You know the saying. Most all of us have been told once or twice before that we have woken up on the “wrong side of the bed." We may have tossed and turned, had a bad dream or went to bed feeling stressed and, as a result, awoke feeling cranky, sad or anxious. This can really have an impact on how we behave throughout the rest of the day, which is why we have to make sure we make time to tell ourselves that each day is filled with new opportunities and that great things can be accomplished if we set our minds to it. These positive words, these mantras, can turn any morning into a more positive one and set our days up for success. Considering how important it is to start our days right, we should really focus on establishing the right morning routines. We probably all have some kind of ritual that we do after waking up. For some people this might include going on their phones right after their alarm rings, for others it might mean getting up and making a cup of coffee, and for others, it might include putting some clothes on and going for a run. No matter what your morning routine is, there is one thing we should all try doing right after waking up and that is to set a daily intention. A lot of us get caught up in daily tasks and worries and we lose sight of what is truly important. Sure, you may have that appointment or we have to finish that report, but what do you want to get out of the day? How do you want to feel? What do you want to accomplish? Setting an intention every day allows us to strengthen the connection between ourselves and the world around us. It can also help us better understand ourselves and our thoughts. By establishing how we want to feel, we can approach our day with a whole new perspective and a more positive outlook. These intentions can be general or broad. We can tell ourselves something as simple as “I want to feel grateful today” or make it more specific by deciding “I wish to approach today’s morning meeting with patience and willingness to listen." These positive intentions will help guide our actions and provide tools for better decision making throughout the day. Although this beneficial practice is an easy one to follow, we know it can be hard to develop new behaviors, especially when we’re just starting out. Fortunately, we have found a way to help you out with this daily intention-setting journey. Kamala Collective, a development agency that makes mindful apps, recently created Yoga Wake Up. This app, which is currently available on the Apple App Store, offers free and in-app purchase yoga audio sequences guided by some of LA’s best yoga teachers. Each wake up is themed, many of which guide you through setting an intention for your day. Coupled with a morning yoga sequence, these wakeups will not only prepare your body for the day ahead but your mind and soul as well. This new year, start each day with positive intention. Our mantra: "Make this your best year yet." Now that there are no more excuses, try starting this amazing practice when you wake up tomorrow morning. #Workout #positive #intentions #meditation

One of the great fathers of modern yoga, BKS Iyengar is celebrating his birthday today, as depicted in the Google Doodle. He would have turned 97 today. Iyengar died in August 2014 at the age of 95, after becoming a yoga master at 18 and spreading yoga to the masses, opening dozens of schools and writing iconic books about yoga. While he is no longer with us, his legacy will continue to live on. 10 Iyengar Quotes to Inspire Our Yoga Practices & Lives 1. “It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar 2. “Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar 3. “It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 4. “Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 5. “Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 6. Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 7. “Yoga allows you to find a new kind of freedom that you may not have known even existed.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 8. “There is no progress toward ultimate freedom without transformation, and this is the key issue in all lives.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 9. “Asanas maintain the strength and health of the body, without which little progress can be made. Asanas keep the body in harmony with nature.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life 10. “Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

After my last weekend of yoga teacher training, a friend asked me over dinner, "Why do you do yoga? So you can learn to do what... headstands?" Why do people do yoga? More than 90 percent of people come to yoga for flexibility, stress relief, health, and physical fitness. But, for most people, their primary reason for doing yoga will change. Two-thirds of yoga students and 85 percent of yoga teachers have a change of heart regarding why they do yoga -- most often changing to spirituality or self-actualization, a sense of fulfilling their potential. Yoga offers self-reflection, the practice of kindness and self-compassion, and continued growth and self-awareness. Yet the health benefits are very real. Yes, yoga can increase your flexibility, improve your balance, and decrease your cholesterol. A recent review in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that yoga reduces the risk of heart disease as much as conventional exercise. On average, yoga participants lost five pounds, decreased their blood pressure, and lowered their low-density ("bad") cholesterol by 12 points. There is vast growing body of research on how yoga improves health problems including chronic pain, fatigue, obesity, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, and more. As a psychiatrist, I am also naturally interested in the brain. While most people intuitively get that yoga reduces depression and anxiety, most people -- even physicians and scientists--are typically surprised to find out that yoga changes the brain. A May 2015 study published in the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to show that yoga protects the brain from the decline in gray matter brain volume as we age. People with more yoga experience had brain volumes typical for much younger people. In other words, yoga could protect your brain from shrinking as you get older. The protection of gray matter brain volume is found mostly in the left hemisphere, the side of your brain associated with positive emotions and the relaxation response. Emotions like joy and happiness have exclusively more activity in the left hemisphere of the brain on positive emission tomography (PET) brain scans. The left hemisphere is also linked to the parasympathetic nervous system, the "rest and digest" network responsible for relaxation. This "neuroprotective" effect of yoga has also been found in brain imaging studies of people who meditate. In some regions of the brain, 50-year-old meditators were found to have the gray matter volume of 25-year-olds. These changes to the brain can occur within a few months. One study found brain changes after only eight weeks of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The regions of the brain responsible for learning, memory, cognition and emotional regulation showed growth. In contrast, the areas of the brain responsible for fear, anxiety, and stress shrank. But the truth is that the practice of yoga is not about changing the brain, body, headstands, or even about gaining greater happiness and joy. If it were, it'd be just like taking a spinning class or doing a set of lunges at the gym. Yoga aims toward transcendence of all those things. In a culture in which we rush from one day to the next, constantly trying to change our health, our body, or our emotions, or to plan our future, yoga opens up the possibility of connecting to what we already have -- to who we already are. When people tell me that they want to try yoga but don't because they aren't "flexible enough," I tell them yoga isn't about attaining the perfect pose. Use as many blocks as you need. Modify the pose to feel comfortable in your own body. It's not about being "good enough" or "right": Yoga is about removing any judgment and letting us be present to who we are now. As Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron explains: "Practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. We recognize our capacity to relax with the clarity, the space, the open-ended awareness that already exists in our minds. We experience moments of being right here that feel simple, direct, and uncluttered." So, why do I practice yoga? The answer can be complex and personal, but it can also be simple and universal: Because I want to be present. Because I want to be present not just on my mat but also to myself and other people, the community around me. Yoga can change the heart -- but we're not just talking about blood pressure. Connect with Dr. Wei on Twitter: www.twitter.com/newyorkpsych Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlynnweimd Dr. Wei's Psychology Today Blog For more on yoga health, go to: Yoga Health #Eat

I'm not here to sugar coat it, if you're not stretching because it's a "girly thing" and "easy" you seriously need to check your ego, and then do a little bit of reading to enlighten yourself. Luckily I'm not the one you came in contact with when you said that stupid comment, because I definitely would have tried my best to enlighten you. It's a big world with a ton of information floating around, much of it fills our minds with nonsense so we think we know things, but the truth is, we only know our perception of what we "think" something is. First thing first, I want to talk about athleticism. In 7th grade, I was the fastest girl in my county; I ran the 100-meter dash in 12.4 seconds and held the record at my school for a while. Then, in high school, I became a dancer. In college, I started lifting weights and became hooked. Then one day, I did a yoga class and I experienced major stress relief. The reason I mention all of this is because people see yogis and they stereotype them. Yoga to me wasn't about the stretching and it still isn't. It was about what happened to me that day to relax me and that is why I became a yoga teacher. It was because I experienced an unexplainable calming response (that almost made me feel like I could float) after a class and knew I needed the benefits of yoga in my life. But this isn't about something you said about me, it's about your perception of what you think yoga is, so I'll continue.. So let me explain my sassiness, I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day and he was telling me that he overheard two guys in the gym saying that yoga is a "girl thing", it's "too easy" and that is why they don't do it. I understand many people have this preconceived notion as to what yoga is (poses and stretching); but in reality, you will never know what yoga is until you experience it for yourself. Yoga is way more than stretching or poses. Yoga is a system towards complete mastery over your mind. Yoga was traditionally a male practice. Back in the day, I'm talking pre-Jesus days, yoga was practiced. It was something that was done with one's own body to move it, work it, test its strength and calm the mind. Yes, all of this was done before weight machines, dumbbells, pilates reformers, basketballs, balls of any sort, etc, etc. Humans used their own body to work it out and what those humans found was that this lovely little practice worked wonders. It made them feel better, helped them to move freely, it cured illnesses, it corrected spinal problems, it gave them clarity, it helped with depression, headaches, back pain, pregnancy, and the list goes on and on... But guess what, this practice was mainly practiced by men. It was the masculine thing to do. It was the masculine thing to be able to lift and move the body by his own strength (think arm balances and handstands). It was extremely sexy to the women for a man to know his mind, feelings, and emotions and be in complete control of them. And guess what, it still is extremely sexy for men to have control over their mind, desires, and attachments. But since there aren't as many men doing yoga, you can see why I'm even writing this blog post to begin with. Long before there was psychology and psychotherapists, there was this practice of yoga. It helped people to know about themselves. It helped them to discover deeper aspects of their personality and habits and learn why they did what they did. From the beginning of time, we have all wanted to know more about the mind- how it works, and how we can work with it. Yoga gets you closer to understanding the mind than any other practice in the world and you will only understand this once you begin the process of yoga. Yoga is... an eightfold path. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs” (ashta=eight, anga=limb). These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline; they direct attention toward one’s health, and they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature. 1.Yama (Ethics) - The first limb, deals with one’s ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Basically: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The five Yamas are: Ahimsa: nonviolence Satya: truthfulness Asteya: nonstealing Brahmacharya: continence Aparigraha: non-covetousness 2. Niyama (Observe) - the second limb, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Developing your own personal meditation practices, or making a habit of taking contemplative walks alone are all examples of niyamas in practice. The five Niyamas are: Saucha: cleanliness Samtosa: contentment Tapas: heat; spiritual austerities Svadhyaya: study of the sacred scriptures and of one’s self Isvara pranidhana: surrender to God 3. Asana (Poses) - The postures practiced in yoga, comprise the third limb. In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas (the poses), we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation, knowing ourselves, and digging deeper into why we do what we do. 4. Pranayama (Breath Control) - This fourth stage consists of techniques designed to gain mastery over the respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, and the emotions. These first four stages of Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga concentrate on refining our personalities, gaining mastery over the body, and developing an energetic awareness of ourselves, all of which prepares us for the second half of this journey, which deals with the senses, the mind, and attaining a higher state of consciousness. 5. Pratyahara (Withdrawal) - The fifth limb, means withdrawal of attachments or withdrawal or sensory transcendence. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Not many people are doing this in today's day and age. This critical step in yoga will help you to know that it's not "out there" but inside. This step helps one to be keenly aware of, yet cultivating a detachment from, our senses, feelings, and attachments, as we direct our attention internally. The practice of pratyahara provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves. This withdrawal allows us to objectively observe ourselves. It is this stage we become self-aware. 6. Dharana (Concentration) - As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting for dharana, or concentration. Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. Not an easy task. In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: an image or the silent repetition of a sound (mantra). We, of course, have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of asanas (poses), breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. When we practice the poses and breathing, we are able to pay attention, yet our attention travels. In dharana, we focus our attention on a single point and this concentration naturally leads to the next step, meditation. 7. Dhyana (Meditation) - The seventh stage of yoga, is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all. 8. Samadhi (Bliss) - Patanjali describes this eighth and final stage of yoga as samadhi, as a state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the Divine, an interconnectedness with all living things. Clarity, peace, love, understanding, it's all here. It's the experience of bliss and being completely connected and one with the universe. When you decide to take the yogis journey, you begin to understand that yoga is the path to peace. Yoga is a practice. Yoga is life. We are all always practicing yoga, many just aren't aware. However, if you'd check your ego at the door and dig a little deeper, you will find there's nothing to have an ego about. We're all the same anyways. #yogaphilosophy #Culture #yogaformen #yogaculture

Going on my first yoga retreat five years ago was a major turning point in my life. So much so that now I lead yoga adventures for others around the world in places like Joshua Tree, Costa Rica and Bali. These are truly transformative experiences and I believe that anyone who enjoys a lifestyle of health and wellness can greatly benefit from a yoga retreat. Here Are 10 Reasons to Go on a Yoga Retreat: 1. You'll take your yoga to the next level. Practicing yoga regularly can be challenging if you have a busy schedule. But when you’re on a retreat, chances are you’ll have 2 classes offered a day, which will ensure your progress and you will see the positive effects more quickly. 2. You'll get a new perspective. Going to a new place creates an opportunity to see the world, and yourself, in a new light. Experiencing the unknown is an accelerated way to grow and learn. 3. You'll *actually* meditate. When you have extended free time, it’s a lot easier to meditate. No cell phone buzzing or boss reminding you about deadlines. On retreats, it feels a lot more natural to breathe deeply and be present in the moment. 4. You'll detox digitally. One of my favorite things about a retreat is shutting off my technology. While lots of resorts have wifi, you don’t feel the need to constantly tweet, text, update facebook or call friends. It feels good to unplug. 5. You'll relax and de-stress. Sometimes we have to be far from home to give ourselves the permission to truly relax. Being on a retreat allows you to listen to your body, rest when you need it, and be free from stress. 6. You'll eat well without having to do all the work. If your retreat is all inclusive, you get three healthy and delicious meals a day without the need to find recipes, go grocery shopping, prepare the food, or clean up. Getting the nutrition you need has never been easier. All the work is done for you. 7. You'll replace old habits. The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new healthy one. When you get out of your regular routine for a week, you can replace unhealthy habits with conscious new behaviors that support you in being your best self. 8. You'll make new friends. Undeniably, you will meet individuals with similar interests. Even if you go alone (which I did my first time), you have a chance to make friends with people from around the world who you might know for the rest of your life. 9. You'll appreciate home. While a week in paradise is always nice, we often come home with a refreshed appreciation for life. You feel happier, healthier, and re-energized to jump back into your routine with new vigor. Heck, it might even feel fun. 10. Because you deserve it! Thoreau said: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” While this quote might be on your refrigerator, chances are you make excuses about why you can’t YET. Often times the excuses are about money, time or circumstances but guess what, you deserve a break. You work hard for a reason and you can always find reasons why you should or should not do something. The key to happiness is deciding what you really want and making it happen. No excuses. You deserve to invest in yourself.

Much has changed since physician Dean Ornish included yoga in his groundbreaking protocol for preventing, treating, and reversing heart disease more than three decades ago. Back then, the idea of integrating yoga with modern medicine was seen as far-out. Today’s picture is very different: As yoga has become an increasingly integral part of 21st-century life, scientists, armed with new tools that allow them to look ever deeper into the body, have been turning their attention to what happens physiologically when we practice yoga—not just asana but also pranayama and meditation. These physicians, neuroscientists, psychologists, and other researchers are uncovering fascinating evidence of how the practice affects us mentally and physically and may help to prevent and assist in the treatment of a number of the most common ailments that jeopardize our vitality and shorten our lives. Dozens of yoga studies are under way at medical institutions around the country, including Duke, Harvard, and the University of California at San Francisco. Some of the research is funded by the National Institutes of Health. More studies are on the way, thanks in part to the work of researchers at the Institute for Extraordinary Living at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, one of the first US research institutes to focus exclusively on yoga. And in India, scientist Shirley Telles heads up Patanjali Yogpeeth Research Foundation, which is spearheading studies large and small. While studies of yoga’s impact on health are at an all-time high, experts say that much of the research is still in the early stages. But the quality is improving, says Sat Bir Khalsa, a Harvard neuroscientist who has studied yoga’s health effects for 12 years. It’s likely, he says, that the next decade will teach us even more about what yoga can do for our minds and bodies. In the meantime, the patterns beginning to emerge suggest that what we know about how yoga keeps us well may be just the tip of the iceberg. 1. Pain Reliever Yoga shows promise as a treatment for relieving certain kinds of chronic pain. When German researchers compared Iyengar Yoga with a self-care exercise program among people with chronic neck pain, they found that yoga reduced pain scores by more than half. Examining yoga’s effects on a different kind of chronic pain, UCLA researchers studied young women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, an often debilitating autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the lining of the joints. About half of those who took part in a six-week Iyengar Yoga program reported improvements in measures of pain, as well as in anxiety and depression. 2. Yes, You Can! Kim Innes, a Kundalini Yoga practitioner and a clinical associate professor at the University of Virginia, recently published a study on how yoga may benefit people who have a variety of health risk factors, including being overweight, sedentary, and at risk for type 2 diabetes. Forty-two people who had not practiced yoga within the previous year took part in an eight-week gentle Iyengar Yoga program; at the end of the program, more than 80 percent reported that they felt calmer and had better overall physical functioning. “Yoga is very accessible,” Innes says. “Participants in our trials, even those who thought they ‘could not do yoga,’ noted benefits even after the first session. My belief is that once people are exposed to gentle yoga practice with an experienced yoga therapist, they will likely become hooked very quickly.” 3. Ray of Light Much attention has been given to yoga’s potential effect on the persistent dark fog of depression. Lisa Uebelacker, a psychologist at Brown University, got interested in examining yoga as a therapy for depression after studying and practicing mindfulness meditation. Because depressed people tend to be prone to rumination, Uebelacker suspected that seated meditation could be difficult for them to embrace. “I thought yoga might be an easier doorway, because of the movement,” she says. “It provides a different focus from worry about the future or regret about the past. It’s an opportunity to focus your attention somewhere else.” In a small study in 2007, UCLA researchers examined how yoga affected people who were clinically depressed and for whom antidepressants provided only partial relief. After eight weeks of practicing Iyengar Yoga three times a week, the patients reported significant decreases in both anxiety and depression. Uebelacker currently has a larger clinical trial under way that she hopes will provide a clearer picture of how yoga helps. 4. Happy Day It’s taken the development of modern technologies like functional MRI screening to give scientists a glimpse of how yogic practices like asana and meditation affect the brain. “We now have a much deeper understanding of what happens in the brain during meditation,” says Khalsa. “Long-term practitioners see changes in brain structure that correlate with their being less reactive and less emotionally explosive. They don’t suffer to the same degree.” Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have shown that meditation increases the activity of the left prefrontal cortex—the area of the brain that’s associated with positive moods, equanimity, and emotional resilience. In other words, meditating regularly may help you weather life’s ups and downs with greater ease and feel happier in your daily life. 5. Stay Sharp Asana, pranayama, and meditation all train you to fine-tune your attention, whether by syncing your breathing with movement, focusing on the subtleties of the breath, or letting go of distracting thoughts. Studies have shown that yogic practices such as these can help your brain work better. Recently, University of Illinois researchers found that immediately following a 20-minute hatha yoga session, study participants completed a set of mental challenges both faster and more accurately than they did after a brisk walk or a jog. Researchers are in the earliest stages of examining whether yogic practices could also help stave off age-related cognitive decline. “The yogic practices that involve meditation would likely be the ones involved, because of the engagement of control of attention,” says Khalsa. Indeed, research has shown that parts of the cerebral cortex—an area of the brain associated with cognitive processing that becomes thinner with age—tend to be thicker in long-term meditators, suggesting that meditation could be a factor in preventing age-related thinning. 6. Maintenance Plan A 2013 review of 17 clinical trials concluded that a regular yoga practice that includes pranayama and deep relaxation in Savasana (Corpse Pose), practiced for 60 minutes three times a week, is an effective tool for maintaining a healthy weight, particularly when home practice is part of the program. 7. Rest Easy In our revved-up, always-on world, our bodies spend too much time in an overstimulated state, contributing to an epidemic of sleep problems. A recent Duke University analysis of the most rigorous studies done on yoga for psychiatric conditions found promising evidence that yoga can be helpful for treating sleep disorders. Asana can stretch and relax your muscles; breathing exercises can slow your heart rate to help prepare you for sleep; and regular meditation can keep you from getting tangled up in the worries that keep you from drifting off. 8. Better Sex In India, women who took part in a 12-week yoga camp reported improvements in several areas of sexuality, including desire, orgasm, and overall satisfaction. Yoga (like other exercise) increases blood flow and circulation throughout the body, including the genitals. Some researchers think yoga may also boost libido by helping practitioners feel more in tune with their bodies. 9. Cool Inflammation We’re used to thinking of inflammation as a response that kicks in after a bang on the shin. But increasing evidence shows that the body’s inflammatory response can also be triggered in more chronic ways by factors including stress and a sedentary lifestyle. And a chronic state of inflammation can raise your risk for disease. Researchers at Ohio State University found that a group of regular yoga practitioners (who practiced once or twice a week for at least three years) had much lower blood levels of an inflammation-promoting immune cell called IL-6 than a group new to yoga. And when the two groups were exposed to stressful situations, the more seasoned practitioners showed smaller spikes of IL-6 in response. According to the study’s lead author, Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, the more experienced practitioners went into the study with lower levels of inflammation than the novices, and they also showed lower inflammatory responses to stress, pointing to the conclusion that the benefits of a regular yoga practice compound over time. 10. Younger-Looking DNA While the fountain of youth remains a myth, recent studies suggest that yoga and meditation may be associated with cellular changes that affect the body’s aging process. Each of our cells includes structures called telomeres, bits of DNA at the end of chromosomes that get shorter each time a cell divides. When telomeres get too short, the cells can no longer divide and they die. Yoga, it seems, may help to preserve their length. Men with prostate cancer who took part in a version of the Ornish healthy lifestyle program, which included an hour a day of yoga, six days a week, showed a 30 percent jump in the activity of a key telomere-preserving enzyme called telomerase. In another study, stressed care-givers who took part in a Kundalini Yoga meditation and chanting practice called Kirtan Kriya had a 39 per-cent increase in telomerase activity, compared with people who simply listened to relaxing music. 11. Immune Activity Many studies have suggested that yoga can fortify the body’s ability to ward off illnesses. Now one of the first studies to look at how yoga affects genes indicates that a two-hour program of gentle asana, meditation, and breathing exercises alters the expression of dozens of immune-related genes in blood cells. It’s not clear how the genetic changes observed in this study might support the immune system. But the study provides striking evidence that yoga can affect gene expression—big news that suggests yoga may have the potential to influence how strongly the genes you’re born with affect your health. 12. Your Spine on Yoga Taiwanese researchers scanned the vertebral disks of a group of yoga teachers and compared them with scans of healthy, similar-aged volunteers. The yoga teachers’ disks showed less evidence of the degeneration that typically occurs with age. One possible reason, researchers speculate, has to do with the way spinal disks are nourished. Nutrients migrate from blood vessels through the tough outer layer of the disk; bending and flexing may help push more nutrients through this outer layer and into the disks, keeping them healthier. 13. Keep Your Heart Healthy Despite advances in both prevention and treatment, heart disease remains the no. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States. Its development is influenced by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and a sedentary lifestyle—all of which can potentially be reduced by yoga. Dozens of studies have helped convince cardiac experts that yoga and meditation may help reduce many of the major risk factors for heart disease; in fact, a review of no fewer than 70 studies concluded that yoga shows promise as a safe, effective way to boost heart health. In a study this year by researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center, subjects who participated in twice-weekly sessions of Iyengar Yoga (including pranayama as well as asana) significantly cut the frequency of episodes of atrial fibrillation, a serious heart-rhythm disorder that increases the risk of strokes and can lead to heart failure. 14. Joint Support By gently taking joints—ankles, knees, hips, shoulders—through their range of motion, asana helps keep them lubricated, which researchers say may help keep you moving freely in athletic and everyday pursuits as you age. 15. Watch Your Back Some 60 to 80 percent of us suffer from low-back pain, and there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment. But there’s good evidence that yoga can help resolve certain types of back troubles. In one of the strongest studies, researchers at Group Health Research Institute in Seattle worked with more than 200 people with persistent lower-back pain. Some were taught yoga poses; the others took a stretching class or were given a self-care book. At the end of the study, those who took yoga and stretching classes reported less pain and better functioning, benefits that lasted for several months. Another study of 90 people with chronic low-back pain found that those who practiced Iyengar Yoga showed significantly less disability and pain after six months. 16. Control Blood Pressure One-fifth of those who have high blood pressure don’t know it. And many who do struggle with the side effects of long-term medication. Yoga and meditation, by slowing the heart rate and inducing the relaxation response, may help bring blood pressure down to safer levels. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recently conducted one of the first randomized, controlled trials of yoga for blood pressure. They found that 12 weeks of Iyengar Yoga reduced blood pressure as well as or better than the control condition of nutrition and weight-loss education. (If you have high blood pressure, consult with your doctor and make sure it’s under control before you practice inversions.) 17. Down With Diabetes Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that adults at risk for type 2 diabetes who did yoga twice a week for three months showed a reduction in risk factors including weight and blood pressure. While the study was small, all who began the program stuck with it throughout the study, and 99 percent reported satisfaction with the practice. In particular, they reported that they liked the gentle approach and the support of the group. If larger, future studies show similar results, the researchers say, yoga could gain credence as a viable way of helping people stave off the disease. 18. News Flash Many women have turned to yoga to help them cope with the symptoms of menopause, from hot flashes to sleep disturbances to mood swings. A recent analysis of the most rigorous studies of yoga and menopause found evidence that yoga—which included asana and meditation—helps with the psychological symptoms of menopause, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. In one randomized controlled trial, Brazilian researchers examined how yoga affected insomnia symptoms in a group of 44 postmenopausal women. Compared with women who did passive stretching, the yoga practitioners showed a big drop in incidence of insomnia. Other, more preliminary research has suggested that yoga may also help to reduce hot flashes and memory problems, too. 19. Emotional Rescue Recent studies have suggested that exercise is linked with increased levels of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is associated with positive mood and a sense of well-being. It turns out that Iyengar Yoga can also increase the levels of this chemical in the brain, more so than walking, according to a Boston University study. In another study, a group of women who were experiencing emotional distress took part in two 90-minute Iyengar Yoga classes a week for three months. By the end of the study, self-reported anxiety scores in the group had dropped, and measures of overall well-being went up. 20. Power Source If you’ve felt the thrill of discovering you can hold Chaturanga for longer and longer periods, you’ve experienced how yoga strengthens your muscles. Standing poses, inversions, and other asanas challenge muscles to lift and move the weight of your body. Your muscles respond by growing new fibers, so that they become thicker and stronger—the better to help you lift heavy grocery bags, kids, or yourself into Handstand, and to maintain fitness and function throughout your lifetime. 21. Balancing Act When you were a kid, your day included activities that tested your balance—walking along curbs, hopping on your skateboard. But when you spend more time driving and sitting at a desk than in activities that challenge your balance, you can lose touch with the body’s magical ability to teeter back and forth and remain upright. Balance poses are a core part of asana practice, and they’re even more important for older adults. Better balance can be crucial to preserving independence, and can even be lifesaving—falls are the leading cause of injury-related death in people over 65. Bringing Yoga and Western Medicine Together: Duke Integrative Medicine Duke University’s Integrative Medicine department in Durham, NC, has lived up to its name by integrating yoga into medicine and medicine into yoga. The department is one of the only major medical centers to offer yoga teacher training. Its two programs, “Thera-peutic Yoga for Seniors” and “Yoga of Awareness for Cancer,” are taught by a team of yoga instructors, doctors, physical therapists, and mental health professionals. These yoga teacher trainings accept about 100 people a year and involve elements of asana, pranayama, meditation, and mindfulness working together as adjuncts to the conventional medical treatments that patients may also be receiving simultaneously. Once training is complete, teachers can work on contract for hospitals and other health agencies. Kimberly Carson, the founder and codirector of the yoga training programs, stresses that what sets the programs apart is their research-based approach: Medicine listens best when you speak its language, says Carson, a yoga therapist who has taught in medical settings for more than 15 years. “The evidence base is what the medical community listens to.” Essential to the program’s success, says Carson, is the staff’s commitment to thinking critically about how they promote the benefits of yoga. “The quickest way to shut doors is to state as fact claims that aren’t substantiated,” she says. Luckily, the evidence base for yoga and other alternative methods is fast growing, and Duke has been a forerunner in opening the lines of communication between yoga and medicine. Turning Doctors Into Mind-Body Experts: Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine Located in one of the best academic medical centers and in one of the most doctor-friendly cities in the country, the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital is well poised to train new doctors to incorporate mind-body techniques into their practice. Its founder and director emeritus, Dr. Herbert Benson, pioneered research on the relaxation response as a powerful antidote to the stress response; he was also one of the first to illustrate that meditation changes metabolism, heart rate, and brain activity as a result of the relaxation response. This commitment to research is still what makes the institute stand out: Benson and his colleagues recently published a landmark study illustrating some of the changes in gene expression that can come from practices that elicit the relaxation response, including meditation and yoga. Physicians at the institute help treat patients for everything from heart disease to diabetes to infertility. Individual therapeutic yoga instruction is offered as an adjunctive approach for a wide variety of conditions, both physical and mental. Darshan Mehta, the institute’s medical director and director of medical education, says that along with maintaining its commitments to research and patient care, the Benson-Henry Institute is dedicated to educating medical students and residents in integrative medicine. “Boston is famous for training leaders in medicine,” Mehta says. “We need to expose the next generation of doctors to the benefits of mind-body medicine. My hope is that after studying at the Benson-Henry Institute they’ll be able to at least recognize value in it and perhaps add it to their practices in some way.” Caring Health Care: Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program The brainchild of Donna Karan, Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman Yee, and Beth Israel’s chair of integrative medicine, Woodson Merrell, MD, the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program seeks to strengthen the human element in hospital-based health care and to lessen the pain and anxiety many patients experience when undergoing treatment for cancer and other illnesses. Launched in 2009, the program offers a 500-hour training for yoga teachers and health care professionals in five healing modalities: yoga therapy, Reiki, essential-oil therapy, nutrition, and contemplative care. Included in the training are 100 hours of clinical rotations, carried out at participating hospitals and long-term care facilities in New York; Los Angeles; Columbus, Ohio; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. “We’re bringing mindfulness into arenas where there is often only anxiety, panic, stress, and crisis states,” says Codirector Rodney Yee. “We all realize mindfulness and meditation are so important to daily life. This is a way to bring this to patients in a medical setting, to support patients’ needs.” For example, depending on the needs of the patient, a certified therapist might help patients do in-bed yoga poses, breathing techniques, and meditation that they can then repeat on their own. Yee says he’s been amazed by the receptivity of the medical community toward the program. Old stigmas are dissolving, he says, and new attitudes are emerging. But it’s a two-way street, he adds. “The yoga community has our own work cut out for us, keeping up with the science and being open to addressing the issues that will affect yoga’s role in Western medicine for years to come.” #WeightLoss