HEALTH BENEFITS OF HATHA YOGA

by Chrys Kub, M.S. P.T.

YogaFit Master Trainer
YogaFit Level 4 Manual
INTRODUCTION:
As we all learned on the irst day o our Level !ne training, "atha Yoga
#eans $yoga or health% and is the &hysi'al as&e't o the &ra'ti'e. (t renews,
invigorates, and heals the body, stret'hing and strengthening the #us'les, )oints,
and s&ine and dire'ting blood and o*ygen to the internal organs +in'luding the
glands and organs and nerves.,
Level !ne Manual- Se'tion !ne
Pra'titioners 'redit yoga or
everything ro# i#&roving their strength, res&iration and itness levels to $o&ening
energy 'hannels.% .hile these ane'dotal re&orts &assed on through the years are
real and #eaningul, we #ust ta/e 'are to assure that any beneits we e*&ress to
our &ra'titioners are #ore than $yogi lore% and are based on e*&ert o&inion and
s'ientii' resear'h. Many ti#es, a red lag goes u& in a &ra'titioner0s #ind when
the instru'tor #entions that a 'ertain &ose or &ra'ti'e will, or e*a#&le, $ sti#ulate
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digestion or i#&rove energy levels.% !ne #ay wonder i this is )ust able &assed
on through the years, ba'/ed u& only by &ersonal e*&erien'e.
(t has been hy&othesi3ed that yoga #ay beneit health through #ind4body
intera'tions. S'ientii' resear'h on the ee'ts o yoga began as early as 1564, near
7o#bay, (ndia at the Kaivalyadha#a Yoga (nstitute and about the sa#e ti#e at the
Yoga (nstitute o Santa Cru3, in 7o#bay.
1
8nortunately, #u'h o the resear'h on yoga has been li#ited. Many studies have
been &oorly designed with la'/ o 'ontrol grou&s or s#all sa#&le si3es. Continued
resear'h is needed to urther validate the health beneits that have been &roven thus
ar. At this ti#e, we 'an &ull ro# 'urrent resear'h and #a/e so#e basi'
ineren'es regarding the beneits o the &ra'ti'e o yoga to our health. The
&reli#inary results are &ro#ising, but should be shared with the understanding that
'on'lusive beneits have not yet been &roven. The studies whi'h have been done
have loo/ed at various areas o beneit that one #ight re'eive ro# the &ra'ti'e o
yoga. These areas in'lude behavioral, &hysi'al, #ental, &hysiologi'al, &ersonality
and disease &ro'esses. .e will loo/ at the latest resear'h indings in ea'h o these
areas, dis'ussing their relevan'e to the &o&ulation we instru't through the YogaFit
style.
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The ollowing su##ary o s'ientii' studies in'ludes inor#ation ro#
reviews &eror#ed by three resour'es whi'h have done literature reviews o
&ublished studies on the health beneits o "atha Yoga. The irst s'holar is 9oan
"arrington, Ph:. , who &ublished a su##ary in the ;esear'h 7ulletin o the
"i#alayan (nstitute in 15<1.

The se'ond su##ary was done by ;al&h La Forge,
M.S., o :u/e Li&id :isorder Training Progra# at :u/e 8niversity Medi'al
Center. Finally, the third review was &rovided by the =ational Standard, whi'h
is an organi3ation that &rodu'es s'ientii'ally based reviews o 'o#&le#entary and
alternative #edi'ine to&i's. The =ational Standard su##ary was reviewed by
the a'ulty o the "arvard Medi'al S'hool and &ublished on their website. YogaFit
'o#&iled the inor#ation ro# these resour'es to &rovide a 'o#&rehensive &i'ture
o 'urrent beneits o "atha Yoga whi'h are ba'/ed by the latest s'ientii'
resear'h.
FITNESS
.e begin our dis'ussion loo/ing at what is usually ut#ost on the #inds o
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&arti'i&ants who ta/e yoga at the lo'al itness a'ility or gy#, $itness.% The
&o&ulation #ost widely served by the YogaFit style #ay want to /now, $will
doing yoga #a/e #e it>% 7eore we begin, let0s 'lariy so#e basi' 'on'e&ts.
."AT (S F(T=?SS>
A''ording to :ave Costill, Ph:, Proessor ?#eritus at 7all State 8niversity,
itness is the $ability to live your lie without eeling atigued.%
6
An all4e#bra'ing
deinition ro# the A#eri'an Coun'il o S&orts Medi'ine +ACSM, states that
itness is related not only to #aintaining &hysi'al a'tivity but also relating to your
health, +or e*a#&le, so#eone redu'ing their ris/ o heart disease by be'o#ing
#ore it., The ACSM des'ribes itness as 'onsisting o the ollowing-
'ardiores&iratory itness, #us'ular itness, le*ibility and body 'o#&osition.
?*&erts have long re'o##ended that we do at least three dierent ty&es o a'tivity
to i#&rove our itness level. So, a''ording to the latest studies, how does "atha
Yoga it into today0s &res'ri&tion or itness>
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"atha Yoga- More than )ust stret'hing@
:oes yoga in'rease itness as well as other ty&es o e*er'ise do> The
answer is yes, i done within 'ertain &ara#eters. For e*a#&le, in a study
'ondu'ted loo/ing at &hysiologi'al 'hanges in adult wo#en, resear'hers loo/ed at
the short4ter# ee'ts o our wee/s o intensive yoga &ra'ti'e in si* healthy adult
e#ale volunteers #easured using the #a*i#al e*er'ise tread#ill test. Yoga
&ra'ti'e involved daily #orning and evening sessions o 5A #inutes ea'h. (n this
grou&, the #a*i#al wor/out in'reased by 61B, o*ygen 'onsu#&tion &er unit o
wor/ de'reased, de#onstrating an in'rease in 'ardiores&iratory ei'ien'y.
2
(n
another study, a 'o#&arison was #ade between the ee'ts o yoga and the ee'ts
o &hysi'al e*er'ise in athletes. This inCuest o'used on the ee't o &ranaya#a
+'ontrolled breathing,. This study was a well4done investigation whi'h lasted or
two years, e*a#ining a 'ontrol grou& and an e*&eri#ental grou&. The results
showed that the sub)e'ts who &ra'ti'ed &ranaya#a 'ould a'hieve higher wor/ rates
with redu'ed o*ygen 'onsu#&tion &er unit wor/ than the 'ontrol grou&, and
without an in'rease in blood la'tate levels.
4
(n a study 'ondu'ted whi'h loo/ed at
aerobi' 'a&a'ity and &er'eived e*ertion ater &ra'ti'e o "atha yogi' e*er'ises,
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investigators ound that the &ra'ti'e o "atha yogi' e*er'ises along with ga#es
hel&s to i#&rove aerobi' 'a&a'ity li/e the &ra'ti'e o 'onventional e*er'ises +PT,,
along with ga#es. The yoga grou& &ra'ti'ed yoga or one hour every #orning +si*
days a wee/, or si* #onths. (nterestingly, the yoga grou& &eror#ed better than
the PT grou& in ter#s o lower ratings o &er'eived e*ertion ater e*haustive
e*er'ise
D
, bringing in the #ind4body 'onne'tion whi'h is so uniCue to yoga.
.hat about the other &ara#eters o itness> (n a study &eror#ed at the
8niversity o Caliornia at :avis, students &eror#ed eight wee/s o yoga training
ater whi'h #us'ular strength and enduran'e, le*ibility, 'ardiores&iratory itness,
body 'o#&osition and lung un'tion was tested. ?a'h wee/, the students attended
our sessions in whi'h they &eror#ed 1A #inutes o &ranaya#a, 1D #inutes o
war#4u& e*er'ises, DA #inutes o asanas, and 1A #inutes o #editation.
Signii'ant i#&rove#ents were noted in #us'ular strength +21B,, #us'ular
enduran'e +DEB,, le*ibility +u& to 1<<B,, and F!6#a* +EB,. The F!6
in'rease was &arti'ularly interesting as this study lasted eight wee/s while the
ACSM re'o##ends that e*er'ise resear'h last at least 1D46A wee/s, in order to see
F!6 #a* i#&rove#ents.
G
!ther studies reviewed by our resour'es indi'ated
in'reases in res&iratory ei'ien'y and 'o#&eten'e, 'ardiovas'ular ei'ien'y and
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'o#&eten'e, and de'reases in o*ygen 'onsu#&tion.
So, 'an we tell our &arti'i&ants i they )ust do yoga, they will be $it>% .ell,
that de&ends. As one 'an note by loo/ing at the ew studies des'ribed above, these
&ositive results 'a#e only ater &ra'ti'ing yoga a''ording to 'ertain guidelines.
Studies have in'luded #ore than an hour o &ra'ti'e at least two to ours days a
wee/. The yoga sessions in'luded &ranaya#a wor/ in addition to the ty&i'al yoga
&oses. The asanas in'luded Sun Salutations and 'hallenging standing and
balan'ing &oses. The good news is that the 'ontent o the yoga des'ribed in the
studies is inherent in the YogaFit style o yoga. (n YogaFit, we are training the
body to in'rease &hysi'al enduran'e by lowing through the &oses. The #ind also
is being trained to stay o'used or the duration o the 'lass. .e also use
$vinyasas,% several &oses lin/ing together and lowing with the breath, in order to
in'rease strength and enduran'e. ! 'ourse, the &ra'titioner needs to &ra'ti'e
several ti#es a wee/, or at least GA #inute sessions, to in'ur the beneits &roven
so ar by s'ientii' studies. ( one is able to do this, not sur&risingly, the itness
beneits all in line with the beneits a'hieved by other or#s o e*er'ise.
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The 'ontent o the 'lass #ust also be Cuite vigorous, again, or the YogaFit
style, this is not a &roble#. :ee Ann 7ir/el, an e#eritus &roessor at 7all State0s
S'hool o Physi'al ?du'ation, and others &oint out that the Sun Salutations and
other 'ontinuous lin/ed &oses in'rease the heart rate, #a/ing the yoga aerobi'ally
'hallenging. Also, the sustained iso#etri' 'ontra'tions reCuired o the large and
s#all #us'le grou&s in standing &oses in'rease strength. The 'on'entri' and
e''entri' wor/ reCuired to #ove in and out o &oses in a 'ontrolled #anner liting
our own body weight and the weight o our li#bs serves also to in'rease our
strength.
6
7alan'e &oses reCuire 'o4a'tivation o our 'ore stabili3ing #us'les,
in'reasing stability and strength throughout our trun/. So, we 'an tell our
&arti'i&ants with 'oniden'e, that &ra'ti'ing yoga with the YogaFit style will
in'rease their itness levels, not unli/e other or#s o e*er'ise as long as they
&ra'ti'e yoga a''ording to established itness guidelines.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENSURING IMPROVEMENTS IN FITNESS
AND PREVENTING INJURY
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=ot only are reCuen'y and duration o i#&ortan'e in i#&roving itness
levels through the &ra'ti'e o yoga, but balan'e within ea'h 'lass o our yoga
&ra'ti'e is )ust as i#&ortant. As #entioned beore, to i#&rove #us'ular and
'ardiores&iratory itness, one needs to in'or&orate salutations, lowing &ostures and
standing &oses, as well as our le*ibility &oses. "ow we &eror# these &oses is
essential in &reventing in)ury in our &arti'i&ants. .hen 'hoosing the &ostures to
in'lude in ea'h 'lass, we not only should 'hoose a variety o &oses +standing,
seated, &rone, su&ine,, but we should ensure there is a balan'e in the &arti'ular
areas addressed. For e*a#&le, one 'ould tea'h the ollowing 'lass whi'h in'ludes
all the $reCuire#ents% or itness, yet it would not be a balan'ed 'lass, in ter#s o
areas addressed, see below-
Mountain (- Sunlowers, CatHCow, #odiied I series, ull I series,
lowing lateral le*ion,
Flowing 'hairH#on/ey
Falley (- Full Salutations either series
Mountain (( Triangle, Air&lane, ;evolved Triangle
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I series between ea'h side
Pyra#id, Standing Straddle, Pyra#id
I series
Falley ((- :an'er
Mountain (((- Ca#el, S&inal 7alan'e, Forward Fold, Table To&,
7utterly, 7oat, Seated Straddle, Seated S&inal Twist, Su&ine
Abdo#inal .or/, Su&ine S&inal Twist
.hile the Mountain ( and Falley ( are 'ertainly a&&ro&riate, the &oses
'ontained in the rest o the 'lass, #ay &resent a &roble#. ( one &ra'ti'es the
above 'lass, with su'h e#&hasis on orward olds and ha#string lengthening, he is
beneitting ro# those &oses 'ertainly. "owever, unless that &erson were to 'o#e
the ne*t day and balan'e this 'lass out with an e#&hasis on ba'/ward bending
&oses, he #ight #iss out on the i#&ortant beneits o strengthening the &osterior
#us'les +through anti4gravity ba'/bend &ostures, and o&ening o the ront o the
body, !nly two o&ening &oses were &ra'ti'ed, Ca#el and Table To&. Also, there
were no standing lunge &oses whi'h in'rease strength with /nee le*ion. (n
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&ra'ti'ing the above &oses, one #ay o&en the groin area ee'tively with the
butterly and straddles, but what about o&ening the &osterior hi& 'a&sule with a
&ose su'h as Pigeon> Most o our YogaFit &arti'i&ants are not able to anti'i&ate
what ea'h instru'tor will do ea'h day in order to $balan'e% their &ra'ti'e. (t is
i#&ortant that we, as instru'tors &rovide a balan'ed 'lass $within% ea'h YogaFit
session.
Loo/ at the Mountain (( and Mountain ((( des'ribed above, and 'onsider
adding 'ounter4&oses and a balan'ed or#at to the 'lass. Change, add or delete
so#e &oses to 'reate a #ore ee'tive wor/out-
Mountain ((- Suggested Answers- Kee& Triangle, Air&lane, ;evolved
Triangle +I series,
May add- ?*tended angle, ;everse .arrior, 7alan'ing I
#oon+I series,
This adds so#e lunging standing &oses, a &ose whi'h lengthens the
trun/ #ore,
transitioning ro# ;everse .arrior to 7alan'ing I Moon &rovides
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strengthening with
the 'on'entri' wor/ o /nee e*tensors. Many other &osesHseCuen'es
will be a&&ro&riate
here. The #ain idea is that the instru'tor balan'e the &oses, not so
#any &oses with the
ha#stringsHaddu'tors lengthened and the hi&s le*ed.
Mountain (((- Ca#el, S&inal 7alan'e, then &ossibly get on their ront side or
so#e ba'/bending anti4
gravity &oses su'h as the Lo'ust, Cobra andHor 7ow. Add in so#e
&osterior hi& o&ening
su'h as Pigeon. Also, &erha&s a Seated Straddle +i not in'luded
above as Standing Straddle,, Seated Forward Fold et'., with S&inal
Twist added, all or balan'e within ea'h 'lass.
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An e*a#&le o &ra'ti'ing $unbalan'ed% a'tivities and their ee't on the
body 'an be easily seen in other s&orts or re'reation a'tivities. For e*a#&le,
baseball &layers and swi##ers reCuently develo& shoulder &ain ro# re&etitive
&ra'ti'e o the sa#e #ove#ents. Cy'lists 'an develo& low ba'/ &ain ro#
sustaining lu#bar le*ion or long &eriods o ti#e. These &arti'i&ants are 'ertainly
it in their area o &eror#an'e, but 'an develo& wea/ness and in)uries ro# an
i#balan'ed a'tivity. Yoga is uniCue in that we 'an oer a totally balan'ed
&rogra#, and do so ee'tively within ea'h 'lass.
Another itness beneit whi'h is uniCue to yoga is that a't that we are not
only stret'hing #us'les that have shortened, but eCual e#&hasis is &la'ed on
'orre'ting #us'les that have lengthened. For e*a#&le, we /now that in orward
bending, lu#bar le*ion 'an be a 'o#&ensatory #otion or li#ited hi& le*ion
when the ha#strings are short. A''ording to Shirley Sahr#ann, Ph:, PT, FAPTAJ
:ire'tor, Progra# in Move#ent S'ien'e at .ashington 8niversity S'hool o
Medi'ine, the #ost ee'tive intervention is to address length 'hanges o all the
#us'les around a )oint, not )ust the shortened #us'les. Thus, i the lu#bar s&ine
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le*es e*'essively +K6A
o
, with /nee e*tension, the ba'/ e*tensor #us'les should be
shortened along with stret'hing the ha#string #us'le.
E
The Seated Forward Fold
with a'tive ba'/ e*tension ee'tively addresses this issue. !ur 'uing to #aintain
an ere't s&ine in orward bending &oses is es&e'ially i#&ortant as #otion will
o''ur earlier at the #ore le*ible seg#ent in situations where #ove#ent involves
both )oints. A long ter# 'onseCuen'e o 'ontinually allowing this to ha&&en is
in'reasing le*ibility in an area whi'h is already hy&er4le*ible, as well as training
the lu#bar s&ine to #ove into le*ion whenever le*ion should be o''urring at the
hi& )oint. Also, 'o#bining strengthening with le*ibility ensures that we &rote't the
)oint. :ave Coulter states in Anato#y o "atha Yoga, $i you #erely stret'h the
'onne'tive tissue o the )oint 'a&sule without at the sa#e ti#e building strength in
the asso'iated #us'le, the )oints #ay be'o#e sus'e&tible to in)ury.%
<
Finally, and i#&ortantly, in order to hel& &revent in)ury in our 'lients, we
#ust 'ontinue to e#&hasi3e &ro&er align#ent. The YogaFit style o yoga is
e*tre#ely ee'tive at doing this as we always oer variations o ea'h &ose in
order to #aintain &ro&er align#ent. .hy is align#ent so 'riti'al> (deal align#ent
a'ilitates o&ti#al #ove#ent. The better the align#ent is in a &ose, the less
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'han'e we have o 'ausing #i'ro trau#a to the )oints and su&&orting stru'tures.
Studies have shown that s&inal seg#ents sub)e'ted to the #ost #ove#ent are
seg#ents that show the #ost degenerative 'hanges.
E
Physi'al thera&y is based on
e*er'ises that in'lude re&eated #ove#ents and sustained &ostures designed to
ae't tissues &ositively. Those e*&e'ted &ositive results are to i#&rove le*ibility,
strength and #ove#ent &atterns. Yoga 'an a''o#&lish a si#ilar result, i done
with &ro&er align#ent. !n the other hand, the 'u#ulative ee't o re&etitive
#ove#ent, when #ove#ent deviates ro# the o&ti#al /ineseologi'al standard or
#ove#ent 'an be tissue da#age.
E
Most o the adult &o&ulation has so#e
li#itations in le*ibility or strength whi'h /ee&s the# ro# utili3ing o&ti#al
#ove#ent &atterns in their daily a'tivities. ;outine daily #ove#ents that are
re&eatedly &eror#ed in'orre'tly due to these li#itations or dysun'tions 'an result
in a &ain syndro#e. Yoga assists in i#&roving these areas o li#itation or dei'it.
The added beneit that yoga has is the #ind4body awareness whi'h is &ra'ti'ed in
ea'h session. This 'an assist the &arti'i&ant in develo&ing an awareness o their
own body and how it #oves to 'ontinue #oving in a #ore ei'ient #anner outside
the yoga 'lass and throughout their daily a'tivities. !ne 'ould 'ertainly
hy&othesi3e that those who &eror# "atha Yoga regularly are less li/ely to
develo& &ain syndro#es or reCuire &hysi'al thera&y intervention.
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INVERSIONS
Many &ra'titioners have Cuestions about the beneits o doing inversions.
(nversions su'h as the headstand, and shoulderstand 'an in'rease the ris/ a'tors in
&ra'ti'ing yoga i these &oses are not done 'orre'tly and with 'are. These two
&oses 'an &ut 'o#&ressive or'e on the 'ervi'al s&ine, es&e'ially when done by
those )ust beginning their &ra'ti'e o hatha yoga. !ne should develo& strength in
the ar#s and shoulders to /ee& the weight o the head, and to avoid in)ury to the
ne'/ and s&ine, &rior to atte#&ting the headstand. For those &arti'i&ants who have
'ervi'al degeneration, doing these &oses #ay 'ause nerve irritation. Many &eo&le
do not reali3e they have 'ervi'al degeneration until sy#&to#s arise. Also, one
#ay have an old in)ury or #al align#ent that #ay 'ause nerve irritation.
So, why bother doing inversions at all> ;al&h LaForge, M.S., states that there are
only two 'lini'al trials in this 'ountry whi'h were designed to deter#ine the
&hysiologi'al beneits o inversions, and both these studies were too %statisti'ally
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under4&owered% to draw 'lear 'on'lusions.
5
Thus we #ust rely on e*&ert o&inions,
'ase studies and edu'ated reasoning to as'ertain the beneitsHee'ts o inversions.
The #ost obvious ee't o inversions is to u&end one0s relationshi& to
gravity. !ur bodies are sensitive to the lu'tuations in gravity due to the a't that
we are #ade &redo#inately +GAB, o water. :avid Coulter, Ph:, states that ater
24D #inutes, the tissue luids will low #ore ei'iently ro# the lower e*tre#ities
and trun/, u& into the abdo#inal and &elvi' organs, 'reating a healthier e*'hange
o the nutrients and wastes between 'ells and 'a&illaries.
1A
(n a study by :r. :F
Chandia, a le'turer on &hysiologi'al and &sy'hologi'al ee'ts o yoga, they ound
that the headstand 'ould ae't the baseline o&ening o blood vessels. This
in'reases the ei'ien'y at dilating and 'onstri'ting so that the body shunts blood
#ore Cui'/ly and ei'iently to the a'tive areas o the brain. This also #ay ae't
the 'erebros&inal luid, a luid whi'h lows ro# the brain to the s&inal 'ord. The
in'reased &ressure on the to& o the s/ull #ay in'rease the elasti'ity o 'ranial
bones and sti#ulate the &rodu'tions o the 'erebros&inal luid.
1A
Many ti#es,
&ra'titioners will 'lai# that headstands and shoulderstands i#&roves the
endo'rine syste#. For e*a#&le, these &ostures #ay assist in the #etabolis# by
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sti#ulating the &arathyroid and thyroid glands. This has not yet been &rovenJ
however, inversions do in'rease blood low to these glands, in'reasing their
ei'ien'y. Pat Layton, &hysiology tea'her or the (yengar Yoga (nstitute o San
Fran'is'o0s Advan'ed Studies Progra#, &ostulates that inversions ensure healthier
and #ore ee'tive lung tissue. Lower lung tissue is #ore 'o#&ressed +se'ondary
to gravity, than the u&&er lung tissue. .hen we invert, we 'ause the blood to
&eruse the well4ventilated u&&er lobes whi'h ensures #ore ei'ient o*ygen to
blood e*'hange and healthier lung tissue
1A


So, in su##ary, inversions may in'rease the ei'ien'y o the
'ardiovas'ular, res&iratory, ly#&hati' and endo'rine syste#s, a''ording to e*&ert
o&inion. S'ientii' validation o these beneits has not yet been &eror#ed. .e
'an 'ertainly 'o##uni'ate to our students the beneits we believe the inversions
'an i#&art. .e should always inor# our students o &ossible ris/s o in)ury to
their 'ervi'al region and thus they 'an weigh the beneits versus the ris/s
the#selves. There 'ertainly are saer &artial inversions whi'h #ay result in si#ilar
beneits, at this ti#e, we do not yet /now. Let the resear'h 'ontinue@
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BODY-MIND CONNECTION
.e all /now how great we eel ater a yoga session, rela*ed, de4stressed and
invigorated. There are so#e variables whi'h have been #easured whi'h hel& to
tell us why we eel this way, other than sub)e'tive, ane'dotal re&orts. The &ostures
are able to assist in balan'ing the autono#i' nervous syste#. This allows the body
to be less $rea'tive% to 'hanges in stress levels, or even vigorous e*er'ise resulting
in a 'al#er, less an*ious &hysiologi'al environ#ent. 9oan "arrington, Ph:, states
that based on study results, one 'an reasonably assu#e that ewer &sy'hoso#ati'
'o#&laints will #aniest in regular yoga &ra'titioners. This is due to the dire't
#ani&ulation o the #us'les and vis'era, the autono#i' nerve syste# balan'e and
the de'reased an*iety.
11
(n a't, in a study investigating &hysiologi'al 'hanges ater
2 #onths o training in yoga, investigators ound that &ra'ti'ing yoga resulted in
de'reased autono#i' arousal and #ore &sy'ho &hysiologi'al rela*ation +heart rate
and res&iratory rate redu'tion, in the 4A sub)e'ts studied.
16
(n studies reviewed by
;al&h LaForge, M.S., he ound that in sele'ted 'lini'al trials using "atha Yoga as
thera&y they ound de'reased resting blood &ressure, in'reased &arasy#&atheti'
tone, redu'ed &hysiologi'al and &sy'hologi'al res&onse to threat and i#&rove#ent
Page 15 o 21
in barorele* un'tionHsensitivity. This are all indi'ations o the body0s
i#&rove#ent in regulating rea'tions through the autono#i' nervous syste#. Yoga
#ay also ae't levels o brain or blood 'he#i'als, in'luding #elatonin and stress
hor#ones.
12
Through literature review o studies &eror#ed, 9oan "arrington, Ph:,


ound that studies showed that yoga 'an a'ilitate &ersonality 'hange. Yoga is
highly ee'tive in dealing with &sy'hoso#ati' 'o#&laints and enhan'ing the
eelings one #ay have o well4being. Parti'i&ants are able to i#&rove their
eelings o &hysi'al health, redu'e their an*iety, and enhan'e their sel4'on'e&ts
and e#otional tone.
HEALTH BENEFITS
.hen s&ea/ing o health beneits, we are reerring to beneits whi'h relate
to &revention o the onset o disease or even assistan'e in the treat#ent o disease
or &athologi'al &ro'esses. .e already dis'ussed how using &ro&er align#ent
along with the hatha &oses greatly ae'ts the a#ount o any #i'ro trau#a to the
Page 6A o 21
)oints and su&&orting stru'tures 'aused by re&etitive #ove#ents, even i those
#ove#ents are in and out o yoga &oses. .hat about other beneits whi'h have
been studied and validated relating to health beneits o yoga>
Asth#a
Many studies in hu#ans suggest beneits o yoga +su'h as the breathing
e*er'ises, when used in addition to other studies or #ild4to4#oderate asth#a.
;esear'h has de#onstrated i#&roved lung un'tion, overall itness and airway
sensitivity and de'reased need or asth#a drugs.
12
!ne study at the =orthern
Colorado Allergy Asth#a Clini' in Fort Collins, used a 'ontrol grou& and an
e*&eri#ental grou& to loo/ at any 'hanges ater &ra'ti'e o asanas, &ranaya#a, and
#editation or 1G wee/s at a reCuen'y o three ti#es &er wee/. .hile &ul#onary
un'tions did not show a signii'ant varian'e between the two grou&s, $analysis o
the data showed that the sub)e'ts in the yoga grou& tended to use their beta
adrenergeni' inhalers less
. 14
7etter resear'h is needed in this area.
Cardiovas'ular :isease
Page 61 o 21
Several studies in hu#ans suggest that &eo&le with heart disease who
&ra'ti'e yoga #ay have de'reased angina +'hest &ain,. Yoga #ay de'rease ris/
a'tors or heart disease, in'luding high blood &ressure, 'holesterol and blood
sugar levels. (t is not 'lear i yoga redu'es the ris/ o heart atta'/ or death or i
yoga is any better than other or#s o e*er'ise.
12
A three4#onth residential study
treating &atients with yoga, #editation and a vegetarian diet at "anover Medi'al
8niversity in Ler#any, ound a substantial redu'tion in ris/ a'tors in'luding
blood &ressure and 'holesterol in &arti'i&ants.
12
(n a study &ublished in the Mar'h
6AAA issue o $Stro/e% #aga3ine, it was noted that trans'endental #editation
+ not hatha yoga, &ra'ti'ed or 6A #inutes, two ti#es &er day was able to redu'e
atty build4u&s in artery walls as ee'tively as the drugs. (t also de'reased the
thi'/ness o artery walls by 1 #illi#eter and de'reased the ris/ o heart atta'/ by
11B.
1D
Again, #ore studies are warranted in this area beore strong
re'o##endations 'an be #ade to &ra'ti'e yoga as a tool to hel& to address heart
disease.
Car&al Tunnel Syndro#e
Car&el Tunnel Syndro#e +CTS, is a syndro#e whi'h in'ludes inla##ation
o the tendons in the tight 'anal or $tunnel% through whi'h the tendons and nerves
Page 66 o 21
#ust &ass on their way ro# the orear# to the hand and ingers. The Car&al
Tunnel is nor#ally Cuite snug and there is )ust barely enough roo# in it or the
tendons and nerves that have to &ass through it. (nla##ation o the tendons 'an
o''ur se'ondary to re&etitive strain in)uries. Stressul hand, ar# and ne'/
&ositions only aggravate the &otential or da#age. So#e s&orts 'an bring on
re&etitive stress in)uries, rowing, gol, tennis, and downhill s/iing are )ust a ew
that stress the hand and wrist )oints. (n)uries and ail#ents that 'ause swelling or
'o#&ression o sot tissue on the nerves, su'h as s&rains and rheu#atoid arthritis,
'an lead to stress in)uries. Yoga thera&y has been studied or 'ar&al tunnel
syndro#e, but it is not 'lear i there are benei'ial ee'ts. (n one study a
rando#i3ed, single4blind, 'ontrolled trial was held whi'h 'o#&ared a grou& o
CTS suerers who &ra'ti'ed yoga to a 'ontrol grou& who si#&ly wore wrist s&lints
with their 'urrent treat#ent. The yoga intervention was s&e'ii'ally designed or
strengthening, stret'hing and balan'ing ea'h )oint in the u&&er body, along with
rela*ation. This was given twi'e wee/ly or eight wee/s. Sub)e'ts in the yoga
grou&s had signii'ant i#&rove#ent in gri& strength and &ain redu'tion. The
'onsensus was that the yoga4based regi#en was #ore ee'tive than wrist s&linting
or no treat#ent in relieving so#e sy#&to#s and signs o 'ar&al tunnel syndro#e.
1G
Further resear'h is needed beore a 'lear re'o##endation 'an be #ade.
Page 62 o 21
Arthritis
(n a study o osteoarthritis o the hands, at the 8niversity o Pennsylvania
S'hool o Medi'ine, a yoga4treated grou& with arthritis in the hands i#&roved
signii'antly #ore than the 'ontrol grou& in $&ain during a'tivity, tenderness, and
inger range o #otion.% This study was &ublished in the 9ournal o ;heu#atology
in 1554.
1E
! 'ourse, urther studies are needed to 'o#&are this with other
treat#ents and to e*a#ine long ter# ee'ts.
!ther 'onditions
Preli#inary studies have shown that yoga thera&y #ay hel& in 'hildren with
#ental retardation to i#&rove (M and so'ial behavior. (t #ay be benei'ial when
added to standard thera&ies or the treat#ent o heroin or al'ohol abuse. ?arly
studies also note that yoga #ay i#&rove &osture in 'hildren. Also, it has been
ound that yoga #ay redu'e the intensity and reCuen'y o tension or #igraine
heada'hes, de'reasing the need or &ain4relieving drugs.
6

Page 64 o 21
Yoga has been re'o##ended or the &revention and treat#ent o #any
#edi'al 'onditions. There is so#e &reli#inary eviden'e that yoga 'an be hel&ul
when it is &ra'ti'ed in addition to standard treat#ents or several 'onditions.
These 'onditions in'lude an*iety disorders or stress, asth#a, high blood &ressure,
heart disease and de&ression.
5,11,12
(t is not 'lear i yoga is any #ore or less
ee'tive than other or#s o e*er'ise. 8nortunately, #u'h o the resear'h on
yoga is li#ited with &oor design. Continued resear'h is needed to &rove the above
health beneits and rule out other variables. ;esear'h into yoga has had &oor
unding in the &ast, but this is slowly i#&roving with the establish#ent o the
!i'e o Alternative Medi'ine +1556, and the =ational 'enter or Co#&le#entary
and Alternative Medi'ine +=CCAM, in 155<. .ith these in &la'e, #ore unding
#ay be'o#e available to allow urther resear'h to be 'ondu'ted into the beneits o
yoga. The health beneits o yoga are &ro#ising, however, i we e#&hasi3e this
one side o the &ra'ti'e, are we not #issing the entire &oint> As ?lliot S. :a'her,
M:, author o .hole "ealing- A Ste&4by4Ste& Progra# to ;e'lai# Your Power to
"eal wrote, $Yoga is a way to get to the sour'e o ourselves. The 'hallenge is not
to see yoga as a treat#ent or disease, but as an o&&ortunity to see so#ething
dee&er in the sel. To re'onne't with the body is one way o artully a'ing the
Page 6D o 21
reality o &ain in our lie and a #eans or a''e&ting and being in our lives #ore
dee&ly.%


Page 6G o 21
ENDNOTES
+1, Mu/unda Stiles, Structural Yoga Therapy- +7oston- .eiser7oo/s,
6AAA, , ED.
Page 6E o 21
+6, Alisa 7au#an, $(s Yoga ?nough to Kee& you Fit>% +arti'le on4line,
Yoga Journal, +Se&te#berH!'tober 6AA6, a''essed 66 9une 6AA2,J available ro#
htt&-HHwww.yoga)ournal.'o#H&ra'ti'eHE25N1.'#- (nternet.
+2, ;a)u PS and others, $(nluen'e o intensive yoga training on
&hysiologi'al 'hanges in adult wo#en- a 'ase re&ort,% Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine 2 +2, +155E Fall, - 651.
+4, ;a)u PS and others, $Co#&arison o ee'ts o yoga and &hysi'al
e*er'ise in athletes,% Indian Journal of Medical Research +1AA, +1554 Aug,- <1.
+D, ;ay 8S and others, $Aerobi' 'a&a'ity and &er'eived e*ertion ater
&ra'ti'e o "atha yogi' e*er'ises,% Indian Journal of Medical Research +114,
+6AA1 :e',- 61D.
+G, Tran M: and others, $?e'ts o "atha Yoga Pra'ti'e on "ealth4;elated
As&e'ts o Physi'al Fitness,% Prevention in Cardiology 4 +4, +6AA1 Autu#n,- 1GD.
Page 6< o 21
+E, Sahr#ann, Shirley A., Ph:, PT, FAPTA, Diagnosis and Treatment of
Movement Impairment Syndromes +St. Louis- Mosby, (n'. 6AA6, , 6E.
+<, Coulter, ". :avid, Ph:, Anatomy of !atha Yoga. +"onesdale, PA-
7ody and 7reath, (n'. 6AA1, , D51.
+5, ;al&h La Forge, M.S., "Physiology o "atha Yoga in "ealth and
:isease#$ le'ture given at the ACSM "ealth and Fitness Su##it, 5 A&ril 6AA2.
+1A, Yo/o Yoshi/awa, $?verybody 8&side :own,% +arti'le on4line, Yoga
Journal, +Se&te#berH!'tober 6AAA, a''essed 1A May 6AA2,J available ro#
htt&-HHwww.yoga)ournal.'o#H&ra'ti'eH614.'#. (nternet.
+11, 9oan "arrington, Ph:. +Ar&ita,, $Physiologi'al and Psy'hologi'al
ee'ts o "atha Yoga- A ;eview o the Literature,% Research %ulletin,
+"onesdale, PA- "i#alayan (nstitute, 15<2,, vol. D, nos. ( and ((, &.2<425.
+16, Telles S and others, $Physiologi'al 'hanges in s&orts tea'hers ollowing
2 #onths o training in Yoga,% Indian Journal of Medical Research 4E +1A, +1552
Page 65 o 21
!'t,- 62D.
+12 ,=ational Standard, $Yoga%, +resour'e on4line, ;eviewed by Fa'ulty o
the "arvard Medi'al S'hool,+ a''essed 61 9une 6AA2,J available ro#
htt&-HHwww.intelihealth.'o#J (nternet.
+14,?laine Li&son, $Yoga .or/s@,% +arti'le on4line, Yoga 9ournal, +.inter
155546AAA, a''essed E 9uly 6AA2,J available ro#
htt&-HHwww.yoga)ournal.'o#HhealthH11D.'#J (nternet.
+1D , Kathryn 7la'/, $Yoga 8nder the Mi'ros'o&e,% +arti'le on4line, Yoga
Journal, +.inter 6AAA46AA1, a''essed D 9uly 6AA2,J available ro#
htt&-HHwww.yoga)ournal.'o#healthH114.'#J (nternet.
+1G, Larin/el, MS and others, $Yoga4based intervention or 'ar&al tunnel
syndro#e- a rando#i3ed trial,$ Journal of the American Medical Association
Page 2A o 21
6<1+66,, +5 9une 1555,- 6A<E.
+1E, Larin/el MS and others, $?valuation o a yoga based regi#en or
treat#ent o osteoarthritis o the hands,% Journal of the Rhematology 61 +16,, + :e'
1554,- 6241.

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