Yoga and Meditation

You’re under stress, but you have to be in control all day long. Over time, that can lead to poor eating habits, the production of stress hormones and cardiac risk factors. The good news is you can reverse these risk factors non-pharmacologically and develop some habits for a lifetime that complement conventional diet and exercise.

Yoga can help you regain the state you want your mind and body to be in. It will help you relax.

Yoga is the most prominent form of the burgeoning mind-body health movement, which includes tai chi, qigong and other meditative forms of exercise. Mind-body fitness, which derives from Eastern philosophies and religions, improves physical and emotional well-being.

Mind-body exercise has many benefits; these benefits are showing themselves to be bona fide even under careful scientific scrutiny. In fact, mind-body exercise can do many things, not the least of which are to reduce cardiac risk and enhance mood.

Yoga’s soothing movements are easy on your joints while increasing strength, flexibility and muscle tone. In effect, it can make you feel better than aerobics, weight lifting, or running, which are much harder on your body.

The practice of yoga should integrate every aspect of human existence. While many modern Western practitioners focus on the physical asanas, for others, yoga is an all-encompassing way of life and a path to bliss.

Yoga certainly can be an ambitious undertaking, but in reality practicing it is amazingly easy and you can do it just about anywhere. If you utilize yoga to its full potential, you can incorporate its meditative and dietary practices as well as its code of ethics into your life. Usually, however, it’s practiced as a mixture of asanas, meditation and breathing exercises, also called pranayama.

There is a considerable amount of information available on how to breathe during yoga. When you breathe deeply, you become relaxed and energized at the same time, although the energy is different from what you may be used to experiencing. Not jumpy or agitated, this kind of energy is cool and composed.

If you’re feeling particularly stressed, try this five-minute “breath break” to energize yourself and release stress. Read through the instructions several times before you actually try following the steps.

1. Sit with your spine as straight as possible. Use a chair if necessary but don’t slump into it. Feet flat on the floor with knees directly over the center of your feet. Use a book or cushion under your feet if they do not rest comfortably on the floor. Hands are on the tops of your legs.

2. Close your eyes gently and simply rest them, lids closed.

3. Think about your ribs, at the front, back, and at the sides of your body. Your lungs are behind those ribs.

4. Now, slowly breathe in, filling your lungs up from the bottom. Picture your ribs expanding out and up. Now, breathe out, slowly, with your lungs emptying from top to bottom and your ribs gently contracting back down and in. Don’t push the breath out.

5. At first, repeat this exercise for two or three minutes. As you become more experienced, do it for 5 or 10 minutes. When you start out, set aside some time each day for this exercise. As you become more familiar with it and appreciate how much better you feel, you’ll want to practice it several times throughout your day.

If you practice yoga at home, it’s a good idea to use yoga DVDs to make sure you’re using proper form and technique. Be sure to choose one that’s suited to your level of flexibility and fitness, and also meets your requirements for long term health. If you’re a beginner, look for a video that features simple yoga poses.