Yoga Health News

Yoga Health Foundation announces Yoga Month 092008, a global awareness campaign to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Los Angeles, November 05, 2007 The Yoga Health Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in California, has announced Yoga Month 092008, a grassroots, community-based global campaign to educate people about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga Month is a year-round campaign and will peak September 2008 with millions of health & socially conscious individuals practicing yoga at thousands of yoga studios, parks and homes around the globe.

The 10 City Yoga Month Tour featuring lectures and concerts will visit yoga-passionate cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, Austin, Denver and San Diego.

Yoga has been practiced for the last 5,000 years and transformed into one of the most popular and effective methods to balance body mind, stay flexible, fit and healthy and prevent disease – mainly because it works., says Johannes R. Fisslinger, president of the Yoga Health Foundation and initiator of the Yoga Month campaign.

Yoga is attracting North American participants in numbers as high as 20 million. A recent Harris poll revealed that more than 100 million North Americans would like to practice Yoga for its health benefits.

With many Hollywood celebrities like Gwenyth Paltrow, Madonna, Russell Simmons, Courtney Cox and Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Ricky Martin practicing yoga and 27 billion spent in yoga-related products even traditional advertisers are paying attention.

The extensive list of current Yoga Month partners include magazines like Fit Yoga, Yoga+ Joyful Living, LA Yoga, Yogi Times, Yoga Journal, Yogamates.com, Whole Life Times, studios like Yogaworks, Exhale, Jiva Mukti, Power Yoga, Dahn Yoga and Bikram Yoga and teachers like Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Bryan Kest, Nike’s Margo Kellison, Larry Payne, Shiva Rea.

Yoga Month will benefit local community leaders and inspire sustainable healthy lifestyle projects like Yoga for Kids, at-risk-youth, breast health or AIDS prevention.

For more information and for Yoga Studios & Teachers, Community Leaders and Media & Sponsors sign up, please visit www.yogamonth.org.

Find out about the Cost of Poor Health and why Yoga Month 092008 will make a difference in the future of health care.

Yoga Precautionary Measures For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

It is necessary to keep in mind all pre-existing physical conditions while undergoing any type of workout. As such, the same thing is applicable for yoga students. Although most of the recognized yoga centers consider the medical and physical condition of the students before practicing yoga, there are some late comers who miss the orientation session. In any case, it is the duty of the instructor to educate the students about the precautionary measures necessary for their health. Rheumatoid arthritis is one such disease where yoga should not be practiced without considering the physical conditions of the student.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease which causes inflammation of the joints and tissues throughout the body. Moreover, it can affect other organs of the body as well. If it is not properly treated, the patient may end up needing surgery of various joints in order to ensure full movement. The ratio of this debilitating disease is three times more in women compared to men, and as much as 1% of the world’s population is found to suffer from chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

Although yoga ensures a healthy and active life style along with a gradual increase in self-control and motivation, but it is necessary to consult a physician before hand. This disease, if not seriously treated, can lead into chronic conditions. Yoga is a low-pace practice and is recommended to many people having pre-existing physical conditions. It is suggested to practice only those yoga positions which do not exert much pressure on the joints. In rheumatoid arthritis, the most commonly affected joints are wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles and knees. With the increasing severity of the disease, the sufferer becomes more vulnerable to motion.

Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are two different medical conditions, as far as the effects are concerned. In rheumatoid arthritis, multiple joints are affected due to inflammation and swelling of the surrounding tissue. Holding poses should be avoided, while such poses are highly recommended to people suffering from osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis patients must not undergo any high intensity workout and weight training. The asanas for both types of arthritis are different and must not be confused with one another.

Asana, which exerts pressure on the neck, must not be practiced; however, butterfly pose, child pose, and boat position may be practiced for beneficial effects. Moreover, the patient is required to monitor the symptoms carefully and regularly from time to time, in order to have maximum benefit from yoga.

Yoga Therapy And Preventative Health

Yoga therapy has been sitting by quietly, while the mainstream population has begun to “try Yoga,” but that may soon change. With the world’s governments and financial markets struggling along, there will be many changes in the near future. The world’s governments will have to consider the massive cost of national defense, retirement programs, education, healthcare, energy, education, and preventative health.

At this time, prevention in healthcare is a “field of dreams.” As we know, some medical conditions are inherent within our specific genetic pool. However, there are many ailments, diseases, and conditions, which are preventable.

This is where healing modalities such as, Yoga therapy can become cost-effective alternatives to an over burdened medical system. Below is a question and answer session about the need for Yoga as a recognized form of therapy.

Q: What is Yoga Therapy?

A: Most of today’s Yoga therapy can be traced back to Sri Swami Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who trained his share of modern masters, including his son T.K.V. Desikachar (Viniyoga) and B.K.S. Iyengar (Iyengar Yoga).

Yoga has therapeutic value and can be modified for any person. This is not the same form of Yoga movement seen in most health clubs. Yoga therapy involves teaching customized techniques, to one individual, based upon his or her specific needs.

This may encompass postures, specific breathing, meditation, and a large variety of Yogic techniques. The Yoga therapist’s primary objective is to treat the whole person. Complete physical health cannot be separated from emotional and mental health.

In fact, spiritual health also plays an important factor in recovery. We know that the power of prayer, mantra, and positive affirmation, will enable a person to heal faster. There is much conflict over which specific religion a person practices. Yet, this is a private decision and, as such, should be left to the individual.

Q: Why should Yoga teachers be concerned with Yoga therapy?

A: Some teachers are content teaching athletic forms of Yoga. This is a wonderful thing, but as we, and our students, grow older, teachers become aware of a variety of ailments. Constant pain creates a need for relief, because you can think of nothing else.

If you have a migraine, or back pain, can you think of much else? The mind is totally focused on pain. Hence, there is a need for inner calm and pain relief, which therapeutic Yoga can give.

Q: What is Yoga Therapy’s future role in alternative health?

A: Yoga is the source of many different healing modalities. As I have stated many times, “Yoga is the mother of all health maintenance systems.” Contemporary medicine and Yoga therapy have plenty of space together on the path to heal humanity.

There is no shortage of people who are in pain. Yoga is a cost-effective form of therapy. Together, medicine and Yoga can effectively help people who are suffering from a variety of ailments.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Where Did Yoga Come From

Today’s society is much faster paced that ever before. People have more stress problems which lead to more health problems, mental and physical. There are more concerns with toxicity in the food we eat and the air we breathe. Millions of Americans today live a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity. The body, the cavities of our soul, was not meant to deteriorate in such a way that leads to disease. Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India and it included spiritual beliefs, physical techniques, and scholarly philosophy.

There is a growing trend to practicing Yoga for many different reasons, which include attaining the yoga body or physique, relaxation and peace of mind, or to prevent injury and ailments. Americans mainly practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and stretching the body.

Yoga, which is derived from the sacred Sanskrit language of India, meaning *union* or *to yoke or harness*. Yoga is a way or path to transcendence and liberation from the self and the ego by purifying the mind and body. Practicing yoga leads to a union with the mind and body or the individual and universal consciousness. In other words, yoga is the union with the Individual Self and the Universal Self. Yoga predates all other religions and has influenced and inspired many other traditions and philosophies. Yoga is better understood as a union of the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual bodies, which leads to a purposeful and balanced life.

There is simply no other discipline quite like yoga because it utilized the body, mind and spirit, all in one practice. Yoga is indeed a spiritual path that is based on ancient sacred philosophy, but one does not need to make an ethical decision when practicing yoga, rather finding your own path is wholly accepted. The holistic benefits of yoga are suitable for the young or old, sick or well, with any religious background. The secrets of yoga are inwardness, concentration, and purification of mind and body with cleansing thoughts and food. Indian philosophy states that within man is the spirit that is the center of everything. *Internal equilibrium is the basis and the ground for the higher illumination,* The cultural Heritage of India (Vol. I) – published by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India

Yoga Instructor Training Health With Big Bucks

An excellent yoga teacher courses is healthy in persona. She or he looks for ways to help individuals become their best self. You don’t have to have any official academic qualifications to become a yoga exercise instructor. You just need to have a interest for hanging out training individuals in this age old art type.

If you have caught the yoga exercise bug, you may want to look into yoga exercise instructor coaching. You only have to have a love of yoga exercise and a wish to join to begin off in a yoga exercise instructor coaching course. An excellent yoga instructor training will provide more than just a publication and recall skills workouts. A full persona engagement should be involved. Look for a yoga exercise instructor coaching course that seems like a natural fit for you. Do they exercise the type of yoga exercise that you are fascinated in? Since there are so many kinds of particular yoga exercise methods, see which one your coaching course provides. You’ll also want to see how much the yoga instructor training costs. If that’s a concern for you, work within your price variety. You should be able to discover a system in every cost variety.

An excellent yoga teacher courses is healthy in persona. She or he looks for ways to help individuals become their best self. You don’t have to have any official academic qualifications to become a yoga exercise instructor. You just need to have an interest for hanging out training individuals in this age old art type. If you are living a way of life that works well with the yoga exercise, you are a perfect applicant for yoga teacher courses. Yoga instructors should aim for maximum health and wellness and well-being so they can help others accomplish these objectives as well. Those who go into the area of yoga exercise training involve themselves in every element of yoga exercise. There needs to be stability between information, a joy for yoga exercise and a dedication to the exercise.

Not only will you invest some time in your coaching on the yoga exercise mat, but also in the academic setting of yoga teacher courses. Most qualifications programs require 200 time of coaching. You’ll need to know about exercise structure as well as all the particular positions and presents. You’ll need to merge a knowing of art and technology. You’ll need to be well qualified in structure, mindset and viewpoint. It’s an extensive strategy that needs intense focused training. If you feel you are prepared to begin yoga exercise instructor qualifications, begin looking for a yoga teacher courses that is correct for you both geographically and economically. You will discover them in most declares and at all different prices. Look for their qualifications partnership. Are they authorized with the Yoga Alliance? This is the conventional qualifications institution for the yoga exercise market. So choose a system that will help students graduate with a completely qualified Yoga Alliance qualified certification.