Yoga is the
practice of creating unity between mind and body. When there's a disconnect
between mind and body, our lives move out of balance, causing stress, fatigue
and ultimately, illness. When you unify your mind and body through yoga, the
reverse occurs. Your body can start to heal and re-balance naturally, helping
you to feel healthier, happier and more alive.
Here are a few
reasons that yoga helps you heal:
1. Yoga brings
attention to your breathing, which is the single most important thing that you
do every day.
2. Yoga is a
spiritual practice that allows your mind to soften and your heart to open.It
can bring your awareness to the tension being held in your body, so that you
can let it go.
3. Yoga can help
you stay connected to yourself. Its a great way to know what is important for
your body and soul.
4. Yoga can help
you to gain clarity about things you're working through each day.
5. Yoga can help
you move beyond a negative inner-dialogue.
6. Balance poses in
yoga invite you to get out of your head and into your body.. There are lots of
different styles and levels of yoga allowing you to find the best 'fit' for you
7. Yoga gives you
healing tools to better cope with stressful events and trauma.
8. Yoga re-balances
your body and can help with weight loss, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS),
inflammation and other chronic ailments.
9. Yoga classes are
a great way to meet new, interesting and like-minded people.
10. Creating a
regular yoga practice can bring more flexibility and strength to your body. the
twists in yoga can help you feel stronger and better able to cope with life's
unexpected turns.
11. Yoga supports
you to consciously make better and healthier food choices.
12. Yoga opens you
up to new feelings like inspiration, joy and gratitude.
YOGA AND CANCER:
There is no
assurance that yoga will cure cancer; however, it may make cancer and its
treatment more bearable, both physically and emotionally.
Cancer patients are
discovering that yoga offers both an accessible form of exercise and a path to
mental clarity that is a welcome addition during and after treatment.
For cancer
patients, the breathing and meditative aspects of the practice can create much
needed clarity and peace, while the poses themselves provide a beneficial form
of exercise during treatment.
As one of the steps on Patanjali’s eight-step
path of yoga, pranayama has been practiced by yogis for thousands of years as a
way to quiet the mind and tap into the subtle, energetic realms of the body.
Prana is a Sanskrit term for the vital life force that animates all things;
ayama translates as extension or elongation. Pranayama enables the practitioner
to access prana and connect with the vast energetic network of the subtle body
by controlling and playing with the flow of breath.
Current research
has shown that beyond these subtle effects, pranayama has numerous observable
health benefits. Several studies provide evidence that yogic breathing
exercises help to induce a relaxed state by enhancing the action of the
parasympathetic nervous system (otherwise known as the “rest-and-digest
response”).
Researchers at the
University of California – San Francisco investigated how the health benefits
of pranayama specifically apply to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The
study had two aims:
1. To determine
whether it’s feasible for patients undergoing chemotherapy to practice
pranayama
2. To gauge the
effect of pranayama on common chemotherapy-associated symptoms (fatigue, sleep
disturbance, stress, anxiety, depression) and quality of life (QOL)
The researchers
concluded that pranayama is appropriate, beneficial, and can be safely
recommended for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Further study in this
area will hopefully offer even more definitive evidence of pranayama’s
efficacy.
Below are
instructions for the four breathing techniques taught to and practiced by
patients in the study.
1. BREATH OBSERVATION:
Sit or lie in a
comfortable position. Breathe naturally. Avoid forcing, controlling or
manipulating your breath. Shift your attention to your breath. Simply observe
and experience it without any judgment. You might notice the soft whispering
sound the breath creates; how long or short the breath is; how deep or shallow
it feels; or where in your body you feel the breath most noticeably. At certain
points during this practice, you might notice that your mind is no longer
focused on the breath. When this happens, acknowledge that the mind has
wandered and gently guide it back to the breath.
2. UJJAYI
(Victoriously Uprising Breath):
Sit or lie in a
comfortable position. Keeping the mouth closed, inhale and exhale through the
nose. Partially close the glottis (the opening between the vocal folds) by
slightly constricting the muscles at the back of the throat. The action in
these muscles should feel the same as when you exhale your breath onto a mirror
to create fog. As the muscles contract, you’ll begin to notice that your breath
creates a soft whispering sound similar to the sound of the ocean. Continue to
create this sound with the breath and find a steady rhythm, breathing in for
the same amount of time that you breathe out.
KAPALBHATTI* (Skull
Shining Breath)
Sit comfortably in
an upright position and bring your attention to your lower belly. It can be
helpful to rest one or two hands on the belly below the navel. Breathe in
deeply then exhale completely. Inhale about halfway; then begin a series of
short, sharp exhalations by pumping the abdomen. After forcing the air out by
contracting the abdomen, release the belly and passively inhale. Repeat this
several times. Start with however many breath cycles (one inhale and one
exhale) you can comfortably do, then relax and breathe normally. Gradually over
time, increase the number of cycles.
*Kapalabhati is
not recommended if you are pregnant or suffer from high or low blood pressure,
glaucoma, cardiac issues, or hernia.
3. NADI SHODHANA
(Alternate Nostril Breath):
Sit comfortably in
an upright position. Spread the fingers of the right hand. Create Vishnu Mudra
by curling the right index and middle fingers in towards the palm, while the
thumb, ring finger and pinky remain extended. Hold the right hand just beside
the nose as you take a deep breath in through both nostrils. Close the right
nostril with the thumb then exhale through the left. Inhale through the left,
close both nostrils by lightly touching the ring finger to the left nostril and
the thumb to the right. Lift the thumb and exhale through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril, close both, then lift the ring finger and
exhale through the left. Continue for several cycles of breath.
BELIEVE in yourself
and go wisely. If you are detected with Cancer in early stages then follow the
precautions and rules and see the magic of your spiritualism and yoga. Take
care and live well!
Thanks for reading and please keep visiting our blog to discover and appreciate more Yoddhas.
Feel free to contact the Yoddhas team at team@yoddhas.com
Lastly,
Praise the Yoddhas; Support the Yoddhas ; Love the Yoddhas!
Author- Srishti Jain.
(Yoddhas Ambassador)
