The Benefits of Yoga for Cancer Patients

A cancer diagnosis can consume all areas of a patient’s life, especially their mental state. Implementing self-care and relaxation into their routines while maintaining a busy schedule of treatment and the requirements of their own lives is incredibly important for those living with cancer. Yoga, an ancient practice that originated in India, connects the mind and body through breath, movement, and meditation and has taken the United States and the rest of the world by storm. Patients with cancer that practice yoga regularly find their quality of life and the complications of their emotional and physical states have drastically improved. Yoga has the ability to reduce the psychological stress caused by one’s diagnosis as well as helping manage the physical symptoms and side effects of treatment.

Psychological and Emotional Impact

People often report increased anxiety and depression after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Some symptoms include difficulty sleeping, fatigue, inability to focus and increased negative thought patterns. Yoga has been proven to reduce psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety and depression.1 It can be challenging for patients with cancer to prevent their minds from wandering, dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future. Meditation and deep breathing exercises allow them to clear their mind and focus on their breath, which grounds them and helps them to focus on the present. Yoga creates a sense of self-regulation and awareness making it easier for the patient to cope with stressful situations.2 These skills are incredibly useful when managing the many stressors that accompany a cancer diagnosis. Yoga can also facilitate a spiritual experience and inner peace, which can be lost when initially diagnosed. A CancerCare client who participated in a biweekly young adult yoga program agreed. “I enjoy coming to the mat because I am able to focus solely on myself and my body,” the client said. “I tune out work, doctor appointments, and cancer.” (MORE)

Source: OncologyNurseAdvisor.com

Science Review Confirms Yoga Benefits Your Brain

With a history spanning thousands of years, yoga (in a wide variety of forms) has proven its benefits experientially across generations. Modern science is also confirming its usefulness for people seeking improved mental and physical health and fitness conditioning.

Like many (if not most) other forms of exercise, yoga, though mild in comparison, has also been shown to support healthy brain function and stave off neurological decline.

Considering the skyrocketing prevalence of dementia, this is good news, as yoga is suitable for most people, regardless of age or fitness level.1 Some forms can even be done seated in a chair. As explained in a 2019 review2,3 of Hatha yoga’s effects on the human brain:4

“Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing and meditative exercise to offer the practitioners a unique holistic mind-body experience. While the health benefits of physical exercise are well established, in recent years, the active attentional component of breathing and meditation practice has garnered interest among exercise neuroscientists.

As the scientific evidence for the physical and mental health benefits of yoga continues to grow, this article aims to summarize the current knowledge of yoga practice and its documented positive effects for brain structure and function, as assessed with MRI, fMRI, and SPECT …

Collectively, the studies demonstrate a positive effect of yoga practice on the structure and/or function of the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and brain networks including the default mode network (DMN).

The studies offer promising early evidence that behavioral interventions like yoga may hold promise to mitigate age-related and neurodegenerative declines …”

Psychologically, a regular yoga practice has also been shown to lower stress,5 reduce body image dissatisfaction6 and anxiety,7 and much more.

This in addition to a wide range of physical health benefits, including as weight loss,8 improved atrial fibrillation9 (irregular heartbeat), blood pressure10 and immune function,11 reduced risk for migraines12 and improved sexual performance and satisfaction,13,14 to name but a few. (MORE)

Source: Mercola

How Yoga Benefits Your Brain, According to Science

New research shows a regular practice can improve your brain structure and function

Yoga is often touted for its ability to improve flexibility and strength, reduce stress, and boost mindfulness. But new research suggests it might have benefits for your brain as well: Not only can yoga enhance your brain function, but it can also change the structure of your brain in some notable ways.

In the review, published in the journal Brain Plasticity, researchers looked at 11 previous studies that focused on the relationship between yoga practice and brain health. The review included two types of research: investigations that had participants with no yoga background taking up the practice over a period of 10 to 24 weeks—with brain health markers checked at the beginning and end of the time frame—and studies that measured brain differences between individuals who regularly practiced yoga and those who didn’t.

All of the studies used Hatha yoga, a form of yoga that emphasizes a connection between conscious breathing and movement, as well as meditation.

Yoga practitioners showed more gray matter volume in their brains—which has been linked to better mental function, particularly during aging—and more cortical thickness, another plus when it comes to brain structure since it’s linked to higher intelligence.

The takeaway here is that when you’re looking to improve brain health, you don’t need to decide between high-intensity aerobic exercise—which has often been associated with better brain function—and more low-impact, slow-moving exercise like yoga, according to Neha Gothe, Ph.D., study coauthor and director of the Exercise Psychology Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (MORE)

Source: Runners World

Yoga Benefits the Brain and May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s

Staying aerobically fit, and sticking to an exercise routine like running, is good for your brain and overall health. But new research points towards yoga as another option for those who want to protect their brains from Alzheimer’s — and who may enjoy physical activity that’s a bit more calm.

Yoga — the ancient practice originating in India that incorporates stretching, flexibility, strength and mindfulness — may keep the brain healthy, boost memory and lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, according to a new review of 11 studies.

Because many studies about yoga’s brain benefits have been inconclusive, the researchers of the review aimed to examine the connection between yoga and brain health in the hopes of coming to a more solid conclusion.

Aerobic Exercise and the Brain

It’s well established that aerobic exercise — like running, swimming or anything that gets your heart rate up — may be one of the single most important things you can do for your brain and body health. Exercise is known to stimulate neurons, reduce the risk of dementia and even slow down the aging process.

Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist at New York University, says that even mild to moderate exercise can reduce your risk of dementia by 30 percent. In a past Being Patient interview, Suzuki referred to a study that found the most intensely active women had the lowest chances of developing dementia.

“If you were high-fit, you were 90 percent less likely to have developed dementia,” Suzuki said. “That tells me that in the range of exercise that’s attainable — these are not Olympic athletes here — we can change our probability of getting dementia by between 30 percent with walking and 90 percent with being a high-fit person.”

Yoga’s Effect on Alzheimer’s

Though aerobic exercise and fitness has largely been studied in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, researchers haven’t focused as much specifically on yoga. This newest analysis provides further evidence that yoga may also have memory-saving effects on the brain.

In five of the 11 studies, participants without any yoga background took yoga sessions every week for 10-24 weeks. Researchers compared their brain health before and after those 10-24 weeks of yoga sessions. In the other studies, researchers measured brain changes in people who do yoga regularly, and compared them to those who don’t. (MORE)

Source: BeingPatient.com

Mets Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes Tries To Improve Flexibility With Yoga

Yo is into yoga.

Trying to stay off the disabled list after he was hobbled by leg injuries last season, New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes took to yoga this winter.

"This year I did three things differently," Cespedes said through a translator Monday following the team's first full workout. "I ran. Then I did weightlifting, but not so much heavy weights. And then I did yoga trying to get ready for this."

A two-time All-Star, Cespedes signed a $110 million, four-year contract before the 2017 season and bulked up in the weight room. He wound up on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain from April 28 until June 10 and then with a right hamstring strain from Aug. 26 through the end of the season. Cespedes hit .292 with 17 homers and 42 RBIs in 81 games.

"With yoga, my muscles are more flexible right now," he said. "I used to work out with heavy weightlifting. I had strength, but I wasn't flexible. Now I'm flexible because of the yoga. ... The yoga has been working for me. When I showed up in the last couple of seasons down here, the lower back of my body was very tight. I haven't felt that yet."

The 32-year-old Cespedes is noticeably trimmer. (MORE)

Source: ESPN

Yoga, Dance To Relieve Exam Stress

As testing time approaches for students, Chandigarh-based yoga and dance gurus offer valuable tips for de-stressing

Final examinations are stressful for everyone, even when one is completely prepared after covering the whole syllabus and all the important questions from previous year papers. In the age of competition, scoring well is not good enough and getting top scores has to be the aim. Such scenario has made the examinations a stressful affair.

However, there are ways to de-stress the mind and body while preparing for the final examinations. While sports and games are an escape for many, some students are also going for yoga and dance classes.

Yoga and dance gurus are suggesting yoga and dance practise as power boosters and a source of rejuvenation.

Yoga should be part of your lifestyle

Chandigarh-based yoga guru Shobhna Juneja tells, “Yoga originated in ancient times. It used to be the part of the gurukulas curriculum for students and eventually their lifestyle. In present time, it is very important for the students to practice it regularly for improving their concentration and relaxation of their mind.”

She further says, many students come for learning yoga and some even continue coming during the exams as it helps them in focussing on their studies. She suggests, “Everyday, at least 5-10 minutes of yoga can help one in refreshing their mind.”

For complete relaxation and focus, she suggests, students should practise ‘Anulom-Vilom Pranayama’ and mantra chanting. “Even if the students start practising now, it will help them,” she says. (MORE)

Source: Hindustantimes.com

6 Tips for Yoga Beginners Who Want to Start a Practice

Yoga is quickly spreading across America, and the whole world for that matter, as an alternative method for dealing with stress, tension, and pressurizing environment. This ancient technique of mindful movements is quickly becoming the newest trend in self-help, self-motivation, and general fostering of joy and happiness in one’s life.

Although yoga has been around for centuries, it is only in the last decade that the Western world is beginning to “rediscover” this ancient practice of healing yourself through mindful movements known as Asanas. Yoga can play a big part in helping people heal themselves from difficult to manage emotions, day to day stresses and other challenges that life throws your way. Sometimes all it takes is a single yoga class to get a taste of what the fuss is all about.

As a beginner, you have several options to choose from if you’d like to try yoga for yourself. First, and likely the best, method is to head over to your local yoga studio, or gym that provides yoga classes, and try out a beginner’s class there. The emphasis is on beginner’s. There are different levels of yoga classes that one can attend, and anyone going for an intermediate class as their first yoga experience might quickly regret it, even abandon the idea of doing yoga altogether.

The second option, which is still super beneficial, is to try yoga at home. This can be done through attending online classes, whether through YouTube, or other yoga platforms that share free classes online. After practicing yoga myself for quite some time now, and attending different varieties of classes, I put together an informative infographic with my best tips for yoga beginners.

These are things you may want to remind yourself of whenever you feel that the class is getting difficult, they may also dispel any assumptions you have about yoga. (MORE)

Source: Huffington Post

Five Yoga Strategies To Stress Less

After dealing with months of stress-inducing election drama, many of us are feeling understandably tense and anxious -- myself included. That's why I'm sharing five of my favorite yoga-based ways to tame tension and regain peace of mind.

Because stress takes its toll both mentally and physically, yoga's mind-body approach can be very effective at reducing its impact. As a widely recognized stress-relieving practice, yoga has been shown to mitigate the body's physiological response to stressors. Its primary effectiveness is based on helping practitioners switch from their sympathetic "fight or flight" nervous system to their parasympathetic "rest and restore" nervous system.

The following five strategies offer ways to leverage yoga's ability to calm the nervous system as well release physical tension and emotional unease. If you're looking to tame tension and find peace, give them a try. (MORE)

Source: CNN

Yoga for Men, Miami Dolphins, and NFL Films

“At some point, I know that I told each of you that when someone out there hears about how you’ve incorporated yoga into your training, they’re gonna want to talk to you about it.”

“And here we are.”

I was addressing Jason Fox, Jelani Jenkins, Jamar Taylor and Olivier Vernon, all players for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, and all current clients of mine. We were preparing to film a segment on yoga for NFL Films and the show NFL Rush. I was to guide them through a practice, and then Shannon Furman, the producer of the segment and yogini herself, was going to interview everyone and maybe ask the guys to demonstrate their favorite postures.

“Just do your practice,” I instructed. “If you really want to help those who are going to watch this, you won’t perform for the cameras. You’ll use all of those distractions to simply go deeper inside, and that will show.”

“Breathe.”

“At some point, I told all of you that you were helping the world around you by simply practicing yoga; that by incorporating yoga into your lives, you were destroying stigmas associated with it only being for women or not being manly in some way.”

“So, I can’t thank you guys enough.”

And then we went in to practice. (MORE)

Source: Yoga For Men

Can Yoga Become a Christian Form of Prayer?

To the quiet rhythm of women breathing at the same relaxed pace in a sun-filled room, Lori Smith opens her Bible to Psalm 143:8. "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you," Smith reads in the New International Version translation. "Show me the way I should go for to you I entrust my life."

"Lord, we are loving you with all of who we are," Smith said, continuing the prayer as she checks the yoga poses of the seven women on their mats in the Carriage House of First Presbyterian Church in Huntsville. "Prayer," she reminds them, "can be in three forms: Speaking to God, listening for God and just being together."

The 90 minutes of yoga this Tuesday morning will end with some minutes of contemplative prayer. All of the yoga poses and breathing and the readings and prayers that Smith intersperses during the practice lead to those moments of quiet.

But, wait a minute. Yoga at church? Yoga - which was developed by Hindus, some say as postures of prayer to Hindu gods - for Christians as a way of prayer? Christians moving their bodies in prayer?

Smith understands the suspicion on the part of some Christians and the desire not to mix Christian teachings with those of other faiths. Every few years, a new debate on the topic breaks out in publications like Christianity Today. Smith's yoga license came through her training at New Day Yoga near Atlanta, where she learned traditional yoga poses along with a Christian viewpoint of how those poses can become integrated with prayer. Some Christians are comfortable using Hindu prayer chants during yoga. Smith herself, when she is taking workshops with conventional yoga teachers, transforms the suggested chant of "om," a Hindu prayer, into "Shalom," which is Hebrew for the peace that comes from completeness, the peace that ends all chaos.

"God is so big, he's to be worshiped in many ways," Smith said. 

Twice a 'pariah'

For Smith, the connection between yoga - which she took up many years ago at the suggestion of a friend for health reasons - and her Christian faith came as a surprise. An industrial engineer by education who worked for years in the space industry in Huntsville, Smith had been feeling anxious. "Lord, why am I not feeling joy?" she kept praying. Then one day, as she raised her hands in a warrior pose, one knee forward, one foot stretched behind, she felt a kind of rush of joy coming into her heart that she knew was an answer to her prayer. God was waiting to pour joy onto her, but she had to open her heart for it. (MORE)

Source: al.com

Broga Yoga, Detox Retox and More Put Guys' Twists on Yoga

Part of the ever-growing fraternal culture of "brohood," an increasing male demand for yoga (possibly driven in part by pro basketball player advocates such as LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal) has spawned a new wave of guy-centric "broga" courses.

Broga Yoga trademarked the catchy term in 2009 and debuted its program for guys by guys — namely, co-founders Robert Sidoti and Adam O'Neill — in Martha's Vineyard. Described by O'Neill as "a unique blend of vinyasa-style yoga, body-weight based functional fitness movements and high-intensity interval training," the regimen also substitutes rock music for chanting in the safety zone of a "bro" environment, although approximately 15% of class participants are women. 

According to Yoga Journal's most recent 2012 Yoga in America study, 20.4 million Americans practice yoga, up from 15.8 million in 2008, and 17.8% of them are men.

"[The] study also indicated that there are 105 million 'aspirational yogis' in the U.S. and roughly half of those are men," O'Neill said. "Based on current trends, we expect about 2 million men to take up yoga within the next year. With the adoption of yoga among professional male athletes, special-forces military training programs and police departments, men are gaining a greater understanding of yoga's many benefits and beginning to participate in increased numbers." (MORE)

Source: LA Times

Teach Me How To Hobby: Yoga/Meditation

There’s a sign on the Ave, an advertisement for hot yoga, that reads: “Do hot yoga, look better naked.” I hate that sign.

I’ve been doing yoga and meditation for years. One of my goals in the next few years is to get yoga-instructor certified so I can teach. And the idea that yoga is there to get your body slim and fit, that it is only a material thing, is one of the misconceptions about yoga that frustrates me. Yoga, at its core, is about the relationship between the mind, the body, and the soul. 

The core of yoga’s philosophy is that everything can be supplied from within the individual, whether it be physical exercise or spiritual enlightenment. 

Yoga originated more than 5,000 years ago. No one is really sure exactly when, because the practices are often only passed down from student to teacher. Yoga originated from the need for self-understanding, a harmonious interaction between the mental and physical. It has been recommended by doctors for aiding a number of ailments, including back pain, arthritis, depression, and other chronic conditions.

Despite the current surface-level yoga that many people practice, a lot of yoga was originally based in deep meditation. Its purpose was to work toward the ultimate step of classical yoga, samadhi, the Sanskrit word for contemplation. Samadhi is the realization of the essential nature of the self. In fact, three of eight steps have almost nothing to do with the asanas, or the physical exercises, of yoga. 

I think a lot of people are scared away from yoga because it seems like an “athletic” exercise, but I can assure you it’s not. My legs look like cold spaghetti when I run but I can still do yoga. Yoga is about trusting your body, about letting it do exactly what it needs to do. I mostly practice alone in my apartment, and I use what I’ve learned to do in yoga class on my own. Practicing yoga is about letting go and understanding yourself on a physical and mental level. 

Being flexible isn’t a requirement for a good yoga practice. If you haven’t done it before, I suggest signing up for a Hatha yoga class. These are more pose-based and slower-paced. Hatha allows you to explore your body at your own pace. It also gives you a chance to focus on breathing techniques. (MORE)

Source: Daily UW

Yoga Keeps Seniors Balanced, Fit

Practicing yoga regularly is one way to combat the slumped posture and deteriorating balance that can come with getting older.

Sometimes those issues start in middle age, as certified yoga instructor Lyndsey Scott has observed. Scott teaches Gentle Yoga at First United Methodist Church in Rantoul.

“Balance is challenging for women in their 50s and 60s,” Scott said. “They have to have patience with where they are at (in a pose) and let go of thinking about where they think they should be.”

This almost-60 correspondent discovered the truth of that while participating in one of Scott’s classes.

Scott guided us movement by movement into the Tree pose, which is completed by standing on one foot. The other leg is bent, and the sole of the foot rested on the inside of the knee of the supporting leg. I could only get the resting foot as high as my ankle, and even then I swayed from side to side in the effort to stay upright.

“Lose balance to find balance,” Scott said encouragingly.

She said yoga practitioners develop an awareness of their breathing and the position of their spines that results in “naturally fine-tuning” posture and balance. (MORE)

Source: Rantoul Press

Meditation Shortens Migraines By 3 Hours

Can you namaste your migraines away? A new, small study published in the journal Headache suggests that meditation may help relieve the intensity and duration of migraines.

Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center assigned 19 people with migraines either to standard medical care or to an eight-week program called mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR, which incorporates mindfulness meditation and yoga. The MBSR group meditated for about 30 minutes a day.

People who practiced meditation had less severe headaches and about 1.4 fewer migraines a months, though those effects weren’t statistically significant (likely due to the small sample size). But their headaches were significantly shorter—about 3 hours less per headache—than the control group’s.

“They were able to have a sense of personal control over their migraines,” says lead study author (and regular meditator) Rebecca Erwin Wells, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “It really makes us wonder if an intervention like meditation can change the way people interpret their pain.”

Stress is a known trigger for headaches, and mindfulness is a known combatant against stress. Several studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can curb stress responses, and one review in JAMA Internal Medicine found that it can help heal depression and anxiety about as effectively as antidepressants. (MORE)

Source: Time Magazine

Taking Yoga To The Corporate 'Suits' In Hong Kong

Like other major financial centers such as London, Shanghai or New York, Hong Kong is home to legions of suited workers toiling long hours in vast, glass towers at breakneck speed.

But in this crowded, materialistic city, there's a man trying to build a business from de-stressing the workplace.

"The wellness of employees is the wellness of the company; the very strength of a company is its employees," said Dario Calvaruso, a yoga instructor who set up Holistic Wellness -- a company that offers a series of in-office programs to reduce stress.

He's on a mission to make yoga mats an essential fixture under every Hong Kong worker's desk.

The 39-year old spent 15 years living in India studying the ancient discipline, which seeks to relax those who practice it, through elongation, slow movement and controlled breathing.

Opportunity

When Calvaruso moved to Hong Kong in October 2011, opportunity knocked on his door. "Many of my friends were major company managers and approached me for private (yoga) classes," Calvaruso said. "After seeing its benefits they thought 'this should come to my company'."

Within this territory's constricted work spaces, practicing yoga requires relatively little room and minimal equipment -- a large ball and a mat are enough. As the instructor plays calm music, everyone stretches, breathes deeply and closes their eyes.

"All the team is present at the lessons and it's a great way to start our day," said Manuele Bosetti, general manager of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macao.

This organization has to deal with the day-to-day problems of its member companies and sometimes taking the time to listen can be a challenge, Bosetti told CNN. But performing yoga as a group has helped.

"We noticed that everyone at the office was more relaxed, and we managed to treat our business partners in a more kind way," Bosetti added. (MORE)

Source: CNN

'Yoga Helps Develops Patience And Control'

Bad postures caused due to prolonged sitting and lugging heavy school bags have become a bane of modern day education. Lack of exercise, kids playing indoor games more are also taking a toll on the physique of our youngsters.

Enter yoga, the first activity being undertaken under TOI's Nagpur For Kids campaign. Theyoga camp is slated for January 19 and will be conducted at at Janardanswami Yogabhyasi Mandal at Ram Nagar.

Ram Khandwe of the Mandal, popularly known as 'Guruji', feels introducing a child to yoga can definitely being about a change and make children more agile, active and alert. "Life for kids today is extremely competitive. They have too many diversions that result in lack of concentration," he says. With too much to do, kids do not get time to focus on any single activity that causes stress and tension in them, feels Khandwe.

Emotional outbursts that hamper their progress are common in kids. What they need to develop is concentration, control and patience to surmount adverse or odd situations. Yoga alone can inculcate these qualities in them. "We have developed a module that through pranayam, yoga postures and meditation teaches them to concentrate. This is done in a manner that does not bore them," says the amiable Guruji. Picking up on the love that kids have for toys and combining it with their knowledge of physiology and anatomy, the child is introduced to his body and is taught to care and respect it. "Even young children are very conscious of their appearance. This module teaches them to groom themselves. It gives them the concept that they are precious members of their family and the society too," he adds.

Yoga's power to control diseases is well established. The module developed here also addresses the growing scourge of child obesity. "Children today get too much food to eat but little emotional nourishment. Single child and nucleus families leave them feeling very lonely and insecure," Guruji says. This creates hormonal imbalances that lead to obesity that can be controlled and reversed through yoga. (MORE)

Source: Times of India

Title For The Seahawks Is A Triumph For The Profile Of Yoga

The Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory sent happy repercussions through the expected constituencies — namely, Seahawks fans, the anti-Manning crowd, proponents of the color green — but it also lit up a community not usually excited about football: yogis.

Immediately after the game, the yoga community did the Internet equivalent of back flips when the Seahawks won — rushing to Twitter and Facebook to celebrate the accomplishment — because ever since a prominent article in ESPN The Magazine revealed that the Seahawks practiced yoga together and had meditation sessions, Seattle became yoga’s football team. The article’s illustration of quarterback Russell Wilson in lotus pose became catnip to a yoga crowd eager to shed the image of candles and incense and stretchy people bent into pretzel shapes.

Carson wrote a YogaDork post on the ESPN article last August that was shared widely on the Internet. It received another big lift when the Seahawks made the Super Bowl. The Seahawks’ success suddenly seemed inextricably tied to Coach Pete Carroll’s new-age approach to his team, which includes an extensive support team for his players’ well-being, led by a sports psychologist, Mike Gervais. When the Seahawks beat the Broncos in dominating fashion, the image of the browbeating dictatorial coach took a wallop. In its place, meditation might become the new black.“I think it’s really exciting,” said Jennilyn Carson, a yoga teacher who writes the blog YogaDork. “When you hear that football players do yoga, it changes the image, helps make it more accessible. Yoga isn’t just for girls, or for the thin and flexible. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It helps people who aren’t thin or flexible.” (MORE)

Source: NY Times

Intimidated By Yoga? Get Over It With These 5 Tips for Beginners

Now that it’s 2014, many of us are probably starting to think about ways in which we can stick to our new year’s resolution of getting in better shape. One killer way to do it? Yoga.
Obviously, Yoga is super-accessible these days and can benefit people of all ages and body types, it can be extremely intimidating if you’ve never done it before. So in the spirit of new beginnings, we caught up with  Jess Gronholm—an expert yogi and co-founder of Dirty Yoga Co., an online yoga workout program you can do anywhere—who offers 5 ways yoga newbies can be less intimidated.

1. Think of yoga as a tool.

 Even if you don’t want to devote your life to becoming an accomplished yogi, you should know that yoga—even beginner level yoga—can enhance your life. For example, it’s a great source of flexibility for most men and a great way to gain strength for most women.
It restores flexibility for runners, cyclists, and anyone who performs a repetitive form of exercise that constantly contracts their muscles. It can also help virtually every athlete, from basketball players to skiers to perform better and longer.

2. Don’t stay a beginner any longer than you have to.

When I used to teach a beginner’s yoga class, there were people who attended it for years. Where else in your life would you be prepared to stay a beginner that long? If you’re fit, active and physically competent, you should be able to practice at an open or intermediate level once you’re confident you know the basic poses. (MORE)

Source: Stylecaster.com

Why Don’t More Men Do Yoga?

Look at any yoga class and you’ll find men in the minority. Studio owners and teachers say the ratio of women to men rarely goes much below 80-20.

 

So why don’t more men do yoga?

 

The many myths about yoga stand in their way: yoga isn’t a decent workout; it’s too touchy-feely; you have to be flexible to do it; and men’s bodies just aren’t built for its pretzel-like poses.

Yoga teacher Adrian Hummell has heard all the excuses.

“A guy will associate it with things like Pilates or aerobics, and they think of it as a chick workout,” he says.

“It’s almost a joke when guys say, ‘I don’t think I should do yoga because I’m not flexible’. It’s like saying, ‘I’m too weak, so I can’t lift weights’.”

Yoga was developed centuries ago by men in India, but its modern form has become feminised, says Loren Fishman, an assistant clinical professor at Columbia University’s medical school who has written several books about the health benefits of yoga.

“It became a sort of gentle gym, a non-competitive, non-confrontational thing that’s good for you. Yoga has this distinctive passive air to it. You get into the pose and stay there.”

Among those who reject the idea that yoga is just for women is Danny Poole, a teacher and trainer who uses yoga to help athletes.

Poole came to the practice reluctantly himself, having been dragged into a yoga class by his girlfriend.

“All I knew is that there were hippies doing it, and I was intimidated because I didn’t know what it was,” Poole says.

“Then I got hooked on it because I never felt so good.” (MORE)

 

Source: IOL Lifestyle

5 Reasons to Do More Yoga in 2014

Your cell phone is ringing, e-mails are never-ending, and your running late for dinner plans. Your hectic lifestyle, including aches, pains, stress, and anxiety may be getting the best of you, giving reason to turn to meditation and yoga for relief.

Yoga has become more popular in Western culture in recent years, despite its ancient roots. Yoga classes can range from being a physical workout, while others are focused on meditation, and relaxing gentle stretches. Despite differences, the founding principles are to link mind, body, and breath to calm the mind and achieve body awareness to relieve physical and mental ailments. 

The core components of most yoga practices include:

• Poses, which are movements designed to increase strength, flexibility, and allow the body to achieve total body relaxation.
• Breathing techniques helps to calm the mind and body and promotes oxygen and blood circulation to the brain, cells, and joints. The technique of linking breath to movement, teaches the brain how to control and manage our reaction to stress, anxiety, and physical reactions to feelings such as anger and contempt. 

Research has proved there are countless positive physical and psychosocial benefits of yoga and meditation.  Here are your top 5 reasons in how just 15 minutes of yoga or meditation can benefit your health this New Year!

Benefits of Yoga
1. Improves Physical Fitness. Continued blood flow and circulation to our muscles, brain, cells, and joints helps in all areas for physical health.

• Strength – Strong muscles do more than look good, they protect our body from physical ailments such as arthritis and back pain.
• Flexibility – Improved flexibility is about our ability to engage in daily movements without aches, pains, and poor posture.  A common complaint of low back pain or knee issues, may be due to tight hips or hamstrings.
• Aerobic Endurance – Some yoga practices, may be more physically demanding than others, helping to burn calories aiding in weight loss.

2. Improves Mental Health and Balance. Yoga and meditation helps to strengthen resilience, stabilize mood, and decrease anxiety and stress.  A recent Harvard published study reported the positive effects on school-aged children finding significant improvements in anger management, strengthened resilience, and decreased fatigue.  Participants reported “I could reflect on my day in a positive way” and were able to respond more clearly and calmly in stressful situations.

3. Strengthens Immunity. Chronic stress, leads to constantly elevated cortisol levels, a hormone secreted in response to stress, which can compromise the immune system.  Practicing daily meditation or yoga 2-3x a week strengthens immunity helping to decrease occurrence of infection, symptom management, and improve sleep.
4. Improves your ability to stick to healthy behaviors.  Many of us may be jumpstarting the New Year with a Guided Reboot or be transitioning into a healthy diet to kick bad eating habits or help in weight loss, but that can be tricky!  Using meditation to stay centered has been shown in studies to be an effective confidence booster and helps individuals stay compliant to health changes and goals.
5. Helps in the management of chronic conditions.  Research has shown yoga and meditation can benefit by significantly decreasing fatigue, chronic low back pain, arthritis, blood pressure for those with hypertension, and improve cardiovascular health and irregular heart arrhythmias.  Meditation has been used in cancer patients to improve quality of life and in patients with type 2 diabetes to lower cholesterol levels and improve glucose tolerance. (MORE)

 

Source: Reboot With Joe