendliness, compassion and greater equanimity. Along with yogic philosophy's emphasis on avoiding harm to others, telling the truth and taking only what you need, this may improve many of your relationships.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
23. Hostile Makeover
Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger. Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to - and there's evidence that yoga speeds reaction time-but you can take that split second to choose a more thoughtful approach.
Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger. Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to - and there's evidence that yoga speeds reaction time-but you can take that split second to choose a more thoughtful approach.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
22. Heat Treatment
Yoga can help you make changes in your life. In fact, that might be it's greatest strength. Tapas, the Sanskrit word for "heat," is the fire, the discipline that fuels yoga practice and that regular practice builds. The tapas you develop can be extended to the rest of your life to overcome inertia and change dysfunctional habits. You may find that without making any particular effort to change things, you start to eat better, excercise more or finally quit smoking after years of failed attempts.
Yoga can help you make changes in your life. In fact, that might be it's greatest strength. Tapas, the Sanskrit word for "heat," is the fire, the discipline that fuels yoga practice and that regular practice builds. The tapas you develop can be extended to the rest of your life to overcome inertia and change dysfunctional habits. You may find that without making any particular effort to change things, you start to eat better, excercise more or finally quit smoking after years of failed attempts.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Count on yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
21. Pain Drain
Yoga can ease your pain. According to several studies, asana (postures), meditation, or a combination of the two, reduced pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome and other chronic conditions. When you relieve your pain, your mood improves, you're more inclined to be active and you don't need as much medication.
Yoga can ease your pain. According to several studies, asana (postures), meditation, or a combination of the two, reduced pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome and other chronic conditions. When you relieve your pain, your mood improves, you're more inclined to be active and you don't need as much medication.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
20. Poop Scoop
Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation-all of these can be exacerbated by stress. So if you stress less, you'll suffer less. Yoga, like any physical excercise, can ease constipation and theoretically lower the risk of colon cancer because moving the body facilitates more rapid transport of food and waste products through the bowels. And, although it has not been studied scientifically, yogis suspect that twisting poses may be beneficial in getting waste to move through the system.
Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation-all of these can be exacerbated by stress. So if you stress less, you'll suffer less. Yoga, like any physical excercise, can ease constipation and theoretically lower the risk of colon cancer because moving the body facilitates more rapid transport of food and waste products through the bowels. And, although it has not been studied scientifically, yogis suspect that twisting poses may be beneficial in getting waste to move through the system.
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
19. Immune Boon
It's likely that both asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing) improve immune function, but meditation has the strongest scientific support in this area. It appears to have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the immune system, boosting it when needed (for example, raising antibody levels in response to a vaccine) and lowering it when needed (for instance, mitigating an overly aggressive immune function in an autoimmune disease like psoriasis).
It's likely that both asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing) improve immune function, but meditation has the strongest scientific support in this area. It appears to have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the immune system, boosting it when needed (for example, raising antibody levels in response to a vaccine) and lowering it when needed (for instance, mitigating an overly aggressive immune function in an autoimmune disease like psoriasis).
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
18. Loose Limbs
Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? Those unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension: It might be in your tongue, your eyes, or the muscles of your face and neck. If you simply tune in and pay more attention to these areas, you may be able to relieve some tension.
Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? Those unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension: It might be in your tongue, your eyes, or the muscles of your face and neck. If you simply tune in and pay more attention to these areas, you may be able to relieve some tension.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
17. Breathing Room
Yogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as "complete breathing" to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After one month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly, as did the oxygen saturation of their blood. In addition, yoga has been shown to improve various measures of lung function, including the maximum volume of the breath and the efficiency of the exhalation.
Yogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as "complete breathing" to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After one month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly, as did the oxygen saturation of their blood. In addition, yoga has been shown to improve various measures of lung function, including the maximum volume of the breath and the efficiency of the exhalation.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
16. Space Place
Regularly practising yoga increases your proprioception (your ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. People with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns usually have poor proprioception, which has been linked to knee problems and back pain. Better balance could mean fewer falls. For elderly people, this translates into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering one at all.
Regularly practising yoga increases your proprioception (your ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. People with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns usually have poor proprioception, which has been linked to knee problems and back pain. Better balance could mean fewer falls. For elderly people, this translates into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering one at all.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Moving Toward Balance-weekly class focus schedule
Autumn Term classes begin the 19th of April and Ends on the 2nd of July
Each week we will explore in depth one of the following aspects of Balance as we practice related postures, breath awareness, and meditation.
We will do the same yoga sequence the whole week, so if you miss your preferred class time you can attend on a different day and get the same experience. Or come multiple times in a week if you want to focus more on a certain area.
Week 1-Forward Bending Sequence: A concise sequence of forward bends to create openness in the back of the legs and stretch the hamstrings.
Week 2-Core Sequence: An effective sequence to help strengthen the core.
Week 3-Side Bends: Side-bending opens areas you don't often stretch to feel more balanced and refreshed.
Week 4-Twist & Detox: Give your digestive system a natural boost with this sequence.
Week 5-Balancing Sequence: Increases balance and focus within body and mind.
Week 6-Deep Hip Openers: Targets the flexibility in the hips and groin so you can move with ease.
Week 7-Arm Sequence: Awakens and strengthens the arms and shoulders.
Week 8-Standing Poses and Hip Opening Lunges: Build power and strength in the legs and gluts for a stronger foundation.
Week 9-Gentle Backbends: Learn to create even motion along the spine while improving posture.
Week 10-Shoulder Opening Sequence: Vinyasa flow sequence with an emphasis on opening the shoulders.
Week 11-Energizing Sequence: Vinyasa flow sequence combining sun salutations with standing poses to strengthen, create heat, and detoxify the body.
Each week we will explore in depth one of the following aspects of Balance as we practice related postures, breath awareness, and meditation.
We will do the same yoga sequence the whole week, so if you miss your preferred class time you can attend on a different day and get the same experience. Or come multiple times in a week if you want to focus more on a certain area.
Week 1-Forward Bending Sequence: A concise sequence of forward bends to create openness in the back of the legs and stretch the hamstrings.
Week 2-Core Sequence: An effective sequence to help strengthen the core.
Week 3-Side Bends: Side-bending opens areas you don't often stretch to feel more balanced and refreshed.
Week 4-Twist & Detox: Give your digestive system a natural boost with this sequence.
Week 5-Balancing Sequence: Increases balance and focus within body and mind.
Week 6-Deep Hip Openers: Targets the flexibility in the hips and groin so you can move with ease.
Week 7-Arm Sequence: Awakens and strengthens the arms and shoulders.
Week 8-Standing Poses and Hip Opening Lunges: Build power and strength in the legs and gluts for a stronger foundation.
Week 9-Gentle Backbends: Learn to create even motion along the spine while improving posture.
Week 10-Shoulder Opening Sequence: Vinyasa flow sequence with an emphasis on opening the shoulders.
Week 11-Energizing Sequence: Vinyasa flow sequence combining sun salutations with standing poses to strengthen, create heat, and detoxify the body.
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
15. System Check
Yoga encourages you to relax, slow your breath and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (or the fight or flight response) to the parasympathetic nervous system. The latter is calming and restorative; it lowers breathing and heart rates, decreases blood pressure and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs. Triggering the relaxation response.
Yoga encourages you to relax, slow your breath and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (or the fight or flight response) to the parasympathetic nervous system. The latter is calming and restorative; it lowers breathing and heart rates, decreases blood pressure and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs. Triggering the relaxation response.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
14. Sugar Show
Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and boosts HDL ("good") cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.
Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and boosts HDL ("good") cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
13. Weighty Matters
Move more, eat less - that's the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. You may also benefit by becoming a more conscious eater.
Move more, eat less - that's the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. You may also benefit by becoming a more conscious eater.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
12. Standing Orders
Your head is like a bowling ball-big, round, and heavy. When it's balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for 8 or 12 hours a day and it's no wonder poor posture can cause back, neck and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.
Your head is like a bowling ball-big, round, and heavy. When it's balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for 8 or 12 hours a day and it's no wonder poor posture can cause back, neck and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Count on yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
11. Worry Thwarts
Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn't sound like much, consider these facts. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Plus, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call "food-seeking behavior" (the kind that drives you to eat when you're upset, stressed, or angry). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.
Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn't sound like much, consider these facts. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Plus, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call "food-seeking behavior" (the kind that drives you to eat when you're upset, stressed, or angry). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.
Count on yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
10. Heart Start
When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you can lower your risk of heart attack and relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga excercises that don't get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning . Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during excercise - all reflections of improved aerobic conditioning.
When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you can lower your risk of heart attack and relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga excercises that don't get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning . Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during excercise - all reflections of improved aerobic conditioning.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
9. Pressure Drop
If you've got high blood pressure, you might benefit from yoga. Two studies of people with hypertension, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of Savasana (Corpse Pose) with simply lying on a couch. After three months, Savasana was associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 15-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) - and the higher the initial blood pressure, the bigger the drop.
If you've got high blood pressure, you might benefit from yoga. Two studies of people with hypertension, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of Savasana (Corpse Pose) with simply lying on a couch. After three months, Savasana was associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 15-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) - and the higher the initial blood pressure, the bigger the drop.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
8. Lymph Lesson
When you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around and come in and out of your yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning.
When you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around and come in and out of your yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
7. Flow Chart
Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses, such as Headstand, Handstand, and Shoulderstand, encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated. Yoga also boosts levels of haemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. It thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting the blood level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This can lead to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes since blood clots are often the cause of these killers.
Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses, such as Headstand, Handstand, and Shoulderstand, encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated. Yoga also boosts levels of haemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. It thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting the blood level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This can lead to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes since blood clots are often the cause of these killers.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
6. Tone Zone
It's well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, yoga practice increased bone density in the vertebrae. Yoga's ability to lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, may help keep calcium in the bones.
It's well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, yoga practice increased bone density in the vertebrae. Yoga's ability to lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, may help keep calcium in the bones.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
5. Spinal Rap
Spinal discs-the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves-crave movement. That's the only way they they get their nutrients. If you've got a well-balanced asana practice with plenty of backbends, forward bends, side bends, and twists, you'll help keep your discs supple and healthy.
Spinal discs-the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves-crave movement. That's the only way they they get their nutrients. If you've got a well-balanced asana practice with plenty of backbends, forward bends, side bends, and twists, you'll help keep your discs supple and healthy.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
4. Happy Thoughts
Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into Lord of the Dance Pose. While it's not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and the stress hormone cortisol.
Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into Lord of the Dance Pose. While it's not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and the stress hormone cortisol.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
3. Strength Test
Strong muscles do more than just look good. They also protect us from such conditions as arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.
Strong muscles do more than just look good. They also protect us from such conditions as arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Count on Yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga
2. Joint Account
Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that normally aren't used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it recieves fresh nutrients only when it's fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected cartilage can eventually wear out like worn-out brake pads, exposing the underlying bone.
Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that normally aren't used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it recieves fresh nutrients only when it's fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected cartilage can eventually wear out like worn-out brake pads, exposing the underlying bone.
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