Archive for the ‘Guest Authors’ Category

By Rick A. Lee

Not every child is good at sports and it’s sometimes difficult to know how to get your children to exercise, when you know they don’t enjoy competing. Forcing children into competitive situations can be damaging to their self-confidence and reinforce their dislike of exercise of any kind. When your child isn’t getting enough exercise, it can be quite a problem thinking of ways to get them away from the computer or T.V. Well, I want to tell you a little about the benefits of yoga for children and how it can help them to stay physically and mentally active.

Yoga differs from sports, the usual school activities or regular children’s play principally because it is a non-competitive activity. There are no winners and losers in yoga and this can make it more appealing to a child who doesn’t do very well in ball games and other sporting activities.

Children of school age sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of school work they have to do and by the variety of computer games they play, some of which cause over-stimulation and behavioral problems. Yoga is an excellent preparation for studying because it acts of the mind, as well as the body, to produce a calming and relaxing effect.

Yoga classes for children permit them to improve their sense of well-being through physical, mental and emotional balance which helps to develop their sense of spontaneity, creativity and communication.

In a yoga class children learn to understand and respect their body and to move with agility through the co-ordination of slow movements. This exercise strengthens the muscles and trains children into developing a good posture, as well as developing their attention span, concentration and memory. Yoga teaches good breathing habits and is useful in helping children with asthma to know how to control their breathing and anxiety during an attack.

Yoga classes for children differ from adult classes, because the child is in the moment of learning to be part of the world and how to deal with its highs and lows. In a children’s class they are taught breathing exercises, physical postures known as Asanas, concentration exercises, visualization and relaxation, using games and stories as the way of teaching and learning.

In this way, whilst the children are enjoying the activities, they are also learning about co-operation, paying attention, body movement and ultimately the pleasure that can be gained from doing the right type of exercise for them.

If you’re finding it hard to get your child to exercise, why not try to find a yoga class in your area and help your child to discover the many benefits it can bring?

Rick A. Lee has been a dedicated writer for many years. He mainly focuses on health and fitness articles, but also regularly writes over a variety of niches. You can check out his latest site on cool air mist humidifier which also reviews the best evaporative cool mist humidifier.

By Ama Singh

Recently I’ve been going through a serious health phase. It’s something that I do occasionally, alongside raw-food weeks and long distance running. It’s alright though, as these phases are short-lived and in-dispersed with bouts of home-cooking and an over indulgence in cream teas. Most recently, a friend and I have tried our hand (and legs) at Bikram yoga. Being a regular yogi, I thought I’d take to the sweatiness easily. I’ve been stuck in a car in hot weather before, so surely yoga in a heated room wouldn’t be a challenge. Not so. What I thought would be my next health fad – transpired to be something very different.

I started preparing for the classes a few weeks before hand. It being sweaty yoga, I knew it would probably involve getting down to the undies. With this in mind, I aimed to be as toned and groomed as possible, although on arriving most people were of various different shapes and sizes – so it didn’t really matter. I thought it may be awkward with my friend Christine, but it really wasn’t; we gave each a once over and then just got used to it. We’d registered and mingled with the other class-members, most of whom seemed like regulars. Then we went inside the heated room and started the trademark twenty-six postures. Initially the heat was calming. Then it was cranked up – and the dripping began. The postures seemed to start of fairly easy, but had their own Bikram twist. I thought, being a regular practitioner of Yoga, I’d find this reasonably tolerable; however it soon got tougher and tougher.

As the instructor rolled through the poses, I was astonished at the speed at which the class was progressing. Barely had I moved into a pose, when we were asked to move on to the next. This was unlike the philosophy that I’d gotten used to. I thought you were supposed to ease your way into the poses through breathing. What I felt with the Bikram class was something far removed – something a lot more entwined with boot-camp than the serenity of yoga. Shortly, I began to feel incredibly drained, light headed and like I was going to pass out. Apparently this is normal. I can understand why some people might argue that pushing your body to such extremes helps attain a level of single mindedness and physical endurance which is like no other; but at the time, all I could think about was whether or not I’d ever be able to do this again. One hour seemed like four.

I got to thinking, I’m sure this isn’t what it’s all about. What about the relationship of working closely with an instructor to understand the movement and control of your body. What about learning to breathe before learning to move? All of these things were quickly brushed upon in Bikram and never fully investigated. I wondered whether that was because the class was heavily full and stringently scheduled. The venue that I’d gone to was obviously very busy, and would clearly continue to operate like a business than a place of discovery. For me, the battle between enterprise and methodology seemed to undermine the purpose of the class. Could these have been better classes with smaller numbers and more time? Eventually, this got me thinking about Bikram Choudhury himself. He’s clearly thought long and hard about the technique. Did he believe it would really kick-off the way it did? As a millionaire, is he still involved with the quality control of classes around the world?

I know that I will always appreciate the benefits of yoga, and I know its practice will be experienced differently by each practitioner; but for now, I think I’ll stick to the kind that I’m used to. On considering recent career choices, I was speaking with my yoga teacher about the prospect of learning to teach it. She asked me how much I expected to earn, and then went to say, it won’t really be much, ‘not unless you’re on TV or have a DVD of course’. Maybe Bikram’s got something going for him, I just wonder what the exact philosophy behind it is.

The Non Resident Indian

http://www.the-nri.com/index.php/2009/10/bikram-yoga-a-load-of-hot-air/

By Michelle Marie Chant

All you need is a comfortable space to place your yoga mat…preferably just over an inch thick to protect the median nerve in the wrist joint.

Sit down in a crossed leg position with the sit bones rooting to the floor…As you push down through your sit bones, lift up, through the entire torso….Visualize the top of the head reaching toward the ceiling. Draw your shoulder blades into your back. Broaden your collar bones, spreading the chest muscles without pushing your front ribs forward. Pull your belly up and in toward the spine… With each inhalation expand through your front ribs as if you had a balloon in the belly. With each exhalation contract your belly, working the abdominal muscles to keep your lower back lifting out of the hips as you sit. Hold this for 5 to 10 minutes or until you feel like you are struggling to stay lifted. Avoid any compression through the low back and use a blanket or pillow to sit up on if the exercise alone is challenging for you. You would also benefit from the aid of a prop if your knees are not able to drop toward the floor, which is an indication of extremely tight hips and/ or hamstrings. Lifting yourself up onto a prop will help you to feel much more at ease in the pose.

The beauty of yoga is that we do what we can, when we can. It is your time with you…Listen to your body and adjust accordingly. We all have good days and bad days and part of yoga is heightening the internal awareness so that we embrace exactly where we are today.

Staying seated in this position, drop the head toward the floor gently and roll the neck side to side… Do this for a few breathes or until your feel like your ready for the next pose..Let each breathe initiate each movement and not the reverse. Stay connected with the breathe. If you lose the breathe, stop, and reconnect.

Next inhale the arms up over your head, interlace them with the palm of the hands toward the ceiling. Hold this for 5-15 breaths. Release the fingers and reach the torso forward, folding out front until you feel a stretch in the hips and lower back. Hold for 5-15 breaths. Reach to the left, hold for 5 breaths, and reach to the right, hold for 5 breaths. Bring the arms back to the center, begin to flatten the back and bring the arms back in toward the shins until your back to a seated, upright position.

Come to the hands and knees on your mat. Bring the wrists directly under the shoulders, and the knees directly below the hips. Begin to round the back, seperating the shoulder blades, and then reverse the motion, drawing the shoulder blades down the back, lifting the tail bone and then top of the head simultaneously. Do this for 2 minutes or until the muscles that house the spine begin to feel warm and more elastic.

With the spine neutral and back to the hands and the knees, curl the toes, lift the hips and move into downward facing dog. Allow the knees to be slightly bent and shift the weight back into the legs. Move the shoulder blades down the back, and squeeze the arms into the ears. Continue to lengthen the spine and gentle start to work the top of the thighs, dropping the heels toward the floor, without forcing… Hold for 5- 10 breaths and come down to the floor, resting into “child’s pose”… (knees to the floor, hips drop back into the heels, arms rest along your sides). Continue this until you feel like you need rest and try again…

You are on your way to a yoga practice! Each day you will feel like you can hold each pose a little bit longer. Stay present with the breath. The breathe is the single most important component to the practice.

There are several books and videos to help ease you into your practice.

Michelle Marie Chant is an Exercise physiologist B.S., that has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 10 yrs. She has been in the fitness industry for two decades and feels yoga has been extremely instrumental in encompassing the intensity of her favorite workouts yet focusing equally on creating balance in the body and peace in the mind. And… as we get older, we learn to appreciate this concept! Feel free to contact Michelle at michellemariedesigns@verizon.net  with any questions.

By Neena Dayal

Yoga gurus or yoga teachers, as they are frequently called in the Western world are difficult to find. Yoga has great potential for saleability, all over the world. Therefore, many times it is seen that people with just simple knowledge start acting as yoga gurus. Many so-called yoga gurus take undue advantage of keen inclination of the people for learning yoga. They do more harm than good in the process. Hence, it is extremely important to recognize true gurus or yoga teachers and eliminate the false ones.

Some yoga teachers have great credentials and impressive degrees. Even then, learning from them may not be fruitful. Just knowledge of yoga is not sufficient. A person also has to be a good human being. Yoga is most beneficial when it is an exercise in spiritual growth.

Some pointers given below give good foundation to make the right choice.

• True yoga gurus are never boastful. The first and foremost qualification is that they are very humble.

• True ones never have a sense of pride of their knowledge of yoga. In order to become a true guru one must renounce all sense of pride.

• True yoga gurus are never ambitious. They are neither driven by forces of competition, success, and money, nor they are interested in glorifying themselves with false titles.

• True yoga gurus do not need to demonstrate their yogic powers in order to win over disciples. They have already mastered all the beneficial aspects of yoga. So, yoga in all its wonder becomes an integral part of their lives and they may not even have to practice it every day.

• Many times, it is seen that the gurus start considering themselves greater than others who do not know about yoga. They actually go against the most basic teachings by doing so. True ones understand perfectly that they are not superior to others. Instead, they develop a deep need to share their knowledge for the betterment of human beings.

• True yoga gurus attain deep stability of mind. They are never disturbed by anything. This does not mean that they are unaffected by their surroundings or things do not hurt them anymore. It simply means that they understand the ephemeral nature of things and so do not worry too much. They have the knowledge that the nature inclines toward stability and sooner or later things change for the better. This knowledge keeps their temperment unwavering.

A good yoga guru can change the outlook of your life. Hence, it is very important to choose the right teacher if you wish to learn yoga and experience the bliss of a great life force unleashed within and all around you.

Copyright: WordPepTM

Author: Neena Dayal

http://www.wordpep.com/

By J. E. Jacobsen

Yoga is becoming more and more recognized as an accompaniment to cancer treatment. Mostly viewed and experienced as a way to relax the mind and to tone and shape the body, Yoga is a very ancient science that is misunderstood in today’s society. While the benefits of Yoga surely can include a calm mind and fit body, Yoga is a way of building and maintaining healing energy while removing the more damaging patterns and behaviors that otherwise drain this precious, healing resource. To be a Yogi, one must master one’s mind.

Mental, emotional, and physical stress stem from a mind that has become destructive rather than constructive. While most people live their lives in search of creativity, success, abundance, and a sense of accomplishment, they often do so at the expense of their own well-being. Most of the time, this is unconscious. Some people live very successful and creative lives, and then there are people who intend to live very successful and creative lives yet do not know how to. At the end of the day these individuals feel mentally, emotionally, and physically drained and exhausted.

Exhaustion, stress, and lack of energy all stem from behaviors and patterns of living that are in disharmony with the first two laws of Yoga: Yamas and Niyamas. The Sanksrit word Yama means “death”. The Sanskrit word Niyama means “death inside”. We must ask ourselves, what is it that needs to die in our external environments and in our internal environments? Of what can we let go? What is no longer needed? In which ways are we damaging ourselves, allowing our minds to drain our energy, and leading destructive rather than constructive lives?

Patanjali, a great Master of Yoga, has shone his light on a path we all must follow. In his legendary Yoga Sutras, he tells us that the reason our minds, bodies, and spirits are not at rest is because our minds are violent. It is the mind that seeks to hurt its own system and the systems of others. We are not truthful with ourselves. It is the mind that deceives its own self and attempts to be deceptive with others. The mind is a thief. It steals, covets, hoards, and eventually drains our energy in patterns of which most of us are unaware. Yet, for the Master of Yoga who has reclaimed his or her own energy through Yamas and Niyamas and the practices of Yoga, the mind is no longer an enemy, but it is a great friend.

The question that then forms in the mind is, what does Yoga have to do with cancer? Cancer appears in a body that is destructive rather than constructive. The internal cells are in a state of attack, and the body is a battlefield.

Science has been able to prove that cancer cannot exist in an oxygenated environment. Dr. Robert O. Young, head of the pH Miracle Center in Valley Center, CA, has demonstrated that when the pH of urine drops below 5, on the scale of 1-14, the chances of an individual developing cancer increase dramatically. A low internal body pH deprives the body of oxygen, and the blood becomes dirty. Our internal cells are like fish in a fish tank. If the cells are not bathed in pH balanced water, and if our “fish tank” is not kept clean, the body begins to lose more energy than it gains because it is forced to clean up a dirty internal environment. In a dirty fish tank, bacteria grow.

The bacteria morph into yeast. The yeast morph into fungus. The fungus morph into mold. These toxins deprive the body of oxygen. The internal pH of the blood begins to drop, and the body goes into survival mode. The pH of the blood will only drop when the tissues in the body have become so toxic that they have entered a state of latent tissue acidosis. The degree of latent tissue acidosis is most commonly measured by urinary pH. A urinary pH of 5 or below signals severe latent tissue acidosis and a body that is severely deprived of oxygen. The state of the blood can clearly be seen in a Live Blood Cell Analysis.

How does a body end up in a state of latent tissue acidosis, and how can Yoga return a body to health? The world of Yoga practices spans every bodily system. A Yogic diet is an alkaline diet centered around pure, fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and low-acid grains. Making the body more alkaline is the key to eliminating latent tissue acidosis. Cleansing the body and bringing fresh oxygen into the system also makes the body more alkaline. Pranayama (building healing energy in the body through breath) brings fresh oxygen into the lungs, the blood, and the cells. Both Pranayama and Yoga Asanas (postures) cleanse the body’s internal organs, remove acidic toxins from the body, and cleanse and heal energy pathways in the body (refered to as Nadis in the Sanskrit language). The practices of Yoga are designed to clean the blood.

Aligning oneself with the Yamas and Niyamas destroys the damaging patterns and behaviors that make an individual more extrovert, stressed, and capable of draining the healing energy built through the Yogic practices of Pranayama and Asana. In fact, there is a Yama in Pranayama. It is therefore necessary to be mindful of one’s attitude towards oneself and others before the practices of Yoga can begin to heal the body. This is the reason Yamas and Niyamas are the first two steps in the eightfold path of Yoga.

It is exciting that Yoga has been recognized as a useful and helpful addition to cancer treatment. Yoga is currently being taught in conjunction to cancer treatment in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, MC Anderson, and many other major cancer treatment centers. As a patient learns the ways his or her mind has become destructive rather than constructive, the practices of Yoga will naturally heal the body. The human body is remarkable by design. It contains everything it needs to heal itself, and the body is constantly amazing practitioners in the medical field. Unexplained miracles happen every day.

The practices of Yoga can bring a person who is out of balance into a state of balance. It can help an individual live a very long, happy, creative, and abundant life. It can assist a person to live free of sickness and disease, to move from a dark place into a place of love and healing light. This is my prayer for all of those who suffer with cancer or any dis-ease.

Jennifer E. Jacobsen is the owner of the Saint Augustine Lakulish School of Yoga in Saint Augustine, FL. If you would like more information on how Yoga can help you with your internal battle for health, please contact Jennifer at the Saint Augustine Lakulish School of Yoga online at http://lakulishyogaschool.com  or by phone at (904) 392-6588.

By Mary Cruickshank

Some days a yoga practice is more focused, balanced, and centered. You stand stronger and remain more grounded throughout the sequences. Other days can be less steady and more wobbly, constantly struggling to find your balance with each yoga position. The tree pose happens to be one of those positions that can give a clear indication if you are going to have a strong practice or a wobbly one. It can appear as one of the simplest yoga positions but can be extremely challenging. Fortunately there are techniques and strategies to help stabilize your body through this position.

When starting to do the tree pose find a vertical line about six feet away from you that you can fix your eyes on. Balance yourself firmly on one leg. Bend the knee of the other leg and place the foot on the inside of the opposite thigh. Bring your hands together in front of your chest to assist with your beginning balance. Once you feel steady on your one leg, then lift the two hands to above your head and straighten your arms as if trying to touch the ceiling all while focusing your eyes on your vertical line. Stand firmly without wobbling or swaying for as long as possible, breath deeply and slowly. Release your arms back to your side and bring the foot back to the floor. Repeat with the other leg.

Subtle strategies that will increase your steadfastness during the tree pose:

Use a stripe on the wall, a doorway molding, a pole, any straight vertical line as your focal point instead of a spot. When moving the hands from in front of the body to above the head your line of vision can shift ever so slightly so with a linear focus your eyes can adjust without having to shift your balance.

Adjust the lifted foot between your high inner thigh and the inside knee. You can increase your steadiness by making a slight adjustment to the placement of your foot. Moving it just a little can stop the wobbles.

Breathe in deeply while raising the two hands towards the ceiling. Elongate the spine and lift your head away from your shoulders focusing on your vertical line.

If attempting the tree pose and find that you just can’t seem to find your balance, then simply straighten your bent knee so you again have two feet on the floor. Always opt for caution and safety. You can then either try again or not. Sometimes the second time can prove to be a very balanced tree pose.

Practicing the tree pose consistently will restore balance and equilibrium to the body by coordinating the mind with the body. It also increases hip flexibility and makes the pelvis more limber. One of the biggest benefits is the gain in personal confidence each time you successfully achieve the balance and stability of this empowering yoga position. There can be shakiness for beginners until your ankle stabilizer muscles become stronger and you find balance in your body. Fortunately with practice and perseverance the steadiness will happen more and more.

Whenever I practice the tree pose I concentrate on only one of the muscles or body areas involved in this position. By putting my attention on either the ankle stabilizer muscles, lower back, hips, pelvis, core, neck, or shoulders, the rest of the body relaxes and eases into the position with more lightness and flexibility and therefore more success.

Practice yoga to improve balance, get more energy, relieve tension and increase strength. If you are serious about improving your health and appearance then the next move is up to you.

Mary Cruickshank has been practicing yoga for over ten years. Visit http://www.MyReadingChair.com/Learn_Yoga_Review.html to learn the three biggest myths about getting into shape.

http://www.MyReadingChair.com is for people that want to learn how to feel healthier and become wealthier. Visit anytime.

By Cara Zolinsky

Yoga, with its emphasis on slow, controlled movements, muscle relaxation, and deep breathing would seem to be an odd addition to a runner’s cross training schedule. But these two forms of exercise are more complementary than they seem. Just ask 34-year-old Nicole Nakoneshny.

A fundraising consultant, Nakoneshny spends much of her leisure time running near her home in Toronto. But she is not just running. She is also meditating, a discipline that she learned from yoga. As she told Runners World, “because running is such a repetitive activity, I find it quite meditative.”

Nakoneshny is part of a growing breed of runners who have created their own yoga for runners’ programs designed for enhanced running performance.

Similarities Between Yoga and Running

Although the similarities between yoga and running are not obvious to onlookers, many runners see (and experience) the synchronycities. Both running and yoga, they say, require discipline, flexibility, concentration, practice, and breatthing techniques. These similarities make yoga an obvious, albeit uncommon, choice for a runner’s cross training routine.

But yoga does more than just provide runners with added variety to their training programs; indeed, there is evidence that yoga improves the running performance of these athletes. This is possible, say experts, through yoga’s ability to balance the body, which prepares the athlete for the rigors of running and protects the body from injury.

Yoga Does a Runner’s Body Good

While running one mile, each foot will strike the ground approximately 1,000 times, say health writers Baron Baptiste and Kathleen Finn Mendola. Moreover, with each running step, the feet, legs, and hips will absorb three to four times the runner’s weight. This can, and does, lead to stiffness, pain, and injury for most runners.

But these negative bodily reactions are not the inevitable result of running. Rather, say Baptiste and Mendola, such pain and injuries occur because the high impact nature of running throws the body out of balance. But yoga for runners is beneficial because it realigns the body and posture. Indeed, yoga is used as a therapeutic tool to counteract the damage caused by musculature imbalances that often begin by muscle tightening/shortening and end with injury.

When runners devote most of their training time to running, say experts, their muscles tend to tighten and shorten due to the repetitive, high-impact nature of this sport. When this happens, the body attempts to compensate for this imbalance by shifting the stress to other muscles and joints. This can lead to pain and often leads to injury.

Moreover, because every part of the body is interconnected, an imbalance in one part (as occurs with muscle shortening and tightness) can cause pain and injury in another part of the body. For instance, a common running injury is shin splints, which results from an uneven distribution of weight on the legs while running.

The practice of yoga, with its focus on relaxing and elongating the muscles, effectively minimizes these types of injuries.

Yoga for Runners: Exercises to Improve Running Performance

Hyongok Cho Kent is a sports trainer in Montreal who knows the benefits of yoga for runners. At his fitness studio, Cho Kent instructs his students in both the art of yoga and what he calls “Chi Running.” The program that he has developed is designed to stretch the muscles of the hamstrings and the calves so that soreness and running injuries are minimized. Moreover, his program strengthens the core muscles and the muscles in the arms and the back, which corrects postural misalignments and, ultimately, improves running performance.

To help the muscles to rebound, Cho Kent recommends that a runner spend 15 to 20 minutes, immediately after a run, performing these exercises. They should also be incorporated as part of a cross training schedule to improve running performance.

Wall Dog

1. Stand straight, facing a wall that is an arm’s length away from the body. Feet should be approximately the width of the shoulders apart.

2. Bend forward from the hips, touching the wall with both palms of the hand, fingertips pointing upward.

3. Slowly walk the legs backward, until the arms are fully extended, spine completely parallel to the floor.

4. Slowly push back and feel the stretch in the legs and the hips.

5. Pull the abdomen in and then relax those muscles.

6. Hold this pose and feel the stretch in the hamstring, calves, and lower back.

7. Take five to ten slow, deep breaths and then slowly stand upright.

Hamstring Stretch

1. Stand straight with feet shoulder width apart. Bring the arms behind the back and clasp the elbows or the forearms.

2. Step the right foot behind you (about two to three feet) and turn the foot 60 degrees inward for balance. (The left leg should remain in its original position.)

3. Slowly bend forward from the waist as far as you can, always keeping the spine and the legs straight

4. Hold this pose for 5 to 10 breaths. (You should feel the stretch in your calves, hamstrings, and thighs).

5. Release and slowly return to original position.

6. Repeat with the left leg.

Wide Leg Standing Forward Bend

1. Stand straight.

2. Step your right leg out until your legs are approximately 4 feet apart with feet parallel.

3. Turn toes inward slightly and place the hands on the hips.

4. Slowly contract abdominal muscles.

5. Slowly bend forward, keeping your legs straight, until your hands touch the floor.

6. Push your body weight into your palms or your fingertips

7. You should feel the stretch in your hamstrings, calves, ankles, thighs, and Achilles tendons (to name just a few of the running muscles positively affected by this pose.)

8. Hold this pose for five to ten slow breaths.

9. Release the pose and slowly stand upright.

Cho Kent’s yoga for runners program not only elongates and massages the main muscles involved in running, but it is a relaxing change of pace from the incessant muscle pounding resulting from running.

Although yoga and running were once considered to be at opposite ends of the sports or exercise spectrum, many runners are now combining the two and finding that they are, indeed, complementary physical disciplines. Moreover, yoga is spawning a new breed of “Chi runners” who are reaping the cross- training benefits of adding yoga to their training programs.

For more information about yoga for runners

visit http://www.ultrafitnessdynamics.com

By Keira Benson

So, why should I do yoga? I don’t have time to fit any more into my busy life.

1. Yoga works in a holistic way, that is, it addresses the whole body, improving the entire structure.

By working with physical movements known as postures or ‘asana’, we can improve the range of movement within our joints, increasing both suppleness and strength. Tight muscles can restrict our movements and cause structural strain; tightness in the hips can put pressure on the knees and the restriction of short hamstrings can put the lower back at risk.

Strong muscles help to support and bring stability to our joints, especially the spine, which is a common site of strain.

Yoga postures take the spine through its full range of movements in a precise, controlled way, which can be extremely beneficial in releasing postural back pain.

Taking joints through their full range of movement keeps them healthy and can even help to prevent against degenerative arthritis.

2. Our breathing capacity can be increased through yoga.

It focuses on the breath by encouraging a relaxed ’steady’ breathing during the physical postures and, in particular, during relaxation at the end of the class.

Dedicated breathing exercises can also be taught during the class. All of these techniques help to improve lung function and reduce stress.

3. Yoga can also bring us a sense of calm and relaxation.

It can help to minimise stress by shifting the emphasis from the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response, to the parasympathetic nervous system, which brings the body back into balance.

By staying focused on our breath and our physical movements, we can also switch off from the constant fluctuations of the mind.

This is why yoga is a holistic practice; bringing together enhanced physical well-being and improved breathing with a quiet, restful mind.

There are many different forms of yoga available, some of the most common being:

Hatha – The practice of mental and physical cleansing through postures (asana) and breathing (pranayama).

Ashtanga – The exploration of postures, breath control and concentration.

Sivananda – A flowing style, which includes breath control, meditation, postures, chanting and relaxation.

Yin – A practice that combines traditional Hatha postures with Taoist philosophy and Meridian Theory. It works with the feminine energy of the body and affects the deep layers of connective tissue, utilising long passive holds.

All forms of yoga come from the same root and are, therefore, relatively interchangeable, so an hour-long class once or twice a week in any of the disciplines will quickly start to work wonders on both your physical and mental well being.

This article may be reproduced providing a hard link to the site in the resource box is retained.

Keira Benson found yoga last year after a two-year battle with a shoulder injury and has seen huge improvements since she began regular classes.

For more information about yoga in Southend-on-Sea, visit: http://www.shambhalastudios.com

or email: wellbeing@shambhalastudios.com

By Denise Loubert

A centuries-old tradition can help relieve chronic back pain with a modest investment of time or money. Millions of Americans have turned to Yoga practice and its easy yoga accessories to cure one of the most incapacitating problems of modern life – chronic back pain.

Yoga History – It is estimated yoga began in India in prehistoric times, more than 5,000 years ago. Although Yoga probably arrived in the United States in the early 1900s, it did not become fashionable with it’s use of various yoga accessories to aid the practice until the 1960s.

Growth of Yoga in America – Yoga’s enormous growth is a reflection of how hot this solution has become for chronic pain. A 2008 study by the Harris Interactive Service Bureau indicates that 15.8 million people practice yoga, with almost half (49.4%) of current practitioners using yoga accessories such as blocks or straps in concurrence with their practice to improve their health overall. Numerous people state that a doctor or therapist recommended yoga as beneficial if they were undergoing treatment for chronic pain.

With the comparatively low cost of yoga accessories such as videos for private practice, it is no wonder that this economical and proven relief for chronic back pain has grown. “Yoga is no longer simply a singular pursuit but a lifestyle choice and an established part of our health and cultural landscape,” says Bill Harper, publisher of Yoga Journal.

Scientific Research – In 2005 researchers at Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington looked at patients suffering from back pain and concluded that yoga used in combination with simple yoga accessories was the most effective relief method resulting in the most mobility and the least pain. A similar study by West Virginia University found that participants who completed a yoga program reported appreciably lower levels of back pain. In addition Harvard Medical School reported that mind-body medicine including yoga is the most widely used and effective alternative therapy for such chronic pain as back pain.

Yoga Heals Back Pain Quickly – “Yoga works on stretching and strengthening, and the key to long-term healing is strength,” says Liz Owen, who studied with B.K.S. Iyengar, founder of the Iyengar yoga discipline. “Since the emotional effects of chronic pain are often devastating, the calming, grounding benefits of yoga can be very therapeutic.” Viniyoga is an modified form of yoga that focuses on slow stretches and deep breathing and the use of several yoga accessories such as blocks. It is used in many medical institutions such as UCLA’s Pediatric Pain Program which features yoga, and the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center which offers yoga classes along with acupuncture and nutritional counseling.

Get Relief Now – For many people who suffer chronic pain, yoga has proven to be a simple and economical first step in becoming knowledgeable about how to cope with their pain. By using a few yoga accessories to help them achieve the poses, even a beginner can find relief quickly. Their symptoms vary-from headaches and arthritis to chronic back pain and anxiety – but their stories are astonishingly similar: For those looking for help in coping with their pain problems, yoga works.

Deni Loubert is a twenty year practitioner of yoga and a published author. She became a big supporter of yoga when she found profound relief from chronic back pain from a car accident a few years ago. If you suffer from this kind of pain – you don’t need to any longer. Her website http://my-yoga-accessories.com is a portal to a number of both public and private sites she has used for years to help her overcome chronic pain and to stay on the path with her practice.

By Neil Crenshaw

In my experiences of running track and playing football as a teenager, weight lifting as a young adult, and now doing yoga as a senior, I have learned that breathing is a very important component in my performance. I see a very close relationship between breathing, energy and body movement, including flexibility. I might add that breathing also can be very closely connected to emotions.

When I ran track I noticed a direct correlation between how I breathed to my speed and endurance (energy). When I breathed in cadence with my legs, both speed and endurance were better than when I did not concentrate on breathing. The cadence was a breath in and out on the same leg, usually the right leg. When my right foot came down I would take a quick breath in, the left foot came down and the right foot again as I breathed out. The faster I breathed the faster I would run. My breath and body were in cadence while running. I remember the coach telling me that I ran “like a deer.” I took that as a compliment.

In lifting weights I discovered a correlation between how I breathed and how much weight I could lift and the number of reps I could do. When doing squats, for example, I noticed I had much more power (energy) and stamina when I breathed out on exertion – coming up from the squat, than breathing in on exertion. The same was true with the bench press. When I breathed in while lowering the bar to my chest and breathed out while lifting the bar I could lift more weight than when I reversed the breathing process.

Breathing in yoga is very similar to weight lifting in that it is much easier to move while breathing out during the exertion part of the movement. Many of the yoga classes that I have attended over the years have stressed the importance of correct breathing – primarily to breathe out on exertion and breathe in during recovery. This type of breathing is called concentric and eccentric movement with breath. Concentric (shortening) action is when the muscle in question is shortened overcoming the resistive force. For example, the quads move concentrically in pushing the body up from the floor from a squat. In this case you would want to breathe out on the concentric movement, not in. Eccentric (lengthening) is when the muscle is returning to its resting length from a shortened position. The physiology behind this type of breathing is that the muscles in the core of the body contract on exhalation providing greater tensile strength in the body and therefore to its movement. The contraction of muscles also produce energy in the form of heat.

One of the movements we often do in yoga is uddiyana. Uddiyana involves the contraction of three core muscle groups: the perineal muscle located between the genitals and the anus, the diaphragm and the oblique abdominal muscles. These three muscle groups are contracted while coming up from a squat during exhalation. The perineum is drawn up wile the stomach muscles are drawn in and the diaphragm up. All of this is done while breathing out coming up from the squatting position. This movement does take practice and sometimes takes years to master. However, once mastered, the energy during the maneuver can be felt throughout the entire body. An ancient yoga text states that this movement “sends the life breath rising up into the body like a great bird soaring without effort.”

Learning to exhale during exertion and inhale on relaxation not only provides strength to the body’s core but also increases flexibility. Let’s examine one pose, the triangle pose (Trikonasana); to illustrate the point. When you are going into a mildly strenuous pose like the triangle, you are going from a fairly relaxed pose, the star pose (Suksyma), standing with the legs spread apart and arms stretched out, and then bending down sideways with one hand to the ankle while stretching the other arm up toward the sky. If you exhale during this strenuous movement the core muscles are strengthened making the movement easier than if you were to inhale. Once in the triangle pose the body can relax more and more with each exhalation, releasing tension and allowing muscles and connective tissues to stretch. The difference may not be that noticeable at first to a beginner because he/she is focusing mainly on doing the movement rather than noticing how easy or difficult it is. With practice not only will the triangle pose be easier but the rest of the poses will become easier as well because breathing and moving become one. When the movement becomes easier the body becomes more relaxed and when the body becomes relaxed, connective tissues become lengthened and flexibility increases. Flexibility cannot occur when the body is tense and rigid.

I try to stress the importance of breathing and relaxing in yoga class without getting into the nuts and bolts like I did here. My hope is that over time students will grasp the idea, and the value of proper breathing will become apparent to them. However, having said all that, yoga is much more than learning to breathe properly while moving from pose to pose, stretching and feeling energy. To me yoga is a lifestyle that encompasses not only the body, energy and breath but also the spirit, the world and the universe, which are topics for another discussion.

Neil Crenshaw, Ph.D.

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