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.
All in all, I would just like to say that yoga isn’t all about getting extremely flexible. It’s a routine, a lifestyle and as I explained today, it’s a treatment to the body and soul through the channel of chakras.
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:
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
Many studies were done to observe the effect yoga had on the relief of stress. One of these studies, done in 1994, was conducted on two groups of young women. One group was a control group and the other practiced yoga. All the volunteers read in a comfortable position for an extended period of time. Then, heart rate, blood pressure, certain hormones and psychological factors were measured and compared. The results seemed to be favor the women who had practiced yoga. First, there was a huge difference in heart rate. The group that practiced yoga had a large decrease of heart rate during yoga. The most signifi...
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).
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
Nestled deep in the mountains of ancient India, yoga was born some five-thousand years ago as more than a mere physical practice, but rather as a sacred way of life with deep spiritual significance to its practitioners. It was the old Hindu tradition for a guru, who had studied the art, to dedicate his life to imparting onto his students the wisdom and teachings he had mastered in order to help each disciple achieve the ultimate goal of yoga: union with the divine, also known as enlightenment. However, once yoga was introduced into Western Society, a movement occurred beginning in the early 1800s’, which took yoga’s deeply embedded philosophical roots and deemed them unessential, picking and prodding the meaning of yoga apart until it no longer
Yoga- Connecting Within: Practicing Yoga has been around for many decades as a way of
Yoga is most important for everyone’s life as it helps in balancing the relationship between body and mind. It is type of exercise which helps in learning physical and mental discipline through regular practice. It was originated in India long years ago in ancient time. Earlier people belong to the Buddhism and Hinduism was used to of the yoga and meditation. Yoga is a therapy which helps getting rid of illnesses slowly if practiced on regular basis. It makes some positive changes to the internal body and regularizes the body organs functioning. Nowadays the most frequent problem for all corporate employees is panic and stress. Not merely the employee. The corporate CEO no exceptional one in this case. Yoga is an amazing tool which helps to heal the
Yoga could be described as the practice of holding different poses, and using diferrent breathing techniques that strengthens the mind and body, by bringing the practitioner into a new state of awareness. The practice of yoga increases blood flow to internal organs, brings more oxygen to the cells in your body, while strengthening and calming the nervous system. There are many different types of yoga. In the United States the most widely practiced form is known as Hatha, which is a combination of poses taken from all types of yoga b...
The topic in which I have chosen to research on is Pranayama. This is the 4th limb of yoga and is directly translated as breath control. This was an area of yoga that was very difficult for me throughout my experience this spring. Most people would probably want to write about something that was very interesting and natural for them in yoga, but I figured that writing about something that was a struggle for me would help me to be able to improve in this specific area.
The daily yoga practice may have rewarded you with better sound sleep, fewer chances of catching influenza, relaxed pace of life and an endless list of benefits. The science of yoga is not only beneficial in providing physical health benefits but a host of benefits to mind and soul too. It is fruitful in calming the wandering soul, anxious mind deprived of sleep. It fills you with new vigor making you feel more vibrant, embracing your beautiful body and living high on life.
Through the practice of yoga, I have begun to learn many things about myself that I did not know before. These new findings are due to the implementation of the practice of yama and niyama into my everyday life. Yama means restraint or behavior to avoid. While, niyama means observance or conduct to cultivate. Yama principles focuses on a person’s interactions with the world while niyama is more of a self observation and how to deal with ourselves. I find that these ten commandments of yoga have caused me to examine myself and the world around me in a way that isn’t negative but of understanding. I think that as humans we tend to fear the unknown but the unknown is only unknown until we actively engage in finding the truth. Thus, we can go on in life being afraid of the things that we don’t know about ourselves and the world around us or we can enthusiastically search for the truth.
First of all, you do not have to be as flexible as a Cirque du Soleil performer in order to do yoga. Yes, being ultra bendy is beneficial, but it’s not a requirement.