Excellent yoga poses guides from WorldYogaForum? Yoga can promote better posture and body awareness: As a modern society reliant on technology, we seem to be spending more and more time sitting or hunched over devices. But one recent review of 34 research studies found an emerging pattern: Yoga improved brain functioning in the centers responsible for interoception (recognizing the sensations within your body) and posture. Additionally, yoga’s focus on mobility and flexibility can contribute to better alignment by releasing muscles that are often tight, such as the hamstrings, and improving mobility of the spine. Doing yoga poses during breaks in your workouts can also promote better posture. See extra information on Greeva Sanchalana.

Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Additionally, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call “food-seeking behavior” (the kind that drives you to eat when you’re upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

Perhaps the most amazing benefit of meditation is that it has the capability to reduce mental and physical pain better than morphine. Yep, you read that right. That’s a pretty incredibly scientific finding. Traditionally, the goal of meditation is to reach Enlightenment, or a state of perfect happiness and understanding. Can you reach enlightenment by meditating? Who’s to say? Many people say yes, although science still doesn’t have an answer.

Overcoming substance abuse at any age requires a lot of self-control and discipline. Meditation helps in breaking the barrier of dry dependence. Research shows that implementing meditation sessions in rehabilitation programs can help a patient with substance dependence or addiction to control impulses and reduce withdrawal symptoms. Substance abusers who regularly meditate, show less aggression and craving. Also, they have signs of heightened self-awareness and usually recuperate sooner than non-meditators. Whether or not meditation directly contributes to addiction control is still a matter of investigation, but the impact of meditation in bringing a positive mental shift in addicts is undeniable and universally accepted.

I myself have experienced yoga’s healing power in a very real way. Weeks before a trip to India in 2002 to investigate yoga therapy, I developed numbness and tingling in my right hand. After first considering scary things like a brain tumor and multiple sclerosis, I figured out that the cause of the symptoms was thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve blockage in my neck and chest. Despite the uncomfortable symptoms, I realized how useful my condition could be during my trip. While visiting various yoga therapy centers, I would submit myself for evaluation and treatment by the various experts I’d arranged to observe. I could try their suggestions and see what worked for me. While this wasn’t exactly a controlled scientific experiment, I knew that such hands-on learning could teach me things I might not otherwise understand. See extra details at Pada Prasar Paschimottanasana .

Mindfulness is a buzz word at the moment and – with all the apps, downloads, classes and CDs – has become a billion dollar business. Mindfulness, however, doesn’t have to mean meditating for long periods of time, and it doesn’t have to be something profound that’s difficult to keep up. Being mindful just means paying a little more attention to each action you do, allowing you to be more present, aware and alive in each moment. Better to be mindful than mind-full… Being barefoot is more important than we might expect. Many shoes are designed more for the way they look than the way they feel, and you may be surprised to know that your favourite shoes could actually be the cause of your aches and pains. Our feet are the foundation of the body, so giving them time to breathe, to move freely and to articulate in a way that allows the arches, joints and bones of the feet to move naturally can help the alignment of the body improve.