In a world full of skepticism towards the alternative, Yoga has created a place of growing belief for itself. As Timothy McCall, M.D. states in his book Yoga As Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health & Healing: A Yoga Journal Book: “This single comprehensive system can reduce stress, increase flexibility, improve balance, promote strength, heighten cardiovascular conditioning, lower blood pressure, reduce overweight, strengthen bones, prevent injuries, lift mood, improve immune function, increase the oxygen supply to the tissues, heighten sexual functioning and fulfillment, foster psychological equanimity, and promote spiritual well-being” (3). McCall is one of the many believers that have produced in depth research on the benefits …show more content…
Therefore a person must develop stress management skills to maintain their own stability and yoga can be a part of the solution. In the book, Yoga Body, Buddha Mind, by Cyndi Lee, the author talks about fight-or-flight, a condition where the body relates to emergencies then responds by activating the adrenal glands allow the heart to pump quicker, raise blood pressure, increase muscle tension, and produce sweat. However, if you are constantly in a fight-or-flight mode then it leads to stress. Health problems can arise from not learning how to balance good stress which can have survival value and bad stress that can lead to insomnia, headaches, and even more serious conditions such as heart attacks (Lee …show more content…
With yoga as a part of your daily routine, physical health issues can be treated. Back Pain if left untreated can lead to surgery. Ways of avoiding surgery include relaxing the nerves, fixing your posture, loosening and strengthening the muscles, which can be corrected by the practicing of yoga. Bad posture can eventually cause nerves in the spine to come out which are painful for the spinal disk and vertebrae. By gaining physical awareness by using yoga stretching and breathing you can focus more on the sensations your body feels while doing the simplest of tasks such as washing your dishes. (McCall 190) Effect of Short-Term Intensive Yoga Program on Pain, Functional Disability And Spinal Flexibility in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Control Study writes “Deep relaxation of the spinal muscles achieved during safe body movements with mindful awareness may form the basis of improvement observed in flexibility and pain within this short period of intervention” (Tekur et al.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, throughout many cultures to help with the balance of physical and mental well-being. Throughout the years yoga has also been incorporated with many healings, whether with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or many other things that cause us mental and physical pain. However, recently yoga has been intertwined with cancer patients who have just been diagnosed, are currently going through the treatments, and for the miraculous people who have survived this destructive disease.
Modern life is full of hassle, stress and frustrations. Stress is so common that is has become a way of life of many people. Stress isn’t always negative. In small measures, it can help you cope well under pressure and encourage you to do your best. Stress has known to be a common factor for students these days due to work overload. Stress can cause some lifestyle problems, for example, headaches, loss of appetite, heart attacks, obesity, aging, depression, nervous breakdown and loss of focus. There are many ways in which stress could be overcome, such as yoga and meditation. Studies have found that stress has both positive and negative effect on everyone. Even though meditation is conventional, people still practice it in hopes of stave off stress. Meditations have been used for centuries by everyone as one of the cures to help reduce stress in their daily life.
Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).
A nurse that wishes to determine if he/she is stressed, must first be cognizant of the signs and symptoms. Often, stress manifests not just in physical ways but in emotional ways as all. The physical signs of stress include headaches, weight gain, fatigue, and an elevated glucose level, while the emotional signs include anger, lashing out, hostility, sadness, and abstinence and isolation from activities (Roszler & Brail 2017). Stress management is the process of integrating positive and healthy techniques into one’s lifestyle in an attempt to reduce stress. Physical activity such as yoga has been proven to reduce stress. Researchers have found that because yoga encourages one to relax, it shifts the flight-or-fight response to the relaxation response, which has been shown to decrease stress by lowering breathing and heart rates, decrease blood pressure, lower cortisol levels, and increase blood flow to vital organs (Woodyard
Everyday society assumes yoga is just a physical health practice that will make people substantially fit. Social media is making people believe that Yoga is mostly good for exercising in a social, trendy fashion environment. What society does not know is Yoga plays a huge role in emotional hygiene, more so than physical health, Yoga develops a healthy emotional stability for its participants that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Emotionally, Yoga can develop a healthy emotional lifestyle for its participants while leaving a person with more positivity, determination and strength in the human mind.
Yoga is the practice of active stretching and also involves the art of meditation. No one knows when this practice started, but it predates written history. Various stone carvings have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley depicting figures in Yoga positions. These carvings are thought to be dating back to at least 5,000 years or more. The most common mistake people make is associating Hinduism with Yoga; Yoga, however, came along way before Hinduism evolved into a religion and incorporated the practices and ideas of Yoga into its religion. Yoga as a tradition has always been passed down from teacher to student through word of mouth and practical demonstration. Therefore, the practice of Yoga and its techniques are based solely on the combined experiences of individual spanning over thousands of years. One of the earliest documents about Yoga was written by a scholar named Patanjali; He established the most widely recognized theories and practices used in Yoga called Yoga Sutras dating between the 1st or 2nd century BC or as late as the 5th century AD. The method he compiled is known as “Ashtanga Yoga,” or the eight limbs of Yoga. This practice is what is commonly known today as Classical Yoga. The eight steps are:
They noticed that the conditions related to their muscular system, respiratory system, nervous system, and the digestive system improved notably. It has been studied and suggested that regular practice of Yoga increases the brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid levels which helps in regulating the excitability of the nervous system and muscle tone as well. This helps in reducing anxiety and improving mood functions, letting people lead much more emotionally balanced lives. Apart from the abovementioned advantages, yoga also helps in keeping cardiovascular diseases in check. The three principles of yoga: asana (exercise), pranayama (breathing), and drishti (meditation) help in monitoring heart activities and keeping it functioning healthily. It does so by reducing blood pressure, speeding up recovery related to heart failures or cardiac arrests, and lower other cardiovascular risk factors that some people might have genetically imbibed in them. Similarly, it helps people with chronic back aches. Regular practice of yoga can bring relief over a period of time, than medications alone. Pain medications for back ache or spine-related spasms generally have dangerous side effects such as gastric problems, nausea, and the relief they provide last for a very short period of time. Yoga on the other hand gives back pain sufferers a much necessary relief through stretching exercises and also by meditating which plays a major role in alleviating any kind of
Salamon, M. (2010, November 3). The science of yoga and why it works. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/35129-yoga-increases-brain-function-bone-density.html
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is slowly becoming better known all over the world. CAM encompasses various types of therapies, such as yoga, reflexology, chiropractic therapy, herbal therapy, ayurveda, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, etc. The evidenced-based research, recognition of disconnect between patients and also the positive and negative aspects of CAM modalities are reasons behind the increased attention it has gained in medicals schools all over the United States. (Hart, 2009, p. 287).
There is more to yoga than contorting your body into difficult asanas (poses). It does improve strength, balance, and flexibility. But it is also about achieving mindfulness (mindful awareness) and self-discovery.
Yoga postures or asanas can put pressure on parts of the body, helping them to reach the balance that is needed to feel well as yoga improves circulation. This means your brain and muscles will get more oxygen.
Depending on the styles and poses a person chooses, yoga benefits a person not only physically, but mentally as well.
What are your thoughts, views, musings and experiences etc. regarding meditation? As we all can learn from each other when it comes to sharing ways of creating a healthy, happy and vibrant life work balance.
The goal of this study was to identify the ways in which engaging in yoga practices would alter psychological well being, and allow people to engage more fully in their lives and flourish in health and happiness. The pre and post test set up of this study allowed the researchers to see the ways in which students had been affected by their participation in the yoga teacher training. Yoga training students were engaged in a four week program. They were administered tests and the beginning of the study, prior to engaging in the program, at the end of the program, after completion, and then again at a 3 month follow up. Multiple factors were assessed, however the significant and important ones which relate directly to our understanding of healthy, happiness and wellness and the course content are extremely
Yoga is one of the world's oldest forms of holistic exercise which is believed to link body to soul. The various Asana or body postures used during yoga reduce stress while making your body healthier. One of the major reasons of yoga getting so popular worldwide is that it has no age limit; it suits young and old alike. The benefits of yoga are innumerable and since there is gradual change in postures it neither gets boring.