Advancedsp.co.za Yoga: a 5 000-year-old healer
POWERFUL: SPORTS STARS SWEAR BY IT
It has been an interesting two weeks and my life feels a little chaotic and exciting at the same time. The pace at which I have been moving between people, projects and meetings and sorting out life’s “pop-up surprises” is just plain maddening. I have been meaning to stop and reflect, but it seems counter-productive. Why stop and smell the roses when the garden still needs watering?
It is strange that people tend to take more action when the deadline is tight. They have been instructed or are being instructed and perhaps looking towards yoga or meditation, by an instructor, as the answer for many people who have a fast-paced lifestyle. In delving deeper into these two areas I have noticed an increasing trend that people are turning to these forms of activities.
I turned to a good friend Nicole Francisco at YogaNation who specialises in yoga for kids and asked her why so many people are turning towards yoga and what the appeal is.
Her answer is simple: “We are living in a faced-paced world and kids and parents are having a disconnection between their bodies and minds. Yoga helps reflect inwards and helps you to listen to that inner voice again.”
Everyone has that little voice in their head or heart that guide and can tell you what is right or what is wrong and what to do. When your environment and lifestyle start depicting your actions, whereby you just “go! go! go!” then that voice is silenced.
Reflection on the way you act in public, your mood and your decision-making are all compromised. You basically are not putting your best foot forward all the time.
Yoga is a 5 000-year-old Hindu discipline, part of which includes breathing control, simple meditation with the adoption of specific poses with the aim of improved health and spirituality.
Conventional yoga will take you through a sequence of poses that have a purpose. This purpose can be tailored to your needs for greater flexibility, more hip mobility, better posture and overall suppleness.
Yoga requires you to be in the present in the moment, teaching you mindfulness and breathing techniques. When you are stressed you tend to breathe with a shallow breath and from the top of your chest. Yoga instructors help you breathe by filling your entire lungs with a much deeper and more oxygen-rich inhalation.
Francisco believes people start yoga because their doctor has referred them for a specific reason. Certain yoga styles are low impact activities that can be seen as a starting point to get back to former health and the second reason is to help sync your body and mind together.
Francisco adds that yoga has become popular among younger kids because parents feel they sometimes lose more focus and self-belief.
“Not every kid is competitive or likes competition and not every kid can be the star of their sports teams and that is why yoga is a powerful alternative. Everyone can shine in yoga and obtain the physical and health benefits which a sport can offer.”
Lorenzo Cohen, PhD and professor and director of integrated medicine programme at the University of Texas, conducted a study of 191 breast cancer patients (stage 0 to 3). Patients were randomised into three groups, one group did yoga, the other simple stretching and the third group no stretching.
The participants in the yoga and stretching classes performed hourlong sessions tailored specifically for breast cancer patients. They did this three times a week for the duration of the six-week radiation treatment. The research found that the woman practicing yoga had the greatest decline in cortisol levels. This basically means according to this research, yoga has the ability to help regulate stress hormone levels throughout the day. Cohen says this is important because higher stress hormone levels have been linked to worsen breast cancer outcomes.
For the active sportsman and up-andcoming great, the inability to have sufficient mobility caused by environmental factors like sitting for too long, or not stretching at all, have been linked to injury. By increasing your ability to be more flexible and more mobile, it will allow you to respond quicker in your position and keep you playing for longer. Yoga is used by some of the world’s greatest superstars because when everything is on the line, one cannot afford not to use such a powerful tool.
At the very least yoga can help you touch your toys again. So log on, or Google your local instructor and give it three sessions. If you do not feel great after that, send me some frustration mail.
Good luck and have fun while doing it.