The Benefits of Yoga

<>by Bee Lindquist<><><>

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No one knows exactly when Yoga began but we do know that one of the earliest texts having to do with Yoga was a book called Yoga Sutras as early as the 1^st or 2^nd century B.C. by a Yogi names Pantanjali. The system that he wrote about is known as Astnaga Yoga or the eight limbs of Yoga. This is what is considered Classical Yoga and is the most practiced world wide.

picture courtesy of  http://www.astnaga.com/

Yoga arrived in the United States sometime in the late 1800’s and did not gain popularity until the 1960s as a part of the youth cultures fascination with all things eastern.

Over the past several years, yoga has experienced an upsurge in popularity in the western world among medical professionals and celebrities alike. Yoga is actually an ancient practice that connects the mind, body, and spirit through body poses, controlled breathing, and meditation. The practice of yoga has many health benefits associated with it. From lowering blood pressure to increasing pain tolerance, a multitude of health benefits can all be discovered within the body.

Recently the American College of Cardiology recommended Yoga as an important part of their treatment for atrial fibrillation. Prior research had shown other heart benefits of yoga, such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol and more elastic arteries, but this is the first study looking specifically at atrial fibrillation, said the authors, from Mid-America Cardiology at the University of Kansas Hospital.

These are exciting results," said Dr. Raul Mitrani, director of the cardiac rhythm device clinic at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Although it didn't cure atrial fibrillation, he added, it did seem to cut the number of "a-fib" episodes.

According to the Arthritis Foundation those who participated in eight weeks of yoga classes had significantly fewer tender and swollen joints than they did before starting class. Those in the waitlist control group saw no significant changes in their tender and swollen joint counts.

Arthritis Foundation grant recipient Steffany Haaz, MFA, says, “We have previously reported that yoga helps people to feel better, and we wanted to make sure it wasn't harmful to arthritic joints. So, we were glad to find that there actually seems to be improvement in joint symptoms for RA patients. The next big question is figuring out how and why yoga might be having this effect, since it is such a multi-faceted activity.”
Yoga offers many other benefits as well. Yoga exercises level out this physiological instability by relaxing and gently stretching every muscle in the body, promoting better blood circulation and oxygenation to all cells and tissues. This helps optimize the function of the endocrine glands and the organs of the female reproductive tract. This can help lessen the symptoms of peri-menopause as well as menopause. Yoga exercises also improve the health and well-being of the digestive tract, nervous system, and all other organ systems.
As a form of exercise, yoga offers benefits that are sometimes not easily found among other exercise regimens. Check out these reasons to include yoga in your or health program.
The mental and physical benefits from Yoga are many and varied. Physicians, psychologists, health professionals and wellness coaches recommend Yoga. Yoga is not age sensitive. Many local senior centers incorporate “Senior Yoga” into their activities programs as well as many “Mommy and Me” programs like the one at Yoga for Life encourage mothers to involve their babies into their Yoga routines.