(20-10-14) Yoga is a 'life changing' practice that reduces bipolar symptoms, anxiety, depression, and more

by PF Louis

(NaturalNews) Hatha yoga, the physical yoga with which most Westerners are
familiar, has increased in popularity since coming to the USA in a big way
during the 1960s.

It is not as strenuous as running or pumping iron, yet several studies have
confirmed life-changing health benefits, which are not only physical but mental
and emotional as well.

The Western tradition of conducting scientific studies to determine the merits
of what others are doing to successfully improve their health and well-being is
no more than a couple of hundred years old.

But the past few decades have seen published studies increase exponentially,
especially for the benefit of Big Pharma. Those are not so trustworthy, to say
the least.

But when it comes to hatha yoga, there are no vested interests to appease. The
results they come up with may often even fall short of the real benefits.

Some studies that cover many health issues handled with hatha yoga
Bipolar disorders: A Brown University study posted an online survey asking how
hatha yoga affected those with bipolar disorders.

The survey received mostly positive responses from over 70 bipolar patients
who practiced hatha yoga. Calming influence, reduced anxiety and "life
changing" were among those responses.

Diabetes and stress control: A 2008 Natural News article presented several
studies confirming that hatha yoga benefits type 2 diabetes patients by
rejuvenating pancreas cells and reducing stress.

The author also mentioned studies documenting reduced cortisol levels. That's
the fight or flight hormone. When it becomes chronically high, it leads to
adrenal failure and chronic fatigue.

Heart health: One study demonstrated that women who practiced hatha yoga had
significantly less (41%) pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in their blood after
performing treadmill walking than those who did not practice yoga. Arterial
inflammation is considered the main source of cardiac disease these days.

Another study with men revealed that yoga practice increased heart rate
variability (HRV), which is considered a sign of good heart health. Hard over-
training lowers HRV, which may explain how some good athletes suddenly drop
dead from heart attacks.

These are just a few Western science-based studies that some rely on. There
are more here.

For an incredible anecdotal experience, witness a recovery from being
crippled, having diabetes and being incredibly overweight with this five-minute
video.

Opinion: A few tips on hatha yoga based on first-hand experience and
observation
One of yoga's pitfalls is the posing-for-appearance syndrome, something that's
popularized in those yoga magazines and overdone by some instructors.

A movement instructor in a NYC acting school used basic yoga poses as a
foundation. His studio was a dance studio -- wall to wall mirrors and hardwood
floors. He forbade using the mirrors, as he wanted us to feel what was going on
our bodies.

Getting caught up too much with how one looks leads to pushing beyond current
limits and injuring muscles or ligaments. In other words, keep your ego out of
the practice.

And those hardwood floors? Well, he wouldn't let students use mats or
blankets. The concluding corpse pose is yoga's most underrated and important
pose. His students did the corpse pose sans mats or blankets

It's a necessary component of eventually allowing every muscle and tissue in
ones' body to relax, or a total "letting go," a precursor to meditation.

Hatha yoga needs to be practiced often for maximum benefits. Devote a half-
hour more or less to yoga daily. Practicing only when going to classes won't
cut it. But one does need to start with some class instruction.

Sources:

https://news.brown.edu

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://myithlete.com

http://yoga.about.com

http://journals.lww.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

News

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In evidenza

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