Posts Tagged ‘in yoga’

Benefits of Short Meditation Sessions

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

yoga teacher trainingBy Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 250

In Yoga, most of us were originally taught that meditation sessions had to be at least 30 minutes in length to be beneficial. This school of thought has been around for centuries and few have challenged this guideline.

When we consider the benefits of Yogic meditation, we often visualize monks in monasteries or swamis in ashrams, giving up modern lifestyles for years of solitude and isolation. New research, however, shows that everyone may be able to benefit from fewer and shorter meditation sessions than researchers ever imagined.

According to the “Journal of Neuroscience” in April of 2011, the first study showing the relationship between short meditation sessions and pain was conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. For the study, researchers taught 15 healthy volunteers who had no meditation experience to do a technique of mindfulness meditation called focused attention. During the practice, the participants observed their breathing while letting go of distractions, such as bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts.

Volunteers received four 20-minute training sessions and were exposed to five minutes and 55 seconds of pain. New brain imaging equipment known to be more effective than traditional MRIs was used to examine the brains of the volunteers before and after training.

During the process, small heating devices that reached temperatures of 120 degrees Fahrenheit were placed on the right legs of each participant. Normally, this would produce considerable discomfort over a span of five minutes.

The study showed the following results:

1. Meditation reduced the pain of every participant. Levels ranged from 11 percent to 93 percent.

2. Meditation also reduced activity in the somatosensory cortex, the region involved in interpreting the location and severity of pain.

3. Meditation increased the activity in the orbito-frontal cortex, the anterior cingulated cortex, and the anterior insula – all areas that help to interpret pain signals from the body.

Researchers surmised that the meditation may have been effective because its use activated several different areas of the brain rather than just one. They were also surprised by the level of the pain relief experienced compared to the length of the training and the time spent in meditation. Studies also showed that the more activated these areas of the brain were by longer periods of meditation, the more effective the pain relief.

Although the group was small and the pain was mild compared to that suffered by cancer patients, the findings suggest that further research is needed to examine the effectiveness of meditation as an alternative to pain medications and as a tool to empower patients.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

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Yoga Techniques for Neck Problems

Monday, August 1st, 2011

yoga teacher trainingBy Faye Martins

Yoga techniques for neck pain can be a “life saver.”  Pain is a very serious negative distraction and distractions get in the way of living life to the fullest. Life is far too short to have negative things like back or neck pain, taking attention away from your free time. Yoga may be used to counter and correct both chronic and short-term neck problems.

We rarely give the neck much thought until it starts having problems but in truth the neck takes a real beating every day. The head itself can weigh up to 15 pounds and improper posture leads to that weight putting a heavy burden of stress on the neck. Having chronically poor posture puts an unnatural burden on the neck which slowly leads to injury since we often lean our heads forward towards computer screens, television screens and so on.

For those with neck pain and injuries, yoga is a wonderful conditioning practice, which will slowly, but surely, ease the pain and improve quality of life. With that said, it must be taken slowly. Neck injuries are best treated in a very slow manner over time since too much movement at once can lead to setbacks lasting several weeks. That’s not at all ideal.

The Shoulder Stand and Plow poses in yoga must be avoided at all costs if one is suffering from a neck injury. These two asanas pus such a supreme amount of weight and compression on the neck that it may actually flatten the cervical curve entirely, which is very bad news for an injured neck.

The first yoga technique for easing away neck problems is sitting in proper posture and breathing. Select a sturdy chair and sit on the front edge with back straight and hands folded over the core of the stomach. The feet should be in firm contact with the floor. Draw in a deep breath and straighten the posture further, feeling the breath deepen the pose.

Now, hold your conscious attention in the lower lungs and stomach and then bring it further up to the mid chest with each conscious breath. Now pull your conscious breathing and attention into the collarbone as you draw a deep, healing breath. Hold it for a second before releasing. Now draw the conscious attention into the neck itself and envision the breath being a healing force as it’s pulled through the nose, down the windpipe and into the lungs below.

If there is any tension in the body at this point, release it. Allow the shoulders to drop from the protective position they have likely assumed since the neck pain started. Slowly, pull the crown of the head higher, only so long as it is comfortable.

In this comfortable, safe place just sit and enjoy the pain free breathing. Breathe for a set of 10-15 deep, slow breaths and then release. The beauty of this technique is that it may be done almost anywhere. Any time tension and poor posture start creeping into your day, take a few minutes to perform the above technique. It will yield wonderful results.

The next technique is a little more challenging and must be taken slowly. At all times listen very carefully to your body. This technique is the Cat Cow pose combination, which together yields a gentle motion that will benefit the neck greatly.

Get down on the hands and knees with wrists directly under the shoulders and the knees directly under the hips. Tighten and engage the core muscles of the stomach so that the spine is straighter and flatter than it would be otherwise. The end of the tailbone and the crown of the head should be almost on the same level.

Once you are fully comfortable, draw in a breath and lower the belly towards the floor, at the same time. Open the chest and slowly, carefully raise the head, taking care not to snap the head back. Inhale in this position and then while exhaling imagine pulling the bellybutton in against the spine and allow the back to round up like an angry cat. As the back is rounding, imagine an invisible string linking the base of the pelvis and the crown of the head together, drawing them close to each other. Take these movements slowly, taking care to not overtax the neck. Now phase back into the Cow position again. Repeat the Cat Cow pose 5-10 times; then rest.

Other poses that may prove helpful for neck problems include Child’s Pose, Downward Facing Dog and Cobra. While performing all of these poses special attention and emphasis should be placed on the neck. The slow, languid movements of these yoga poses will strengthen and lengthen the neck, making it stronger and easing the tension that leads to pain.

Daily yoga practice will help individuals maintain a full range of motion and proper posture, effectively treating existing injuries and preventing future ones all in one step.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

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Yoga for Fear – Can Yoga Help Treat Panic Attack Syndrome?

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

yoga teacher trainingBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Panic attacks can be crippling, with waves of fear, racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, and other symptoms that make victims feel like they are about to die. These disabling attacks are common, as well; at least 20% of adult Americans will suffer from a panic attack at some time in their lives. That is around 60 million people facing intense distress; and following one attack, the risk of having another is increased. Clearly, panic attacks have a major impact on sufferers’ lives, and treatment is very important. One area, where positive results, regarding the reduction of attacks have been noted, is in Yoga practice.

The emphasis in Yoga on mind, body, and breath is a classic relaxation technique. A 2007 article, in Yoga Journal, by Dr. Timothy McCall, suggests some specific practices for anxiety and panic attacks: “[the best method is] a good asana practice, which burns off the nervous energy that can contribute to anxiety… A number of breathing practices, including abdominal breathing and lengthening the exhalation relative to the inhalation, help reduce symptoms of anxiety. Scientific studies suggest that left-nostril breathing can effectively reduce symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.”

The effects of paying attention to one’s body, and breathing in a Yoga practice can make individuals more self-aware and allow them to detect early signs of a panic attack. Since anxiety often builds on itself, early detection is the key to heading off major attacks; calming techniques work best, if practiced early in the cycle of anxiety, breaking the negative feedback loop.

So how can you help your Yoga students, who may be suffering from anxiety or panic attacks? Encourage awareness, throughout practice, of sensations in their bodies. Breathing through postures will help give them control over their breathing in situations where they experience shortness of breath; and controlled breathing, in turn, controls the nervous system.

As anxious people tend to be self-critical, the teacher should adopt a warm, reassuring style, letting students know that it is all right not to understand all the sensations they may be feeling. Have students practice flowing through the Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara), at their own pace, concentration on their breathing, and not trying to keep pace with a teacher or another student.

This feeling of continuous movement and controlled breathing, at their own pace, will help them “break the spell” of feeling paralyzed when anxious. Finally, teaching some hand mudras for relaxation will give Yoga students a focal point, in situations where they cannot perform a full series of poses.

© Copyright 2011 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

To see our complete selection of Yoga teacher training courses, please feel free to visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/Teacher-Courses/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul

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The Transition From Fitness to Yoga and Why I Stayed With Yoga

Monday, October 4th, 2010

By Deborah Caruana

After 10 yrs of no yoga I started to practice again. Deciding yoga was the missing ingredient to the hard-core cardio and weight training I was into. Unfortunately 10yrs of workouts had tightened up my muscles and joints and all of the yoga poses that came so easily 10 yrs prior now seemed out of reach.

Determined to get back to where I was, though nagged by the thought “you get stiff and then you get old”, I persisted. Were the ‘work outs’ the culprit in losing flexibility? Or was it the fact that I didn’t stretch enough, after workouts? Who has the time?! I was a busy trainer running all over town taking care of clients. Cardio, weight training, stretching…it all took too much time! I was not willing to admit that it was because I had aged that I had lost flexibility! As I incorporated more yoga and less workout, I enjoyed it so much I enrolled in a 200hr yoga certification to compliment the fitness I was teaching.

It took 3 full yrs of all yoga and no working out, but I finally won back that beautiful natural flexibility! Did I want to go back to working out? Not in the least, all that flexibillity felt too good. Plus, no more aches and pains from knotted, sore and aching muscles while pushing myself with workouts.

Was it worth the 3 yr investment? Well first of all my body looked and felt so much better. In yoga because you are constantly holding your own body weight in an endless array of movements from handstands, to shoulder stands, to one legged balances with twists and plank variations, my body remained very strong, sculpted and supple. I also learned to breath properly, stand quietly, and to surrender deeper into poses, practicing awareness of where and how each body part was aligned and activated. From a thoughtful intention and dynamic heart felt center I learned to ground by pressing deeper into the floor which freed me to expand energy outward and upward to lengthen so as to create lines while moving gracefully from one pose to the next. I discovered a form of moving meditation in union of body, mind and breath which is the definition of yoga.

I also slimmed down, not from ‘dieting’ or effort but rather, a sense of being filled. Not as ravenously hungry as I was when I was “exercising” food simply, though I still enjoyed it, was fuel to feed my somewhat thankfully diminished hunger. It was no longer as tantalizing and appealing perhaps because I was calmer, and felt more at peace. I made healthier choices too, desiring foods and living situations that were colorful and simple. Yoga gave me the gift of self acceptance and self compassion, life’s ups and downs became easier and less jarring. I stopped feeling like I had to be better, do more, get leaner and I relaxed into my own skin more.

This is when I got my full 500hr certification. Teaching has become a wonderful outlet for me, a different form of meditation that calms and soothes. Do I still have other forms of exercise? Sure! I love walking, for long distances too. Cycling also feels wonderful. Sometimes I have to run and I can, gracefully. Gardening, landscaping our place in the country, chopping wood, weeding, helping my husband build beautiful rock walls, dancing, but the yoga is a part of my life that I practice everyday on and off the mat.

Deborah Caruana RN, CYT, CPT, MES, Yoga Lifestyle Coach

U..E.S. Manhattan NY 10021

Website: http://www.vitalsignsfitness.com

Email: deb@vitalsignsfitness.com


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How to Breathe Properly When Practicing Yoga

Monday, September 27th, 2010

By Ntathu Allen

As a yoga beginner it is vital you learn how to breathe correctly when you start yoga. Learning how to breathe properly forms one of the five core principles of yoga. The other principles are Proper exercise (yoga); proper diet (a diet which has a positive effect on the body and mind and causes the least negative effects on the environment and other animals.) Proper relaxation and Positive thinking and meditation.

Breathing is an involuntarily bodily function, which we take for granted. Unfortunately, many people do not know how to breathe properly and lose a valuable opportunity to easily improve their health and vitality. In yoga, the breath is seen as the link between the mind and body. It is this connection between the body-breath-mind which makes yoga such a beneficial and rewarding experience.

What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Breathe Correctly.

When you learn yoga you are taught how to breathe properly. This encourages to become aware of your breath and to use your breath to bring harmony, balance and calm to the mind and body. Poor respiratory habits can lead to the build up of tension in your body, waste products have trouble been effectively eliminated, viruses and bacteria find it easier to stay in your body due to the lack of sufficient oxygen from not breathing properly.

Benefits of Correct Breathing

In yoga you are encouraged to place greater emphasis on the out breath. When you breathe correctly you promote a rich gaseous exchange in the body as you inhale rich oxygenated air and exhale carbon dioxide; plants and other vegetation take in the carbon dioxide and release oxygen. When you exhale completely you eliminate more amounts of stale air and allow a deeper inhalation, thus making more oxygen available to nourish the cells and promote cell rejuvenation. On a physical level, proper breathing helps to boost your energy, reduces tiredness and relieves tension and stress in your body. Emotionally, taking full deep breaths calms and clears the mind, improves focus and concentration. Have you noticed how better you feel when you stop and take a deep breath when you feel overwhelmed or stressed?

How to Breathe Correctly – Three Part Yogic Breath

In essence, the golden key to full and proper yogic breathing is to breath out properly before you breathe in. Have you ever watched a baby breathe and see how slowly and deeply they inhale and exhale. Most people hold their breath when anxious or stressed, this makes it harder for your body to respond and adapt. The more aware you are of your breath, the easier it becomes for you to learn how to use your breath to calm, balance or energise your mind-body.

The breath can be divided into three parts -inhalation, exhalation and retention. Your respiratory system runs from your nose to your lungs, the back of your throat, through your larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe) and into the bronchial tubes and lungs. as you breathe in and out you bring oxygen into the body and exhale, eliminate waste matters and toxins from your mind and body. When you inhale and hold your breath (retention), you build up pressure in your lungs which means more carbon dioxide pass from your blood into your lungs; which is released as your exhale.

Learning how to breathe fully and correctly in each phrase/part of the breathing process enables you to gain a deeper connection and awareness of your body. Which forms the foundation of your yoga practice.

Ready to discover more yoga tips to help you rest and take care of yourself? Then I invite you to claim your Free Special Report “Energize Your Day – Top Ten Yoga Exercises To Jump-Start Your Day” when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk

Peace and Blessings, Ntathu Allen, Yoga Teacher

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Naturally Increase Your Height by Doing Yoga

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

By Wadlow Chris

Are you the shortest person in your circle of friends and in your work place? Are you determined to look for a solution to your height problems? If you go to your doctor, you might get advised to go in for hormone injections, but this option is expensive and also has many side effects. It makes far more sense for you to opt for ways to naturally increase your height.

You will be surprised to learn that there are lots of techniques that you could use in order to naturally increase your height. Yoga is one of them and it has been gaining prominence over the past few years because of its ability to help rectify many issues that affect people’s bodies and minds.

Yoga is an ancient system of exercises that involve a lot of stretching and breathing control techniques. It can sometimes be likened to meditation. There are lots of ‘asanas’ or positions in Yoga that are excellent ways to stretch out your back bone and gain a better posture.

One asana that you should certainly try out is the Chakrasana or the wheel pose. Another very effective position is the Tadasana. Sukhasana and Trikonasana are also very powerful exercises and they can naturally increase your height by giving strength to your vertebral column.

Yoga is a very specialized set of exercises and you do need help to get started. What would be best would be for you to join a Yoga class in order to get the hang of it. You could as your Yoga teacher to help you with these asanas that naturally increase your height in addition to any others that have the same effect.

The breathing exercises in Yoga also help to reduce your stress levels and focus your mind. It is believed that you have greater control over your body when you have control over your mind. Studies show that people who truly believe that they can grow taller actually do so if they take the right steps. On the other hand, people who exercise without really believing that they can succeed are bound to fail.

In case you wish to discontinue the classes once you have gained some proficiency in Yoga, you could buy videos on this subject, so that you can do the exercises at home. Once you have started this program you should stick with it and you will be rewarded with increased height and you will also lose weight in the process.

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Opening Your Heart With Yoga

Monday, January 25th, 2010

By Gaylene Thoeny

If you have taken or seen a Yoga class you may have heard “Lead with your Heart Center” (or something else similar). The Heart Center in Yoga refers to the Heart Chakra. The Heart Chakra is the 4th of 7 Chakras (or Energy Centers in the body). These centers are often used as reference points in Yoga, Chinese Medicine, Thai Massage or other traditional healing methods.

We are referring to the area of the body in and around the heart and lungs, including the shoulders, upper back and chest. This area is known as the domain of human intimacy – and is associated with love, acceptance, forgiving, devotion, understanding, acceptance, peach, harmony, contentment, compassion and relationships. I feel the most important of all this is self-love, we can’t love and care for others if we don’t do the same for ourselves first!

The best thing we can do for ourselves is to open up the heart chakra, increasing blood flow to the heart, lungs and the rest of the body. This also can bring us better posture, bigger lung capacity, better circulation, making us feel better and making it possible to pass on these great feelings to others.

A simple way to open up the heart Chakra is a Chest Expansion:

1.) Starting in a neutral standing position or mountain pose

2.) Reaching out palms back behind each other

3.) Imagine that you are holding a giant beach ball behind your back

4.) Squeezing the shoulder blades together

5.) Inhaling into the expanded lungs

6.) Gazing gently up and forward and closing our eyes

7.) Taking as many breaths in and out as you feel comfortable

8.) Releasing arms down to your sides

This can be repeated as often as is comfortable. Also a great pose to use after driving, sitting at a desk or anything that makes us prone to hunching forward.

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundingfitness.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in yoga and lifestyle management. Creating a grounded life on and off the mat.

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Detoxification With Yoga

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

By Gaylene Thoeny

The New Year is a natural time to think about detoxing but any time of the year is great. Yoga in general is detoxifying. Yoga gets more blood & oxygen to flow through the body, cleaning stale air out of our lungs, loosening our muscles and creating positive thoughts. There are numerous ways to detox the body, by breath, by nutrition, drinking more water, brushing the skin, fasting and many, many more.

Once basic way to detoxify through yoga is twists. Twists oxygenate and feed the internal organs in the abdomen and pelvis delivering fresh blood to the spinal nerves, blood vessels and tissues. Twists loosen muscles freeing toxins that may be stuck in knotted muscles and increasing the circulation through the whole body. Twists stretch and contract the muscles in the back, feeding the vertebrae and creating a healthy back.

Mentally and physically twists makes things flower better through the body. Once things are flowing freely through the body and body is able to rid itself of toxins faster & easier. There are many twists in yoga but one very simple and gentle twist is a reclined twist (this pose also works wonders on a hangover).

Reclined Spinal Twist:

Getting Into the Pose: Lying on your back, with your arms at your sides, bringing the soles of the feet to the floor the width of the mat (or hip width apart), knees pointing towards the ceiling.

Holding the Pose: Exhale and let the knees fall down to one side, inhale the knees up to center, exhale the knees down to the other side. Repeat for a minimum of 6 breaths. Or until you feel you are done.

Benefits: Improved digestion & circulation, reduce backache and sciatica, relieves menstrual discomfort, stimulates the lymphatic system, relieves stress & anxiety, massages the internal organs, feeds the vertebrae in the spinal cord, loosens muscles in the back and surrounding the spine.

Happy Twisting & Detoxing to you all!

This article by Gaylene Thoeny, a 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher, yogi and mom. Go to http://www.groundingfitness.ca for more information. Gaylene specializes in yoga and lifestyle management. Creating a grounded life on and off the mat.

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The Breath in Yoga Postures

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Yoga for postureBy Michelle Cross

If you have read my other articles on the breath, you will understand a little more about the importance of the breath, so let’s relate it to your yoga postures – asanas. Asana in Sanskrit means steady pose. When practicing any posture there are three ways for the posture – moving into the posture, holding it – this is where the steady pose comes into affect, and then moving out of the posture. And each of these stages of the posture you synchronise with the breath to achieve the most benefit. You allow the breath to surround the movement, so you initiate the breath and then make the movement.

- When you inhale, the body opens and expands

- When you exhale, the body folds or contracts

So in the beginning try to allow the breath to guide you to the length of the movement, for example, if you are raising you arms as you inhale and you do not have enough breath before you reach you goal of having your arms raised fully, then you can pause, breath then exhale as you lower your arms. In time and with practice your breath will naturally become longer. Allow your breath, your friend and now your teacher to guide you. If your breath is strained in any way this is the time to release the posture.

- Inhale when moving into back bends e.g. cobra

- Exhale when moving into forward bends e.g. forward bend

- Exhale when moving into side bends e.g. triangle

- Exhale when moving into twists e.g. half spinal twist

Breath and holding postures

When you have become more aware of your breath and using it to come into and out of postures you start to hold the posture for longer without holding, straining or retaining the breath. If the breath does not feel right for you, it is time to come out of the posture and relax for a moment. In time holding a posture allows you to experience the intimate connection between your body, breath and mind. The breath is the link between the unity of the body and mind, which is Yoga.

Michelle Cross

http://www.yogarelax.co.uk

http://www.michellecross.co.uk

Michelle Cross teaches Hatha Yoga and is passionate about assisting people to find their own Yoga within, leading to health, wellness and abundant happiness.

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The Beauty of Yoga

Friday, August 7th, 2009

boat pose - Yoga   Written By Gina Lombardi

The beauty of Yoga is that once we begin practice we begin to realize the joy that is something inside of us and once we begin to live in joy, we begin to live in good health. One begins to abandon those things in life that have brought us pain and suffering. We begin to eat healthier and practice our other daily activities in a more present and mindful experience. Although many of us will experience this happiness, joy and good health slowly and sometimes only at brief times, it will continue to grow with patience and self- discipline to practice.

Yoga is not about self-improvement or making ourselves better, it is a process of deconstructing all the barriers we may have made in order to prevent us from having that true connection with ourselves and our world. We cannot strive toward something that we already are. The recognition that each individual can achieve understanding only through his own exploration and discovery, and that all of life is a continual process of refinement which allows us to see more clearly, is obtained by a commitment to practice yoga over a life- time.

In Yoga there is no reward to strive toward, for the practice is the reward. Every moment you focus your attention on your breath, coming back to your body and your immediate reality, you will experience the deep sense of stillness. This feeling brings so much joy and revitalizes the whole of you that you cannot help but be drawn to practice yoga and better healthy choices to nourish your entire being.

The seed of all that is possible begins to unfold like the petals of a lotus flower budding effortlessly out of the murky water. The union is found again and again, until the union speaks louder than the ego that has bound you. Finding yoga is finding your true self or atman, and uniting with Brahman will thus bring you closer to Samadhi, in which the masters have realized is our goal. Remembering that this is what we already are.

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