9 Ways Practicing Yoga Benefits Your Health and Well-Being
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
9 Ways Practicing Yoga Benefits Your Health and Well-Being
For thousands of years yogis have been touting yoga's mental and physical powers. Luckily, you don't have to be an expert to reap the benefits — adding just a few poses to your daily routine can help your health in all kinds of unexpected ways. "On a physical level, yoga helps improve flexibility, strength, balance, and endurance," says Linda Schlamadinger McGrath, the founder of YogaSource Los Gatos in Los Gatos, California, who is certified by Yoga Alliance, the world's largest nonprofit yoga association that certifies teachers and schools. “And on a psychological level, yoga can help you cultivate mindfulness as you shift your awareness to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that accompany a given pose or exercise." And there’s also a growing body of science showing that a regular yoga practice may benefit people with a host of chronic health conditions, including asthma, heart disease, and MS. That literature is not as established as the practice of yoga itself, but a lot of work has been done. Here’s what we know. 1 Yoga Boosts Emotional Health and Relieves Stress Exercise boosts energy and mood, and yoga is no exception. Many who practice it do so for its benefits in terms of relaxation and stress management. And studies have shown yoga interventions are linked to improved objective measures of stress levels in the body, like reduced evening cortisol levels, reduced waking cortisol levels, and lower resting heart rate, according to a review published in 2017 the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Yoga can yield emotional health benefits because it’s an exercise that works both the body and the mind, says Manuela Kogon, MD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford Health Care and an internal medicine doctor at Stanford University's Center for Integrative Medicine in California. “Yoga practice comprises not just movement, but dynamic movements tied to breath,” Dr. Kogon says. “Focusing on body postures can shift attention away from negative thinking.” And individuals with and without mental health conditions can benefit, she says. Research shows yoga can benefit people with depression and schizophrenia, according to a review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2 Yoga May Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep The relaxation associated with yoga can be beneficial for sleep, Kogon says. Gentle yoga before bed is recommended as a lifestyle change that can help people with insomnia, but it can be a great pre-bed routine for anyone. Practicing relaxing asanas, or postures, such as forward fold (Uttanasana) or lying on your back with your feet up the wall can be great to help you relax shortly before bedtime, says Tamal Dodge, the founder of Yoga Salt in Los Angeles. "They’ll help calm your body and, most importantly, your mind. 3 Yoga May Help Your Hangover The morning after a night of drinking, yoga may be the last thing on your mind, but maybe it shouldn’t be. Kogon says that while she’s not aware of scientific studies on yoga's ability to temper hangovers, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that it works. “It could be that the increased blood flow that comes with doing yoga helps eliminate the toxic effect of alcohol,” she says. Start with gentle poses, and if you feel any nausea, slow it down. 4 Yoga May Help With Chronic Back Pain “Back pain is eased with yoga because the practice helps improve flexibility and muscular strength,” says Kogon. Research suggests that yoga is a more effective treatment for chronic back pain than the usual care for improving back function. If you do have back pain, opt for gentler types of yoga, like hatha or Iyengar, rather than more vigorous practices, to avoid injury, Kogon says. And remember, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new type of physical activity if you do have an existing back problem or other medical condition. 5 Yoga Helps Fight Against Heart Disease There’s a growing body of evidence that yoga can benefit your heart. Several studies suggest yoga can help reduce known heart disease risk factors, like high blood pressure among those who are hypertensive, according to a review published in 2017 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Another study that followed patients with heart failure found that adding eight weeks of yoga to their treatment increased the patients’ capacity for exercise, improved their heart health, and enhanced their overall quality of life compared with patients who did not do yoga in addition to regular treatment. “Yoga increases blood flow and gets oxygen to the periphery of the body and relaxes blood vessels, which is good in heart failure. It eases the workload on the heart,” Kogon says. Physical activity, breathing exercises, and meditation separately are all known to help buffer cardiovascular disease risk factors, so it’s not a stretch to understand why studies have found yoga (which combines all three of these) helps do the same. 6 Gentle Yoga Movements Can Ease Arthritis Pain Regular exercise can help keep joints flexible, muscles toned, and weight under control, which is what people with arthritis need to manage pain. Yoga can be a great way for people with arthritis to stay active, becausethe gentle pace of movement can be less stressful than other types of workouts, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Studies have shown practicing yoga is linked to less pain and improved joint function in people with different types of arthritis. “We speculate that the increase in flexibility, increased muscle strength, and stress reduction are modifying factors in arthritis pain,” Kogon says. So it would make sense that yoga may help with symptoms. There isn’t hard evidence that one form of yoga is better than another for pain. As always, if you have a medical condition, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before trying a new type of physical activity. 7 Yoga May Help Ease Asthma Symptoms Yoga has certainly not been proved as a cure for asthma, but there is some evidence it might help with symptoms. A review published in 2016 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews that included 15 randomized controlled trials found that yoga was associated with improvements in quality of life and symptom management for people with moderate asthma. But more research is needed to determine the mechanisms of how yoga helps and whether or not it improves lung function (which causes asthma in the first place). Kogon says it makes sense that yoga would help with asthma symptoms because breathing exercises help relax the muscles in different parts of our lungs, which tighten and tense up during an asthma attack. “Asthma attacks can be quite stressful. Controlled breathing helps reduce stress which in turn helps regulate breathing,” she explains. 8 Yoga Can Help People With Multiple Sclerosis Manage Symptoms The loss of muscle function, coordination, and other issues that come with multiple sclerosis can be frustrating, but some research indicates that yoga might help with MS by improving both physical function and mood. Practicing yoga can help with day-to-day functioning by improving balance and muscle alignment, strengthening muscles, and promoting relaxation, which helps with overall stress levels, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Research has found that for people with MS, a regular yoga practice improved flexibility, along with quality of life factors like fatigue, well-being, and energy level. 9 Yoga May Help Reduce PTSD Symptoms Because yoga promotes well-being and helps with stress, many people turn to it after facing trauma or while dealing with difficult events to promote mental wellness. More and better-designed clinical trials are needed to better establish yoga as a tool to help with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the evidence that does exist suggests yoga can help, according to a review published in 2018 in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Even though coronavirus cases are slowing and stay-at-home orders are being lifted across the U.S., social (or physical) distancing practices are still important. Here’s why. There’s evidence suggesting that COVID-19 cases have “peaked” in the United States, leading many to believe we’re through the worst part of the novel coronavirus pandemic. But is it too soon to tell? Experts say, “yes.” Are COVID-19 cases slowing? As of right now, COVID-19 cases have declined — but mainly as a result of measures taken to “flatten the curve,” or slow the spread of the virus. Measures such as business and school closures, stay-at-home orders and social distancing have all helped to lessen the impact of the virus. And additional measures, like contact tracing programs, are identifying those who may have had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 to help prevent even further spread. “While it’s true that COVID-19 cases are slowing, there’s no way to be sure they will continue to dec...
Exercise & Fitness........ Exercising regularly, every day if possible, is the single most important thing you can do for your health. In the short term, exercise helps to control appetite, boost mood, and improve sleep. In the long term, it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression, and many cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following: For adults of all ages At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise like brisk walking or 75 minutes of rigorous exercise like running (or an equivalent mix of both) every week. It’s fine to break up exercise into smaller sessions as long as each one lasts at least 10 minutes. Strength-training that works all major muscle groups—legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms—at least two days a week. Strength training may involve lifting weights, using resistance bands, or exercises like push-ups and sit-ups, in which your body weight furnishes the resistance....
CORE COMPETENCY National Board-Certified Occupational Therapist of physical health Integrative and holistic physical health management Physical rehabilitation for the performance of activities of daily living Occupational rehabilitation to improve the performance of work requirements Holistic weight management for improved health Nutrient intake for physical body repair and function Chronic and Acute physical condition treatment and management Holistic and long-term Pain reduction and management Wheelchair mobility and acquisition assessment Work injury management and rehabilitation Repetitive stress injury prevention and management Functional Capacity Evaluations and Stroke Rehabilitation Fall risk reduction through rehabilitation and lifestyle modification
Comments
Post a Comment