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Sunday, August 30, 2009

How can yoga help in cerebral palsy treatment?

The need to create more awareness among people about cerebral palsy and the need to accept it has to grow amongst the people of this world. Most parents who have children who have cerebral palsy are often dejected and wonder how they are going to find the right kind of treatment for their child. Since there is no established cure for this disorder, there are different types of treatments, which are available.

While most people often resort to medications and various therapies to help reduce pain and muscular movement in the limbs, many parents prefer to look at alternative treatments for their children without having to use medications that have side effects. Parents can become more aware of alternative treatments that are available for treating cerebral palsy. These are found not only in journals but also on the internet.

Parents of children with cerebral palsy can consider teaching their kids yoga. Yoga postures help to reduce the high muscle tone, which is present in children with cerebral palsy. Yoga helps to stretch these muscles and tendons thus allowing them to become less rigid. This allows free movement in the joints over a period. Not only will this yoga postures when performed by patients of cerebral palsy find that areas, which have low muscle tone, also are exercised. Thus both low and high muscle tone parts get the exercise they need so much.

Yoga is a simple set of exercises, which most children would love to do. So it will certainly not be difficult to cultivate this system of exercises in children with cerebral palsy. Of course, a certain amount of care and patience is required before they can get some results. Yoga not only helps to tone their muscles but it also helps them become more relaxed.

The yoga postures, which help stretch and twist the spine, are extremely useful in increasing the distance between the vertebras in the spinal column. This helps to reduce the pressure on the spinal discs and this will result in the reduction in pressure on the nerves. Muscular tension becomes relieved and there is an overall enhancement in the neurological functions allowing the child with cerebral palsy to move their limbs with more flexibility. The affected child gets a greater range of movement and there is greater coordination in the muscles over a period. This allows the child to be more independent and take care of their own personal work like getting dressed for school, brushing and washing themselves etc.

If your child has
">payday loans cerebral palsy and you would like to enroll him or her in a yoga school, it is time you sat down and began looking for one that is close to your home. Many yoga teachers and instructors would be most willing to help your child get over with its disability. You can begin by searching the internet where you are sure to find a list of yoga schools in your area. Enroll your child immediately and watch your child flower. You will be surprised to see the big difference and the ease with which your child now moves around much more independently and that too with confidence.


Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_615864_17.html

All About Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is a text that covers many aspects of life, beginning with a code of conduct and ending with the goal of yoga, a vision of one's true Self. The Pantajali'sYoga Sutras is probably the most authoritative text on yoga. It defines yoga as a focusing of the attention to whatever object is being contemplated to the exclusion of all others. Yoga isn't only about postures, or meditation, it is a way of life, or religion. In this influencing scripture there are eight steps to awakening or enlightenment through yoga. These eight astanga or limbs of yoga are: yamas, niyamas, asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

The yamas consist of lessons in moral and social conduct in our environment. It teaches us to restrain from lying, stealing, and greed. Non-violence and consideration toward all living things is the key. Communication with sensitivity towards others and moderation in all things we do is revered.

The niyama focuses on attitudes towards ourselves: compromising, cleanliness, serenity, devotion, and asceticism. One should study and reverence to a higher intelligence. There is an acceptance of our limitations in relation to God. It is key to have removed the impurities from the mind and body.

In the asanas, one focuses on posture practice, positioning the body while incorporating the breath to achieve a greater awareness in the mind. One is alert and relaxed without tension, while observing the reactions of the body and breath to various postures. This minimizes the effect of the external influences on the body, such as diet and climate.

Pranayama, or the restraint and control of the breath, helps with concentration, energizing and balancing of the mind and body.

Pratyahara is the relaxation of the senses, where no distractions actually activate the mind.

Dharana, or concentration, is the ability to direct the mind toward a chosen object and focus in on it alone.

Dhyana, or meditation, is the ability to develop focused interactions with what we seek to understand.

Lastly, but most importantly, Samadhi is the ultimate state of Self-realization, or union with the Source.

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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_992207_32.html

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Bending It Like Bikram - Hot Yoga, A Novice's Findings

Having been encouraged to give Bikram Yoga a try, it was with some trepidation that I climbed the stairs to the studio. For those of you unfamiliar with this fom of the ancient Indian practice, it involves doing yoga postures in a room heated to 40 degrees.

It was therefore with some trepidation that I found myself slipping into my shorts, grabbing my two towels and bottle of water and heading into the yoga room. The room itself was big with mirrors all along one wall. Picking up a rubber yoga mat I took my place among the other acolytes. Soon enough I heard what sounded like a ship's boiler roaring into life and the room started to get warm, then hot. Next news is that a very fit looking woman hoves into view with a Madonna-esque radio mic and let's us know that we are about to begin.

After a bit of preamble about not pushing yourself too hard and that just staying in the room for 90 minutes was an achievement it was time to start the first breathing exercise. This completed I was puffing like the Flying Scotsman and redder than Dennis Healey. I was also sweating up a storm. After breathing it was straight into Half Moon. You would be amazed at how difficult it is standing with your arms above your head or on one leg for over a minute. The people around me were also bending sideways like bendy pink bananas.

And so it went for about 20 minutes when we were allowed our first water break. At this point I made the rookie error of downing about a litre of water. If I wasn't nauseated before I certainly was after that bit of tomfoolery!

After our break we were taken through all manner of contortions from the punishing Triangle to the just plain sadistic Rabbit posture. In the end things settled down a tad and I was able to get into some of the postures without wondering how I would be able to get out. Apparently when you are squeezing in and out of the postures, you are dumping a lot of toxins into the bloodstream which can cause a bit of nausea.

By the time we got to the final breathing I was standing on a soaking towel in shorts that were as wet as if I had been sitting in a bath. However I felt strangely euphoric. Standing under an ice cold shower some 10 minutes later I began to feel even better. When I got outside I was feeling yet more full of beans. I was buzzing well into the evening and most of the next day. In fact I found going to sleep quite hard and I am now very familiar with the details of my bedroom ceiling.

So next day and every day for the following 10 days I returned for more hot stretching and bending action and the results have been amazing. Apart from the stone in weight that has gone somewhere, the big difference I feel is the increased energy - a total revelation. So while it can be very daunting and 26 postures done twice each in such a hot room can cause you to have many strange moments, the results have to be felt to be believed. So get yourself down to your local hot yoga studio and start puffing like the Flying Sctosman!

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As well as now being a leading light on the Bikram Yoga scene, Patrick Attlee can also show you the best hair thickening shampoo to use. Amazing eh?
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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_996965_23.html

“Prenatal Yoga: ‘Ohm’ Your Way to a Healthier, More Comfortable Pregnancy”

From the moment you saw that positive pregnancy test, you knew life would never be the same. For the next nine months, you’ll be doing everything for two, from eating a healthful diet to getting regular medical care. You’ll also be exercising for two, which is why it’s critical to find a safe exercise, like prenatal yoga, that will keep you and your baby healthy and comfortable.
Prenatal Yoga is Good for You.

Like any safe exercise, yoga has a host of benefits for expecting moms. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), exercising just 30 minutes on most days of the week may help prevent gestational diabetes, which is a factor in the development of preeclampsia, a potentially serious pregnancy complication.
Studies also support prenatal yoga’s benefits. Research at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital found that pregnant women who practiced yoga had lower blood pressure than those who walked for an hour each day. Thai researchers concluded that prenatal yoga shortened the amount of time participants spent in labor as well as the amount of labor pain they reported. A potentially shorter labor and perhaps less labor pain. What woman wouldn’t want that?

Yoga practice may also relieve common pregnancy aches. For example, child’s pose can help relieve the back pain that afflicts nearly 90% of expecting moms. If you suffer with sciatica, a compressed nerve that triggers shooting pain, specific forward bend poses can provide much-needed relief.

Insomnia, another common complaint, stems from a number of causes, including excitement, anxiety, and heartburn. But you don’t need to suffer through those sleepless nights— after all, you’ll have enough of those after the baby comes. The ACOG recommends using yoga relaxation techniques as a way to cope with pregnancy insomnia. These relaxation methods are a common feature in many prenatal yoga classes, and, once you learn to use them properly, they’re an effective, drug-free way to find insomnia relief.

Harry Lawrence
Visit http://www.harryzbiz.com/yogaforlife/category/prenatal-yoga for more articles and videos about prenatal Yoga.

http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Prenatal-Yoga---Ohm-Your-Way-to-a-Healthier,-More-Comfortable-Pregnancy&id=2414691

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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_978498_23.html