Home Practice The Best Way to Improve Your Health and Well Being Rerun

by Timothy McCall

Bed in a Mirror by Nina Zolotow

"If you are taking yoga classes but not practicing at home, you may be missing the best—and potentially most therapeutic—part of yoga. Your personal practice is where the deepest work happens, when you go inward and go at your own pace."—from Yoga As Medicine

This quotation from my book got posted on Facebook the other day and generated quite a bit of interest. But not everyone, particularly those who only take classes, agrees with the statement. A woman came up to me at a yoga conference earlier this year to say she’d heard me make a similar comment at a workshop I taught in Los Angeles a few years ago, and it made her really angry. It’s easy to understand that reaction when your experience in class has been so positive, and even healing.

But now scientific research seems to back up the notion that a regular home practice really is the key to health and well-being, perhaps particularly so as we get older. A study recently published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine by researchers at the University of Maryland and the National Institutes of Health found that, among more than 1000 practitioners of Iyengar yoga, the frequency of home practice predicted positive health more than how long you’ve been practicing or how many classes you attend per week. According to the article Frequency of yoga practice predicts health: results of a national survey of yoga practitioners:

“Frequency of home practice favorably predicted (p < .001): mindfulness, subjective well-being, BMI, fruit and vegetable consumption, vegetarian status, sleep, and fatigue.” 

In other words, those who practiced at home the most reported better health and well-being, greater awareness of themselves and others, improved sleep, less fatigue, and healthier body weight. They were even more likely to eat their vegetables! 

The study bore out something else I’ve been teaching for years: when you combine the various tools in the yoga toolbox including asana, breathing practices, meditation and even study of yoga philosophy you tend to get even better results. As the authors put it, “an intense practice involving all aspects of yoga practice may be more beneficial to health than a less intense practice that includes only one or two aspects of yoga practice, such as just practicing the physical poses or breath work.”

There also appeared to be additional benefits for combining different types of asana practices, such as standing poses, vigorous practices like Sun Salutations, restorative poses including Savasana, and inversions like Shoulderstand. Different practices appeared to be particularly beneficial for specific conditions. Vigorous asana and inversions seemed to help the most with insomnia and body weight, whereas, according to the authors, “because breath work and meditation appear to influence mindfulness and well-being, they may be particularly useful in treating conditions such as depression and anxiety.”

One finding that may be of particular interest to readers of this blog has to do with fatigue. Overall, older practitioners had less fatigue than younger practitioners, but both groups improved when they did yoga. But it appears to take less practice for older practitioners to experience improvements in energy.

As for the woman who was mad at me for saying that a home practice was more important than going to classes, she went on to say that, almost despite herself, she did try doing her yoga at home. Now she does it regularly and believes it’s the most important part of her practice. She thanked me profusely, though of course most of all she can thank herself!

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With Help From A Chiropractic Practice Inman Park Residents Can Enjoy Natural Health

By Luisa Sharpe

Few fields of study can boast the pace of progress set by the medical field. New cures and treatments are becoming available almost daily and many deadly diseases are now considered conquered. Despite these advances, many people prefer alternative treatment. The popularity of medical disciplines that are not invasive is growing rapidly. For example, to get an appointment at a chiropractic practice Inman Park residents in Atlanta GA will be surprised at how busy the schedule is.

Some people think that chiropractors are opposed to modern medicine but the facts are that many chiropractors are also qualified medical doctors. They believe, however, that it is better to prevent disease than to treat it once it is manifested. They also believe that modern medicine is invasive and that invasion should be avoided if possible. They certainly do not shun the benefits of modern medicine.

According to chiropractors the immune system is the key to good health. In turn, the key to a strong immune system lies with the nervous system. All body systems are regulated by the nervous system and if something goes wrong there, the result is normally the failure of one or more body systems that then lead to disease. The nervous system is therefore seen as vital to a healthy immune system.

Despite the fact that chiropractors pay a lot of attention to the nervous system the immune system remains the main focus in everything they do. Nobody will argue against the fact that the immune system is the first line of defense against disease. A weak immune system renders the individual vulnerable to infection and disease. In fact, the immune system often fights off potential disease without the knowledge of the individual concerned.

More and more people are seeking medical relief from treatments that are not invasive and medication that will not present a host of side effects. The increasing popularity of chiropractors is a sure sign of this trend. Chiropractors believe that most diseases can be prevented and that prevention is both cheaper and less invasive than treatment after a disease is diagnosed.

Chiropractic practitioners routinely use a procedure called spinal adjustment. The purpose of this treatment is to make sure that the spine is a hundred per cent straight. The treatment also aims at increasing the strength of the joint, thereby allowing greater flexibility. This aim is achieved by means of a specialized massage, although some practitioners use other methods to straighten the spine.

Chiropractors have their critics too. Many believe that they are charlatans that mislead their patients and that they mislead the public regarding their ability to treat disease. It is a fact, however, that numerous official and scientific studies have shown that the treatment provided by chiropractors is beneficial. There are no side effects and as long as the practitioner is experienced there is no danger either.

The increasing popularity of chiropractors may be indicative of a growing trend towards more natural remedies for medical problems. While modern medicine delivers miracles all the time, people want to turn back to those remedies that are natural, non invasive and effective nevertheless. Time will tell.

About the Author:

You can visit www.anyspine.com for more helpful information about When Visiting A Chiropractic Practice Inman Park Residents Will Be Pleasantly Surprised.

The Essence Of Natural Healthcare Practice Toronto Has To Offer

By Richard Stewart

Technology has seen a great milestone in all sectors of the economy. All this aside, as an individual, you must keep your body healthy and in proper function. Ensure that you eat well do regular exercises and also get enough sleep for the proper functioning of your brain. These natural health maintenance practices ensure prolonged health instead of multiple quick-fix plans. The script will point you towards natural healthcare practice Toronto has to offer.

Lifestyle stands as the major contributor to major health problems. Therefore, adopting a natural health lifestyle can offer your body what it requires to function well. When you go for the herbal remedies, the body is usually maintained, and therefore you do not require any other rebuilding after the treatment. It is critical to note that herbs do initiate the hormone production thereby stimulating the glands to re-balance the hormones in the body. The hormones are crucial in that they alert the body to increase or lower the biological processes.

This form of curing forms part of the usual health way of life. Most of the chemical medications achieve their intended purpose of cure; however, they are harmful in a way that they load the body with multiple foreign compounds. This is contrary to herbal remedies which work on a slogan combat infection with little or no harm to the body. They also have diverse functions, for instance, one may go for lemon water to eliminate kidney stones, the same would also function to reduce compounds that assist in their formation.

For your body to counter infections, your immune system must be strong. Herbs, for the most part, reinforce the bodys defense system enabling it to counter both primary and secondary infections. Natural curing practice has wide and diverse practices. These incorporate the body detox which removes the poisons aggregated in the adipocytes.

Stress affects the condition and productivity of an individual. To reduce the stress you need to have your body purified for it to have sufficient energy to counter this stress. When one is healthy, he can see the positive side of everything in life. All this boosts the productivity.

The natural curing also ensures your body is maintained not just for today but as far as you continue to incorporate these practices in your life. A stronger immune also improves metabolism thus improving optimal absorption of nutrients from the diet you take. It also makes people keep off junk food as they make a person add weight which is harmful to the body.

This health curing works perfectly in a body that is appropriately nourished. The reason for this is the fact that it boosts support as well as the effectiveness of interventions. These regimens have minimal adverse drug reactions if any, and this will ensure you go about your daily activities without any interruptions. With this in mind, you will side the fact that they are the better choice over Western medicine.

For you to continue living a good life free from any distractions due to the related health problems, you need to give your body what it needs. Take a step forward and experience some of the products and experience the health living. With the above points, you can comfortably discuss what you want to achieve.

About the Author:

In order to become familiarized with natural healthcare practice Toronto folks should first review the information that appears on the Net. For clear and practical advice on homeopathy, don't hesitate to check out this homepage on http://torontohomeopath.ca.