Yoga for All of Us: a modified series of traditional poses for any age and ability - This is for my people who think they may need to be modifying a number of poses due to age, limited mobility, etc. Great tool to have.
The eight limbs are comprised of ethical principles for living a meaningful and purposeful life; serving as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline, they direct attention towards one's health while acknowledging the spiritual aspects of one's nature. Any of the eight limbs may be used separately, but within yoga philosophy the physical postures and breathing exercises prepare the mind and body for meditation and spiritual development.[4,10] Based on Patanjali's eight limbs, many different yogic disciplines have been developed. Each has its own technique for preventing and treating disease.[1] In the Western world, the most common aspects of yoga practiced are the physical postures and breathing practices of Hatha yoga and meditation.[4] Hatha yoga enhances the capacity of the physical body through the use of a series of body postures, movements (asanas), and breathing techniques (pranayama). The breathing techniques of Hatha yoga focus on conscious prolongation of inhalation, breath retention, and exhalation. It is through the unification of the physical body, breath, and concentration, while performing the postures and movements that blockages in the energy channels of the body are cleared and the body energy system becomes more balanced. Although numerous styles of Hatha yoga exist, the majority of studies included in this manuscript utilized the Iyengar style of yoga. The Iyengar method of Hatha yoga is based on the teachings of the yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar.[1] Iyengar yoga places an emphasis on standing poses to develop strength, stability, stamina, concentration and body alignment. Props are utilized to facilitate learning and to adjust poses and instruction is given on how to use yoga to ease various ailments and stressors.
Yoga for All of Us: A Modified Series of Traditional Poses for Any Age and Ability
One of the main goals of yoga is to achieve tranquility of the mind and create a sense of well-being, feelings of relaxation, improved self-confidence, improved efficiency, increased attentiveness, lowered irritability, and an optimistic outlook on life.[9] The practice of yoga generates balanced energy which is vital to the function of the immune system.[9] Yoga leads to an inhibition of the posterior or sympathetic area of the hypothalamus. This inhibition optimizes the body's sympathetic responses to stressful stimuli and restores autonomic regulatory reflex mechanisms associated with stress. Yogic practices inhibit the areas responsible for fear, aggressiveness and rage, and stimulate the rewarding pleasure centers in the median forebrain and other areas leading to a state of bliss and pleasure. This inhibition results in lower anxiety, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output in students practicing yoga and meditation.[6,13,19,20]
Yoga increases blood flow and levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells which allows for more oxygen to reach the body cells, enhancing their function.[5] Yoga also thins the blood which can decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke, as they are often caused by blood clots. Twisting poses wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in when the twist is released. Inverted poses encourage venous blood flow from the legs and pelvis back to the heart and then pumped through the lungs where it becomes freshly oxygenated. Many studies show yoga lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve the maximum uptake and utilization of oxygen during exercise.[13,20,26] Consistently getting the heart rate into aerobic range lowers the risk of heart attack.[5] While not all yoga is aerobic, even yoga exercises that do not increase heart rate into the aerobic range can improve cardiovascular functioning.
While yoga is not a cure for a cancer, nor a definitive way of preventing it, yoga increases physical, emotional and spiritual wellness, and brings about a certain peace, of which many cancer patients desire.[27] Yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation can reduce stress, promote healing, and enhance quality of life for patients with cancer.[28,29] The growth of tumors and other cancer indicators are exacerbated by stress, thus it is especially important for people with cancer to reduce and manage stress effectively.[27] Several premises exist as rationale for applying yoga-based interventions with cancer patients. Research suggests that yoga can produce an invigorating effect on mental and physical energy that improves fitness and reduces fatigue.[28] Additionally, when practicing yoga, a fundamental emphasis is placed on accepting one's moment-to-moment experiences creating mindfulness and not forcing the body past its comfortable limits. Having this healthy sense of acceptance is especially important for individuals dealing with life-threatening illness as it decreases the stress one experiences from unpleasant symptomology. Initially, cancer patients likely benefit from the poses themselves which are designed to exercise each and every muscle, nerve and gland throughout the body.[27] The postures precisely address the tension, holding, and blockage of energy in any particular joint or organ. As this tension is released, energy flows more readily throughout the body and allows patients to experience a sense of increased well-being and strength as well as a balance of mind, body and spirit.
While stimulation is good, too much taxes the nervous system and yoga provides relief from excess stimulation and the stressors and hectic nature of modern life.[5] Restorative postures, savasana, pranayama, and meditation encourage pratyahara, a turning inward of the senses which enables downtime for the nervous system, the byproduct often being improved sleep. Pharmacological treatment of insomnia is often associated with hazardous side effects such as states of confusion, psychomotor performance deficits, nocturnal falls, dysphoric mood, impaired intellectual functioning and daytime sleepiness, especially in older adults.[30] Therefore, alternative forms of therapy for improving sleep are becoming utilized more frequently. These alternative therapeutic approaches can be generally classified into three categories: behavioral based educative methods (e.g. avoiding caffeine or other stimulants before bedtime), relaxation techniques (e.g. progressive muscular relaxation, yoga, and meditation) and formal psychotherapy. Because of its ability to increase relaxation and induce a balanced mental state, yoga has been studied to evaluate its possible effects on sleep and insomnia.[16,30]
Yoga's ability to increase relaxation and induce a balanced mental state was studied to evaluate its effect on sleep quality and improving insomnia. Regular practice of yoga resulted in a significant decrease in the time taken to fall asleep, an increase in the total number of hours slept, and in the feeling of being rested in the morning.[30] Additionally, yoga had a positive influence on sleep patterns in individuals with lymphoma.[16] Furthermore, participation in yoga classes improved self-reported quality-of-life as well as measures of physical function among an elderly population.[14]
While no concrete guidelines exist regarding the frequency of practice, the more you practice the more you benefit. Yoga is a personalized practice and as such, frequency and duration are personal questions with individual answers. Practice should happen with wisdom and should be modified to meet individual needs and goals. Individuals should practice as often as possible, especially in the beginning. The length of the induction phase will vary depending on an individual's initial level of fitness and health status; the more difficult yoga is for someone in the beginning the more their body needs it.
A balanced practice that incorporates basic yoga postures, breath awareness and relaxation. Postures are modified to meet individual needs. Vinyasa / Sun Salutation series typically make up 20-30 minutes of class time. Classes may include floor work (seated, reclining or on abdomen), balance poses (using a stability ball or wall as needed), supported inversions using the wall for poses such as such as shoulder stand or half-handstand, core work, gentle back-bends (e.g camel, bridge). Restorative poses end the class (e.g. knees to chest, spinal twists, internal hip rotations) followed by a guided relaxation. Students should be able to sit, kneel, be on abdomen, back or stand with minimal modification. Instructors guide students to develop safe alignment.
Warm High Intesity Interval Training classes are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. In this class we mix 44 minutes oftraditional vinyasa movement with 16 minutes of high intensity postures designed to raise the heart rate for heart and lung health. We repeat dynamic yoga movements for eight rounds of 20 secondseach (4 minutes of activity with seven 10 second breaks) four times throughout the class. Each dynamic movement is specifically tailored to be available and modifiable for every body and every levelof yoga ability and fitness, and the class is intended to raise each individual's fitness level at their own pace. This class follows 'The Tabata Protocol', a scientifically proven method to buildcardio fitness and lung capacity, and increase fat-burn for up to 72 hours. This is a class for everyone!
This strength-building class incorporates hand weights and high-intesity cardio bursts for a maximum calorie-burning effect. Hand and legweights add new challenge to traditional yoga classes, and this heated class also incorporates cardio exercises to get your heart pumping and blood flowing. And of course, there's always a coreworkout mixed in! Accommodations will be offered during this modified vinyasa class for all bodies and abilities. It is not necessary to use weights to participate in this class. 2ff7e9595c
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