Health Care Information

For many years, saunas were considered a luxury at many health clubs and spas, but today they are even used to help your muscles and tissues recover from workouts. This helps make the recovery times from an intense work out much less. This is a major advantage for those who work out a lot. Using the sauna after a workout also helps you to feel less body pain afterwards.

The heat that is given off by the sauna is also said to have many healing properties for the body, even aiding in weight loss and management. The sauna increases the output of your heart rate and metabolic rate. These both together help your body burn calories.
The key factor here is cleaning your body from the inside out helping it to perform better. The better your body performs the better you will feel.

Stress is a big problem for many people today and is a major cause of some serious health problems. Taking the time in a sauna has a calming effect on the body and helps to lower stress levels.

There are many other benefits of saunas. These are just a few:

1. Arthritis relief
2. Back pain relief
3. Body detoxification
4. Immune booster
5. Cardiovascular stamina increase
6. Calorie Burner
7. Weight loss
8. Opens up pores
9. Clears up the skin

Today, the sauna is used not only for relaxation but benefits the entire body. It has becoming more popular for people of all ages. It is also easier to stay in this type of sauna longer as the air within the enclosure does not get as hot like the traditional sauna. These are some of the reasons an infrared sauna can be a good investment for your health

Yoga, which is a sanscrit word meaning “unity” or “to unify” refers to this strange discipline that has been practiced by people, mostly in India, who have a very specific goal in mind. Why would yogis, as they are referred to, go through the arduous discipline of practicing the most bizarre and unnatural positions for hours on end?

On the surface of it, Yoga is an occult science and ancient protocol dictates that it needs to be initiated by a recognized master. One of the great past masters, Paramahansa Yogananda, wrote in his autobiography about Kriya Yoga: “Because of certain ancient yogic injunctions, I may not give a full explanation of Kriya Yoga in a book intended for the general public”. A bit further he suggests that one should consult a kriyaban or a kriya yoga master if one wants to learn this type of yoga.

In another article, also posted on EzineArticles, where I explained what Ashtanga Yoga is about, I wrote about the Eight Limbs of practice. Suffice it to say that the seven first limbs only serve to prepare and build up to reach the eight and last limb which is what initiates refer to as attaining the state of “samahdi”, or unity.

So let me try to explain what samahdi is, even though words cannot really fully shine any light on it, in the hope that it will bring you a little closer to understanding why so many individuals devote their lives to pursuing it. For samahdi is elusive and only given to the very few.

There is of course the metaphor to help us, for example: samahdi is like being that drop of rain that falls into the ocean and suddenly realises it is no longer a drop of water but the ocean itself. For most people, it will be a nice idea, but an utterly useless one.

To take a more cartesian approach, let me start by asking a few basic questions. Do you know why you were born, other than the fact that your parents conceived you and that your mother gave birth to you? Why are you alive? What purpose does your life have, other than knowing that one lives a limited amount of time and when that time is up, the body dies?

What mysterious force keeps us alive? Why? And why does a life have a beginning and an end? Yogis believe firmly that when they reach the state of samahdi, all the answers to these type of questions will be known. In other words, while in a state of samahdi, the yogi elevates his awareness of life, his consciousness, to such a high level of harmony with creation that it is given to him to understand it completely.

One could say that the yogi in a state of samahdi is “logged on”, or in direct contact with that force which is referred to as “life”. Just like a PC that is logged on to a site on the Internet with total privilege, meaning, the user can open any available page, so can the yogi perform a query or search in his mind while in samahdi and the answer will come to him, whatever the question or its subject.

The best comparison I could make, ant it is spectacular, that I do admit, is that the yogi in samahdi logs on to and creates a direct link with God. Does this make the yogi omniscient and omnipotent? I will speculate that while in samahdi, yes, the yogi is exactly that. Being that the yogi is aware of God and God is aware of the yogi, both are in unison and both are, at that moment, only one.

So, in conclusion, yogis are rooting for unity or a direct conscious link to creation, or God, for lack of a better descriptive of creation, without yoga being a religion. Yoga only prepares and trains the individual to create the link so he can log on to creation and know for himself what truth is, what reality actually is, without the limitations that were built by the mind or emotions.

Once this is understood, it is easy to see why so many practice yoga. Our teachers and philosophy do not provide us with answers, they only provide postulates. Some of these do sometimes truly stimulate logic and imagination, but none offer proof. The yogi wants proof of creation and so he accepts the extreme discipline that is required to prepare himself to create the conditions that will allow him to obtain it.

Yes, yoga magazines demonstrate poses using skinny, astonishingly limber women. But if you have 40 or 50 or 70 extra pounds on you, don’t be scared away from the best thing that could ever happen to your frame and your self-esteem.

Despite the magazines and the teachers who, after years of practice resemble sylphs, yoga doesn’t care what you look like or what you weigh. In fact, it changes what you look like, and often what you weigh as well. How? Because it makes you acutely aware of your body in a way that makes you actually want to take care of it, sing to it, bring it presents and treat it right.

So yoga practice is not about being skinny or svelte or reedy. It’s about leaving your ego at the door and moving your body in the present moment.

Yoga is about balance. Balance in eating, balance in drinking, balance in exercise, balance in purporting yourself. Yes, too fat is out of balance, as is too thin, but neither is a crime punishable by not being able to stretch.

Buy yoga clothes that fit. Don’t be afraid of the clothes’ form fitting stretchiness. Just get the right size. With regular practice yoga clothing will permit you to watch your body change in what can only be referred to as astonishing ways.

Another point is that your relative flexibility should not dissuade you, either. No one begins yoga able to handle all the postures. More quickly than you think, you will begin to extend your arms, legs, torso, and neck far beyond your expectations. Every time you perform a pose, you’ll be closer to the ideal.

Your balance will improve greatly and the peace and satisfaction you feel at the end of each session puts you precisely in the mood for a deep meditation. In fact, look for classes that end with meditation. You won’t ever want to get out and you can take that practice home with you as well.

Yoga is for men, too. Don’t be kept away by the women or the way you look in a sweat suit. And do wear a sweat suit to begin, anyway, because leotards on guys only work on Baryshnikov.

There are many many places to take yoga classes, but like other workout sites, it had better be close to home or you might not want to go.

You can watch yoga on television or get a book, but the best way to learn you know that is in person. Signing up for a series of classes is also the best way to keep you on track, since you can pay in advance.

Bakasana

Baka means the crane. In this asana the hands are placed on the seat with the fingers pointing forward. The distance between the hands should be about a foot and a half. The knees are placed above the elbows and the hips are raised, balancing the weight of the body on the hands. The head is lowered forward and the pose is maintained for a few seconds. This is a pose involving balance which helps to make the arms stronger.

Kukkutasan

Kukkuta is the Sanskrit name for the cock. Sitting in Padmasana, the hands are passed down through the gap between the calf and thigh on each side. Spreading the fingers, the hands are placed on the seat and the body is raised, balancing its weight on the hands. Like Bakasana this pose also helps to increase the strength of the arms.

Uttanakurmasana

Kurma means the tortoise. In Uttanakurmasana the hands are passed down from below the knees as in kukkutasana (after assuming Padmasana). Then keeping the hips on the seat, the knees are raised, and the hands are brought up to encircle the neck. The pose may be maintained for a few seconds. It requires rather slender limbs and supple joints. Otherwise one finds it difficult to do it.

Parvatasana

Parvata in Sanskrit means a mountain. Padmasana is the starting pose in this asana also. Sitting in Padmasana, the hips are raised, balancing, the body on the knees, and the arms are stretched up over the head, the palms touching each other. This is a balancing pose which makes the knee joints supple.

Dolasana

Dolah means a swing. In this asana, after assuming the Padmasana posture the hands are kept on the seat on the two sides of the hips just behind the knees, and the body is raised, balancing it on the hands. The body is swung back and forth, which gives this pose its name. It exercises the arms and the shoulders and also the abdominal muscles.

Utkatasana

Kala means the hips. Ud means upward. This asana gets its name from the fact that in it the hips are raised. Keeping the feet on the seat at a distance of nine inches or more from each other, with the knees standing up, the hips are raised and placed on the heels,raising the heels at the same time so that the weight of the body is balanced on the toes. This is a pose useful for practising the yogic shiddhikriya called Basti.

Padangusthasana

Sitting in Utkatasana, the right foot is placed on the left thigh and the body is balanced on the toes of the left foot. Pada in Sanskrit means the foot. Padangustha means the big toe. Thus this is a pose in which the body is balanced on the big toe. After practising it on the left side the same procedure is repeated on the right side. The hands may be placed on the knees.

Mayurasana

Mayura is the peacock. Sitting with the legs crossed, the hands are placed on the seat about four inches apart, with the fingers pointing backward. The elbows are set against the abdomen near the navel. Tbe legs are stretched back. Bringing the head as much forward as possible, the feet are raised together and the body is balanced in a horizontal position. The pose may be maintained for ten seconds to one minute, depending on practice.

In Mayurasana the abdominal viscera are pressed.There is a squeezing action on them. This helps to remove congestion and promote blood circulation apart from making the pressed muscles stronger. In the texts of Hathayoga Mayurasana is highly praised for its power to brighten up the abdominal fire (jatharagnt) so that one can digest even poison.

Eye on yoga

There is a deep correlation between the eyes and the mind. Eyesight is greatly improved when the muscles of the eyes are relaxed. It is said that vision occupies 40 percent of the brain’s capacity, therefore when we close our eyes; relaxation is induced in the brain. Eye health corresponds to the level of relaxation it experiences in which yoga plays a significant role. A yoga routine replete with asanas, pranayama and meditation helps in achieving peace and tranquility.

Yogic Eye Exercises

1. Sit in the Sukhasana (easy pose) with legs crossed and your spine, neck and head in a straight line. Look directly to the front at eye-level and breathe normally. Move your eyes upward and downwards stay for two seconds. Close your eyes for two seconds. Look to the right, left and front for two seconds. Close your eyes for 6-8 seconds. This completes one round. Start with 2-3 rounds and increase up to four rounds.

2. Rub both palms together. Close the eyes and gently place the left palm over the left eye and the right palm over the right eye. Do not press the eyeballs. Breathe in and out slowly to release stress. Repeat 2-3 times.

3. Also asanas that strengthen the eyes include the Bhujangasana (snake pose), Surya Namaskara (sun salutes), and Shavasana (rest pose).

4. Sit straight in any comfortable posture. Stretch both your arms forward up to the shoulder Siddhasana, Sukhasana or Padmasana. This kriya increases stability and concentration of the mind, strengthens the optic nerves, and corrects weakness and certain disorders of the eyes. It cures insomnia if practiced at night before sleep.

5. To correct your eyesight, practice nadi shodhan (alternate breathing) pranayama. Always start and end with the left nostril.

6. Blinking your eyelashes frequently moistens the eyes and gives the eyes a short rest.

What exactly is Yoga therapy, and what are its origins? Should a Yoga teacher consider becoming a Yoga therapist? Where will Yogic therapy go in the future?

If we look at a simplistic definition of what Yoga therapy is, it might be described as: A Yogic practice, which uses breathing techniques (pranayama), postures (asanas), hygienic duties (kriyas), proper diet, meditation, and many more methods, which treat mental, emotional, and physical ailments.

The origin of Yoga is, at least, 5,000 years old, but a contemporary school of therapy can be traced to Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya, who is often regarded as a teacher of master teachers. Among his students were T.K.V. Desikachar, T.K. Sribhashyam, K. Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S. Iyengar, Indra Devi, and more.

If a Yoga teacher considers becoming a therapist, there are a number of requirements to become competent. One priority is to develop in-depth knowledge of anatomy. This will require extra training and study. Some physical therapists, and physicians, are also Yoga teachers, so the jump to Yoga therapy is a logical one.

However, the average instructor does not have a medical background. Continuing education becomes the next logical step in this case. Another point to mention is that therapy, of any kind, requires compassion.

If compassion is not a natural ingredient built into the personality of an instructor, why pursue teaching Yoga as therapy? The truth is: A personality without compassion should not be teaching classes in any subject. There are a rare few people, who derive pleasure from pushing others into pain. They should not be working with the public in any type of care-giving capacity.

Where will Yoga therapy go in the future? It is only a matter of time for Yoga to be integrated into standard medical therapies. Being cost efficient, and without negative side effects, has made a very strong case for proponents of Yoga therapy. As studies continue to reveal the results of a holistic and pro-active approach to health, standard medicine will evolve.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications