February had me preparing for my quarterly workshop so the newsletter never got done. I will share a bit of what our group experienced during our most recent workshop.
The room was bursting with positive energy and wonderful conversations. The topics discussed at our workshop included Chakra Balancing, Sound Therapy, The Emotion Code, Drumming and of course Yoga! Thank you to our incredible presenters. My goal is to host a workshop four times a year.
Here are a few more of our 38 Ways Yoga Benefits Your Health
9. Ups your heart rate
When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you lower your risk of heart attack and can relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga exercises that don’t get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning. Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise—all reflections of improved aerobic conditioning. One study found that subjects who were taught only pranayama could do more exercise with less oxygen.
10. Drops your blood pressure
If you’ve got high blood pressure, you might benefit from yoga. Two studies of people with hypertension, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of Savasana (Corpse Pose) with simply lying on a couch. After three months, Savasana was associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 15-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number—and the higher the initial blood pressure, the bigger the drop.
11. Regulates your adrenal glands
Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Additionally, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call “food-seeking behavior” (the kind that drives you to eat when you’re upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.
12. Makes you happier
Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into King Dancer Pose. While it’s not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol. At the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., found that the left prefrontal cortex showed heightened activity in meditators, a finding that has been correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function. More dramatic left-sided activation was found in dedicated, long-term practitioners.
13. Founds a healthy lifestyle
Move more, eat less—that’s the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help on both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. Yoga may also inspire you to become a more conscious eater.
14. Lowers blood sugar
Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boosts HDL (“good”) cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.
Laughter as Medicine
Article by Debra Bokur, Yoga Journal
According to Madan Kataria, a Bombay, India-based physician, author of Laugh for No Reason and founder and president of Laughter Clubs International, laughter may indeed be the best of all medicines. Kataria has developed a form of laughter therapy called Hasya Yoga (hasya means laughter in Sanskrit) that combines deep, controlled breathing and stretches with various types of forced laughter.
Kataria’s exploration of laughter therapy began in India with small groups of people who met regularly for morning walks. Pre-walk sessions began with a breathing exercise similar to Pranayama, followed by a structured chanting of “ho, ha” that requires a rhythmic muscular movement of the abdomen much like kapalabhati, or breath of fire, a breathing technique in which the practitioner rapidly inhales and exhales to clear the respiratory passages.
“This laughter practice,” explains Kataria, “moves progressively from the ho ho, ha ha exercise to other types of simulated laughter. It’s what I call my ‘laughter cocktail.’” Kataria’s “cocktail” includes hearty laughter, greeting laughter, open-mouthed silent laughter, humming laughter, lion laughter (an adaptation of Lion Pose), and swinging laughter, with arm movement. Each laughter is sustained for up to 45 seconds, and followed with deep breathing and stretching exercises.
The laughter exercises are designed to be done together, with participants progressing from one type of chuckle to another in the company of others. Says Kataria: “Laughter in laughter clubs is the purest laughter because it is not for any reason. It is not directed at others but we learn to laugh at ourselves.”
Is there anything that Kataria can’t laugh about? “Life can be a challenge,” he admits, “It helps if you’re able to laugh.” In fact, he claims the benefits are positively life-enhancing. Not only does laughter help you to lose your inhibitions and gain self-confidence, Kataria explains that by embracing the spirit of laughter, it’s possible to achieve a more positive outlook on life, as well as improved lung capacity and abdominal tone.
Kataria likens the use of abdominal muscles during the practice of forced laughter to yoga exercises which tone the digestive system, emphasizing that strong abdominal muscles contribute to a healthy digestive system. He further maintains that laughter practice raises both pulse rate and blood pressure, stimulating and toning the circulatory system, and strengthens the respiratory system by utilizing the entire capacity of the lungs. Prana—or life force—he explains, gains entry to our bodies via breathing, so clear respiratory passages and strong lungs are essential to the well-being of both body and spirit.
If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them
Dalai Lama
