Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thought for the day from Bindumandala
One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion. ”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.
He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion. ”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Yoga for obesity
Obesity is becoming an epidemic in some parts of the world, and it is starting in childhood. The food industry targets kids with food that has abnormally high quantity of fat and lacks all else in the form of nutrition. Coupled with that is a lack of participation in sports and physical activity, due to entertainment and technology that encourage a sedentry lifestyle. Yoga offers solutions to this unhealthy way of life that would invariably lead to obesity and a myriad health problems associated with that.
Yoga should be taught to very young children (starting from the age of 7) and made mandatory in schools. If yoga is brought to children fairly early on in their life, they will grow into healthy adults, aware of their body and mindful of what they eat. It cultivates mindful eating and develops awareness and compassion towards one's body from a very young age. Yoga can be used as a way to teach kids about their body and how to take care of it so that they remain healthy, youthful and happy throughout the rest of their lives.
Obesity is caused by a host of different factors. There is genetics, hormonal abnormalities, poor eating habits and a lack of exercise and sometimes a combination of these factors. Yoga can help in two ways: firstly it can prevent obesity from ever occuring and secondly, it can help with managing the condition once it has come about.
Obesity as we know can cause serious harm to a person's health. From heart disease to diabetes and stroke, it could potentially cause them all.
Some of the practices in yoga that can be successfully used to tackle obesity include:
The sun salutations: Yoga's claim to a cardio-oriented workout. It gets the heart pumping and flushes out toxins, while increasing metabolic activity.
Pranayama: The most effective way to fitness. As absurd as it may seem, these breathing exercises really help in reducing weight. They have a host of other benefits too.
Yoga nidra: rest and relaxation are key factors in any wellness or recovery program.
If yoga is coupled with a good diet and an active lifestyle, obesity can be kept at bay.
Yoga should be taught to very young children (starting from the age of 7) and made mandatory in schools. If yoga is brought to children fairly early on in their life, they will grow into healthy adults, aware of their body and mindful of what they eat. It cultivates mindful eating and develops awareness and compassion towards one's body from a very young age. Yoga can be used as a way to teach kids about their body and how to take care of it so that they remain healthy, youthful and happy throughout the rest of their lives.
Obesity is caused by a host of different factors. There is genetics, hormonal abnormalities, poor eating habits and a lack of exercise and sometimes a combination of these factors. Yoga can help in two ways: firstly it can prevent obesity from ever occuring and secondly, it can help with managing the condition once it has come about.
Obesity as we know can cause serious harm to a person's health. From heart disease to diabetes and stroke, it could potentially cause them all.
Some of the practices in yoga that can be successfully used to tackle obesity include:
The sun salutations: Yoga's claim to a cardio-oriented workout. It gets the heart pumping and flushes out toxins, while increasing metabolic activity.
Pranayama: The most effective way to fitness. As absurd as it may seem, these breathing exercises really help in reducing weight. They have a host of other benefits too.
Yoga nidra: rest and relaxation are key factors in any wellness or recovery program.
If yoga is coupled with a good diet and an active lifestyle, obesity can be kept at bay.
Labels: obesity, yoga for obesity, yoga for weight loss
Yoga: A wellness tool, not boutique fitness routine
Yoga has been accused of being an elitist passtime. The teaching and practice has been contorted to such a point that it has become inaccesible to ordinary folks. Now activists are having to step in to rescue its reputation by saying that it is meant for everyone, and can be used effectively in rehabilitation and healing. It is essential that it be made easily available to one and all irrespective of socio-economic standing or their current place in life, whatever that may be, they say. These activists are part of a movement that wants to take yoga beyond its image as a fashionable fitness fad, practiced only by the wealthy. They are saying that it can be applied as therapy for various groups considered at risk such as HIV/AIDS victims, homeless youth, toruture victims, drug addicts and those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, to name a few.
As a part of this effort started by George Washington University, yoga teachers and centres in the Washington DC area of America, are volunteering their time and services to help precisely these groups of people. It appears to be a collaborative effort between yoga centres and social services organizations to provide these groups of people the space for self-acceptance, healing and ultimately, integration back into society. One of the teachers participating in this effort says the goal is to give people access to the real yoga. The practice of asana, according to him, is not just about getting into a pose, but about getting grounded, observing the body and its limitations, accepting it and from there on, relating to the world around you.
Yoga is fast becoming a way to reach out to people and offer comfort during troubling times. It is being recongized as a form of therapy in the broadest sense. The time has come for this to happen because the world is looking for alternatives to traditional forms of therapy that are non-inclusive to begin with – that is, they diagnose the problem and prescribe a solution which often only serves to further isolate the victim.
Another yoga instructor and therapist says that giving people the possibility to empower themselves is a huge part of this inititative. Yoga scores highly in that area because it has the potential to do just that. These teachers are also attempting to deconstruct the idiom of movement in yoga so that more people can relate to it as a tool for wellbeing in the deepest sense of the word. The movements themselves could end up meaning nothing if they are not presented in the right way, body-awareness, breathing, observation and all.
As for the participants themselves, most feel that yoga has impacted their lives positively, and to them scientific verification is irrelevant as far as the effects of yoga go. There is a common perception amongst them that yoga can help heal deep wounds and make lasting changes for the better in people's lives. While some may prefer to use yoga explicitly for fitness, there is enough evidence to show that there is more to yoga than meets the eye. You don't have to stretch your imagination too far to see that, you just have to stretch, yourself.
Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080504065.html?hpid=moreheadlines
As a part of this effort started by George Washington University, yoga teachers and centres in the Washington DC area of America, are volunteering their time and services to help precisely these groups of people. It appears to be a collaborative effort between yoga centres and social services organizations to provide these groups of people the space for self-acceptance, healing and ultimately, integration back into society. One of the teachers participating in this effort says the goal is to give people access to the real yoga. The practice of asana, according to him, is not just about getting into a pose, but about getting grounded, observing the body and its limitations, accepting it and from there on, relating to the world around you.
Yoga is fast becoming a way to reach out to people and offer comfort during troubling times. It is being recongized as a form of therapy in the broadest sense. The time has come for this to happen because the world is looking for alternatives to traditional forms of therapy that are non-inclusive to begin with – that is, they diagnose the problem and prescribe a solution which often only serves to further isolate the victim.
Another yoga instructor and therapist says that giving people the possibility to empower themselves is a huge part of this inititative. Yoga scores highly in that area because it has the potential to do just that. These teachers are also attempting to deconstruct the idiom of movement in yoga so that more people can relate to it as a tool for wellbeing in the deepest sense of the word. The movements themselves could end up meaning nothing if they are not presented in the right way, body-awareness, breathing, observation and all.
As for the participants themselves, most feel that yoga has impacted their lives positively, and to them scientific verification is irrelevant as far as the effects of yoga go. There is a common perception amongst them that yoga can help heal deep wounds and make lasting changes for the better in people's lives. While some may prefer to use yoga explicitly for fitness, there is enough evidence to show that there is more to yoga than meets the eye. You don't have to stretch your imagination too far to see that, you just have to stretch, yourself.
Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080504065.html?hpid=moreheadlines
Labels: hatha yoga, wellness tools
Social activity one of the best medicines
Being and feeling a part of a close-knit social network is crucial for a persons health and wellbeing, say research findings. According to scientists, it could even guard against memory loss and the effects of aging more effectively than drugs and medication.
According to research, people are less likely to suffer debilitating conditions such as heart disease or stress-related illnesses and even prevent memory loss compared to people who are socially isolated.
Doctors and scientists agree that conventional medicine treats the individual in isolation from their social and environmental background. However, focusing on making patients feel a part of a social group could potentially be more therapeutic than administering drugs.
According to doctor Alex Haslam of the University of Exeter, human beings are social animals and being a part of a bigger group such as clubs and voluntary societies can give one a sense of social identity. He says that the sense of belonging is part and parcel of who we are and is integral to leading a fulfilling life. Therefore, social groups are indispensable to our health and wellbeing.
One scientific study conducted over five years looked at 650 patients with a history of stroke. According to this study, those who were a part of a closely knit social group were less likely to suffer a second life threatening health condition over a given period of time.
According to the medical fraternity, medical factors such as high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle and a hereditary factors responsible for heart disease were only likely to raise the likelihood of a second life threatening incident by 10 to 30 per cent. However, the absence of a social fabric with which one could identify was likely to raise the risk by 50 per cent.
Yet another study involving 70 members of an elderly care home found that people performed better in group activities rather than in one to ones. After several weeks of this group therapy, the subjects performed significantly better in standard memory tests. There is no drug known to have the same effect. According to doctor haslam, the group is the medicine. The same therapy administered individually would hardly have the same effect.
Similarly, when a group of firefighters were asked to asses their sense of belonging to the group, those with the highest sense of group cohesion were the ones likely to be more resilient to stress.
Tell us what you think. What group do you identify with and how does it affect your sense of self worth and overall feeling of wellbeing? For example, going to group activities such as yoga or Tai chi classes could serve the dual purpose of a group activity and therapy, thereby doubling the benefits of feeling part of a group.
According to research, people are less likely to suffer debilitating conditions such as heart disease or stress-related illnesses and even prevent memory loss compared to people who are socially isolated.
Doctors and scientists agree that conventional medicine treats the individual in isolation from their social and environmental background. However, focusing on making patients feel a part of a social group could potentially be more therapeutic than administering drugs.
According to doctor Alex Haslam of the University of Exeter, human beings are social animals and being a part of a bigger group such as clubs and voluntary societies can give one a sense of social identity. He says that the sense of belonging is part and parcel of who we are and is integral to leading a fulfilling life. Therefore, social groups are indispensable to our health and wellbeing.
One scientific study conducted over five years looked at 650 patients with a history of stroke. According to this study, those who were a part of a closely knit social group were less likely to suffer a second life threatening health condition over a given period of time.
According to the medical fraternity, medical factors such as high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle and a hereditary factors responsible for heart disease were only likely to raise the likelihood of a second life threatening incident by 10 to 30 per cent. However, the absence of a social fabric with which one could identify was likely to raise the risk by 50 per cent.
Yet another study involving 70 members of an elderly care home found that people performed better in group activities rather than in one to ones. After several weeks of this group therapy, the subjects performed significantly better in standard memory tests. There is no drug known to have the same effect. According to doctor haslam, the group is the medicine. The same therapy administered individually would hardly have the same effect.
Similarly, when a group of firefighters were asked to asses their sense of belonging to the group, those with the highest sense of group cohesion were the ones likely to be more resilient to stress.
Tell us what you think. What group do you identify with and how does it affect your sense of self worth and overall feeling of wellbeing? For example, going to group activities such as yoga or Tai chi classes could serve the dual purpose of a group activity and therapy, thereby doubling the benefits of feeling part of a group.
Labels: social group therapy, Yoga therapy