What is Yoga?:
Typical session:
A bit of History:
Is it safe?
Which conditions?
Supporting Research :
Links:
Readings

Links:

The British Wheel of Yoga

Yoga

What is Yoga?:

The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word yoga is "yoke", "to join", "to unite", or "to attach".

Yoga classes offer students postures and movements to stretch, strengthen and flex the body, to develop breath awareness, to relax and sometimes to meditate. Some classes may be low impact while others can be very demanding.

The practice of yoga helps:

- to co-ordinate the breath, mind and body,

- to encourage balance, both internally and externally,

- to increase feelings of relaxation and ease,

- To improve fitness and stamina.

Hatha Yoga or Yoga of Postures
Hatha Yoga is the most popular branch of Yoga in the West. There are many styles within this path - Iyengar, Integral, Astanga, Kripalu, and Jiva Mukti to name a few. In Sanskrit, the word hatha literally means “willful” or “forceful”. Indeed each pose in a hatha yoga practice challenges the yogi and involves the will of disciplining mind, breath, and body to relax into it. The symbolic meaning of the word, however, is “sun and moon”, reconciliating the extremes.

Hatha-Flow Yoga
A classical but vigorous approach style of yoga with the focus upon optimizing each asana using universal principles of alignment.

Typical session:

For your first session, the practitioner will ask you to fill a health screening form in order to identifiy any contraindication or adjustements to the session.

Feel free to discuss with her more specifically any condition you arel unsecure about.

You need to wear lose clothing in order to perform easily the poses.

Mats are provided but feel free to bring yours if you wish.

The session might start with some grounding and centring relaxation and will follow with a series of yoga postures.

During the session you are always free to skip poses, if necessary.

Is it safe?

It is normal to feel some muscle soreness the day after your session.

Some people may become more aware of their body stiffness as they get used to different postures.

Be sure to check with your doctor before trying yoga if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, or a recent back injury, as you would with any other physical activity. Moreover some postures are not recommended during pregnancy

As with any physical activity, yoga may lead to an injury if not done properly.

Make sure that you report to the instructor before the session any condition/pregnancy on the health screen template provided to you.

Be sure to see your doctor if any exercises cause headaches, muscle cramps, dizziness, or severe pain in your back, legs, or joints.

A bit of history :

Yoga is the oldest physical discipline in existence known to humankind, and scholars traced yoga beginnings in Stone Age.

Later in the Vedas 1500-500 BCE contains the oldest known Yogic teachings, called Vedic Yoga.

Later again, around 500 B.C., the Bhagavad-Gita or Lord's Song was created and this is currently the oldest known Yoga scripture, devoted entirely to Yoga.

Ancient Yogis had a belief that in order for man to be in harmony with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and intelligence must be in balance. The Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance and it is done through ASANA (body postures), PRANAYAMA (Breathing techniques), and Meditation - the three main Yoga structures.

Which conditions?

Yoga is mostly aimed at fitness and general body maintenance, nonetheless it can be used as a therapeutic tool as studies show that yoga may be of some help the following conditions:

Anxiety and stress

Arthritis -- osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Asthma

Cancer, as an adjunct therapy to reduce stress and strengthen the immune system. One study of 68 breast cancer patients found that those who practiced yoga has less anxiety and depression compared to those who didn't. Even the DNA damage from radiotherapy was slightly less in the yoga group compared to the control group

Chronic back pain

Depression

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Heart disease, by lowering cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure, lessening stress, and reducing the frequency and severity of chest pain (when combined with a healthy diet)

High blood pressure

Hormonal imbalances

Irritable bowel syndrome

Lung diseases

Pregnancy

Migraine headaches

However, yoga does not pretend to replace mainstream medicine.

Patients with a condition should always been seen by their GP or consultant and yoga remains so far an adjunct tool.

Supporting Research

Anand MP. Non-pharmacological management of essential hypertension. J Indian Med Assoc. 1999;97(6):220-225.

Banerjee B, et al. Effects of an integrated yoga program in modulating psychological stress and radiation-induced genotoxic stress in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Integr Cancer Ther. 2007;6(3):242-50.

Beddoe AE, Lee KA. Mind-body interventions during pregnancy. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2008;37(2):165-75.

Berk B. Yoga for moms. Building core stability before, during and after pregnancy. Midwifery Today Int Midwife. 2001;(59):27-29.

Bharshankar JR, Bharshankar RN, Deshpande VN, et al. Effect of yoga on cardiovascular system in subjects about 40 years. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2003;Apr, 47(2):202-206.

Bijlani RL, Vempati RP, Yadav RK, et al. A brief but comprehensive lifestyle education program based on yoga reduces risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. J Altern Complement Med. 2005;Apr, 11(2): 267-274.

Birkel DA, Edgren L. Hatha yoga: improved vital capacity of college students. Altern Ther Health Med. 2000;6(6):55-63.

Carlson LE, Speca M, Patel KD, Goodey E. Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress, and immune parameters in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychosom Med. 2003;Jul-Aug, 65(4):571-581.

Cox H, Tilbrook H, Aplin J, Semlyen A, Torgerson D, Trewhela A, Watt I. A randomised controlled trial of yoga for the treatment of chronic low back pain: results of a pilot study. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010 Nov;16(4):187-93.

Ernst E. Breathing techniques -- adjunctive treatment modalities for asthma? A systematic review. Eur Respir J. 2000;15(5):969-972.

Field T. Yoga clinical research review. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;17(1):1-8. Epub ahead of print.

Galantino ML, Bzdewka TM, Eissler-Russo JL, et al. The impact of modified Hatha yoga on chronic low back pain: a pilot study. Altern Ther Health Med. 2004;Mar-Apr, 10(2):56-59.

Garfinkel MS, Singhal A, Katz WA, Allan DA, Reshetar R, Schumacher HR Jr. Yoga-based intervention for carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial. JAMA. 1998;280(18):1601-1603.

Jorm AF, Christensen H, Griffiths KM, Rodgers B. Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression. Med J Aust. 2002;176 Suppl:S84-96.

Kreitzer MJ, Snyder M. Healing the heart: integrating complementary therapies and healing practices into the care of cardiovascular patients. Prog Cardiovasc Nurs. 2002;17(2):73-80.

Labarthe D, Ayala C. Nondrug interventions in hypertension prevention and control. Cardiol Clin. 2002;20(2):249-263.

La Forge R. Mind-body fitness: encouraging prospects for primary and secondary prevention. J Cardiovascular Nurs. 1997;11(3):53-65.

Luskin FM, Newell KA, Griffith M et al. A review of mind/body therapies in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Part 1: Implications for the elderly. Altern TherHealth Med. 1998;4:46-61.

Luskin FM, Newell KA, Griffith M et al. A review of mind/body therapies in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with implications for the elderly. Altern TherHealth Med. 2000;6(2):45-56.

Mahajan AS, Reddy KS, Sachdeva U. Lipid profile of coronary risk subjects following yogic lifestyle intervention. Indian Heart J. 1999;51(1):37-40.

Malathi A, Damodaran A. Stress due to exams in medical students -- role of yoga. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1999;43(2):218-224.

Manjunath NK, Telles S. Improved performance in the Tower of London test following yoga. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2001;45(3):351-354.

Manocha R, Marks GB, Kenchington P, Peters D, Salome CM. Sahaja yoga in the management of moderate to severe asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Thorax. 2002;57(2):110-115.

Miller JJ, Fletcher K, Kabat-Zinn J. Three-year follow-up and clinical implications of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1995;17(3):192-200.

Miller AL. The etiologies, pathophysiology, and alternative/complementary treatment of asthma. Altern Med Rev. 2001;6(1):20-47.

Ott MJ. Yoga as a clinical intervention. Adv Nurse Pract. 2002;10(1):81-3, 90.

Pandya DP, Vyas VH, Vyas SH. Mind-body therapy in the management and prevention of coronary disease. Compr Ther. 1999;25(5):283-293.

Pettinati PM. Meditation, yoga, and guided imagery. Nurs Clin North Am. 2001;36(1):47-56.

Ray US, Mukhopadhyaya S, Purkayastha SS, et al. Effect of yogic exercises on physical and mental health of young fellowship course trainees.Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2001;45(1):37-53.

Sahay BK, Sahay RK. Lifestyle modification in management of diabetes mellitus. J Indian Med Assoc. 2002 Mar;100(3):178-80

Sathyaprabha TN, Murthy H, Murthy BT.Efficacy of naturopathy and yoga in bronchial asthma--a self controlled matched scientific study. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2001;45(1):80-86.

Silverberg DS. Non-pharmacological treatment of hypertension. [review] J Hypertens Suppl. 1990 Sep;8(4):S21-26.

Spicuzza L, Gabutti A, Porta C, Montano N, Bernardi L. Yoga and chemoreflex response to hypoxia and hypercapnia. Lancet. 2000;356(9240):1495-1496.

Steurer-Stey C, Russi EW, Steurer J. Complementary and alternative medicine in asthma: do they work? Swiss Med Wkly. 2002;132(25-26):338-344.

Wahbeh H. Mind-body interventions: applications in neurology. Neurology. 2008;70(24):2321-8.

Yang K. A review of yoga programs for four leading risk factors of chronic diseases. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2007;4(4):487-91.