Yoga therapy

 BACK PAIN-JOINT PAIN-ARTHRITIS - SHOULDER AND NECK PAIN, KNEE PAIN, ANGLE

Many recent studies have shown the benefits of movement-based therapies for those suffering from chronic pain. Yoga in particular,  has been proven to alleviate both pain and depression, which often go hand in hand with chronic pain patients. The American Pain Society recently released a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) explaining that imaging studies have shown both chronic pain sufferers and depressed patients have decreased gray matter in their brains.

Gray matter is simply brain tissue with numerous cell bodies. It is located in the cerebral cortex and subcortical areas. The NIH study offers evidence that yoga actually increases the gray matter in the brain, specifically in the insula or internal structures of the cerebral cortex, thus providing greater pain tolerance.

The slow rhythmic breathing of yoga helps chronic pain sufferers to reduce their stress levels, lower their heart rate and calm their autonomic nervous system. Slowing the autonomic nervous system also reduces cortisol and epinephrine levels in the body.

High amounts of cortisol and epinephrine over a long period of time can cause inflammation in the body. Inflammation leads to joint and muscle pain.

Using pranayama techniques to activate the parasympathetic nervous system will also increase the patient’s ability to deal with the stress of chronic pain,

  NO PILLS - TRY YOGA 

A study published in 2004’s Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback found that participants who practiced yoga experienced not only improved total sleep time, but sleep 

efficiency, resulting in increased total wake time. Participants also demonstrated improved sleep onset latency—falling asleep more quickly, and wake time after sleep onset waking up earlier. 

“If you suffer from insomnia, whether often or occasionally, yoga can help. 

Through relaxing physical exercise, breathing techniques and complete relaxation, you can promote more regular and restful sleeping patterns without resorting to sleep-inducing drugs. Such drugs interfere with your body’s natural sleep cycle and can create psychological dependence and undesirable side effects.” 

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Depression impacts 17 million American adults annually, often contributing to severe impairments in physical and social functioning. Women are roughly  more likely to suffer from depressive disorders including major depression and dysthymia. New research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests that a 12-week yoga intervention may help to curb both depressive symptoms, and alter biomarkers associated with stress and poor health.

When we think of yoga and healthy aging, we usually think of things like improving mobility or retaining the range of motion of the joints. However, the holy grail of efforts to age well really lies in slowing the aging of the brain. 

Some of the risk factors for developing those Alzheimer’s, dementia, or Parkinson’s are genetic predispositions. However, there are also many lifestyle factors that seem to put you at a higher risk and we know that diet also play a major role. We also know that appropriate sleep is very important in lowering our risk for developing conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

And, in certain areas, yoga is very effective at promoting lifestyle changes that may prove down the road to actually  be ways to prevent these conditions. but it makes sense that diet, movement and exercise will have positive effects on our health and brain as we age. Staying active, not only physically but socially as well, is another way that we can actually improve brain health. We also know that just using yoga tools to improve our stress management skills also can have a potentially very powerful effect on overall brain health as we get older.

REGULAR PRACTISE YOGA WILL HELP TO REDUCE CORTISOL LEVELS which are a marker for ongoing levels of stress and improvements in memory, improvements in cognitive functioning. as well as lowering of stress which may have a preventative effect on the brain over time and yoga helps to retain youthful body and skin  as well

Strong muscles are associated with strong bones, and persistently weak muscles are linked with weak bones. Harold Frost, who developed the 

Mechanostat theory of bone formation

(a refinement of Wollf’s law) defined four levels of bone remodeling resulting from the degree of strain put on a bone.

frequent and varied movement of the spine, such as in yoga, is likely to help counteract bone loss and even stimulate bone strengthening in the osteoporotic spine. Indeed, any exercises that strengthen muscles that support the spine may be useful to prevent or ameliorate the effects of vertebral bone loss. ...yoga is the perfect solution to prevent Osteoporosis 

YOGA FOR BALANCING THE CORE, RELEASING THE LOW BACK AND IMPROVING WELL-BEING

The psoas muscle is one of the most important muscles in the body, because of its central location and interconnectedness with other parts of the body.

The largest hip flexors in the body, the psoas muscles have many other functions which affect our health and well-being in numerous ways. The two psoas muscles are the deepest muscles of the core, and as such play an important role in stabilization of the spine and prevention of low back pain. The psoas muscles also support the internal organs, and via their movement, facilitate lymphatic flow.

The functions of the psoas muscles have been linked to psychological well-being as well, because of their close connection to our breath and the stress response.

the importance of the psoas for structural health; i.e. the connection between the psoas and the 'core' including common imbalances, potential issues of a "tight" psoas or imbalance between the 'core' and psoas; how to spot these imbalances and what to do to relieve them.

The course includes a yoga practice to release and lengthen the psoas while also strengthening both the core and psoas in order to create an optimal relationship between the two.