Certain Yoga poses (asanas) have been shown to help manage stress and hypertension. The Easy Pose (Sukasana) is recommended for stress reduction. If it is practiced after the Corpse Pose (Sivasana), this pose strengthens the spine, slows the metabolism, and promotes quiet stillness of mind.
Mental clarity can increase, along with focus on intent, allowing the yoga student to be more present during his or her practice. This heightened sense of presence will also encourage a student to become more committed to his or her yoga training sessions. This boost in confidence can have an amazing upward spiral effect.
By Bhavan Kumar How can you increase happiness with yoga? Since yoga moved onto the world stage, asana, pranayama, meditation, and other Yogic stress-reduction exercises have been studied as possible alternative treatments for mood-related disorders. However, the body of literature on the therapeutic benefits of yoga was relatively limited until the Internet propelled it forward. …
Yoga training methods remove mental baggage that burdens the spirit and body with unnecessary worry and unresolved issues. In the yoga state of mind, the practitioner develops a unique ability to view thoughts, which were formerly blocked or restricted by immediate issues.
The studies mentioned above are just the beginning of research-based proof demonstrating that yoga helps in reducing anxiety. Without doubt, similar studies in the future will confirm what thousands of yoga practitioners have already experienced for themselves.
Through Yoga Sadhana (practice), it is possible to build up sufficient energy, strength, and resistance to overcome a cold and its…
Hatha Yoga for the back is a viable solution for pain reduction or elimination of pain. At the same time, balancing the muscle tension…
This practice can have a profoundly healing effect on Yogis and Yoginis who may be struggling with self-defeating thoughts and beliefs that create fear and anxiety within. As we continue to gently pull our minds away from repetitive thoughts that create anxious feelings and focus our minds instead on positive, true and uplifting thoughts, we are literally restructuring the synaptic connections in our brains.
Forward Bending Yoga poses are particularly soothing and nourishing. Forward Folds also help to calm you down because they encourage you to relax into the pose while pulling your senses inward, which allows you to rest for a few moments in your own inner essence. Forward Bending Yoga poses also allow you to curl your body into itself while protecting your heart and abdominal areas. Additionally, Forward Folds open up your hips and first chakra area, which releases stagnant survival energy and helps you to feel more empowered and grounded.
Cancer survivors who are not yet able to practice the physical portion of yoga find benefit in pranayama. It helps them to feel more energized and less fatigued. Fatigue was described by breast cancer survivors as being “debilitating”(2) Studies showed that levels of depression dropped among participants who practiced conscious breathing exercises. There is evidence to show that breathing exercises can lead to control of physical functions such as blood pressure, heart rate and relief from disease symptoms (3). Sleep disturbance and insomnia are also residual effects of cancer treatment. It has been shown that yogic breathing practice minimizes or eliminates sleep problems in lymphoma survivors (3,2).