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Discussion Techniques & Resources o Criteria For A Yoga Class o Where To Find Information on Different Styles of Yoga o Where To Find A Yoga Class o Boo s & !aga"ines o #ideos o When To $ractice Yoga o %o& 'ften To $ractice Yoga o Where To $ractice Yoga o Yoga Routine Ti(s o Culti)ating Self*Acce(tance With Yoga o Finding Your '&n !o)ement With Yoga o !editation o Where To Find A !editation Class Action To Be Ta en +uestions & Ans&ers o Ya&ning & Sighing o Too !uch $ain o Bedridden o Yoga & ,motions o 'ther $ractices Instead of Yoga Resources

Discussion Yoga is a science of life that originated in India several thousands of years ago. It involves much more than the asanas (postures) & pranayama (breathing exercises) that most people are familiar with. For this chapter, however, I will limit my discussion of yoga to those aspects asanas & pranayama also !nown as "atha Yoga. Yoga is en#oying growing popularity in $estern countries. %ost of you reading this are aware of its use as a powerful stress reduction techni&ue. ' &uic! review of my (ew )ngland (*+) "olistic "ealth ,irectory shows that as of -../ yoga classes are being offered at five area hospitals. Yoga is &uic!ly becoming a mainstream tool for stress reduction.

$hile it is exciting that yoga is &uic!ly is becoming synonymous with 0stress reduction,0 it is that & so much more. 1racticed regularly, over an extended period of time, it is a very powerful healing & transformational tool. Yoga is only #ust beginning to be studied by the $estern scientific community. 2elow are a selection of findings from a few of the completed scientific studies.

+everal studies have shown that yoga significantly improves the condition of bronchial asthmatics, even patients who were childhood asthmatics. %any sub#ects eventually reduced or eliminated their need for medication. Yoga has been shown to significantly decrease hyperglycemia in non insulin dependent diabetics. Yoga has been shown to significantly improve mental & physical energy levels & alertness as compared to relaxation exercises & visuali3ation. 4ne study showed that yoga produced & gradual, significant decrease in body weight. In addition there was an increase in alpha wave activity in parts of the brain which corresponds to an increase in patient calmness. Yoga has been shown to produce a significant increase in serum 5," levels (the en3yme which provides energy to contracting muscles during exercise). 4ther studies have shown that yoga can help conditions of arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, varicose veins, & heart ailments. +pecific yoga breathing postures & breathing exercises have been led to significant improvements in patients with 4bsessive 6ompulsive ,isorder (46,).

Yoga stretches & tones the muscles & #oints, has a positive effect on the entire s!eletal system including the spine, & has a postive effect on all of the organs, glands, & nerves. %any of the yogic postures & breathing exercises bring much needed blood & oxygen to bodily tissues & organs which speeds the healing of the practitioner. 7eleasing built up physical & emotional tension slowly liberates vast resources of energy. Finally, & not

to be underestimated in importance, a regular yoga practice can gradually & significantly increase a person8s sense of self acceptance & inner peace. Techniques & Resources Criteria For A Yoga Class It is difficult to o)erem(hasi"e the im(ortant of learning yoga in a class,.(erienced yoga teachers can hel( &ith the correct (ostures & /reathing techniques- !ore im(ortantly0 it is usually much easier to ee( a regular (ractice o)er the long*term &hen attending a regular class & (ractice sessions$lease loo for a yoga class that meets the follo&ing criteria1
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2ocated close to your home or &or if (ossi/leTaught /y a certified yoga instructor0 not /y a health clu/ instructor teaching glorified stretching e.ercises that they decide to call 3yoga3 or teaching 3rela.ation e.ercises-3 The yoga instructor is &illing to ad4ust the routine to to your a/ilities- The instructor should hel( you de)elo( a routine that &ill im(ro)e your o)erall &ell/eing &ithout in4uring or frustrating youS(ea &ith the yoga instructor on this su/4ect /efore starting classesI feel that it is /est to start &ith a form of yoga that em(hasi"es the asanas 5(ostures60 includes a 3final rela.ation3 (ose & o)er time /egins to add a cou(le of /reathing e.ercises 5(ranayama6- For many (eo(le0 it is /est to lea)e meditation & the s(iritual as(ects of yoga until later- 5'n the other hand0 I no& se)eral (eo(le &ho ha)e gotten enormous /enefits from meditation &ithout first (racticing yoga (ostures or /reathing- So0 you &ill ha)e to find &hat &or s for you &ith a little e.(erimentation-6 If (ossi/le0 locate a yoga instructor &ho has se)eral lo&*cost (ractice sessions (er &ee - This &ay0 it &ill /e easier to (erform short yoga routines regularlyAs you /ecome more e.(erienced0 the yoga instructor should /e a/le to teach you yogic cleansing e.ercises-

Some )ery e.(erienced yoga teachers may /e a/le to customi"e treatment routines for (ersons &ith a chronic illness- Some of the research mentioned earlier included customi"ed yoga e.ercises-

here To Find !nformation on "ifferent #t$les of Yoga Info1 on )arious yoga styles can /e found at the Yoga Research & ,ducation Center0 the Yoga !o)ement &e/ (age0 & at the Yoga $aths &e/ (agehere To Find A Yoga Class
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2oo at the )arious online data/ases listed on the %olistic %ealing We/ $age1 htt(177&&&-holisticmed-com7&&&7yoga-html8(ractitioners

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As at your local natural food store5s6As at your local health clu/sAs at your hos(ital9s stress reduction clinic2ocal community Adult ,ducation classes often ofter yoga classes-

%oo&s & 'aga(ines The follo&ing /oo s ha)e hel(ed me o)er the yearso

Richard %ittleman9s :;*Day Yoga ,.ercise $lan 5See the Stress Reduction (age of the %olistic %ealing We/ $age 7 Ama"on-Com Boo store for details-6 An e.cellent introductory /oo for the /eginner- It includes t&o )ery healing e.ercises0 a sim(le /reathing e.ercise & a/dominal lifts- This is the /oo I started &ith many years ago-

The Si)ananda Com(anion to Yoga 5See Stress Reduction (age of the %olistic %ealing We/ $age 7 Ama"on-Com Boo store for details-6 The routines descri/ed in this /oo seem )ery &ell*designed- The Basic $ractice Charts includes e.am(les for a <*<7:*hour routine & a

<7:*hour routine- =reat (ictures too- As I mentioned earlier0 (lease /e careful not to o)erdose on long yoga routines in the /eginningo

Yoga For A >e& Age 5See Stress Reduction (age of the %olistic %ealing We/ $age 7 Ama"on-Com Boo store for details-6 Includes detailed descri(tions of ho& to (erform many of the common asanas correctly & &ould (itfalls to a)oid- ,.tremely useful if you are trying to teach yourself-

Yoga International !aga"ine Rural Route <0 Bo. <<?@ %onesdale0 $ennsyl)ania <;A?<*BC<;0 DSA EC@*:E?*F:A? 5Su/scri(tions & Information6 ,mail1 infoGyimag-com We/1 htt(177&&&-yimag-com7-

I find the instructional articles in this maga"ine to /e e.cellentH A su/scri(tion is &ell &orth it in my o(inion- I also highly recommend ordering the !arch <BBC 58?A6 & the !ay <BBC 58?E6 /ac issues /ecause of the &onderfuly detailed /eginner9s articles on se)eral )ery (o&erful 5&hen (racticed regularly6 yogic /reathing e.ercises ** Alternate >ostril Breathing & 3S ull Shining-3 Another article in issue 8?E entitled 3!astering the Fire3 has )ery im(ortant & hel(ful info a/out a/dominal lifts & other im(ortant e.ercisesAlternate >ostril Breathing & S ull Shining are )ery effecti)e in strengthening the ner)ous system & hel(ing to remo)e to.ic su/stances from the /lood- The a/dominal lifts & other e.ercises (resented in 3!astering the Fire3 are )ery effecti)es &ays to strengthen the digesti)e & elimination systemso

Yoga Iournal :@EA Dni)ersity A)enue Ber ely0 California B:@AF*BBE: E<@*;A<*B:@@We/1 htt(177&&&-yoga4ournal-com7-

Another e.cellent source of quality info a/out yoga & natural healing for the /eginner & ad)anced student-

)ideos I ha)e ne)er used a yoga )ideo0 /ut you may &ant to gi)e one a try,.(erimentH Ad)entureH %ere are some sources for yoga )ideos1
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Yoga Iournal Series 5;@@6 C::*C?AC 2ilias Yoga Series 5;@@6 ;CF*CCB; Jri(alu Yoga #ideos 5;@@6 BFC*C:CB

5See the Stress Reduction (age of the %olistic %ealing We/ $age 7 Ama"on-Com Boo store section /elo& to (lace secure orders online-6 When To Practice Yoga You can (ractice &hene)er you &ish- %o&e)er0 some (eo(le find themsel)es energi"ed & ha)e difficulty getting to slee( if they (ractice immediately /efore /edtime- !ost (eo(le (ractice in the morning or in the early e)ening /efore dinner- I find that I en4oy (racticing a short <7:*hour routine during my lunch hour- I feel much more rela.ed throughout the afternoon &hen I do thisYou may decide to s(lit your routine so that you (ractice /reathing e.ercises & the sun salutation yoga e.ercise in the morning & other asanas in the early e)ening- I find it easier to (ractice /reathing e.ercises in the morning- In the morning I (erform yogic /reathing e.ercises such as 3S ull Shining03 Alternate >ostril Breathing & a short meditation after the sun salutation & a cou(le of other stretches- It only ta es <@ to <E minutes!ost (eo(le ha)e more success if they set aside regular days & times to (ractice 5(refera/ly in an organi"ed class or (ractice session6 rather than ha(ha"ardly trying to fit it in- I highly recommending doing this if (ossi/le*o+ ,ften To Practice Yoga If you are a/le0 it is (refera/le to (ractice at least three times (er &ee -

Three to si. days (er &ee is fine- Do &hate)er is comforta/le &ithout ta ing too much time from li)ing your life & en4oying yourselfhere To Practice Yoga It is (refera/le to (ractice in a room that is not cold- If it is &arm out0 you can (ractice outside if you li eThe surface that you (ractice on should /e firm0 /ut soft- You can (ractice on a folded /lan et or you may &ant to (urchase a yoga mat- You can order one through the mail /y calling the Jri(alu Center for Yoga & %ealth at 5;@@6 BFC*C:CB-

Yoga Routine Tips

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arm-up. I /elie)e that it is generally /etter to &arm u( the e.tremities /efore stretching the ma4or muscles & the s(ine- I (refer to start /y massaging0 t&isting & /ending my feet0 toes & an lesThen I do the same &ith my hands0 fingers & &rists- Finally0 I gently stretch & t&ist my nec using e.ercises I learned in yoga classesFinal Rela/ation. $lease set aside some time to (ractice the final rela.ation (ose- It is &here much of the healing ta es (lace%reathing 0/ercises. !any /reathing e.ercise instructions suggest that you sit cross*legged- If you cannot sit that &ay KeasilyK0 then try sitting on your heels- If you cannot sit on your heels KeasilyK0 then try the e.ercise &hile sitting in a chair or lying do&n if you cannot sit in a chair!any (eo(le find /reathing e.ercises difficult at first- $lease feel free to ta e as many dee( /reaths /et&een re(ititions as you need-

Culti1ating #elf-Acceptance ith Yoga Yoga is an e.cellant &ay to culti)ate self*lo)e & self*acce(tance- 'ne day that you (ractice0 you may feel rela.ed0 ha((y0 & ha)e a dee( sense of inner (eaceThe ne.t day you may feel tense0 stressed*out0 or sad- ')er time0 yoga &ill ma e

you more lim/er0 rela.ed0 & healthy0 /ut on a day*to*day /asis your condition may )ary considera/ly- This )ariation is (art of the (rocess0 so e.(ect itAs you (erform a yoga (ose0 sim(ly acce(t &hate)er you can do & ho&e)er you feel- Then /reathe dee(ly & fully into your a/domen & chest & feel the energy from that lo)e & acce(tance of yourself in the area /eing stretched- Don9t &orry if you don9t (hysically feel the energy from the /reath in the area /eing stretchedSim(ly use your imagination- The lo)e & acce(tance &ill0 o)er time0 gradually gro& &ithin you- This0 in turn0 &ill s(eed your healingFinding Your ,+n 'o1ement ith Yoga The some&hat serious method of using yoga to culti)ate self*lo)e & self* acce(tance needs to /e /alanced to some e.tent &ith not /eing too strict- $lease en4oy yourself during the routine- If you feel a need to sigh or grunt during the routine 5and the instructor allo&s e.(ression60 (lease do so- If you &ant to sto( for a cou(le minutes & do some dancing0 drin some &ater0 cry0 sing a song0 etc-0 feel free to /e yourself- Yoga can hel( li/erate your true nature- $lease don9t use yoga to su(ress it'editation The natural (rogression in %atha Yoga study seems to /e to /egin (racticing the (ostures 5asanas6 & then adding some /reathing e.ercises 5(ranayama60 & finally adding a short0 regular (ractice of meditation!editation can strengthen the mind0 dee(en the rela.ation & inner (eace that is felt0 & change your health & life significantly for the /etter- At some (oint in time0 I &ould strongly recommend adding a regular0 short meditation (eriod to your routineIt has /een &idely re(orted that a )ery small (ercentage of (eo(le e.(erience ad)erse (sychological reactions to meditation (ractice- It seems that some (ersons get in touch &ith /uried childhood0 /irth or other traumas &hile meditating- If the (erson is not a/le to em/race & &or through these feelings0 the constant triggering of these feelings &ithout resol)ing them can ma e matters &orse- In such cases0 transformational & (sychological thera(ies such as %olotro(ic Breath&or 0 re/irthing0 %a omi0 Bioenergetics0 Radi.0 etc- may /e a /etter &ay to start until such time as meditation (ractices can gradually /e added2i e yoga0 I recommend learning meditation in a class-

here To Find a 'editation Class

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2oo at the )arious online data/ases listed on the %olistic %ealing We/ $age1 htt(177&&&-holisticmed-com7&&&7meditation-html8(ractitioners

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As at your local natural foods 7 health food storeAs at your hos(ital9s stress reduction clinic2ocal community Adult ,ducation classes often ofter meditation classes2oo in the (hone directory under 3!editation Centers-3

Actions To %e Ta&en

2ocate a yoga classes in your area using the resources listed earlier'nce you find a yoga class0 tal to the instructor to /e certain that he7she can meet your needs- If so0 then /egin ta ing classes- Remem/er to as the instructor to /e taught a fe& (ostures or /reathing e.ercises that you can (ractice /et&een classes-

,)entually0 you &ill /e a/le to (ut together your o&n routines that &ill significantly contri/ute to your &ell/eing- When you are starting out0 long yoga routines can quic ly /ecome a (ain in the /utt- So (lease start out &ith short0 regular yoga routinesIf you can9t find a yoga class that meets your needs0 see the actions /elo&

Breathing ,.ercises 5$ranayama61 Be sure to gradually incor(orate the yoga /reathing e.ercises into your routine- These are )ery (o&erful healing toolsH In fact0 different /reathing techniques are used in many of the most (o&erful holistic healing & transformational (ractices a)aila/le 5e-g-0 yoga0 qigong0 transformational /reath&or 0 etc-6- Regularly (racticing a short routine of (ranayama is &ell &orth the small effortBoo s0 !aga"ines & #ideos1 If you cannot locate a class that &ould /e satisfactory0 you can try learning a fe& /asics from /oo s or )ideos- While I don9t recommend using /oo s or )ideos0 some (eo(le ha)e used them successfully-

!editation1 2ocate a meditation class in your area using the resources suggested earlier-

'nce you find a meditation class0 tal to the instructor to /e understand the ty(e of meditation (erformed- There are many ty(es of meditation- I (refer Insight !editation- Bro&se through the lin s on meditation &e/ (age mentioned earlier so that you get a sense of the )arious ty(es a)aila/le2uestions & Ans+ers Ya+ning & #ighing Whene)er I do yoga or /reathing e.ercises0 I seem to need to ya&n or sigh%o& can I sto( from ya&ning or sighingL First let me start /y saying that it is )ery im(ortant >'T to su(ress these actions- %ere are Ianet =oodrich9s )ie&s on the /enefits of ya&ning from her /oo 3>atural #ision Im(ro)ement31
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Ya&ning /rings fresh o.ygen into /ody cells including the eyes & /rainYa&ning contracts then releases the muscles related to the eyes- A really good ya&n &ill contract & e.(and muscles from the to( of your head to the ti(s of your toes ** including the should or tra(e"ius muscles0 the eyes 5or/icularis oculi60 the nec 5nec fle.ors60 the /elly 5the a/dominals & solar (le.us area6Ya&ning is ca(a/le of changing emotional states from negati)e to (ositi)eYa&ning changes the (% of the /lood reducing to.icity le)els in your &hole systemYa&ning stimulates the (roduction of refreshing tears that /athe naturally tired eyes & moisten chronically dry eyesYa&ning hel(s to cleanse the li)er & to /alance the energy in the li)er meridian%ere is &hat to do a/out ya&ning-

If the urge to ya&n comes u( during the yoga or dee( /reathing0 D'>9T SD$R,SS IT- The more ya&ning that comes u( during the yoga & dee( /reathing0 the /etterWhene)er you ha)e to ya&n0 ma e it a BI= ya&n0 o(ening the mouth &ide & ma ing a noise &hile e.halling- This is )ery im(ortant ** to hec &ith !s- !anners- 1*6 Could you image a /ig lion starting to ya&n0 reali"ing that it is in (u/lic0 & then su(ressing the ya&nL I don9t thin soH The same can /e said of sighing- !a e a /ig0 noisy sigh-

Too 'uch Pain I9m in too much (ain to do many of the e.ercises- What should I doL First of all0 don9t (erform any asana that causes (ainWor ing &ith an e.(erienced yoga instructor is im(ortant /ecause the instructor can dra& from hundreds of (ossi/le asana )ariations & (ranayama e.ercises to create a routine &hich is safe & meets your needsIf you can9t get to a class0 you may /e a/le to set u( one (ri)ate lesson so that the instructor can create a safe /eginner9s routineThere are almost Kal&aysK a fe& /eneficial e.ercises that can /e doneDnfortunately0 most /oo s do not include sim(lified )ariations that are easier on the 4oints- So0 (lease see an e.(erienced instructor-

%edridden I can9t do any asanas as I am /edridden & ha)e too much 4oint (ain- It loo s li e I9m sun >o0 you are >'T sun - You are still a &onderful0 /eautiful (erson &ho can gently /egin to culti)ate self*lo)e & self*acce(tance /y )ery gently ta ing some actions as outlined /elo&- This can hel( tremendously in the long runIf you cannot do any strethcing e.ercises in /ed0 you may still /e a/le to nurture yourself quite effecti)ely- %ere are three ideas from &hich you can create a short routine-

$ranayama 5Breathing ,.ercises6 As a yoga instructor to gi)e you a fe& sim(le e.ercises to (ractice0 or

Dse the Yoga Internation !aga"ine /ac issuees listed a/o)e or a )ideo to teach yourself a fe& of the /eginning (ranayama e.ercises-

Breathing e.ercise to rela. the /ody & the dia(hram1 Conscious Breathing 5See Stress Reduction (age of the %olistic %ealing We/ $age 7 Ama"on-Com Boo store for details-6

=et a rela.ing 5i-e-0 non*(ainful6 thera(eutic massage as often as you can comforta/lely afford-

All of these ideas &ill /e hel(ful in ee(ing the lym(hatic & digesti)e system healthy!ost (eo(le &ill &ant to e.(eriment &ith these ideas e)entually0 so you9re 3ahead of the game3 if you are starting &ith them-

Yoga & 0motions When I (erform certain asanas & /reathing dee(ly0 I /egin to feel sad- Is that normalL Yes0 it does ha((en & can /e healing to feel emotions- Dsing yoga0 not only can &e get in touch &ith the (hysical tension dee( &ithin our /ody0 /ut &ith get also get in touch &ith the emotional tension that is usually )ery closely tied to the (hysical tensionIt is a )ery good sign that you ha)e found a tool to access & e)entually hel( heal your emotional tension- Feeling & ma ing (eace &ith emotions can ha)e a tremendously /eneficial effect on one9s health-

%ere are a cou(le of ideas for &or ing &ith feeling emotions /rought u( &hen doing yoga1.

If the emotions are not o)er&helming0 sim(ly continue the asana0 feel & acce(t the emotion fully &hile /reathing dee(ly into the a/domen- Remem/er0 it is o ay to feel sad or cry or feel 4oy0 etc- as long as it is not o)er&helming-

You should definately tal a/out these feelings that came u( to a close friend0 su((ort grou(0 family mem/er0 thera(ist0 etc- in order to continue to release the emotions & culti)ate self*lo)e & self* acce(tance2.

!odalities to %el( $rocess1

$hoeni. Rising Yoga Thera(y There is a form of yoga0 $hoeni. Rising Yoga Thera(y &hich com/ines assisted yoga (ostures &ith elements of comtem(orary inner &or to assist in releasing emotional tension &hich is sometimes manifested in the /ody as aches0 (ains0 or e)en chronic illnesses- In order to find a (ractitioner in your area contact the $hoeni. Rising Yoga Thera(y Center at1 $hoeni. Rising Yoga Thera(y Center West Stoc /ridge0 !assachusetts @<:FF ;@@*:;;*BFA: or A<E*:CA*?E<E ,mail1 infoG(ryt-com We/1 htt(177&&&-(ryt-com7 For a &e/ (ractitioner list1 htt(177&&&-(ryt-com7(ryt7cm(7natDirectory-html

#i)ation #i)ation is a (o&er /reathing & feeling meditation that can hel( you ma e (eace &ith emotions & release emotional

tension- In order to find a #i)ation (ractitioner near you0 contact Associated #i)ation $rofessionals1 Associated #i)ation $rofessionals ?F:C Jeystone A)enue0 8: 2os Angeles0 California B@@?A DSA ;@@*;:B*:F:E ?<@*;?B*A?C; ,mail1 ls associatesGcom(user)e-com We/1 htt(177&&&-)i)ation-net7 For a &e/ (ractitioner list1 D-S- & Canada1 htt(177&&&-)i)ation-com7net7#i)e$rosState-htm 'utside D-S- 2in s1 htt(177&&&-)i)ation-com7net72in s-htm