Yoga Improves Mood, Reduces Inflammation and Relieves Chronic Diseases

As it turns out, yoga is no longer just a gentle stretching for aging hippies. Ongoing research shows that this ancient ritual improves mood, helps breast cancer survivors, reduces inflammation and counteracts fibromyalgia.

It's common knowledge that yoga improves mood and shrugs off stress, but until recently, we didn't know why. Chris Streeter, MD, and his colleagues from Boston University School of Medicine discovered that it may be because of yoga's ability to increase levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an endogenous antidepressant neurotransmitter present in the brain.

They followed several healthy individuals who were divided into two groups. The first group practiced yoga over a 12-week long period, while the participants in the other group walked for the same period of time. At the end of the study, researchers evaluated psychological state of both groups and found that subjects who practiced yoga experienced a greater decrease in anxiety and more significant improvements in mood than those who walked.

"Over time, positive changes in these reports were associated with climbing GABA levels," explains Streeter. The findings of the study demonstrate that yoga is superior to other types of exercise in its positive effects on anxiety and overall mood.

Yoga reduces inflammation and helps chronically ill

According to last year's studies, yoga exercises may have the ability to improve recovery of breast cancer survivors and combat fibromyalgia:

• Conventional cancer treatments leave many women in pain, immobilized, depressed and tired. That's why Amy Speed-Andrews from University of Alberta decided to examine how a 10-week session of Iyengar yoga makes a difference in the recovery of women struggling with breast cancer. The results were impressive as 94 percent of study participants experienced improvements in their quality of life and 87 percent reported being happier. 80 percent also said they were less tired.


• Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by fatigue and chronic widespread pain. Fortunately, the journal Pain published a study comparing 53 female subjects that proved that an eight-week yoga program can combat a wide variety of fibromyalgia symptoms. Participants of the study experienced a reduction in depression (up to 42 percent), pain (24%) and fatigue (30%).

Furthermore, yoga also reduces the amount of cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the blood. This compound is associated with the body's inflammatory response and plays one of the key roles in a host of debilitating diseases. "We know that inflammation plays a major role in many diseases. Yoga appears to be a simple and enjoyable way to add an intervention that might reduce risks for developing heart disease, diabetes and other age-related diseases," says Ron Glaser, a co-author of a study that revealed the link between yoga and inflammation.

For the study, the scientists analyzed blood samples of 50 women, age 41 on average. As a result, those who had regularly practiced yoga for one or two years had significantly lower levels of inflammation than novices. They were also better able to limit their stress responses, too.

"People need to be educated about this," says Bill Malarkey, one of the co-authors of the study. "They need to be taking responsibility for their health and how they live. Doing yoga and similar activities can make a difference."

As someone who lost three years of his life to chronic disease called Candida albicans, James Schreiber decided to raise awareness of 'invisible' conditions and natural approaches for better health. Since then, he has authored dozens of articles on the cutting edge of lifestyle and diet modifications. "Life is too short to suffer from Candida, or any other illness," says Schreiber, who recently completed a beautifully illustrated guide to the Candida diet. "I'm committed through my experience, research and writing to help others live life to the fullest - not in spite of having chronic disease, but because of it."

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Yoga for Weight Loss - What Is Needed to Lose Weight With Yoga?

There are many reasons to implement a yoga routine into your weekly schedule. Many people focus on the increase of flexibility and balance that is sure to be seen by those who practice yoga regularly. While it is definitely true that avid yoga participants are more flexible and balanced than when they first begin, there are other physical benefits of yoga. There are many different methods for attempting to lose weight, but if you want to appreciate all the other spiritual, mental and physical benefits of yoga, you can choose this as your method of weight loss. The reduction of weight you experience will be based on what type of yoga you choose and the diet you adopt.

There are a couple types of yoga that are specifically geared toward helping participants lose weight. One is called hot yoga. By practicing yoga in a room that is well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with an instructor who has hot yoga certification, you can see a quick drop in pounds. Of course, this is primarily water weight since you will sweat more performing hot yoga than other forms. Many people love this method because it loosens up your muscles and helps you relax. You cannot count on the temporary, quick loss of pounds offered by hot yoga, however.

For a more intense weight loss program, you can choose power yoga, also known as ashtanga yoga. Athletes and others who want to see a quick and permanent physical change choose this type of yoga for its increased emphasis on cardiovascular activity. This is also a great type of yoga to pursue if you want to obtain training to be a yoga teacher. The sequences of poses you learn will help you be able to practice yoga wherever you are and whenever you want.

Your diet will also be critical for you to lose weight. You may try to eat things you know are healthy, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free, organic products, but the simple fact is that the earth's soils are not what they used to be. The combination of genetically engineered food and the depleted nutrients in the soil is leading to less and less healthy foods, even if they are organic. That is why your yoga for weight loss should be coupled with as healthy of a diet as you can muster along with the right dietary supplements to help counter the nutrient-lacking foods available today.

Few careers deliver the flexibility and satisfaction of becoming a yoga teacher. Yoga teacher training offers the support and guidance necessary to acquire your official yoga instructor training.

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