Yoga as a part of a Healthy Diet and Exercise Program
Yoga is at this time all the rage and yet it has been practiced for over 5,000 years. One major reason that Yoga is so popular is because it can blend spiritual allure with the gritty reality of a difficult and exhausting workout. In reality, approximately 11 million Americans enjoy the effect of Yoga in their lives.
Another reason for Yoga’s popularity is the fact that it is so old and time tested. As with most ancient practices, Western society tends to extract the components that it finds to be most useful. The main health goals in regards to Yoga include improving flexibility, strength, and balance.
Specifically, Americanized Yoga instruction tends to focus on learning physical poses (Asanas), breathing techniques as well as a formula for meditation.
Yoga benefits one’s Flexibility
Asanas’ stretch your muscles. Stretching helps liberate the lactic acid that builds up within your muscle during physical exertion and especially after a rigorous work out. Clinically, increased lactic acid in muscle tissue leads to symptoms of rigidity, pain, and exhaustion.
Yoga increases the range of motion in the joints. Except for rigid bone, Yoga stretches the musculoskeletal system, which includes muscles as well as, ligaments, tendons, and the fascial sheath that surrounds muscles. Individuals have attained a 35% improvement in flexibility after only 2 months worth of Yoga. The most prominent improvement in flexibility tended to be in the upper body/”core” region.
Yoga improves ones Strength
Most individuals realize that one can improve strength without the use of free weights. In fact, the term “Power Yoga” says it all. Yoga styles such as Ashtanga and Power Yoga are high impact, training styles that will assist in improving one’s muscle tone.
However, even more gentile styles of Yoga such as Iyengar can improve strength via precise alignment during the poses.
Many of the Key poses such as:
The Downward Dog, The Upward Dog and Plank pose build upper-body strength. As much as men focus on upper body strength it is also critical that women develop upper body strength for practical reasons such as simple activities of daily living and self defense.
The standing poses on the other hand, build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. Moreover, poses such as the Upward Dog and Chair pose strengthen the lower back. In addition, when performed correctly, nearly all poses improve core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.
Yoga improves and individual’s Posture
The increased flexibility and strength that accompanies a Yoga practice leads to better posture. As stated the Yoga improves core strength allowing you to maximize your spinal column length, which leads to a more confident presentation when you are standing erect. Some argue that the exercises themselves make you more attune to times when you may be displaying poor posture.
Yoga improves one’s method of Breathing
Often lung capacity improves secondary to the deep breathing regimens that are one of the hallmarks of Yoga. Increased lung capacity can lead to an improvement in athletic performance. Although Yoga does not strictly intend to provide a practitioner with an aerobic challenge, often it can. A rigorous power yoga session in a heated room will result in an aerobic work-out.
Yoga tends to relieve Anxiety
As stated, Yoga incorporates meditation which attempts to decrease the increased adrenergic/sympathetic tone associated with Anxiety (Stress). As well, the breathing techniques also appear to decrease the subjective feeling of stress.
The biochemical response that underlies the Anti-Anxiety component of practicing Yoga is a decrease in the concentration of circulating Catecholamines in your blood stream. Specifically, Yoga leads to a decrease in dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine which leads to a subjective feeling of tranquility.
Yoga Love:
There is a limited amount of data that suggests that Oxytocin, the same hormone that is released in a woman’s brain after sex, is increased during Yoga. Increased Oxytocin levels are thought to lead to feelings of trust and the need to bond. Perhaps, this is why Yoga is such an enjoyable group activity. In fact, it is thought that many romances start while practicing Yoga with others.
Cardiovascular (Heart Disease)
Documented evidence has proven that Yoga does lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. Thus, Yoga benefits people with hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. In addition, Yoga has also been linked to decreased cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
American and Medical Institutes abroad are looking into how Yoga may benefit Medical Conditions such as: Asthma, Back pain, and Arthritis, Insomnia and Multiple Sclerosis.
References:
Brown RP, et al. "Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part I — Neurophysiologic Model," Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (Feb. 2005): Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 189–201.
Brown RP, et al. "Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II — Clinical Applications and Guidelines," Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (Aug. 2005): Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 711–17.
Janakiramaiah N, et al. "Antidepressant Efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in Melancholia: A Randomized Comparison with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Imipramine," Journal of Affective Disorders (Jan.–March 2000): Vol. 57, No. 1–3, pp. 255–59.
Khalsa SB. "Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention: A Bibliometric Analysis of Published Research Studies," Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (July 2004): Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 269–85.
Kirkwood G, et al. "Yoga for Anxiety: A Systematic Review of the Research," British Journal of Sports Medicine (Dec. 2005): Vol. 39, No. 12, pp. 884–91.
Pilkington K, et al. "Yoga for Depression: The Research Evidence," Journal of Affective Disorders (Dec. 2005): Vol. 89, No. 1–3, pp. 13–24.
Saper RB, et al. "Prevalence and Patterns of Adult Yoga Use in the United States: Results of a National Survey," Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (March–April 2004): Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 44–49.
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