Yoga Therapy And Preventative Health

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Yoga therapy has been sitting by quietly, while the mainstream population has begun to “try Yoga,” but that may soon change. With the world’s governments and financial markets struggling along, there will be many changes in the near future. The world’s governments will have to consider the massive cost of national defense, retirement programs, education, healthcare, energy, education, and preventative health.

At this time, prevention in healthcare is a “field of dreams.” As we know, some medical conditions are inherent within our specific genetic pool. However, there are many ailments, diseases, and conditions, which are preventable.

This is where healing modalities such as, Yoga therapy can become cost-effective alternatives to an over burdened medical system. Below is a question and answer session about the need for Yoga as a recognized form of therapy.

Q: What is Yoga Therapy?

A: Most of today’s Yoga therapy can be traced back to Sri Swami Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who trained his share of modern masters, including his son T.K.V. Desikachar (Viniyoga) and B.K.S. Iyengar (Iyengar Yoga).

Yoga has therapeutic value and can be modified for any person. This is not the same form of Yoga movement seen in most health clubs. Yoga therapy involves teaching customized techniques, to one individual, based upon his or her specific needs.

This may encompass postures, specific breathing, meditation, and a large variety of Yogic techniques. The Yoga therapist’s primary objective is to treat the whole person. Complete physical health cannot be separated from emotional and mental health.

In fact, spiritual health also plays an important factor in recovery. We know that the power of prayer, mantra, and positive affirmation, will enable a person to heal faster. There is much conflict over which specific religion a person practices. Yet, this is a private decision and, as such, should be left to the individual.

Q: Why should Yoga teachers be concerned with Yoga therapy?

A: Some teachers are content teaching athletic forms of Yoga. This is a wonderful thing, but as we, and our students, grow older, teachers become aware of a variety of ailments. Constant pain creates a need for relief, because you can think of nothing else.

If you have a migraine, or back pain, can you think of much else? The mind is totally focused on pain. Hence, there is a need for inner calm and pain relief, which therapeutic Yoga can give.

Q: What is Yoga Therapy’s future role in alternative health?

A: Yoga is the source of many different healing modalities. As I have stated many times, “Yoga is the mother of all health maintenance systems.” Contemporary medicine and Yoga therapy have plenty of space together on the path to heal humanity.

There is no shortage of people who are in pain. Yoga is a cost-effective form of therapy. Together, medicine and Yoga can effectively help people who are suffering from a variety of ailments.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga For Kids – What To Do And How To Do It

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With evolution of humanity, our lifestyle has changed over the years. Todays generation is under lot of pressure and stress. The life has become immensely hectic and tiresome for youth as well. The lifestyle changes have affected the kids also. It has been seen in recent surveys that kids are under lot of stress in comparison with the previous generations. There are many factors that have caused such strain, like school, study, peer pressure, never-ending after school curriculum, interest and hobby classes and over scheduling for coaching and many more. All these add-up to a level where they are draining themselves so much that they seek expert assistance. Yoga in such a scenario is the only way out for kids, to de-stress them and keep them energized to follow their dreams in the long run.

Not only giving them a total de-stress mantra, Yoga poses also let them understand and build better body awareness, right from their initial years. Yoga teach the kids with many other subtle human behavior which is needed in the long run and forms the base of their overall character, such as self-control, tolerance, suppleness and coordination.

With constant practice kids are sure to take such characteristics beyond the class and into their daily lives. There are many asanas and poses to deliver effective results. For example – by doing breathing exercises such as three-part breath or camel pose one really can feel the difference in behavior. It builds them and helps retain them better than the grown-ups even, through the lifes vivid situations.

Besides, developing their innate qualities, Yoga is a great way to get hyperactive and attention-seeking kids to change their behavior and become well-mannered and calm. These kids mostly do such activities because they long for movement and stimulus (sensory/ motor). Yoga poses direct their impulses and energies in a positive manner.

Effective yoga poses for kids

Few immensely effective Yoga-Asanas that works particularly well for the kids are warrior pose and Tree pose. Children are, by doing these pose, gains confidence, balance and calm. However, Yoga is not restricted to just performing the poses, it transform your entire lifestyle and ought to go beyond the classes. The children are required to understand the benefits and the meaning of these poses. When they understand the meaning behind the poses, it then helps them become like the poses. For example – the Lion pose- it helps make behavioral changes in us, it is meant to encourage us to become strong and confident like Lion.

Other Yoga Asanas for Kids that work effectively:

Forward Bend or Extension – Uttanasana II
Half Shoulderstand – Ardha Sarvangasana
Dog and Cat
Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
Head to Knee – Janu Sirshasana
Mountain – Tadasana
Sit/Easy Position – Sukhasana
The Bridge – Sethu Bandhasana
Triangle – Trikonasana
Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II
The Cobra – Bhujangasana
The Corpse – Savasana

Yoga Exercises For Diabetes

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Yoga is a form of exercise that helps to deal with health problems and many ailments. Diabetes is one such ailment that is curbed with the help of yoga poses. Diabetes deals with altering the lifestyle and changing the attitude towards health. One should take care of such conditions through simple exercises like yoga poses.
Today there is an emerging idea that Type 2 diabetes is caused due to obesity and being overweight. In fact with growing facts, diabetes would be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. Yoga exercises for diabetes have been by far the best way to deal with the problem. However one should perform these asanas after consulting a health specialist.
There are many poses in yoga beneficial for diabetes. Let us see what they are:
1.Sun Salutation or Surya namaskar: this is a yoga pose that offers salutation to the Sun. It has been effective for all who have diabetes. Surya Namaskar follows a particular set of 12 poses and is very good if you really follow the exercise well and correctly.

2.Bhujangasana: This is also called the Cobra pose and is very good for diabetes. Lie flat on the stomach and keep the legs straight, keeping the feet together. Point the palms as well as toes directly below the shoulders and now slowly lift the head, abdomen and neck with the help of arm support. Remain in the pose for some seconds and hold the breath. Then come back to initial position.

3.Sarvangasana : this is one of the popular yoga exercises for diabetes. It involves lifting the legs gradually by keeping them vertical taking care that it does not shake. Breathe out and lift the legs. Once you come to the final position, you may breathe in a normal pattern. People who have high blood pressure as well as heart disorders should take care not to try this pose.
4.Dhanurasana or Bow Pose : This is a yoga pose that is extremely beneficial for all those who have diabetes as it helps to take care of the intestines and pancreas. Lie on the stomach on the ground. Bend the legs towards the hip. Now you may hold the ankles and reach the hands back. Ensure that your arms are straight and your spine has the shape of an arch.
5.Paschimottanasana : Also called the forward seated bend, this helps to increase the functions of the pancreas, kidney and liver. It is one of the difficult yoga exercises for diabetes and maintains you well. Extend the legs totally when you are sitting. Breathe out and move forward to touch the toes with the help of the fingers and the knees with the head. It is mastered with practice.
6.Shavasana : this is a very important part of yoga exercises for diabetes. All yogasanas should get over with Shavasana or Corpse pose. It is very good for relaxation of mind and body.
Yoga and Diabetes
Yoga helps to stay in shape and brings down body fat and control blood sugar. Diabetes is a condition that is caused due to malfunctioning of the pancreas. When the pancreas does not secrete enough insulin then the sugar accumulates in the body and causes conditions like diabetes. With the help of yoga one can curb this accumulation and also maintain the blood sugar level well. Yoga and diabetes thus go hand in hand and provide one with easier and more beneficial methods of dealing with health problems.

Yoga Central – Legs Up The Wall Pose

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This is the latest article in our yoga central series and today we will be looking at a pose known as Legs up the wall Pose or deep lake pose. We will look at how to properly carry out the pose, the benefits you can get from it and anything that you need to consider before beginning. Please read the entire article before trying the pose.

How to Carry Out the Pose

We have put together instructions on how to carry out the pose correctly however there are also a number of modifications that can be done to make the pose easier as well as deeper. These modifications will be found lower in the article.

1. Begin the pose by placing two folded blankets on top of each other about a foot from a wall. If you dont have any blankets you can use a couple of pillows.

2. Sit sideways on the blankets and swing your legs around so that they are up the wall and lie back over the blankets. You should position yourself so that your sit bones are over the edge of the blanket and your sacrum is fully supported.

3. Ensure your legs are straight and use an eye mask to increase the relaxation. Position your arms straight out from the shoulders and close your eyes.

4. Bring your attention to your breathing, particularly in your stomach and use this pose to bring about a deep feeling of relaxation in your stomach. Allow your stomach to sink into the back body and allow your back to relax completely into the blankets.

5. Remain in this position for 2 to 3 minutes continuing to focus on your breathing. To come out of the pose slide the blankets out from under your back and roll on to your side to come up into a seated position.

Tips and Precautions

If you feel discomfort in your lower back when carrying out this pose, move your body back so that your sit bones are fully supported by the blankets. If you still feel discomfort then remove one blanket.

If you have difficulty straightening your legs then move the blankets further away from the wall until you can straighten your legs. You legs may also get tired doing this pose so you can reduce the difficulty by bending your legs, bringing the soles of your feet together and sliding your legs down the wall. You can do this if your legs get tired part way through or if you have difficulties and discomfort keeping your legs straight.

Benefits and Focus

There are a large number of benefits to this pose and many of them are the same as those experienced with more complicated inverted poses. The main areas of focus are the abdomen and lower back with the aim of bringing about a deep feeling of relaxation. This feeling of relaxation can help with various different conditions including stress, anxiety and insomnia. It can also help with relieving stress and tension in your upper back which can be beneficial for conditions like headaches. This is mainly due to the fact that headaches can be caused by tension in the upper back. This can be a great pose to practise before going to bed and can really encourage a deep a restful nights sleep.

Yoga Practice For Pain Management

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Many people have been wondering about yoga, if it can help cure pain. If theres a specific Yoga instructor just for handling pain. If there are specific Yoga postures dedicated to pain alleviation. If Yoga has some limitations on the kind or intensity of the pain.

Yoga advocates and students are increasingly attesting to the positive results of their Yoga classes which they attend 2-3 times a week. But, similar to typical dietary programs or treatments, yoga has its limitations.

So, as far as yoga is concerned, it’s more of making the newbie perform yoga consistently with diligence. Just like prescription medications, yoga does not offer any definite cure for all complained pains.

Definitely Yoga assures a distraction from the pain and teaches the student to handle it better without negative repercussions.

Constant performance of yoga leads to a turnaround in way of life and makes the practitioner scrutinize their day-to-day activities, even their dietary habits. Yoga differs from the usual exercise programs or the recent wellness fads. Archeological findings have shown the existence of Yoga for more than 5 thousand years. That is definitely not the lifetime of a fad.

Now, to the question of an instructor with focus on pain relief. A yoga teacher that would be effective for pain management should be well informed in the employment of props. That instructor should know very well that yoga stances are tailor-able to students’ specific requirements. So if you feel the slightest rigid Im the teacher and only I know whats best attitude, drop that teacher immediately.

A critical component for a yoga instructor is compassion and the facility to assist students experiencing different illnesses. If this characteristic is not discernible nor felt at all, this instructor cannot fulfill your requirements. Yoga is adaptable to meet specific requirements of its students. Any instructor who hasn’t experienced any previous pain would not be able to feel with the student enough to recognize and accept. This makes a leading or famous Yoga teacher, despite capability of doing all postures with a perfectly toned body like an Olympian, not the best one to have any understanding of the pains youre having.

For those who are going through constant aches, several styles can be adjusted to your particular needs. There is the Restorative yoga, Therapeutic yoga, Iyengar yoga, Yotherapy or Tri-yoga. Take note that these styles depend on the instructors perspective of the principles of each style.

There are times when doctors dont recommend yoga when there is severe pain, like in severe arthritis. The reason behind this is that any posture is bound to hurt your joints. If you find yourself in this situation, where even the mild styles would be forbidden, you should ask that the reason for that advice be explained to you. If ever you’re not satisfied with the answer (or explanation), feel free to get a second opinion from another teacher.

If you want to act on the pains or aches you are going through, consult your doctor. And if your doctor gives the okay, have a go at other options with a Yoga teacher who’s been known to cater to students suffering from aches and pains.