Can yoga make you Fit? || Flow Yoga and Health Studio

The more esoteric meaning of “hatha” is symbolic of balance. “Ha” means sun and “tha” means moon. The balance of “ha” and “tha” energies is the desired result of a hatha yoga practice. “Sun” energy is more fiery, strong, masculine, and active. “Moon” energy is more relaxed, grounded, feminine, stable and passive. By combining functional strength and functional flexibility you achieve physiological balance. “Flow” or vinyasa yoga also provides cardiovascular benefits.

Can vinyasa flow yoga help with medical conditions?

Yoga has been recommended for the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions. Valid studies have shown that yoga may reduce or eliminate symptoms of asthma, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.13, 14, 16, 17 There is some preliminary evidence that yoga can be helpful when it is practiced in addition to standard treatments for several conditions. These conditions include anxiety disorders or stress, asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression.9,11,13 Early studies also note that yoga may improve posture in children. Also, it has been found that yoga may reduce the intensity and frequency of tension or migraine headaches, decreasing the need for pain-relieving drugs.2

Is yoga just another form of fitness?

No. Yoga is so much more than fitness, if you want it to be. Yoga is a great stress reducer and mind body practice. Considering that some estimates indicate the 60% of all doctor visits are stress-related, more than ever, we need tools to help us learn to find our inner strength, stability and center.

The postures are able to assist in balancing the autonomic nervous system. This allows the body to be less “reactive” to changes in stress levels, or even vigorous exercise resulting in a calmer, less anxious physiological environment. Joan Harrington, PhD, states that based on study results, one can reasonably assume that fewer psychosomatic complaints will manifest in regular yoga practitioners. This is due to the direct manipulation of the muscles and viscera, the autonomic nerve system balance and the decreased anxiety.11 In fact, in a study investigating physiological changes after 3 months of training in yoga, investigators found that practicing yoga resulted in decreased autonomic arousal and more psycho physiological relaxation (heart rate and respiratory rate reduction) in the 40 subjects studied.12 In studies reviewed by Ralph LaForge, M.S., he found that in selected clinical trials using Hatha Yoga as therapy they found decreased resting blood pressure, increased parasympathetic tone, reduced physiological and psychological response to threat and improvement in baroreflex function/sensitivity. This are all indications of the body’s improvement in regulating reactions through the autonomic nervous system. Yoga may also affect levels of brain or blood chemicals, including melatonin and stress hormones.13

Through literature review of studies performed, Joan Harrington, PhD, found that studies showed that yoga can facilitate personality change. Yoga is highly effective in dealing with psychosomatic complaints and enhancing the feelings one may have of well-being. Participants are able to improve their feelings of physical health, reduce their anxiety, and enhance their self-concepts and emotional tone.

As Elliot S. Dacher, MD, author of Whole Healing: A Step-by-Step Program to Reclaim Your Power to Heal wrote, “Yoga is a way to get to the source of ourselves. The challenge is not to see yoga as a treatment for disease, but as an opportunity to see something deeper in the self. To reconnect with the body is one way of artfully facing the reality of pain in our life and a means for accepting and being in our lives more deeply.”

According to Stephanie, “Yoga can be a positive transformational tool for change. By taking time out of our busy lives a few times a week to focus on breathing and movement, we train our minds and bodies to react differently to circumstances in our lives. We let go of competition, judgment and expectations. We learn to better accept ourselves and others. Yoga can be a powerful tool for positive change by increasing our awareness of how we live, the decisions we make, and ultimately teaching us to live our lives with health, balance, and amazing joy. We are so pleased to be sharing the gift of yoga and friendship with the amazing community of Hood River.”

Part III

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