Yoga Make You Free From Anxiety

Be Free From Anxiety With YogaThe word anxiety is defined as a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune. It is the fear or apprehension about the uncertainties of present and future. It is advised that yoga for anxiety deals better than any mode of therapy. In fact yoga poses for anxiety has been in practice for long time.

Symptoms of Anxiety. Symptoms of anxiety are partly the same as that of a tired person. Increased pulses, heartbeats, mouth going dry, acceleration in breathing and perspiration are noted on the physiological side. Diarrhea, phobias, palpitations, sweating and fainting are also observed.

Some Commonly Noticed Anxiety Disorders. Anxiety shows up in various circumstances as different disorders. Some times abnormal defense mechanisms are set up automatically as a result of overt anxiety. Here are some of the disorders commonly noticed.

Panic Attack Disorder. Panic is defined as overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety. When panic attacks, usually attacks abruptly, it manifests as palpitations of heart, fainting and short breaths in rapid succession etc. Further there are three types of panic attack disorders. The first one being the unexpected disorder, the second is situational disorder - particular situations that trigger disorder and finally the situation ally predisposed panic attacks such as the chance panic attacks while driving.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This result in people who have undergone great physical trauma or ordeal, terrific event in life, exposed to threatening situation, or threatened. Incidences like rape, threat to life, exposure to disasters etc cause PTSD. People under PTSD continue to get haunted by bouts of memories of the ordeal. People may experience sleep problems, and may get startled easily.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). What characterizes obsessive-compulsive disorder is the recurrence of strong and unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Repetitive behaviors such as rechecking, counting and perhaps the most symbolic hand washing are done with the hopeful mind that things got to be corrected.

Phobia. Phobia is a disorder arising out of anxiety, which is characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things of life or normal, day-to-day, social situations. Phobia is, more often than once, due to the fear of or aversion to something.

How Yoga Helps In Recovering From Anxiety? Characteristically yoga is a slow paced, slow breathing exercising technique, which is in sharp contrast to the symptoms and characters of the anxiety and our reaction to it. Driven by its characteristic prolonged breathing, yoga helps dampen the causes of anxiety within ones mind. The hormonal reactions in the blood are neutralized by determined and forceful self restraint. The shortness of breath, rapid pulses and heartbeats get soothed by steady but gradual supply of oxygen and reduction in circulation due to yoga. Take for example the case of shava asana. Do you think it can't dampen anxiety?

Yoga for Men's Health

For men, being able to tell the difference between bad stress and healthy stress can be impossible. From an early age we are told to push ourselves to the limit, to compete on every level. The jobs we go for include the maxim 'must be able to work under pressure'. We immerse ourselves in our projects, which never seem to get finished, we get home after our children are in bed and relax by either going down the gym for 2 hours of high impact exercise or down several pints before floating a take away meal on top of everything! We think we are fit, but something is wrong, the world and everyone in it always seems a few minutes ahead of us. We feel exhausted, feelings of anxiety, lack of control and irritability rise within us and don't seem to fall back. Our minds and our ego reach into the future. If only we could just get that promotion, that new car, that new house, everything would be better; we pay no heed to our physical and mental health.

But everyday the pressure on this body, this single heart, and our inner self builds and builds.
The only thing keeping us in this life is a single muscle called the heart, our ability to experience the world around us is reliant on our health. For most men (and women) we don't really notice the body unless it hurts, it needs food or it won't fit into its clothes anymore! And for many men the last thing on their mind will be yoga.

But yoga can vastly improve physical and mental health. It will improve your ability to cope at work and will create space between your thoughts, so that you can once again enjoy your life and family with each passing moment.
In the UK being a male and attending a yoga class can be daunting. Taking aside the image of being surrounded by young women in leotards the reality is that, yes there may well be more women in the class than men, but the main thing that goes through the competitive male mind will be, it must be easy, I might feel silly and what will my mates think?
One of my mains reasons in becoming a teacher was to try and encourage more men to take up Yoga and I am pleased to say that I have a higher proportion of male students that any other teacher in the area. Being a male teacher helps, but so does the focus of giving everything we do a logical background.
So the benefits of each posture or breath awareness exercise are given a real life perspective, so its use in helping focus the mind for that important presentation or meeting or improving your swing on the golf course is always stated.
Yoga complements many other exercise disciplines and sports and although yoga itself can be seen by some as a form of exercise it is essentially the science of positive mental health.

Yoga can be used for all you health needs as it builds strength, stamina and flexibility in a balanced way; it also reduces stress, increases energy, improves sleep and brings about an increased sense of well being.
There is a mistaken view that yoga is simply slow aerobics, doing 20 rounds of the Sun Salutation can be as good a cardiovascular workout as anyone needs, but is it the mental challenge of working with the breath that makes it so special and unique.

Many of us breathe incorrectly and men are habitually chest breathers, which can result in increased stress, blood pressure and anxiety. The benefits of full abdominal breathing can increase our energy levels and sense of focus. Good health can merely be just a few breaths away.
Yoga is all about personal experience, so the spiritual component comes from within. This may manifest in a practical way, in that you find you can concentrate better, your intuition and problem solving skills become more creative.
Yoga makes you more aware of your body and present in the present moment. You still plan for the future, but by planning in the present your ability to cope with change without losing your balance becomes easier.
I use yoga everyday, the mental aspect makes me a better husband, father and manager, the physical side ensures my body is working efficiently and to its optimum level.

Women have been very health conscious for years and this is why so many women go to yoga. I firmly believe however that men have never needed the benefits of yoga more than they do now. Many men are very stressed out and damaging their health and their relationships, we know stress kills and statistically men suffer from this more than women.
Yoga can be your tool for bringing change into your life, so what are you waiting for?


by Phil Aston

Yoga Helps Kids Find Balance in Their Lives

Lisa Orkin, a Yoga teacher and therapist, discusses her experience working with children.
Children today are under a lot of stress. Homework, pressure to compete with other children, endless after-school activities, over-scheduling -- it all adds up. And just like their parents, kids today are turning to Yoga to help them relax.

Teaching Yoga to children, I've seen how Yoga helps them develop better body awareness, self-control, flexibility and coordination. I've also seen how they can carry these skills beyond class and into their daily routines. For example, one of my students, Liza, a 10 year old, asked me what to do when she gets frustrated, like when her computer doesn't work properly. First, I asked her what she thought would help.
"Sometimes I do the child's pose when I've had a bad day" she said. I told her that was an excellent idea. We then talked about breathing exercises, such as the three-part breath, that could help her stay centered and calm in difficult situations throughout the day.

Yoga has also been shown to help the hyperactive and attention-deficit child. These children crave movement and sensory/motor stimulus. Yoga helps channel these impulses in a positive way. Yoga poses that seem to work especially well are the warrior pose and tree pose. They help instill calm, confidence and balance. The trick is to get beyond just "doing" the posture. I try to get them to think about what the postures mean, to become like the postures -- strong and confident like a warrior.

I use partner poses to develop trust. Working with each other on poses, the children develop team skills. It also fosters bonding.
When it comes to relaxation, some children have a difficult time closing their eyes while others can't get enough. I once had a 10-year-old boy ask me if we could have an extra long relaxation session as he wanted more time to relax. One technique that encourages relaxation is visualization. At first I may have them focus on belly breathing and listening to relaxing music. Then I may ask them to imagine that they are at the beach, playing their favorite sport, or doing some other activity that they like. At the end of the relaxation exercise, I encourage the children to share their own experiences.

Another approach is to create a guided visualization or story with a calming theme of some kind. For example, I may ask them to imagine themselves walking in a green pasture. "Notice the beautiful trees and the butterflies flying over head," I may say. "Smell the fresh air. Listen to the bluejays calling for their mates." The idea is to instill a sense of peace and feeling of oneness with nature.
In class, I also try to encourage input from the children. Most importantly, their ideas and questions are easily addressed to allow learning to take place.

It is my wish that more and more Yoga teachers will choose to offer Yoga classes to young children. It is our dharma to teach children the meaning of union of mind, body and spirit. There is such a wealth of knowledge we can offer our children with the practice of Yoga. The simple chanting of OM makes their faces light up and smile.
Lisa Orkin , is a certified Kripalu Yoga instructor, Yoga Therapist and occupational therapist who has studied Yoga Therapy at the Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research Foundation in Bangalore, India. She has been teaching Yoga to children ages 4 - 10 years old in the Boston area on the south shore now in Norwood & Stoughton. You may visit her website at www.lotusblossomyoga.com for more information about the Yoga for Youngster Programs.


by Lisa Orkin

Bikram Yoga Help You Lose Weight

A minimum of 10 classes per month is recommended to get the benefits of Bikram yoga, among which is weight normalization. As a beginner, it takes three classes for your body to learn the proper approach to the postures, and ten classes for your body to begin to work with postures.You will realize optimization of all your body systems.
Digestion and respiration, as well as endocrine, lymphatic and elimination systems will begin to work together. Your appetite will normalize and your unhealthy cravings will diminish. All of these results will help to normalize your weight if you devote yourself to regular practice.

Bikram hatha yoga is a complete cardiovascular, aerobic, strength, flexibility and fat-burning workout. Bikram hatha yoga is the form of choice for more professional athletes, celebrities, models and medical professionals than any other style of yoga.

Bikram yoga students agree that it helps them look and feel great, lose weight and reduce stress. Physically, it is the perfect blend of strength, flexibility and balance. Mentally, it trains the mind in five key ways: to have faith in one's self, gain self control, increase determination, improve concentration and build patience.

Yoga Firms Your Body

Approaching middle age and beyond, we complain about losing our youth, vitality, and our firm and youthful-looking bodies. As we age, skin loses its resilience and begins to wrinkle and sag. Before we know it, our face is affected; excess skin gathers around our bellies and on the backsides of our arms. It reminds us that if we don’t do something soon, we’ll look much older than we feel.

Although cosmetic surgery can restore our youthful appearance, it cannot reverse ageing. We might look better, but it doesn’t improve health. An argument can be made that improved appearance makes us “feel” better, but looking good is; well, only an illusion of good health. There is no substitute for actually being healthy.

Loss of body tone is a natural phenomenon of ageing and goes beyond making us look older. It impedes circulation and contributes to ill health. There are many ways to counter the loss of body tone and improve circulation. Most involve physical activities; such as running, jogging, racquet sports, swimming, gym workouts, and so on. All are effective, yet not everyone wants to be outside during inclement weather or have gym or swimming pool access.
A principal impediment to maintaining a disciplined exercise program is that the older we become, the more difficult is to maintain a regular workout. The body resists and there is never enough time. It always seems like more we need to exercise, the harder it is. Yet in order for exercise to be effective, consistency over time is required.
When time is limited, we usually focus on one or two activities and tend to “just do it” without an appropriate warm-up or cool-down. In a best-case scenario, “just doing it” leads to boredom and a worse case scenario leads to injury. Although cross training is essential for maximizing physical health, we don’t make time for engaging in multiple sporting activities much less take time for effective warming-up, and cooling-down. This is when yoga becomes so advantageous.

Not only is yoga a fabulous cross training tool for virtually all sports, it is in itself, a total fitness package encompassing hundreds of different exercises, both aerobic and non-aerobic. Yet yoga goes well beyond athletics. Through its controlled and precise breathing; and through its strengthening, stretching, and endurance building exercises, your entire body is toned. Circulation is stimulated and the mind relaxes.
Yoga especially affects fascia, which is the “bag that holds your body together.” Fascia totally permeates your entire body. It encapsulates everything; muscles, organs, glands, nerves, and it is also the “fabric” that lies directly under your skin. When fascia loses resilience through ageing, it contributes to sagging skin.

An appropriate yoga practice therefore helps restore and maintain elasticity of fascia and improves overall circulation (these mechanisms are further explored in my website, http://www.extensionyoga.com/). Therefore, when the fascia directly under your skin becomes more resilient, your overlying skin responds and likewise, appears more vibrant.
We thank Sam Dworkis for permission to print this article. Sam teaches a broad range of students from world-class athletes; to chronically ill, injured, and post-operative people, is senior-certified by BKS Iyengar and is considered to be an advanced yoga practitioner and teacher. However, in the early 1990's, Sam developed multiple sclerosis and the direction of his life and his yoga dramatically changed.
Today, Sam is a person in recovery who has direct experience with both sides of wellness and chronic illness.This has led him to write Recovery Yoga, a book for people who are experiencing chronic pain, disability, or are simply out of shape.

Now, because of the variable nature of multiple sclerosis, Sam's yoga practice might encompass everything from ExTension Yoga to advanced yoga exercise. Yet the very next day might necessitate a Recovery Yoga practice. As Sam is fond of saying: “Such is the beauty of an appropriate yoga practice; it’s not how much yoga one can do, but it’s the quality of what you can do that maximizes its benefits and minimizes its liability.” He has also written Extension Yoga, another excellent book.

by Sam Dworkis

Can Yoga Better Your Running Technique?

This may sound crazy, but yoga and running have a lot in common. They both require practice, agility, flexibility, patience and your own breathing method. Runners who take up yoga often begin to love running even more.

It's all too common for runners to complain of shin splints, pulled muscles, aching knees and hips. Many of these (probably most of these) runners have put stretching very low on their list of priorities, calling it a waste of time. Truly flexible runners rarely injure themselves and benefit greatly from combining running and stretching, especially when they take advantage of the many benefits yoga offers.

Runners primarily work certain muscles, mainly in the legs and core. Yoga, which utilizes all of the body's muscles, including the often neglected stabilizers, makes the runner stronger and better functioning as a whole.

Runners tend to look at running as a mission, battling the elements, challenging physical limitations and meeting personal expectations. Runners stay in touch with their abilities, developing discipline and self control. The whole body and mind connection that yoga provides improves a runner's ability to achieve goals and exceed past performance levels.
Holding a yoga pose isn't as easy as it looks! Take a class as you'll see that yoga can be just as difficult as running, and holding poses is a wonderful way to build up muscular endurance, one of the most important assets of a good runner.

Runners who count yoga out as a cross training activity are really missing out on improving their technique. Aside from the many other health benefitsthat can be derived from yoga, it certainly can improve a runner's stamina, mindset and love for the sport. Keywords: Yoga, sports, running.

by Maia Appleby

What is Yoga?

Although it seems like a hot new trend, yoga actually began more than 3,000 years ago in India. The word yoga comes from Sanskrit, and it means to "yoke," or bring together the mind, body, and spirit.
Although yoga includes exercise, it is also a lifestyle for which exercise is just one component. Disciplining your mind and body as well as connecting with your spirituality are the main goals of the yoga lifestyle.
The physical component of the yoga lifestyle is called hatha yoga. Hatha yoga focuses on asanas, or poses. A person who practices yoga goes through a series of specific poses while controlling his or her breathing. Some types of yoga also involve meditation and chanting.

There are many different types of hatha yoga, including:

• Ashtanga yoga: Ashtanga yoga is a vigorous, fast-paced yoga that helps to build flexibility, strength, concentration, and stamina. When doing Ashtanga yoga, a person moves quickly through a set of predetermined poses while remaining focused on deep breathing.
• Power yoga: Similar to Ashtanga yoga, this is also a very active form of yoga that improves flexibility and stamina by completing poses. This type of yoga is popular in the United States.
• Bikram yoga: Bikram yoga is also known as "Hot Yoga." It is practiced in rooms that may be heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).
• Gentle yoga: Gentle yoga focuses on slow stretches, flexibility, and deep breathing.
• Kundalini yoga: Kundalini yoga uses poses, deep breathing and other breathing techniques, chanting, and meditation.
• Iyengar yoga: This type of yoga focuses on precise poses. and participants use benches, ropes, mats, blocks, and chairs.

Yoga has tons of benefits. It can improve flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. In addition to the physical benefits, many people who practice yoga say that it reduces anxiety and stress and improves mental clarity.
You have lots of choices when it comes to tailoring your yoga workout. Many fitness centers and YMCAs offer yoga classes, and many yoga instructors also offer private classes that can be purchased per class or in groups of classes.
Before taking a class, take the time to observe the class that interests you and check whether the instructor is registered with the Yoga Alliance, a certification that requires at least 200 hours of training in yoga techniques and teaching.
You may also want to try a yoga video - there are many excellent videos just for beginners. Instructional websites, CD-ROMs, and books are also available to help you learn more about yoga.
Before you head to your first yoga workout, you should dress comfortably. Snug-fitting shorts or tights and a T-shirt or tank top are best. Yoga is practiced barefoot, so you don't have to worry about special shoes.
If you're doing your yoga workout on a carpeted floor, you probably don't need any equipment, but many people who practice yoga or take yoga classes like to use a sticky mat. This type of mat provides cushioning and friction while you are doing your poses and can be purchased in sporting goods stores or often at the yoga class location.
What can you expect at a yoga class or when you watch a yoga video? To begin the class, the instructor may lead you through a series of poses called vinyasa. The Sun Salutation is a type of vinyasa in which 12 poses are performed in a graceful, flowing motion.

Before You Begin
Before you begin any type of exercise program, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor, especially if you have a health problem. Also, be sure to mention any orthopedic problems or special needs you may have to your instructor before the class begins.
Fortunately, yoga can be as vigorous or as gentle as you want it to be, so just about everyone can do it. A good instructor will be able to provide modified poses for students who are just beginning, advanced, or who have special needs.

Your schedule's already packed - so how are you supposed to fit in time to work out? Here are a few tips for fitting in fitness and staying motivated:

• Break it down. If you can't do a half hour of yoga in one sitting, try doing it in chunks. How about 15 minutes after you get up and 15 minutes before bed? Or try three 10-minute workouts to break up a long study session.
• Do what works for you. Some people have more success working out in the morning before the day's activities sidetrack them; others find that a nighttime workout is the perfect way to unwind before hitting the sack. Experiment with working out at different times of the day and find the time that fits your schedule and energy level best.
• Find a workout buddy. Doing your yoga routines with a friend is a great way to remain motivated. If you have an appointment with a friend to work out, you'll be less likely to cancel. You and your buddy can compare tips on healthy eating and exercise habits, evaluate each other's poses for form, and keep each other on track.
• Consistency is key. If you want to reap the benefits that yoga provides, you'll have to do it consistently. A once-a-month yoga workout may relieve some stress, but for benefits like increased flexibility and stamina, you should aim to practice yoga three or four times a week. It generally takes about 4 to 6 weeks of regular exercise at least 3 days a week for your body to begin to release the endorphins that make exercise such an uplifting experience.
• Set some goals. The same routine every week may become monotonous, so set some goals to help you stay focused. Perhaps you'd like to incorporate power yoga into your routine so you get a better cardiovascular workout. Maybe you've always done workout tapes at home and your goal is to sign up for a yoga class with an instructor. Whatever you choose as your goal, make sure you reward yourself when you accomplish it!

Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD