| Your Health A path to prevention, moderation, and self-awareness |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Yoga is an ancient system of relaxation, exercise, and healing originating in India. It advocates healthy living and disease prevention through daily practice and Sva-tantra (self-responsibility). Yoga is the union of body, mind, and spirit into a harmonious state of being. Yoga is also used to treat sickness. There is strong evidence to support the use of yoga for treatment of hypertension. There is good evidence to support the use of yoga in reducing daily levels of anxiety and stress, and also for therapy in altitude sickness, arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, epilepsy, lung disease, psychiatric conditions (including Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, and depression), and substance abuse. Yoga techniques use gravity, leverage, and tension through holding poses for varying lengths of time. The physiological mechanisms of yoga are:
In Savasana, the electrical activity, heart rate, and respiratory rate are minimal, and the peripheral blood flow is almost equivalent to the maximum rate. This state in which the body is completely relaxed has been recommended for treatment of hypertension. Savasana has also been shown to provide significantly faster recovery from exercise induced stress than other positions. Inversions (e.g., head stand and shoulder stand) have been shown to reduce blood pressure. Jalandara Bandha (chin lock) is claimed to regulate blood flow to the cephalic region. Uddiyana Bandha (naval lock) is believed to have therapeutic effects on constipation, dyspepsia, and liver problems. Mula Bandha (root lock) is thought to work on the central and sympathetic nervous systems through the nerve terminals in the anal sphincter. Yoga exercise results in equilibrium in the functioning of the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the autonomic nervous system. Both physical and mental stress, if persistent for long periods of time, result in sympathetic dominance, as evidenced by gradual rise in blood pressure and heat rate, increased metabolism, and endocrine disturbances. Meditation can gradually diminish sympathetic dominance. References: The natural Standard, www.naturalstandard.com Additional Topics: 7 Habits of Highly Healthy People The yogic diet is a Vegetarian Diet - learn more about it:
|
| "Every herb bearing seed... and every tree with fruit bearing seed; to you they shall be for meat." Genesis 1:29 |