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Strike a pose work your body
and your mind with yoga
by Kelley Prince
If the word "yoga" conjures up images of someone folded
up like a pretzel chanting Om, it's time to refresh
your view of it. Besides promoting inner calm and relaxation,
yoga improves muscle tone, strength, and balance. While
it may help some people attain pretzel-like flexibility,
yoga can also lift your mood, ease joint pain, and even
help keep your heart healthy‹regardless of your age
or fitness level.
Holistic Practice
Yoga's popularity is nothing new. Dating back to 2250
b.c., yoga is an ancient system of physical, mental,
social, and spiritual development. As reflected in its
name‹derived from the Sanskrit word Yog, meaning union‹yoga
produces a union of the body, mind, and energy through
controlled breathing and intense concentration. This
focus creates a mindfulness (or an awareness) about
the body and the postures. And when practiced in a mindful
way, its poses can offer some of the same calming benefits
of more formal meditation. With training, yoga combines
the best of both worlds: a clear, calm inner self and
a strong, flexible outer body. Research shows that it
also benefits overall health.
Look on the Bright Side
Because yoga promotes a mind-body connection, a growing
number of studies reinforces the positive effect it
has on mood. Research from the University of California,
Los Angeles, finds that subjects who participated in
two one-hour yoga classes each week for five consecutive
weeks demonstrated "significant decreases in self-reported
symptoms of depression and anxiety." Subjects also reported
decreased levels of negative mood and fatigue following
the yoga classes.
Heart Health
Because yoga can promote a calm and relaxed state of
mind, clinical evidence shows that its practice can
be beneficial to your heart. In a recent study on yoga
and cardiovascular function in subjects older than 40,
researchers found that those who had been practicing
yoga for five years had a significantly lower pulse
rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, compared
to participants who were not exercising. The study authors
concluded that "our results indicate that yoga reduces
the age-related deterioration in cardiovascular functions."
Yoga also shows promise in increasing regression of
coronary atherosclerosis in patients with severe coronary
artery disease.
For Balance and Joint Health
Unlike forms of exercise that can jar the joints, yoga
is a low-impact workout that you can tailor to meet
your own health needs. This makes it ideal for those
of all ages and ability levels. Pregnant women, the
elderly, and those individuals who are physically challenged
should ask an instructor about appropriate adjustments.
Yoga is actually one of the best forms of exercise
for people with arthritis. "What makes yoga unique is
that it takes every joint through its full range of
motion," says Suza Francina, director of the Ojai Yoga
Center in Ojai, California. One of yoga's goals is to
restore body alignment, which is key for people with
arthritis. While working a joint that's swollen or red
isn't a good idea, yoga can, over time, increase an
arthritic joint's range of motion. "Moving slowly, you
take a joint just to the point of pain," says Francina.
"Repeating this action over time reduces stiffness and
increases range of motion." Taking joints through a
full range of motion provides lubrication and increases
circulation.
Yoga also improves the body's balance, which becomes
particularly important as you grow older. The toes have
a tendency to stiffen as you age, and yoga postures
make the feet stronger and more flexible. One study
found that yoga may improve range of motion in the hip
area, increase stride length, and improve posture in
elderly individuals. As you become stronger and more
flexible, your balance and coordination improve, helping
to prevent falls in any type of weather. Even if you
do fall, your muscles will be able to absorb the impact,
lessening the chance of injury.
SELECTED SOURCES
- "ACE Yoga Study: Does Yoga
Really Do the Body Good?" by Mark Anders, American Council
on Exercise, www.acefitness.org
- "Effect of a Gentle
Iyengar Yoga Program on Gait in the Elderly: An Exploratory
Study" by M. DiBenedetto et al., Arch Phys Med Rehabil,
9/05
- "Effect of Yoga on
Cardiovascular System in Subjects above 40 Years" by
J. R. Bharshankar et al., Indian J Physiol Pharmacol,
4/03
- "Increase Mobility, Brighten Your Outlook with Yoga,"
Arthritis Advisor, 3/04
- "Retardation of Coronary
Atherosclerosis with Yoga Lifestyle Intervention" by
S. C. Manchanda et al., J Assoc Physicians India, 7/1/00
- "A Yoga Intervention for Young Adults with Elevated
Symptoms of Depression" by A. Woolery et al., Altern
Ther Health Med, 3Ë4/04
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