NEW Yoga Classes!

Hey guys,

I have some really exciting news about new yoga classes going on the schedule! Beginning TONIGHT Wednesday April 13 I will be leading yoga classes at the Tulsa Boys' Home (TBH) in Sand Springs, located just off Highway 51. If you aren't familiar with TBH they're an incredible organization and you can check out their website at http://www.tulsaboyshome.org/tulsaboys/default.asp.

Classes will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30pm inside the main building at TBH. These sessions will be open to TBH staff as well as members of the public, so come on over and spend some time on your mat with us! The best part? Drop in pricing is just $10 per class. Just drop me a line here or on my Facebook page to let me know you'll be joining us!

Bring your yoga mat along, but if you don't have one don't let that stop you from coming; we will have a limited number of mats available for use during the class.

This is going to be a great class for anyone, whether you're athletic, love yoga already, or have never really be into physical activity before! We're going to start out focusing on body awareness and alignment, breathing, and letting go of our day while building our yoga practice. If you have any questions about the schedule, or where to go leave me a comment below or shoot me an email at yogawithleta@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

-Leta (The Yogi)

A Few Benefits of A Healthy Yoga Practice

I get asked a lot about the benefits of practicing yoga. "Is it as good for you as people say?" Or, "I hear it's good for you, but what does it actually do?" YES! But past that it's such a big answer, and sometimes I talk to people about it only to realize just after the conservation that I forgot to mention one of its many benefits. So, I decided that I needed to compile a comprehensive list from as many sources as I could so that people can check it out without me forgetting to mention things.

In my opinion, the benefits tend to be dictated in part, by why you're practicing yoga. If you're practicing because you want to increase your running time, or want to stay flexible even though you're weight training your benefits could be different from someone who is practicing to help reduce pain from arthritis, or someone who is trying to combat depression. Your benefits could be different because perhaps you're looking for different things, and that's okay. There's no right or wrong to a practice, and everyone may get different things out of it. But, I thought I'd look for a bit of variety on who thought yoga could benefit people and how.

So I launched into my search. My first stop was at Yoga Alliance, home of the national yoga teacher (and school) registry.

"There are many benefits of yoga, including:

  • Stress relief: The practice of yoga is well-demonstrated to reduce the physical effects of stress on the body. The body responds to stress through a fight-or-flight response, which is a combination of the sympathetic nervous system and hormonal pathways activating, releasing cortisol – the stress hormone – from the adrenal glands. Cortisol is often used to measure the stress response. Yoga practice has been demonstrated to reduce the levels of cortisol. Most yoga classes end with savasana, a relaxation pose, which further reduces the experience of stress.

  • Pain relief: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have shown that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases and hypertension as well as arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic conditions.

  • Better breathing: Yoga includes breathing practices known as pranayama, which can be effective for reducing our stress response, improving lung function and encouraging relaxation. Many pranayamas emphasize slowing down and deepening the breath, which activates the body’s parasympathetic system, or relaxation response. By changing our pattern of breathing, we can significantly affect our body’s experience of and response to stress. This may be one of the most profound lessons we can learn from our yoga practice.

  • Flexibility: Yoga can improve flexibility and mobility and increase range of motion. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity.

  • Increased strength: Yoga asanas use every muscle in the body, increasing strength literally from head to toe. A regular yoga practice can also relieve muscular tension throughout the whole body.

  • Weight management: While most of the evidence for the effects of yoga on weight loss is anecdotal or experiential, yoga teachers, students and practitioners across the country find that yoga helps to support weight loss. Many teachers specialize in yoga programs to promote weight management and find that even gentle yoga practices help support weight loss. People do not have to practice the most vigorous forms of yoga to lose weight. Yoga encourages development of a positive self-image, as more attention is paid to nutrition and the body as a whole. A study from the Journal of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that regular yoga practice was associated with less age-related weight gain. The lifestyle study of 15,500 adults in their 50’s covered 10 years of participants’ weight history, physical activity, medical history and diet.

  • Improved circulation: Yoga helps to improve circulation by efficiently moving oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.

  • Cardiovascular conditioning: Even a gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

  • Presence: Yoga connects us with the present moment. The more we practice, the more aware we become of our surroundings and the world around us. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.

  • Inner peace: The meditative effects of a consistent yoga practice help many cultivate inner peace and calm." - https://www.yogaalliance.org/LearnAboutYoga/AboutYoga/Benefitsofyoga

My next stop was a bit more medical with the American Osteopathic Association. There was quite a bit of overlap with Yoga Alliance with what they had to say.

"Physical Benefits

“The relaxation techniques incorporated in yoga can lessen chronic pain, such as lower back pain, arthritis, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome,” explains Dr. Nevins. “Yoga can also lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia.”

Other physical benefits of yoga include:

  • Increased flexibility

  • Increased muscle strength and tone

  • Improved respiration, energy and vitality

  • Maintaining a balanced metabolism

  • Weight reduction

  • Cardio and circulatory health

  • Improved athletic performance

  • Protection from injury

Mental Benefits

Aside from the physical benefits, one of the best benefits of yoga is how it helps a person manage stress, which is known to have devastating effects on the body and mind. “Stress can reveal itself in many ways, including back or neck pain, sleeping problems, headaches, drug abuse, and an inability to concentrate,” says Dr. Nevins. “Yoga can be very effective in developing coping skills and reaching a more positive outlook on life.”

Yoga’s incorporation of meditation and breathing can help improve a person’s mental well-being. “Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration,” says Dr. Nevins. Body- and self-awareness are particularly beneficial, she adds, “because they can help with early detection of physical problems and allow for early preventive action.” "- http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-conditions-library/general-health/Pages/yoga.aspx

Staying within the medical community, but changing my focus a bit I hoped over to the Mayo Clinic next to see about Prenatal Yoga.

"What are the benefits of prenatal yoga?Much like other types of childbirth-preparation classes, prenatal yoga is a multifaceted approach to exercise that encourages stretching, mental centering and focused breathing. Research suggests that prenatal yoga is safe and can have many benefits for pregnant women and their babies.Research suggests that prenatal yoga can:Improve sleepReduce stress and anxietyIncrease the strength, flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirthDecrease lower back pain, nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, headaches and shortness of breathPrenatal yoga can also help you meet and bond with other pregnant women and prepare for the stress of being a new parent." - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-yoga/art-20047193

I also found an awesome article at http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/yoga-for-anxiety-and-depression about the benefits of Yoga for Anxiety and Depression.

In short, yoga can help you feel better no matter who you are, how fit you are, or where you're at in your life. But don't just take my word for it! Look around, see what others have to say about it.

-Leta (The Yogi)

The Physical Side of Stress

I found this article online and I believe it needs to be shared. We as a society have too much stress and do not do enough to relieve our anxieties. What I find so fascinating about this article is that it talks about what the body goes through when stressed and the diseases it can cause.

Hope you enjoy the read.

Stress can take a toll on our health causing anything from eating disorders to heart diseases.

From 75 to 90 percent of primary care visits are for stress-related issues.

Lower your stress by finding time for both exercise and relaxation each day.

Although female sex hormones and brain chemistry offer some protection from stress, women are more deeply affected by the physical and emotional effects of stress than men.

Women’s reactions to stress are rooted in their body chemistry. Men have higher androgen levels, while women have higher estrogen levels, says Paul J. Rosch, MD, FACP, president of the American Institute of Stress (AIS).

“Their brains are also wired differently,” says Dr. Rosch, who is also a clinical professor of medicine and psychiatry at New York Medical College, and honorary vice president of the International Stress Management Association. “Women tend to react to stress differently than men. They don’t respond with the fight or flight response — they’re more apt to negotiate.”

Stress: How Women Are Affected

The effects of the natural anti-stress hormone oxytocin, produced during childbirth, breastfeeding, and in both sexes during orgasm, are enhanced by estrogen and reduced by testosterone.

This helps women more than men, Rosch says. And nurturing activities boost oxytocin levels in women.

The catch-22 is that women need more oxytocin than men to maintain their emotional health. For example, Rosch explains, women are more negatively affected when they’re not touched, and also feel more stress than men in relationships.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), stress is an expression of the body’s natural instinct to protect itself. While this may warn a woman of immediate danger, like a fast-approaching car, prolonged stress effects can negatively affect your physical and emotional health.

“Our stress response was exquisitely honed over millions of years as a protective mechanism,” said Rosch. “That was OK for our ancestors who ran into saber-toothed tigers. The tragedy is that today, it’s not that, but hundreds of things like getting stuck in traffic jams. Our bodies respond in the same unfortunate fashion, with hypertension, strokes, and ulcers.”

 

 

Stress Effects: The Physical Side

“Your stress may vary, but if you have stress with your work, your kids, your neighbors, and marriage all at once, that’s a big deal,” said Lori Heim, MD, president-elect of the AAFP and a hospitalist (a family physician who works only in a hospital) at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, N.C. “In women, I see this in changes in menstrual patterns — nothing else is going on except a huge increase in stress, and all of a sudden, they may be losing their hair or having menstrual irregularities, and everything points to stress as a factor.”

The AIS reports that some surveys show 75 to 90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, the effects of stress on women’s physical and emotional health can range from headaches to irritable bowel syndrome. Specific stress effects include:

  • Eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are 10 times more common in women than in men, says Rosch, and this may have something to do with stress levels. Like depression, this illness has been linked to low levels of serotonin and is often treated with serotonin-boosting antidepressant drugs.
  • Stomach ailments. Stress can make you reach for junk or comfort foods, or upset your stomach to the point that you feel like you can’t eat. Common stress-related stomach troubles include cramps, bloating, heartburn, and even irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Depending on how you respond, these can lead to weight loss or weight gain.
  • Skin reactions. Stress can lead to breakouts and even itchy rashes and hives in some people.
  • Emotional conditions. From being in a blue or irritable mood to more serious mental issues like depression, your emotional health suffers when there’s stress in your life. Women are better than men at hiding some emotions like anger and aggressiveness because the parts of their brains responsible for these emotions are larger than men's, but depression strikes women twice as often as men, says Rosch, adding, “The emotional effects of stress on women can range from postpartum depression after pregnancy to depression after menopause.”
  • Sleep problems. Trouble falling or staying asleep is common in women affected by stress, and this is particularly counterproductive since a good night’s sleep can help ease stress.
  • Concentration difficulty. Stress makes it hard to focus and be effective in your responsibilities at home or work, and that can compound your problems if your stress comes from your job to begin with.
  • Heart disease. The stress of competing in today’s job market has increased women’s heart disease risk, Rosch says. Stress can negatively affect the entire cardiovascular system, and lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack.
  • Lowered immune response. One of the more complicated physical reactions to stress is your body’s lessened ability to fight off disease, whether it’s a cold or a flare-up of a chronic condition.
  • Cancer. Some studies have suggested a link between stress and the development of breast and ovarian cancer. In one study, researchers found that the risk of breast cancer was increased by 62 percent in women who had experienced more than one highly stressful life event, like divorce or the death of a spouse.

Stress Effects: Stress-Lowering Techniques

Research presented at the most recent Western Psychological Association meeting found that 25 percent of happiness hinges on how well you handle stress. And what was the most important stress management strategy? Planning — or anticipating what's going to stress you out — and having the tools in place to tamp down the tension. Here are some more tips for managing stress:

  • Improve your diet. By eating well-balanced meals and skipping junk food, you can improve your physical well-being and, in turn, your emotional health.
  • Make time for exercise. “We do know that exercise is a phenomenal way of dealing with stress and depression,” said Dr. Heim. Research shows that getting active can lift your spirits and increase the release of endorphins, a natural chemical associated with mood.
  • Find fun ways to relax. Connect with family and friends and people you enjoy being around. Rediscover favorite hobbies; recent studies link a resurgence in knitting and needlepoint to their stress-reducing effects. Other popular stress-busters include yoga, meditation, and tai chi.

Finally, if you feel overwhelmed by stress and its effects, talk to your doctor about ways to deal with it. You may learn new techniques for managing stress on your own, or you may find that therapy with a mental health professional will better help you to get it all under control.

This Article is from: http://www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/physical-side-of-stress.aspx

-Alex The Doc

All photography provided by Dr. Alex Kvach & Leta Willcox unless otherwise noted.