Benefits of Heated Yoga

What is Heated Yoga?

Heated yoga is traditional yoga which takes place in a room whose temperature is increased to between ninety five and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The style used is often linked poses which are vigorous and promote increased sweating while raising the body temperature.

Heated yoga is a low-impact exercise which reaps many benefits for your mind, body, and soul. Hot yoga is a series of linked yoga poses which are done in a room with a temperature between ninety five and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. This is done so that your body sweats more during the yoga exercise, leading to increased results and ridding your body of toxins.

Doing yoga in a heating room feels much the same as a sauna. The heated room increases the pulse, metabolism, and the flexibility of the blood vessels. The latter increases blood flow to each of your limbs during the exercise and eases circulation. If your muscles are cold they are prone to injury, but keeping them warm (hence the reason athletes "warm-up" before exercising) can help your body move freely. When you do hot yoga, your body will sweat profusely and this sweating will control the internal body temperature.

The series of flowing postures used during heated yoga allows your muscles to remain flexible as the body moves from one pose into the next. Hot yoga offers the same benefits as traditional yoga, but forces you to truly focus your thoughts. You have to push yourself beyond what is normal for yoga, because of the extreme heat conditions.

There are psychological benefits associated with incorporating heated yoga. By doing yoga your flicker fusion frequency improves, as well as your depth perception, symbol coding, learning efficiency, and your concentration. Doing yoga daily or weekly can also increase your memory and attention. You can increase your mood, self-actualization, social skills, and your overall well-being by doing even a basic yoga workout each day for just fifteen minutes. By doing yoga you can increase your somatic awareness, kinesthetic awareness, and self-acceptance. Yoga leads to increased social adjustment and decreased hostility, anxiety, and depression.

The biochemical benefits of heated yoga will decrease your glucose levels, your sodium levels, as well as your total cholesterol. By implementing yoga you will also decrease your triglycerides, your LDL, and VLDL. You will increase your HDL, cholinesterase, and ATPase. When doing yoga you will decrease your catecholamines and total white blood cell count. You will increase your total serum protein, vitamin C, as well as thyroxin. When you incorporate yoga into your daily life you can enjoy an increased lymphocyte count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.

The health benefits of heated yoga are better than traditional exercise for many reasons. Firstly, when you exercise with yoga your parasympathetic nervous system dominates. At the same time, the subcortical regions of your brain will dominate.

Doing yoga in lieu of other exercises will produce slow and dynamic yet static movements while you enjoy a normalization of your muscle tone. By doing this you can decrease your risk of injury while minimizing the total effort your body puts out during each work out or session. You will also cause your mind to be aware of the internal things such as breathing while working out in a process-oriented and non-competitive environment. In such a state, your energy is controlled through the process of yoga breathing.

I have found that heated yoga helps relax your muscles and prepares your body for a fulfilling workout.

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Relief for Pediatric Conditions Through Yoga

Families who have sickly, depressed or injured children would do anything to make them feel better. They pay for therapy, take them to the doctor for checkups and treatments, and generally do anything to help them feel at ease. Studies today show that yoga-centered treatments can have a good effect on pediatric conditions like the ones mentioned above.

Classes that teach basic yoga poses for children can often pinpoint a significant improvement in their pediatric issues. It doesn't matter if the child is tired, in pain, or just hyperactive and easily distracted. The teachers and parents alike saw that after a few sessions of yoga, the children were generally calmer, focused, and reported feeling less pain and exhaustion.

The Emotional Benefits of Learning Yoga Basics

Yoga instructors often teach children by 'playing pretend,' trying to get them to see the connection between themselves, their peers, and the world at large. The children who took yoga at least 45 minutes every week reported feeling more relaxed, imaginative, and reflective of their actions. The results were the same regardless of the children's ages.

More than a thousand schoolteachers in the United States these days chose to train in yoga instruction. Hundreds of school districts now offer mind-body practices and yoga-inspired activities into their curricula. Schools report that yoga-inspired class activities were effective in teaching their students self-control, anger management, respect, and good hygiene, and health practices.

The Pediatric Conditions Addressed through Yoga

Yoga elevates your mood and makes you feel better, and has a literal effect on your physical condition. Children and teens who take yoga classes and practice regularly can notice a significant amount of relief from physical ailments and emotional conditions.

Below are some of the conditions that yoga can relieve. They include:

ADHD

Students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, can be hard to control. This condition makes their attention span short, distracting them from activities and disrupting the flow of their classes. A paper from the Journal of Attention Disorders presented facts on how ADHD medication and yoga could go hand-in-hand. It provides the children with a way to focus and relax, which makes their medication more effective.

Chronic Pain

Accident-prone children have a high risk of developing chronic pain in adulthood. They are not as likely to suffer from long-term pain, but the risk is still high. The researchers from Children's Hospital in Boston studied the effects of yoga together with anesthesia programs. They suggested that yoga's relaxation and breathing techniques could be an invaluable part of many pain management programs.

Today, yoga is one of the most sought-after forms of alternative pain management. Almost 86 per cent of pain clinics offer yoga as one of their alternatives.

Depression

Teens and young adults often suffer from depression, but the symptoms and onset actually begins during childhood. Research indicates that practicing yoga at a young age can effectively reduce the symptoms of depression among adolescents, teenagers, and young adults.

According to the Alternative Therapies journal, a depressed youth can benefit from undergoing two or more yoga sessions each week. The youths who chose to try to yoga basics showed marked improvements in mood and anxiety levels. It also helped them relax and think.

Yoga can improve many more conditions aside from the ones listed above. Some journals suggest that yoga plays a big role in children who suffer from severe mental and physical problems. Yoga-centered treatments is also a big help for respiratory health conditions like asthma, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome.

There are many yoga studios offering classes for children, adults, and groups today.

Click here to learn more about the health benefits of yoga.

Stephanie is an avid yoga practitioner who goes to yoga classes every week.

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Yoga and Asthma - The Benefits of Yoga

The many benefits of yoga have long been stated by yoga gurus and teachers, but there have not been many scientific studies to prove this. Lots of yoga practitioners rave about how great they feel and how many illnesses and symptoms have improved or disappeared after months and years of yoga practice.

A recent study has shown clear benefits from regular yoga practice on asthma symptoms. The study completed this year in New York followed two groups of people with asthma and no other significant types of difference. There was a control group consisting of 20 people who did not follow the yoga practice. After a ten week period the group of 20 doing regular yoga showed an improvement of 43 percent in heart rate variability, oxygen consumption and ventilation whilst performing two tasks compared to the control group who did no yoga.

This is great news for both people who do yoga and those with asthma, to improve your medical condition after ten weeks is quite amazing and to do so without any change in medication or procedures is wonderful. This is an improvement assessable to everyone although any exercise program should obviously be discussed with your doctor first.

Yoga can be adapted to consider any disability with a good yoga teacher; it is advisable to take some classes before using any home DVDs. The study group practiced three times a week, two classes and one home session equaling 165 minutes a week. I really want this information out there to help others, as a yoga practitioner and someone with asthma, I consider yoga to be essential to my general well being and health.

Yoga is a wonderful way to get fit and healthy. There are many ways to get a healthier lifestyle. Check out [http://greenssupplements.com]

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Using Yoga to Lose Weight

These days there are many alternative ways to get fit. Pilates and yoga are both great ways to stretch the muscles, lessen stress, and start some weight loss (and certainly more interesting than using a treadmill). If you want to lose weight by using yoga, follow these steps.
 
Eating healthy. Yoga and nutrition have little in common. But it has everything to do with losing the pounds. Exercising is imperative for weight loss. You cannot get away with doing one without the other. Jumpstart your yoga weight loss results by making sure you eat healthy too.
 
Work out for a long enough period of time. As a cardio exercise, yoga is not as effective, even though it offers the same weight loss benefits. To ensure that doing yoga is effective in helping you to reach your weight loss goals, do it for long enough periods. Aim for a 60 to 90 minute yoga session 3 or 4 times a week if yoga is going to be your only form of weight loss exercise. You can also add to your workouts by running or walking. Just be sure to get four to five hours in total of heavy cardio workouts in a week, whether from just yoga or not.
 
Ashtanga yoga. Even though there are many different types of yoga, not all will help you shed pounds. Ashtanga yoga helps in reducing weight. Enrol for a beginner's class until you learn the proper poses and stretches. Or why not try a DVD and do yoga at home.
 
Try Power yoga. I can give another method for yoga for weight loss. It is power yoga. Because it is a high intensity cardiovascular workout, it is a very popular form of yoga. This kind of yoga is not for faint-hearted! You will sweat the whole time you're there.

By simply doing a few power yoga sessions a week you will begin to notice a quick weight change.

 
Think about doing yoga in a warm environment. Not surprisingly, doing a workout in a warm area helps people lose weight. It's known as "Hot yoga" because the workout room has the heat turned up high to guarantee that you'll feel hot and sweaty when doing the workout.
 
Yoga at home. The key to shedding pounds through yoga is to stay motivated. If you're not comfortable working out with others, try different types at home. The great thing about yoga is that you have the choice of going to the gym or doing it in your living room. 

Tiffany Provost writes about exercise yoga and other health and fitness tips for HowToDoThings.com.

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Yoga is a Safe Solution to Weight Control

One more study tells the world, that Yoga can help with weight control and weight loss. The latest study was held by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

The study involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged, men and women. This is a group that typically has difficulty with weight loss, since the number of calories needed declines, and the energy levels needed to burn calories, is not what it used to be.

Unfortunately, this is a fact that I have become painfully aware of during the past few years, and cutting back on food was my unwanted last option. Although, I cross train almost daily, it took me one year to lose 16 pounds of extra weight.

Back to the study: Yoga practice was defined as practicing at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years. Comparatively speaking, this is truly "bare minimum," and many Yoga teachers used to say that this amount of Yoga will do nothing.

How times change; Yoga has been keeping people fit for approximately 5,000 years, and its many health benefits are still a mystery worthy of more studies.

Alan R. Kristal, Dr.P.H., the study's lead author at Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division said, "Men and women who were of normal weight at age 45, and who regularly practiced Yoga, gained about three fewer pounds during that 10-year period than those who didn't practice Yoga."

Until all the studies are in, it would be safe to say that adding Yoga practice to your weekly routine, and eating wisely, will contribute to weight control or weight loss.

When seeking a Yoga teacher, find one who is compassionate, yet will encourage you to practice more frequently. The results you will gain from regular practice, of three to four Yoga classes per week, will be extraordinary, especially, if you practice Yoga for years.

Yoga is very low impact - in comparison to many aerobic exercise routines, and can be practiced for longevity. Your knees, spine, hips, and shoulders, will thank you for the condition Yoga will keep them in. Many of today's "standard" forms of exercise do not have the same "bragging rights," as Yoga.

With respect to eating, take the time to identify hunger and cravings. You will notice that they are not the same thing. Being a chocolate lover, it is much better to eat a piece of chocolate, now and then, than to buy a dozen chocolate donuts. This is not to justify, or surrender, to chocolate, but to eat it in moderation, and not every day.

Based upon what I have said so far, it is all about identification, control, and moderation. We have to stop "mindless eating" habits.

Recently, researchers found that women who received a 1200 mg. calcium supplement, on a daily basis, reduced their number of premenstrual food cravings by 54%.

On another note: When you have anxiety, your body produces more of the hormone cortisol, which may increase the volume of carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates temporarily increase our levels of serotonin, making us feel relaxed for the short term.

Learn the art of substituting foods for more nutritionally dense variations. I cover this, in detail, in my eBook, "14 Days to Change Your Life," which will be released in August 2005.

Being in the best shape you can be is also connected to positive thinking. Therefore, use self-improvement sources to keep you on the right track toward optimum health.

Paul Jerard, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? - for Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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Yoga and Pregnancy: Advice for Instructors and Students From a Mother of Three

I have been a student of yoga for 11 years now. Usually I will take about two classes a week and alternating with other forms of exercise, such as walking or karate, but during my three pregnancies I have taken as many as 4 yoga classes per week, especially near the end. Whether pregnant or not, I have found yoga practice to be very beneficial. I sleep better, I feel better, and I'm more flexible. There are no pregnancy yoga classes in my area, but I have studied with more than a dozen instructors over the years, many of them certified in teaching yoga to pregnant women. I have been given some very strange and contradictory advice over the years -- some of the strangest coming from the instructors so certified.

With my current pregnancy well into my 9th month and after months of trying to contain my frustration with well-intentioned but erroneous instructors, today I snapped. I got into an argument in the middle of one of my yoga classes with an instructor who forbade me to lie on my back with my legs elevated against the wall. She informed me (incorrectly) that to do so would harm my unborn child. This was like being told not to take a multivitamin because swallowing the entire whole bottle is toxic. The first time she told me I was harming my unborn child, it scared me. I worried about it, talked to another instructor, and finally asked my doctor. My doctor informed me that, while she wouldn't want me to lie on my back for an hour or fall asleep that way, there is absolutely NO problem lying on my back during a yoga class for up to 15 minutes (personally, 5 minutes is enough for me). Short periods of lying back with legs elevated reduces edema, and is beneficial for pregnant women.

This is not the first time I've been given misinformation regarding pregnancy yoga practice by an instructor who considered themselves knowledgeable. I've also been told:

• never to stand on one foot in late pregnancy (e.g. tree pose) because of pressure to my pelvis
• never to use my abdominal muscles
• never to raise my arms in the air

My doctor found these strictures mystifying and amusing.

Reasonable modifications I've been given by yoga instructors include:

• not standing on my head
• not laying on my stomach, and
• not doing spinal twists in late pregnancy

For yoga instructors who are concerned about safely supporting pregnant women in their classes, and worried about any of their students' capacities, I would suggest requesting a doctor's note. I've had massage therapists ask for this too. I would advise instructors to be very specific about any postures of concern (e.g. list and describe any such postures and ask the doctor to grant permission for their patient to do each one). There are many kinds of woman's bodies, and there is a big difference between someone taking yoga for the first time vs. an experienced long-term student. There is a big difference between a healthy pregnancy and a high risk pregnancy. There is not one type of pregnant body. What is safe for one woman might not be safe for another.

Yoga instructors: get your facts straight. It is obvious to me from my own experience with numerous instructors that many books and teacher trainings about pregnancy yoga are as likely as not to pass on over-simplified, incomplete, or simply inaccurate information. Others are extremely conservative, probably due to fear of liability. If you are going to give advice, make sure it is accurate and complete. Make sure it is evidence-based and not an old wife's tale. Try to avoid passing on unwarranted fear and stress through misinformation. When in doubt, consult with a health care professional - or more than one.

Pregnant Yoga students: Listen to your body. Take it easy, and do not push yourself beyond your limits. At the same time, if you are used to being physical active in your pre-pregnancy life, are in good physical condition, and have your doctor's permission to exercise, do not be afraid to give yourself an actual workout. Don't be afraid to question your instructor. If it does not feel good, don't do it - even if the instructor tells you it is okay. Conversely, if something feels good, it is probably okay. However, take any of your concerns, or those expressed by your instructor, seriously enough to double check with your doctor or midwife. Too make things even more complicated, health professionals are not always in agreement either. So, when in doubt, we must all navigate sometimes contradictory advice to make as an informed choice as possible.

A teacher student relationship is a trust relationship. The student trusts that the information given by the instructor is accurate. The instructor trusts that the student will communicate their needs and limitations and behave responsibly. This is particularly essential when the student is pregnant, so I am distressed that there is so much contradictory and inaccurate information being passed around. The only advice I can offer, is to seek multiple sources of information within both the health care and the yoga communities. Do not to be afraid to question authority. If necessary, seek additional opinions, new classes and mentors. Make decisions that are thoughtful and informed - not based in fear or ignorance.

Pamela Block, Ph.D.
Cultural Anthropologist, yoga enthusiast, and mother of three

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Yoga For Weight Loss - 3 Steps To See Results

More and more people are turning to yoga as a form of exercise, and as a way of losing or maintaining their weight. It's estimated that over 16 million people practice yoga in the US alone and that figure continues to increase as more and more people become aware of the benefits yoga can offer.

While weight loss is not one of the core concepts of yoga, it's certainly true that regular practice of asanas can assist in weight control, but to see any real benefits there are 3 key concepts you need to be aware of. Specifically you need to ensure that you are practising the right style of yoga, that you are practising on a regular basis, and that you embrace yoga as part of a healthy lifestyle.

1. Style of yoga

There are many different styles of yoga, and some are far more valuable for weight loss than others. Static forms of yoga where postures are help for extended periods of time to build strength and balance, such as Iyengar yoga, will have minimal weight loss value. A faster, more flowing vinyasa form of yoga however, such as Ashtanga will get the heart and lungs working, the blood pumping, and will burn far more calories. So if one of your main goals from yoga is helping you lose weight, look for Ashtanga or Power Yoga classes.

2. Frequency of practice

It almost goes without saying, but popping along to a yoga class once a month really isn't going to do much good, whether you want to lose weight or get any of the other benefits yoga can offer. Ideally you want to be practising yoga on a daily basis, but realistically you should aim for 2 good sessions of at least an hour, preferably 90 minutes, every week. If you can attend 2 90 minute classes each week, and find some time to practice sun salutations at home you will start to notice the benefits quite quickly.

3. Part of a lifestyle

Yoga is a lifestyle choice. All the benefits that yoga can offer, from weight loss, increased strength, flexibility and balance to reducing stress, improving self esteem and confidence, and aiding with relaxed sleep will mean nothing if you goggle a hamburger right after class, don't get enough sleep, and fail to practice what you're taught. The good news however, is that over eating is often largely emotionally triggered. Since yoga will help improve your self esteem and confidence, it is also likely to help you control your snacking, and you may well find that you'll be able to keep your weight under control much easier as your yoga progresses.

Following these 3 key points - choosing the right style of yoga, practising on a regular basis, and including your yoga as part of a healthy lifestyle - will give you the best possible results.

Whatever the goals of your yoga practice, remember that yoga is about unity, and learning control of your mind and body. Yoga isn't about rushing or forcing anything, so be patient, take your time, enjoy your yoga practice and the results will follow.

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