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Recommended: Benefits of yoga
Yoga, as defined in America, is known to be a mind-body technique originating from Asia. It is readily available at fitness facilities, on DVD, and even by means of virtual instructors. Today people may practice yoga for a variety of reasons such as; addressing musculoskeletal concerns, physical, mental, and emotional health. Albeit yoga gaining increased popularity, its context does not stem far beyond its ability to reduce stress.
Yoga originated in ancient India as a spiritual practice. In Sanskrit the word yoga means union, to yoke or to join (Chaoul & Cohen). It is often depicted as a metaphoric tree with eight “limbs”: yama (universal ethics),Niyama (individual ethics), Asana (physical postures), pranayama (breath control), pratya-hara (control of the senses), dharana (concentration), dyana (meditation), and samadhi (bliss) (Ross & Thomas, 2010). It is part of the Vedic science, in which Ayurveda is the branch that deals with the physical and psychological components of disease and treatment (Frawley, 2008). Thus when yoga is used to address health issues it is done so in the context of Ayurveda. Ayurveda takes the yogic philosophies, principles and practices and applies them to the healing of mind and body.
The goal of yoga is to create balance. Inner balance is defined by six variables: diet, lifestyle, environment, body work, breathing techniques and our thought processes (Shah & Hooper, 2003). Ayurveda promotes practical guidelines for achieving balances in the elements. The original Ayurvedic physician authors, Caraka and Susruta, defined Ayurveda as the “science which imparts knowledge about life…the description of a happy and unhappy life, and actions that promote and demote longevity”.
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... S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: A review of comparison studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(1), 3-12. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0044
Seibert, A. (2012). Yoga health benefits: Flexibility, strength, posture, and more. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/the-health-benefits-of-yoga?page=3
Shah, V., & Hooper, G. (2003). Yoga and Ayurveda for therapy. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 13, 7-13. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=000af616-ff49-48b7-b44a-f01b45c73599%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=104
Stiles, M. (2007). What yoga therapists need to know about Ayurveda and Kinesiology. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 17. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=24d93d01-fbc5-4961-b995-2933c80b1b43%40sessionmgr198&vid=1&hid=104
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).
Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
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.
... limitations to the reviewed studies. It would be valuable to create a yoga program that was specifically for anxiety so there is clarity in regards to the methods used in the studies. Also, setting up studies with control groups would be beneficial. Finally, using randomized samples that are not convenience samples or individuals who have volunteered to be a part of the study would tremendously decrease the chance of bias and making it more generalizable to a population. Lastly, I believe that further research in regards to the benefits of physical activity and its effects on anxiety would be beneficial for regarding gaps in the research. It would be interesting to study whether yoga has an impact on anxiety or if other forms of physical activity such as swimming, running, or biking have a similar impact on anxiety that has been indicated from practicing yoga.
Aerobic exercise is anything exercise that elevates the respiration, heart and metalobic rate for 20-30 minutes. Aerobic exercises include running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling. Stretching and toning exercises are slow and sustained, they decrease muscle tension, improve circulation, can help relax the body, they also help focus and center the mind in the present moment. Yoga is a good example of a balanced stretching and toning program, and there is increasing evidence that yoga has psychological and well as physiological benefits. Yoga can be compared to progressive muscle relaxation where a muscle is tensed and relaxed systematically through out the body to produce relaxation response which decreases stress and tension, increases strength and balance, increases flexibility, lowers blood pressure and reduces cortisol levels (Thirthalli et al., 2013; Weiten et al., 2012), it improves psychological well-being, yoga involves concentrating on the breath and body which calms the mind by switching focus away from worries of the mind and brings the person into the present moment, rather than on the past or future. It also increases bodily awareness so the feelings of tension and stress are recognised earlier and can be reduced sooner, yoga it self is exercise and so the usual benefits of exercise are gained too (‘The psychological
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.
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).
Becoming a healthier person interests us all, from young to old, being fit is something we strive for. Nowadays, one means of achieving that goal is through yoga. Though the use of breathing exercises, meditation and strength postures, people have actually lowered their blood pressure, aches and pains fade away as their body becomes more athletic.
Yoga is a practice that anyone of any age can complete anywhere at anytime. It originated in ancient India and is estimated to be nearly five thousand years old. Through yoga, one is able to find his or her path to peaceful bliss within him or her self (Finney 25). The mind and the body become balanced with each other, giving one the sense of enlightenment (The Magic of...Meditation). Depending on the styles and poses a person is to choose, yoga benefits a person not only physically, but mentally as well.
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:
Web. 13 April 2014. McCall, Timothy. A. Yoga as a medicine. New York: Bantam Dell, 2007. Print.
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
This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha
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