Yoga and the Mind/Body Connection

Yoga is most famous for its healing ability and the peace of mind that it brings. How does Yoga do this?

The body has two nervous systems, sympathetic, and parasympathetic. The sympathetic system, also called the "fight or flight" system, causes blood pressure to rise, breath rate to increase, and stress hormones to flood the body. This prepares the body for fight, and in today's world, this occurs when we are stressed or agitated. This system, when over stimulated, can cause health problems like ulcers, migraines, and heart disease.

The parasympathetic system does just the opposite, lowering blood pressure and slowing the pace of your breathing. This frees the blood to travel to digestive, reproductive, glandular, and immune systems of the body, because it doesn't need to rush to the muscles. These systems contain the organs that are essential for long term survival. The body has time now to heal from the damage of daily battles. Long, deep breathing exercises encourage the actions of the parasympathetic system, allowing relaxation and healing. The breathing meditations practiced in Yoga encourage the parasympathetic nervous system.

Yoga encourages the mind to calm itself as well. By concentrating on breathing, your mind doesn't wander, and it is encouraged to stay connected to the body, in the now. The more we daydream and reminisce, the less our mind is open to the good things happening now. We tend to miss out on embracing the moments that are happening now. There is a connection between the emotional and psychological states and the pace of our breathing. When we are excited or frightened we take shorter, quicker, shallow breaths; when we are sleeping, or very relaxed, our breathing is longer and deeper.

Yoga teaches the mind to change the breathing pattern, to make breaths slower and deeper, and the state of our mind is similarly affected, being calmer, and quieter. Over time, those who practice Yoga will act and think from a state of peace, making them more likely to act with patience and understanding. The breath helps us to concentrate on staying connected to the present time, helping us move on from past grievances and sadness, viewing the world as it is, without false expectations. Those who practice Yoga accept themselves and others just as they are.

Being in good shape physically affects people's moods. Strengthening the muscles and joints helps us feel better physically, and reducing blood pressure and stimulating the immune systems lead those who practice Yoga to a state of peace in addition to physical health.

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Yoga for Depression: Motivation and Trust

Yoga is an excellent motivational tool. When you consider starting your day with Yoga meditation, Pranayama, Japa, Yoga postures (Asanas), warm-ups, Sun Salutations, or a combination of any of these - Yoga offers many useful motivation techniques for all of us.

However, some of us like to sleep late, skip work, unplug the phone, and wonder where the day went. This lack of stress can cause depression. This is not an endorsement of a stressful lifestyle, but the reality is: We all require a little daily stress to stimulate, strengthen, and motivate ourselves.

How could an early morning Yoga meditation create motivation for the entire day? There are many types of meditation to choose from, but you could choose a form of positive visualization to raise your level of motivation.

This will require you to set aside a little time and solitude. You could start with a 15 minute Yoga meditation session and allow your mind some forgiveness - if it wanders. Do not judge your mind or any distractions around you.

This is a key to Yogic meditation, and Yoga in general: Be mindful, be kind, do not judge anything, avoid extremes, and live life in moderation. The purpose of your meditation will be aided - if you write down your goals, for the day, and meditate.

With this form of Yogic meditation, you will be pleasantly surprised with how often you accomplish your daily objectives. Keep in mind that Yoga meditation is just one technique to stimulate motivation. Pranayama, Japa, Asana, and Sun Salutations, all work well for stimulating the body and mind.

Another factor, which causes depression, is lack of trust in others, and from deep within our inner being. We must believe in ourselves before we have faith in others. This lack of trust can cause a form of scaring to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Can Yoga turn any of us into "eternal optimists?" The answer is, "maybe." Most eternal optimists are born that way; but optimism can be conditioned, and you have the power to harness it, if you want to.

A Yoga student asks, "Teach me about self-empowerment." The lessons are within all forms of Yoga, but you will find more answers within Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Karma Yoga.

Most Yoga students, outside of India, practice Hatha Yoga sub-styles. This is fine - but are you learning anything beyond the physical aspects of Yoga? Yoga is a vast topic, with solutions to many of today's health problems.

However, can the world learn to trust a 5,000 year old health maintenance system, with a proven track record of success? On a global scale, most of the world's population still seeks short-term health solutions in the form of pills.

Sometimes prescriptions are required; especially, in the case of severe depression. It is promising that Western medicine now embraces Yoga as an alternative therapy. This will create an evolution in health care which will improve the quality of life for humanity.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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Health Benefits of Yoga - Back Pain

Used for healing the mind, body, and consciousness, Yoga and Ayurveda are two fields that are regarded as one for many years. Yoga involves cleansing the mind and consciousness. On the other hand, Ayurveda focuses more on the physical health. However, Yoga and Ayurveda complement each other.

Contrary to what many people believe, stress is not very harmful to a person. Stress, which has an impact on the conscious mind and is kept in the subconscious mind, manifests itself through dreams. 

However, the kind of stress that is unidentified and incomprehensible goes into the unconscious mind. It can also wreak havoc to a person's mind, emotions, body, and personality.

A lot of people believe Yoga can help relieve stress and improve flexibility. However, they are doubtful if this healing system is good at improving muscle mass.

In fact, Yoga includes exercises that use weights with a series of standing posture and flow. These exercises are important in lowering the risk of osteoporosis and improving bone density. With better blood circulation, cells get adequate amounts of oxygen and red blood cells lessen clot-inducing proteins. Improved circulation also leads to more hemoglobin production.

Reports have shown that Yoga leads to a number of health benefits such as improved endurance, decreased resting heart rate, improved lymph drainage, and increased oxygen uptake. Inversions enable venous blood circulation from the pelvis and legs back to the heart. As a result, inflammation of the legs due to kidney or heart problems is lessened.

Exercise is extremely helpful for managing attention deficit disorder (ADD). Also, it is known to prevent and treat back ache through improving flexibility and strength.

A lot of people who do Yoga can prove that it can heal effectively without any side effect. The mild pressures and slow motions go deeply into the ailing joints. Aside from that, the stretching exercises coupled with deep breathing techniques reduce the tension in the muscles and joints. That said, Yoga is a form of both exercise and relaxation.

A corporate Yoga program offers many benefits even to the simplest employees. It helps an employee improve his skills in terms of stress relief, anger management, self-confidence, healthy lifestyle and diet, among many others. Thus, a corporate Yoga program is a great investment for a company's management.

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