How does yoga help?

More and more research is being used to show the benefits of yoga for depression. The majority of Yoga classes in London are promoting the benefits of reduction in stress and anxiety levels. When putting together our tailored programmes so many of our private yoga clients have asked for yoga for stress relief. So we figured we should give you a bit more of an idea of why you sometimes get that yoga high when you come out of relaxation, ready to float out of the yoga class to get your night bus home.

Researchers have found that three sessions of the yoga classes a week can help fight off depression as it boosts levels of a chemical in the brain which is essential for a calm and relaxed mind.

Scientists have found there is higher level of the amino acid GABA in those that practice yoga compared to those that more strenuous exercise. GABA promotes a healthy nervous system and brain function. Low Gaba levels can lead to depression and anxiety.

Recent research from Boston University School of Medicine, USA, monitored two groups of healthy individuals for a period of 12 weeks, half spent the three hours practicing yoga while the other half walked. There brains were scanned prior and after the experiment to measure GABA levels, there were also asked psychological questions throughout the 12 weeks.

Those who practiced yoga had increases in their mood and lower level of anxiety.

Katie Prior, of mental health charity Mind, welcomed the study.

She said: “Any kind of exercise is good for improving a person’s mood and self esteem. It makes you feel good and look good, both of which help with mental wellbeing.

“Yoga is a relaxing, low impact activity for people who don’t like the thought of walking or running.

“It can be done in the privacy of a person’s own home, or people can join a class where they can meet others – this is a great way to meet people, especially for those who may suffer from isolation and loneliness.”

So next time you feel all floaty at the end of your yoga session you know why, it’s all about the GABA levels.

Pranyama breathing technique – Brahmari the Bee

Pranayama cultivates a deep connection with the flow of life force (Prana) throughout your body.Brahmari means Bumble Bee and was named after the black Brahmari bee in India. This simple practice is very useful for calming the mind and releasing any tension.

Step by step guide -

1)      Sit cross-legged on the mat. If you can sit in the Padmasana Lotus Pose or Sukhasana Easy Pose that would be ideal. But if you cannot, then you may simply sit on a chair

2)     Move your arms forward and place your palms on your thighs.  Open your palms and touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger. If your mind still wanders then concentrate on your inhalation and exhalation.

3)     Raise your arms and place your palms on the sides of your head. Place your thumbs on your ears and block your ears. Place index fingers on eyelids to block put light and relax the rest of your fingers on the face. . Take a deep breath closing the mouth and make a humming sound in the back of your throat on the exhalation.

4)     Repeat for 5 rounds.

Tips

• There should be no strain involved with the humming yoga breathing exercise. Do not force your lungs to inhale or exhale any deeper or longer than is comfortable.
• Always breathe through your nose. It not only warms the air to your body temperature, but also helps promote deeper, longer breathing.

Yoga Wellbeing has been working with OM Magazine and The Yoga Show. We have 15 FREE tickets to give away. If you would like to know more just click here to visit Yoga Wellbeing’s Facebook page.

Here’s a little bit more information on The Yoga Show 2010. It’s being held at The London’s Olympia, now in its seventh year, is a total Yoga experience under one roof. The show is on for three days and offers endless yoga fun for everyone.

The Yoga Show also features:

Free open classes

Sample a wide range of yoga and pilates. Open sessions are for all levels of experience including beginners, and are the ideal way to try something new. Sessions are held with some of the country’s leading teachers and professional organisations.

Workshops

Take a longer class and experience the teaching styles of talented inspirational teachers. A chance to .try a different style of yoga including popular fusions influenced by yoga, pilates, dance and music.

Exhibition

Visit over 200 exhibition stands covering all aspects of Yoga, Pilates, Ayurveda and naturally healthy products. From mats to bolsters, bags & belts to holidays, teacher training and clothing.

Children’s yoga

Let the kids have some fun in the Lion pose, all sessions are free of charge.

What’s your yoga intention? When I began practicing yoga I was always to have Presence of mind.

I think of that expression. No matter where I am, it brings me back to his message: Presence of mind. At first, it was helpful when my muscles shook and balance tottered in Warrior III, but now it helps me when I’m in traffic or standing in line at the newsagents.

I like to think of these ingrained reminders I’ve gathered over the years as a Yoga Intention for my practice, a spiritual twist on those advertising tunes that we can’t get our of our heads. Instead of urging me to buy some floor cleaner, however, my jingle reminds me to stay calm, stay present, and remember that everything is unfolding just as it should.

The Yoga Wellbeing team would love to know what’s your Yoga Intention? How do you use it in your everyday life?

Does yoga help breath cancer patients?

University of Alberta research fellow Amy Speed-Andrews has examined how a specialized Iyengar yoga program for women currently in the treatment for breast for breast cancer, and who have completed treatment, makes a difference in their recovery.

For two years groups of study participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their physical and mental health at the beginning of a 10-week session of Iyengar yoga and again at the end. After analyzing the data that was collected, Speed-Andrews, from the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, found that after yoga 94 percent said they had improvements in their quality of life; 88 percent felt better physically; 87 percent reported being happier and 80 percent were less tired. Other improvements were reported in body image and in decreased levels of stress, anxiety and depression. This is significant, considering breast cancer treatments often leave women in pain, immobilized, tired and depressed.

Controlling your breathing is an important part of yoga. In yoga, breath signifies your vital energy. Yoga teaches that controlling your breathing can help you control your body and gain control of your mind. Ensuring an overall feeling of well being. At Yoga Wellbeing we have seen significant changes being made in our clients lives because of yoga. So if you have had a stressful day and are low on energy book a private session or pop down to one of our classes for more information click here.

Yoga is an excellent for stress relief.Research has also shown that Hatha Yoga if practiced regularly, has a significant impact on muscular strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. Studies done on a group of people practicing yoga revealed that after eight weeks the flexibility of this group improved by 14% to 35%.

The physical and mental benefits of yoga provide a natural counter-balance to stress, and strengthens the relaxation response in your daily life. The Yoga that is practiced all over the world is actually called ‘Hatha Yoga’ a component of the wholesome Yogic practices.

You can counter the effects of stress to your body through yoga’s breathing exercises and other relaxation exercises. These exercises try to achieve deep quietness in the mental and physical state to alter your emotional and physical responses. After performing such exercises, you will soon notice that your heart rate decreases, as well as your muscle tension and blood pressure.

Stressed out individuals carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies. In these cases the natural unblocking effected by yoga postures are helpful. When one rests between postures, abdominal tension is released from the body promoting deep breathing. The benefits of yoga postures (asana), breathing (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) include increased body awareness, release of muscular tension and increased coordination between mind-and body.

Breathing – Controlling your breathing is an important part of yoga. In yoga, breath signifies your vital energy. Yoga teaches that controlling your breathing can help you control your body and gain control of your mind.

When we are totally relaxed by using the techniques Yoga has to offer, our system slows down the body’s processes and actual changes occur. These include slowed metabolism and respiration, pupil constriction in the eyes, and the central nervous system is calmed or taken off “alert status”.

We’ve talked a lot about helping provide access to yoga for under-served and at-risk youth. But there’s another population equally in need of yoga’s healing and meditative benefits: the elderly. Physically and economically challenged older people often can’t affird £10 a class–or keep up with the vigorous vinyasa flow.

Frank Isak knows this. The 78-year-old yoga teacher and founder of Silver Age Yoga has made it his life’s mission to get older people on the mat. He goes to them (in senior centers, libraries, and churches), keeps it simple, and tailors his classes to help offset some of their common health issues: osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, weight gain, and poor circulation.

Best of all, his classes are totally free. Iszak, who escaped to the U.S. from forced labor camp in communist Hungary in 1958, lives for seva, tirelessly working to improve the lives of others.

“Our basic goal is to make their lives better–for whatever years they have left on planet Earth,” he says of his students. Sangha, too, is an important part of the Silver Age formula: Lonely elderly people get a chance to connect physically, mentally, and spiritually with a community
focused on feeling better in the world.”

In your yoga journey, there will probably come a time when you wonder just how some Sanskrit term applies to daily life or how the physical practice of asana relates to yoga’s. Fortunately, people have been writing books about yoga for thousands of years.

Arriving at a coherent understanding of this rich and varied tradition takes time. Books can become great friends and guides along the path. Here, we’ve gathered a small library of titles we think provide a broader understanding of the practice and a deeper awareness of how yoga can transform your life.

Because there are literally hundreds of books to choose from, we have decided to limit ourselves to titles that were published within the past 10 years—a limitation we thought might aid in our quest to answer that eternal question: How is the ancient practice of yoga relevant to my life right now? This article is meant to be a sampler of yoga literature, a little something to whet your appetite.

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda The classic spiritual memoir, first published in 1946, still resonates with practitioners today who are looking for self-realization.

The Heart of Meditation: Pathways to a Deeper Experience, by Sally Kempton (aka Swami Durgananda) How to transform—rather than transcend—your emotions with a wide range of meditation techniques. Out of print, but well worth tracking down.

Yoga Anatomy, by Leslie Kaminoff Ever wanted to look inside a yoga pose? This book’s excellent illustrations show exactly what’s happening in the body in 75 asanas.

                                 Last week we spoke about Yoga Bliss and all it’s brilliant goodies that it has to offer. This week we are talking about Sweaty Betty and the amazing control legging.

These truly are the answer to your legging nightmares. They are a really comfortable length, keep there shape and are very high waisted. They hold in everything, before you have even started exercising.

They are a great product for the down dogs, no baggy material hanging around and it makes it a much easier for the yoga teacher to see what position you are in.

If you need any more information then just visit the Sweaty Betty website and surf at your leisure – http://www.sweatybetty.com/