IAYT - International Assocation of Yoga Therapists
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From the Editors
Kundalinî-Yoga Therapy, by Göran Boll
The Combination of Yoga and Art Therapy and Their Effect on the Perception of Body Image: A Pilot Study, by Carey DeMartini, Tricia Teneycke, Nicole Ringgold, Amy Ranaldi, Lisa Whitsitt, and Janice Hoshino
Yoga Injuries: The Real Problem, by Kaylan McKinney-Vialpando
Questions and Answers: What are the benefits of Yoga for infants?, answer by Helen Garabedian
News
Reviews
Research
Yoga Therapy Courses
Dear Members,
Let me (Trisha speaking) begin by once again extending my deepest thanks to all of you who responded so kindly to my message earlier this month about the reason for the delay in delivering this issue of the newsletter. I can’t tell you how much it meant to find your loving messages awaiting me at the end of the day while caring for my parents. They both continue to struggle, and it was difficult to part with them after being there for almost three weeks. I am in daily touch with my mother (my father has end-stage Parkinson’s, and I am unable to speak with him by phone), and I will return whenever needed.
Upon arriving back in Santa Rosa, I picked up where I left off—packing, and we drove a final U-Haul truck load to Manton last week. We will close the Santa Rosa office on June 5, and from then on our new contact information will be: Yoga Research and Education Center, P.O. Box 426, Manton, CA 96059, voice: 530-474-5700, fax: 530-474-5704. Our email and web addresses will remain the same: mail@yrec.org, http://www.yrec.org, and http://www.iayt.org.
We will shortly upload photos of the new center to our website—just as soon as we get our new rural high-speed Internet access system to work consistently. It was a miracle to obtain high-speed access in our remote location, but the provider is still working out a few glitches. If you would like to see the photos, I would suggest checking the YREC website, http://www.yrec.org, in about two weeks or so.
As our new retreat facility begins to take shape, excitement over its potential keeps growing. We already have had several visitors who came either to interview Georg for various publications or documentaries or to do Karma-Yoga, and we are most grateful to all the karma-yogins and karma-yoginîs. It would be impossible for us to create the new center without such help.
As a nonprofit, we depend on donations of labor as well as funds for both our survival and retention of our legal status as a nonprofit. You may recall that we made a request for donations in the previous issue of the newsletter (which is repeated in the News section below), and in response we received one general donation and a 0 donation for our India Studentship fund (see more about the latter in the News section). We are very grateful for each of these donations, but we know you will understand that we had hoped to hear from many more of you! Prior to 9/11, we received circa -,000 per year in donations, which kept us on track legally as a nonprofit and provided much-needed income to fund our many programs, but since 9/11 donations have dropped to under ,000 per year, greatly impacting our ability to continue all of our programs as well as our nonprofit status.
We certainly appreciate, given the poor state of the economy in the United States and abroad, why it is more difficult than ever to make a donation, but if you can spare even a little to help support YREC/IAYT's work, we promise to use it wisely in service of others and to stretch every dollar to help as many as possible. Donations of any amount are welcome—every single dollar helps.
Speaking of money, the only remaining hot topic regarding Yoga these days seems to be its (inevitable) commodification in the West. When Yoga was the topic du jour in 2000-2001, we received several inquiries per week from journalists asking about Yoga’s health benefits, therapeutic applications, benefits for different age groups, etc. During the past six months, however, the number of calls from journalists has dropped to about three or four per month, and the calls are usually about Yoga’s commodification, followed in (distant) second by queries about the increasing number of injuries from yogâsana practice and an occasional query about unethical teachers.
Although you would not know it from the number of companies jumping on the commodification bandwagon, selling everything from Yoga bath soap to designer Yoga mats and designer Yoga mat cleaner to Yoga shoes (Jisho Mary Jane Adidas, : “Created to walk you to the yoga studio and then float you home”), I think it is probably safe to say that the boom in interest in Yoga in the United States peaked several months ago. Some indicators: the decreasing number and types of inquiries we have received from the media during the past several months, reports of declining attendance in Yoga classes, an excess of Yoga teachers and Yoga studios in some major cities (such as Seattle and Los Angeles), and the following January 16, 2003, news release from Terra Lycos, one of the major Internet search engines: “While overall search activity for exercise and diet-related terms remained constant from 2001 to 2002, searches specifically asking for women’s fitness have doubled. Other fitness trends from 2002 included an increase in online interest for Pilates, up 50 percent from 2001, and searches for weight training, up 20 percent, while searches for yoga, tai chi and aerobics all fell” (emphasis added). In 2001, however, searches for yoga made the Lycos Top 200, coming in at number 140 for the year.
In the article “Mid-career Stretches: Professionals Who Leave the Rat Race for Jobs in Fitness Find It Can Be Risky But Rewarding” in the April 21, 2002, issue of the Los Angeles Times, the author, Jeannine Stein, reports, “Some yoga teachers who have recently graduated from teacher-training programs are finding a glut of instructors in the L.A. area. Several gyms and yoga studios report getting five or more calls a day from instructors looking for work, and top gyms have their pick of the best.”
An opposing view, however, is given in an article by Dan Levy, “Storefront Yoga: ‘Like Mushrooms after a Spring Rain,’ Studios Sprout throughout the Bay Area,” in the April 12, 2003, issue of the San Francisco Chronicle: “‘Yoga studios are the biggest real estate growth story in town,’ said Adam Ducker of the Concord Group, real estate consultants. ‘They are literally the only thing that is multiplying.’ According to the Bay Area Yoga Guide, an unofficial clearinghouse, there are more than 70 studios in the nine counties—and most have opened since 1999 . . .”
Interest in Yoga will clearly remain at a much higher level than it was prior to the boom, as Yoga has become an ingrained part of Western culture at this point, with it being taught in close to 80% of health clubs and in hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, retirement centers, corporations, police stations, fire stations, prisons, athletic departments, judge’s chambers, elementary schools and high schools, universities, and so on, but I think the number of participants will either level off or increase much more gradually than it has over the past few years. And some of those who came to Yoga via an âsana class will begin to inquire about Yoga’s other dimensions, which should be positive for YREC.
One great potential area for growth in participation, and a most important one, is among diverse ethnic groups (see, for example, the recent article by Jeaninne Stein, “Helping Yoga Widen Its Reach: Saying It’s for Everyone, Teachers Are Hoping to Enlist More African American and Latino Students,” in the May 26, 2003, issue of the Los Angeles Times) and the less privileged in our society. This is an important potential way for each of us to do community service. Fifteen-dollar classes and all the pricey Western-devised yogic accoutrements keep Yoga confined to the middle and upper classes, when all that is needed is some interested participants wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants or shorts, some donated mats or blankets, a free community center space or park area, and a dedicated volunteer teacher to bring the profound gifts of the eight limbs of Yoga to the full spectrum of our fellow community members. May that be Yoga’s next boom.
In this issue of the newsletter, you will find a broad range of helpful aids for your teaching and therapeutic practices beginning with member Göran Boll’s article on his very successful Yoga therapy practice in Sweden. This is followed by member Carey DeMartini et al.’s article on the effect of Yoga and art therapy on body image and member Kaylan McKinney-Vialpando’s reflections on the rising number of Yoga injuries. The Q&A this issue pertains to member Helen Garabedian’s work with Yoga for infants, plus there are in-depth reviews by Georg Feuerstein, Richard Rosen, and John Kepner, an information-dense news section, and up-to-the-minute research summaries.
Thank you again for your kind patience in awaiting delivery. As mentioned in my earlier email message to you, the 2003 issue of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy will be published in November instead of October this year, and the September issue of Yoga Studies may also be somewhat delayed. The move of the center and getting the new retreat facility up and running have and will continue to consume massive amounts of time, but we should be back on track by the beginning of 2004. I think that Nature has arranged our brains so that we eventually forget how long it takes and how demanding it is each time we move—or we would never do it more than once :-).
Namas te,
Trisha and Richard
Kundalinî-Yoga Therapy
by Göran Boll
Introduction
I would like to begin by commenting on Georg Feuerstein’s excellent article “Reflections on Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Psychotherapy” in the January 2002 issue of Yoga Studies. I fully agree that all Yoga is therapeutic and also that for it to be truly therapeutic the spiritual dimension is a necessity. Otherwise, it at best becomes just a form of advanced gymnastics. Being trained in the Kundalinî-Yoga (KY) tradition, the flow of prânic and kundalinî energies through the nâdîs (energy channels) and cakras as the basis for the perception of humans as energetic and spiritual beings is for me the natural way of addressing this issue.
KY is a form of Yoga particularly well suited for Yoga therapy. It offers more than 1,000 different kriyâs (actions) and hundreds of different meditations with very specific effects on the nâdîs and cakras, the psyche, and the physical body—its nerves, glands, and organs. In addition, the spiritual element is very much present in every aspect of KY training.
The concept of KY as a good basis for therapy and psychotherapy is not new. Carl Jung, for instance, studied KY as far back as the late 1920s and early 1930s. He based part of his ideas about the psyche and the subconscious on the cakras and KY philosophy. There is an interesting book about this aspect of his work, The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga (Princeton University Press, 1996), containing four lectures he gave on the subject in 1932 in Zurich, Switzerland.
For the past five years I have been working with Yoga therapy in Sweden and at the same time taking KY to well over 150 of Sweden’s largest workplaces (including the Swedish Parliament), introducing these techniques to some 20,000 people all over the country. I have been involved with several scientific studies on KY conducted by serious and well-established scientists and institutes in Sweden, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm being one prominent example.
When I introduce KY to a new group of people I always, and right from the start, talk about the overall goal of Yoga, which is increased consciousness, or liberation. I receive tremendous feedback from students in my classes, telling about how the training affects them mentally, emotionally, and physically, with better sleep, relaxation, more energy, etc.
When working therapeutically with KY I focus on the underlying energetic imbalance. KY has, parallel to the cakras, another system called “the Ten Bodies” as a way of understanding the energetic system and pinpointing exactly where an underlying imbalance is to be found. The Ten Bodies also is an excellent means for tracing energetic patterns and blocks back to early childhood.
A Brief Description of the Ten Bodies
The Ten Bodies is a description of the energy system, layer upon layer, working from the inside out. It begins with the innermost layer, the first body, or the soul. Next come, in three divisions or bodies, the negative mind, positive mind, and neutral mind. Then the physical (fifth) body, and, finally, divided into five different parts or layers, the aura.
When talking to a client and diagnosing his or her problems, I pinpoint the energetic imbalance in the cakra system and where among the Ten Bodies it lies. KY then has a multitude of exercises, sets of exercises, and meditations to draw upon for each cakra and each Body. I apply KY exercises, prânâyâmas, sets, mantras, and guided and other meditations as ways of opening up blocks and increasing the flow of energy.
Time and again I have witnessed this kind of Yoga therapy, which aims directly at the heart of the matter, achieve exceptional outcomes for clients. The physical or mental problems they came with seem to dissolve during therapy.
Three Case Studies
Here, I will briefly describe three cases where KY Therapy has been very successful.
Case #1
A 45-year-old man had experienced migraine headaches on a daily basis for 40 years. Although he carried a pack of the strongest possible headache pills with him at all times, nothing he had tried over the years had helped. He came to see me three times. I diagnosed his problem, taught him the basics of KY, and gave him a simple training program—a series of five exercises—to work with at home. This basic series is designed to reduce tension in shoulders, neck, and jaw, opening up the flow of energy through the sushumnâ-nâdî (central channel).
After a few months of KY therapy the headaches started to diminish. When I met him a year later he told me he did not have migraines at all anymore, and today, two years later, this remains the case. He is starting a new design school in Stockholm this year and wants to include the practice of KY for all students there.
The training program
The KY program he worked with consists in part of five easy exercises for spine, shoulders, and neck. You can do them sitting on a chair. You should do all the exercises with your eyes closed, keeping your focus at the third eye point (âjnâ-cakra). Do long deep breathing through the nose using the complete yogic breath. Normally, you would also use a mantra in connection with the breath. In KY we use SAT NAM (I am true/truth is my identity), SAT on the inhale and NAM on the exhale, but you may use another mantra if you prefer. Use the mantra throughout the set, both while doing the exercises and when relaxing in between.
This is an excellent therapeutic set for opening up the flow of energy through the sushumnâ as well as loosening up muscular tension. The set is easy to learn and easy to do, even for people who find it difficult to sit on the floor with their legs crossed. Done properly it has an immediate effect, producing calmness, relaxed well-being, and clear energy. According to KY therapy:
• Exercise number one opens up one’s breathing and increases circulation and nerve strength.
• The second exercise flexes spine and shoulders, increasing the flow of cerebral-spinal fluid.
• The third exercise increases nerve strength, flexes the spine, and stretches intercostals and shoulders.
• The fourth exercise flexes the spine and intercostals.
• The last exercise relaxes muscles in neck and jaw, opens up circulation to the brain, and helps endocrine balance in the brain.
Mûla-bandha: The KY mûla-bandha (root lock) works the three lower cakras. You sit up straight. Inhale and exhale deeply. Hold the breath out. Contract the rectum, sex organ, and navel point. Hold mûla-bandha tightly for 5-15 seconds. Then relax it as you inhale.
Mûla-bandha is applied in exercises 1-4, but not during menstruation or if you are pregnant.
Should you have any form of cardiovascular disorder or glaucoma, do not hold your breath at any time and also eliminate mûla-bandha.
The set
1. Sit with spine straight. Raise your arms 60 degrees. Inhale, expanding
stomach, chest, and clavicle, in a complete breath. Breathe in this way for 1-3
minutes. Do mûla-bandha. Take your arms down. Relax.

2. Sit up straight. Move forward on the chair. Grab your knees,
start flexing the spine. Inhale when you move forward and lift your chest. Exhale when you move backward. Keep your head straight.
Repeat for 3 minutes. With your spine straight do mûla-bandha.
Move back on the chair. Relax.
3. Sit up straight. Place your hands up on your shoulders, with fingers
down the front and thumbs down the back. Elbows are out to the sides
up in line with the shoulders. Slowly twist your body to the left as far as you
can while inhaling. Turn all the way to the right, exhaling. Repeat for 3
minutes. Facing forward do mûla-bandha. Take your arms down. Relax.
4. Same position with hands and arms as in exercise #3. Inhale and lower
your left elbow; raise your right elbow and bend down as far as you can to
the left without falling off the chair. Exhale as you come back up. Perform
the exercise in the opposite direction. Repeat for 3 minutes. Sitting up straight
do mûla-bandha. Take your arms down. Relax.
5. Roll your neck slowly to the right 15 times. Do this very slowly. It must not
hurt your neck. Inhale through your nose when your head bends backward; opening
your mouth wide, exhale with your chin down your chest. Then, in the same fashion,
roll your neck to the left 15 times. Afterward, slowly raise your head and sit with your
eyes closed. Focus on the mantra SAT NAM or your personal mantra in connection
with your breath. Relax completely like this for 3-5 minutes.
Case #2
A woman, about 30 years old, had been claustrophobic since childhood. In school once during gym class she had been locked into a confined space and was left there for quite some time. Ever since then, she had had severe problems with confined spaces. She worked for an airline company, but could not fly. She could not even take the elevator between two floors without undergoing a mild panic attack.
At first she just came to my regular classes at her place of work. After about one month of KY classes once a week, she started to notice changes within herself. This confused her, so she came to me. We talked about it, and she told me about the extent of her problems. I gave her a breathing technique, basically the complete yogic breath, and an exercise called Sat Kriyâ with which to work.
She kept coming to my regular classes, and she practiced the breathing technique and Sat Kriyâ regularly on her own. Six months later, she managed to go down into a copper mine, half a mile under ground. While there she had the tour guide turn off the lights—and she stood there in the dark, with no fears or anxiety at all. Her claustrophobia of many years standing had been overcome.
The exercise – Sat Kriyâ
Sat Kriyâ is fundamental to KY and is recommended to be practiced for at least three minutes every day. It strengthens the heart and the sexual system and stimulates the natural flow of energy through the cakras. It balances the three lower cakras and revitalizes the internal organs. Always practice this kriyâ with the mantra SAT NAM, or your chosen mantra.
Sat Kriyâ
Sit on your heels and stretch the arms overhead so that the elbows hug
the ears. Interlock all the fingers except the index fingers, which point straight
up. Repeat the mantra SAT NAM emphatically in a constant rhythm about 8
times per 10 seconds. Chant SAT from the navel point and pull the umbilicus all
the way in toward the spine. On NAM relax the belly completely. Continue for 3-11
minutes. Then inhale and squeeze the muscles tightly from the buttocks all the
way up the back, past the shoulders. Mentally allow the energy to flow through the
top of the skull. Relax afterward for as long as you performed the exercise.
Case #3
A woman in her early fifties had insomnia—she had not had a full night’s sleep in 25 years. Her insomnia began in 1973 after having a baby, when she began waking up several times every night and could not go back to sleep. This pattern became firmly established, and nothing she tried helped in the long run, including various remedies, treatments, sleeping pills, etc. She took sick leave for long periods of time and had various health problems related to the insomnia.
In 1998 she participated in a study with a KY program for insomnia at her place of work. Together with 11 other employees of the local city government, all of them suffering from various forms of sleeping disorders, she was introduced to the basics of KY and given a 30-minute insomnia set, a series of five KY exercises designed for better sleep. I met with the group twice, and then they practiced the program for six weeks (40 days) in their own homes with the aid of an audiocassette and a written manual. Their sleeping patterns were documented in special sleeping diaries.
Three weeks into the program, the woman in question began to sleep through the night. The last three weeks of the program, she slept every night, and, now, four years later, she still sleeps soundly. The 40-day Yoga program managed to break a 25-year-long destructive pattern.
The group as a whole also did quite well. Seventy-seven percent of the participants experienced significant improvement in their sleeping patterns after completing the six-week program. (Editors’ note: Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., is currently conducting NIH-funded research on KY for insomnia at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School; click here to read the summary of his pilot study in the Research section below.)
The training program
The insomnia program consists of five exercises designed to improve sleep. It is a little more difficult than the first program, but, as is always the case when doing KY, it should be done carefully, never risking any injuries. It is best done in the evening just before going to bed. According to KY Therapy:
• The first exercise activates the parasympathetic nervous system, creating relaxation.
• The second exercise stretches the sciatic nerve and brings balance to your emotions and your digestive and nervous systems. Be careful with your back here.
• The third exercise, a KY setubandhâsana (bridge pose), will help your nerves to relax and affects the flow of cerebral-spinal fluid. Here you need to be careful with your neck and shoulders.
• The fourth exercise releases muscular and emotional tension.
• The last exercise, Shabd Kriyâ, is intended to regenerate and relax the nervous system. According to KY therapy, it will help you get a good night’s deep sleep.
• The mantra SA TA NA MA (infinity, life, death, rebirth) is considered very cleansing for the mind.
• The mantra WAHAY GURU (indescribable wisdom) is intended to produce a feeling of happiness and give one the experience of infinity.
The set
1. Sit with spine straight. Raise your right hand and close your right nostril
with your right thumb. Breathe through your left nostril for 3 minutes. Take your
arm down. Relax.
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2. Extend your legs in front of you. With back straight and hinging at the
hips, reach forward and pull back on your toes. If this is not possible, hold
on to your ankles or calves. Stretch forward and breathe long and deeply
through your nose. Repeat for 3 minutes. Relax.
3. With your feet flat and knees bent, press your hips up, with your elbows
straight and head back. Be very careful with your neck! Hold this pose and do
mûla-bandha (unless contraindicated) for 1-3 minutes with normal breathing.
Then do complete yogic breathing for 1-3 minutes more. Relax on your back.
4. Lie on your back. Have the arms straight up from the shoulders, perpendicular to the ground, palms facing in toward one another. Take a few
deep breaths. Now inhale, hold the breath, make your hands into tight fists,
and slowly pull your fists toward the sternum. The elbows bend outward. Get
intense! Pull! When you cannot hold the breath any more, let the hands come
to the sternum as you exhale. Repeat the exercise one more time. Relax on
your back.
5. Sit up with spine straight, hands in your lap, right hand over left. Thumb tips are
pressed together, pointing forward. Eyes are 1/10 open, focusing on the tip of the nose.
Inhale in 4 equal parts through the nose; mentally intone SA TA NA MA. Hold the
breath; mentally repeat the mantra 4 times. Exhale in two equal parts, mentally repeat-
ing WAHAY GURU. Do this at a slow pace for 11 minutes. Go to bed. Have a good
night’s sleep!
Experiencing these clients overcoming various kinds of limiting conditions through the aid of Yoga therapy, and many others like them, is truly rewarding. My view as a therapist is very simple: It is the spiritual, energetic approach, viewing the human being as the spiritual being s/he really is, that does it.
One of the strengths of KY therapy is that it is a working remedy for all kinds of physical, mental, and emotional problems. During the past five years I have successfully applied KY Therapy on a wide range of disorders, including asthma, spinal problems, burnout syndromes, depression, migraine headaches, insomnia, skin problems, anxiety, claustrophobia, infertility, and more.
I would like to conclude by reaffirming that in order to bring about true healing the spiritual element is essential in all forms of Yoga therapy. I believe that a de-spiritualized Yoga therapy is not what the medical community needs and would not well serve patients/clients.
Yogi Bhajan, master of Kundalinî-Yoga has said it very eloquently: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
Copyright © 2003 Göran Boll
About the author: Göran Boll, a member of YREC/IAYT, is the founder of Lifeforce – the Institute for Medical Yoga in Sweden. He has practiced Kundalinî-Yoga according to Yogi Bhajan since 1993. An internationally appointed teacher trainer in Sweden for Kundalinî-Yoga level 1, he has produced half a dozen manuals, one video, two CDs, and ten audiocassettes (all in Swedish) on Kundalinî-Yoga.
Göran has participated in several scientific studies on Yoga in Sweden, and since the fall of 2000 he has been lecturing on Kundalinî-Yoga and Yoga therapy at the Medical College of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. He has lectured and led workshops on Kundalinî-Yoga in Sweden, England, and Germany. In May 2004 he will lead a new three-year Kundalinî-Yoga Therapist Training in Sweden that follows the standards and guidelines of the Scandinavian CAM-committee. He can be contacted at: mail@lifeforce.nu.
by Carey DeMartini, M.A., Tricia Teneycke, M.A., Nicole Ringgold, M.A.,
Amy Ranaldi, M.A., Lisa Whitsitt, B.A., and Janice Hoshino, Ph.D., ATR-BC
Introduction
Consider these findings from a 1996 study by the National Institutes of Mental Health[1]: More than 5 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, of which 90 percent are adolescent and young adult women. The number-one magic wish for young girls ages 10 to 17 is to be thinner. Today, fashion models weigh 23 percent less than the average female. Kilbourne [2] states that the ideal body type is unattainable by most women, even if they starve themselves. Images of the ideal are intended to be persuasive and can negatively influence our perception of ourselves. This illusion of perfection, however, is nearly impossible to attain and requires a tremendous amount of energy, emotional resources, and mental attention to achieve.
Body Image, Art Therapy, and Yoga
There are several theories regarding the etiology and treatment of body image issues. Generally, these theories pinpoint single-agent causes and assign single-agent cures. However, there is strong evidence that suggests body image issues are caused by several factors and therefore multi-model approaches are potentially most effective.[3][4] In the following study, five Master’s level psychology students specializing in the field of art therapy examined the effect of art therapy and Yoga on negative body image and self-esteem. The researchers hypothesized that the combination of art therapy and Yoga would have the greatest influence in positively changing women’s attitudes towards their bodies compared to using each modality separately.
Bergner et al.[5] describe body image as, “the mental representation of embodiment which encompasses feelings, attitudes and beliefs about the body” (p. 35). Northrup[6] suggests that negative body image occurs when women internalize the idea that something is wrong with their bodies. They believe that they must control certain aspects of their bodies and that their natural shape is unacceptable.
Art therapy is an expressive modality that taps into the imagination and unconscious and provides a way of accessing internalized beliefs that lie deep within us. There is growing research and substantial evidence that art therapy acts as a psychological mirror and has transformative effects on body image issues within eating disordered populations.[7][8] “Both the art process and the product can help create change in an individual’s thought patterns, emotions and behaviors through a variety of ways . . . art can become part of a centering or relaxation process where a client can visualize and symbolically represent intrusive negative thoughts or feelings.”[9] Because so many of women’s body image issues are grounded in cultural expectations, Ellis [10] viewed art therapy as providing a less confined framework within which women may begin to see themselves realistically and compassionately.
Studies using movement also have shown improvement in the areas of body awareness and self-esteem and ultimately increased feelings of acceptance toward one’s self. Raymond and Scannell[11] showed that engaging in creative dance movement improves one’s satisfaction with appearance, fitness, and body parts. Rani and Rao[12] found that a Yoga-trained group had better body awareness than a control group. Yoga also has been shown to have mood-elevating effects.[13][14]
Methodology
Three groups of women, ages 21-49, were randomly assembled into groups of 5-6 participants. The participants were self-selected by responding to flyers, which were posted throughout the Seattle area. All of the participants were Caucasian except for one woman who was Hispanic. Each group met once a week for 90 minutes for 5 consecutive weeks. Every session began with a check-in and ended with a discussion. The following outline briefly describes each group’s weekly activities:
|
Art Therapy Group |
Yoga Group |
Art Therapy and Yoga Group |
|
|
Week 1 |
Scribble drawing and closing mandala drawing (circle drawing) |
Yoga breathing and âsana | Scribble drawing and Yoga breathing and âsana |
|
Week 2 |
Self-collage and closing mandala drawing | Yoga breathing and âsana | Inside/outside box and Yoga breathing and âsana |
|
Week 3 |
Inside/outside box |
Yoga breathing and âsana |
Self-collage and Yoga breathing and âsana |
|
Week 4 |
Body tracing | Yoga breathing and âsana | Body tracing and Yoga breathing and âsana |
|
Week 5 |
Group mandala drawing and post-tests | Yoga breathing and âsana | Group mandala drawing, Yoga breathing and âsana, and post-tests |
Quantitative Results
Results were gathered from a variety of sources. More comprehensive results are available from the researchers upon request. The researchers recognize that these are just preliminary results and that a similar study with a greater number of participants would be more conclusive. A total of 16 women participated in the workshops; however, the final quantitative results are based on 12 complete pre- and post-tests due to inconsistent attendance and an invalid post-test tree drawing.
The most extensive measurement tool was the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). The MBSRQ is a self-reporting assessment inventory of attitudes and constructs regarding multiple aspects of body image.[15] The MBSRQ is unique due to its many areas of measurement and its global approach to information gathering. Although the two-tailed t-tests of this pilot study did not show statistically significant (p
The researchers also utilized an art therapy subscale assessment from the Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS), called the Creekmore DDS.[16] Participants were asked to draw a tree using pastels before the workshops began and at the end of the last workshop. The researchers chose this measure because the Creekmore DDS draw-a-tree directive has illuminated distinct characteristics for individuals with eating disorders.[17][18] In this study’s findings, however, the tree drawing did not show any outstanding differences in subjects’ pre-study to post-study tree drawings. This may have been the case because none of the participants were diagnosed with eating disorders.
The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE)[19] measured each subject’s level of self-esteem. The RSE comprises ten questions, which address global self-esteem issues. The participants’ responses were rated on a four-point Likert scale. The Yoga group participants showed the greatest increase in self-esteem.
At the end of the groups, a five-point Likert scale developed by the practitioners was administered. Out of six questions, three were analyzed: How valuable did you find the group experience? Did this group provide any avenue for change in your life? Did your perceptions regarding your body image change due to your experiences in the group? Results showed that the participants in the art therapy and Yoga group consistently reported the most positive impact.
Qualitative Research: Interviews with Participants
Two to five weeks after the participants’ groups had ended one researcher met with 14 of the 16 participants for follow-up interviews. The interviews consisted of six questions:
1. Has your group experience had an impact on your lifestyle, attitudes, outlook, and/or relationships with others?
2. Are there any changes you’ve made in your life that you can attribute at least partially to your group experience? If so, what?
3. Which techniques or directives used by the group leaders were the most effective? Why?
4. What I liked most about the group was ________.
5. What I liked least about the group was ________.
6. What changes or modifications would you recommend if we were to replicate this group experience in the future?
In their own words, the women described their experiences: Catherine[20] said that since her participation in the Yoga group, she had been less stressed and more “mindful of her mind.” She felt that she was now more focused and able to control her thoughts. Jennifer described how her Yoga experience helped to reawaken her connection with her body and increase her body awareness. Jennifer said that the most important element of her experience was recognizing what her body can and cannot do; by respecting her limits, she felt as if she built appreciation for her body and that this appreciation allowed her to feel as if her body was her home.
Every woman except one said that the groups were too short. This feeling was most strongly emphasized by participants in the art therapy group. Nevertheless, during her interview, Alice stated that she felt more connected with herself since the conclusion of her group. Alice also noted that her experience allowed her to see that doing art is not just to have fun, but can be a form of creative expression used as a way to get to know parts of herself. Alice added that she was grateful for the opportunity to shut off her brain and tap into her body and spirit. Interestingly, she compared her experience to experiences she has had in the past with bodywork where she had been able to access a deeper sense of wholeness. Sarah, also from the art therapy group, described feeling a sense of commonality with the other group members and a newfound sense of kinship with women as a result of the group.
Stephanie, who was in the art therapy and Yoga group, said that the Yoga aspect of the group experience had the greatest impact on her. She felt that the philosophy of Yoga offered her a new and valuable perspective of her body, time, and life. Yoga increased her awareness of her body and its needs. For example, she said that she was now responding to her body when she felt tired by sleeping rather than pushing herself. She became more aware of her eating habits and began to make choices to eat based on hunger rather than emotional avoidance. Stephanie also noted that her attitudes toward her body were changing in that she did not feel as inclined to think as negatively about her body as she had in the past because she was catching those thoughts and deliberately changing them.
Karen, also in the art therapy and Yoga group, noted how Yoga positively shifted her outlook about her body image so that she felt less antagonistic toward her body and more as if she could befriend her body. She began to see how her body parts function as supports, recognizing them for their usefulness and seeing them as tools rather than parts of her to feel antagonistic toward. She found it helpful to use symbols, to make them tangible, and to release the feelings and negativity she held in her body about her body by doing Yoga after art therapy. Diana, another art therapy and Yoga group participant, believed that the combination of modalities contributed to an overall successful experience. Karen said she appreciated the hands-on nature of the process and the opportunity for integration that the art therapy and Yoga combination provided, adding that the Yoga was a good opportunity to practice self-care.
Upon review of the women’s feedback, themes and patterns of influential elements in the participants’ process began to emerge. The essence of these themes and patterns is distilled in the chart below:
|
Yoga |
Art Therapy |
Yoga/Art Therapy |
| Group dynamics | Positive change in personal relationships | Positive change in personal relationships |
| Increased body awareness | No change in body image | Increased body awareness |
| Positive attitudinal shifts |
Support of group members was helpful |
Support of group members was helpful |
| Post-group life changes | Experienced freedom and creativity while doing art | Experienced freedom and creativity while doing art |
| Group was too short | Group leaders | Group leaders |
| Group was too short | Positive attitudinal shifts | |
| Liked the combination of Yoga and art therapy | ||
| Post-group life changes | ||
| Group was too short |
Limitations of Research
Limitations of the research include the small sample size (n = 12) and a lack of diversity in participants. Although the MBSRQ has proven to be accurate in drawing out women’s perceptions of themselves, it is important to consider that responses for the MBSRQ and the RSE relied on self-report. Future research would benefit from a more diverse sampling across ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds as well as examination of the effect of age on body image. Longer duration of the groups might also provide more substantial results.
Summary
The total sum of this pilot research project is a picture of the healing potential that resides within the combined use of art therapy and Yoga. The preliminary results suggest that art therapy and Yoga are an effective combination for improving body image and self-esteem. The combined art therapy and Yoga group showed the greatest amount of positive change toward their bodies and themselves. The qualitative research illuminated the commonalties of each woman’s process as well as those aspects of healing that were unique to each woman and each group.
The curative power of a group cannot be underestimated. As one woman put it, to experience a nonjudgmental atmosphere, where she was accepted for who she was rather than who she thought she should be, was not only exciting and powerful but also healing. Additionally there appear to be healing benefits in realistically experiencing one’s body through physical exertion in Yoga, by literally facing one’s beliefs through art, or via feedback from group members.
For some women, their art experience became a touchstone for reconnecting to their self. For others, Yoga assisted them in discovering new aspects of their body, of which they had previously been unaware. Women in the art therapy and Yoga group expressed that the combination of these modalities allowed them to achieve a greater sense of acceptance and connection to their bodies, and integration between mind and body. The voices of the women speak clearly: Coming into and being in one’s body lead to greater appreciation of and compassion for one’s body, and art therapy and Yoga can assist this process of “coming home” to one’s self.
Endnotes
[1]National Institutes of Health. Eating Disorders and Obesity: A Comprehensive Handbook. 1996. Available online: http://www.nih.gov.
[10] Ellis, M. Women: The mirage of the perfect image. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 1989, 16:273-276.
[15] Cash, T. F. MBSRQ’s User’s Manual, Third Revision. 2000. Available online: http://www.body-images.com.
[19] Rosenberg, M. Measure Your Global Self-Esteem. Unpublished, 1965.
[20] To protect the anonymity of the participants, fictitious names are used.
© 2003 Carey DeMartini, Tricia Teneycke, Nicole Ringgold, Amy Ranaldi, Lisa Whitsitt, and Janice Hoshino
About the authors: Carey DeMartini, Tricia Teneycke, Nicole Ringgold, and Amy Ranaldi received their Master’s degree from Antioch University Seattle in Psychology with a specialization in Art Therapy. Lisa Whitsitt will graduate in summer 2003. Janice Hoshino, Ph.D., is the chair of the Art Therapy Department at Antioch University Seattle. For more information, please contact Carey DeMartini at cdemartini@seanet.com.
Yoga Injuries: The Real Problem
by Kaylan McKinney-Vialpando
Introduction
Who would have thought that the peaceful and beautiful practice of Yoga would turn into such a hot topic of debate, attitudes, controversy, and injury? The irony is enough to make us raise our eyebrows and shake our heads. We all know there are many different styles of Yoga, with Eastern and Western flavors and different philosophies and approaches, but with hopefully similar goals. We also know that Yoga teachers range from those who have studied Yoga seriously for years to those who are teaching from a fitness perspective, the latter often being current or former group exercise instructors. Is one type of teacher better than the other from the standpoint of injuries? That would depend on the individual, his or her knowledge base, level of dedication, purpose in teaching Yoga, and numerous other factors. There is a major misunderstanding between the two groups and I would love to elaborate on it, but that is not the purpose of this article.
Instead of assuming an automatic preference for one type of teacher over another, consider what qualities are important in a Yoga teacher. On your list of qualities, did the word “safe” appear? For most people who are newly interested in the physical benefits of Yoga, safety would likely be an important issue. In fact, many people who are uncertain about, injured by, or intimidated by other forms of exercise often turn to Yoga as a perceived safe alternative for increasing their fitness and relieving stress. Unfortunately, they are being let down in increasingly larger numbers, as Yoga injuries are on the rise. I realize that some suggest it is impossible to get hurt if we truly listen to our body and practice Yoga as intended, but in my experience there seems to be just a small number of practitioners who have really good sensory and mind-body awareness. We thus cannot defer to this suggestion and hope the downside will simply go away.
Doctors and chiropractors around the country are reporting a marked increase in Yoga-related injuries. Like it or not, Yoga has turned into a fitness trend, and whether the Yoga teacher has studied in India for 20 years or was last year’s hottest kickboxing instructor, both have potential to cause more harm than good in their Yoga teaching if the fundamental information about anatomy, limitations, and safety is not clearly understood. Let’s thus consider how to practice and teach Yoga safely so that its benefits can be enjoyed instead of compromised.
I have been teaching almost every type of fitness modality on the map for the past 12 years, and I also own a national certification company (SAFAX) as well as a studio for Yoga, Pilates, Sunnlan, and personal training. I have trained literally thousands of people and to my knowledge have never had a single person injured as a result of anything I taught. Instead, I am regularly thanked for helping clients to feel better again by having exercise (and Yoga) be pain free. I do not possess a magic formula, but there are two ingredients I never teach without:
1. An understanding of the human body.
2. An understanding of how to modify exercises or poses based on the individual.
These are both very important points, but for now we will focus on the first, or this will become a book instead of an article!
There is a vast amount of information available about the practice of Yoga, both ancient and modern. We need to realize, however, that not all of this information takes safety into account nor does it follow healthy guidelines for our neck, back, shoulders, knees, ankles, wrists, and connective tissues. In addition, we know much more about human anatomy and kinesiology today than we did in antiquity, and it is important to address all the safety issues in light of this new information. Understanding how to evaluate Yoga positions, videos, props, and books is vital. Considering the needs of special populations, such as pregnant women, children, senior citizens, beginners, and athletes, also is vitally important.
Placing all special circumstances aside for now, however, let’s look at some safety basics when working with a healthy body.
Preparation
The purpose of a pre-activity warm-up, which may include very gentle stretching and/or rhythmic activity, is to prepare the body for more intense stretching or movement by elevating the temperature of the body, including the muscles, connective tissue, and joints so that they will function more effectively during activity. A warm-up also serves to increase circulation, which facilitates a rise in muscle temperature. This increases muscle extensibility (the ability to stretch) and elasticity (the ability to return to resting length), thereby helping to avoid injury. Deep stretches should always be reserved for later in a Yoga session, which means that classes really should not begin with adhomukha-shvanâsana (downward-facing dog) and other intense stretches.
There are other factors to consider as well, but this provides the basic idea. We need increased circulation and elevated muscle temperature first. I am not suggesting that students begin by marching around the room, but I am suggesting that perhaps following some PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) patterns or engaging some flowing, gentle range-of-motion activities might be kinder treatment for the body. How about moving from tâdâsana (mountain) to utkâsana (chair) to tâdâsana (mountain), or moving with a dynamic vîrabhadrâsana (warrior)? You will need to adjust for your class style and mood, but the body’s basic need for preparation is constant across styles.
Other Things to Think About
People are not pretzels. The joints of the human body are designed to be moved in specific ways. When joint structures and surrounding support systems (ligaments, cartilage, tendons) are not respected, degeneration of the body begins and injury ratio increases. The body and its unique, wonderful design must be protected.
A good deal of the Yoga that is on the market right now is potentially unsafe or unhealthy for the human anatomy. We must learn to apply the basics of safe alignment to all Yoga moves so that we can evaluate each move and decide whether or not it belongs in our practice. We must also be aware that range (how far one gets into any particular pose) is not nearly as important as form (proper alignment and safety during a pose). This is not difficult to achieve, provided there is a basic understanding of anatomy.
Proceeding gently is the best approach, as it is always better to err on the gentle side. Students should be taught to ease into postures and work creatively with the body’s physical resistance. There should be no forcing of postures—Yoga is not a competitive sport and should not be accompanied by pain. Poses should be modified or stopped if there is any pain or discomfort. Everyone’s body is built differently and that must be respected. Body acceptance and empowerment should be encouraged. Stress to students that the process is far more important than the immediate result.
Anatomy 101
Ligaments are bands of fibrous, supportive tissue that connect bones together and give our joints stability; all the joints in our body have ligaments. Ligaments are slightly elastic, but if they are stretched past their limit, they plasticize, meaning they do not return to their normal length, leaving the joint unstable and vulnerable to injury. A sprain is the result of an overstretched ligament. Once a ligament has been overstretched, that joint may become less stable than it was before the injury, and damage may occur when a joint moves out of its intended range of motion. With that in mind, it is clearly important to move the joints in biomechanically correct ways. From there we need to look at the major joint sites and determine how they are supposed to move as opposed to how we can force them to move. Although a commonly used definition of flexibility is “range of motion about a joint or group of joints,”[1] I tend to cringe when I hear a Yoga teacher talk about “creating flexibility of a joint.” It is the flexibility of muscles that determines healthy range of motion about a joint, and our focus and instructive dialogue should relate to increasing muscle flexibility, rather than increasing joint flexibility.
Joints. The hip and shoulder are examples of a ball-and-socket joint. This is the most mobile type of joint structure. Since the hip is surrounded by large muscles, it is fairly well protected. The shoulder joint, on the other hand, is surrounded by smaller muscles, which combined with great mobility makes the shoulder somewhat unstable and more likely to have problems. The elbow and knee are examples of a hinge joint, which is meant to move in only one direction, like a door opening and closing. If this type of joint is forced to rotate, injury is likely to occur, analogous to a door coming unhinged. The wrist has more mobility than the knee or elbow because it is a condyloid joint, which can move in two directions. What we perceive as wrist rotation actually happens within the forearm between the wrist and the elbow. Like the hinge joint, the condyloid joint is not meant to rotate. A saddle joint has the same type of movements as a ball-and-socket joint but is not as freely moveable—an example is the thumb. A pivot joint just rotates—an example is where the atlas and axis meet on the cervical vertebrae (gently turn your head from side to side with the tiniest motion you can and you will feel it). Gliding joints are capable of performing small movements and help add to the movement of a joint. An example of this is the sacroiliac joint, and since it is a gliding joint injury may occur with any excessive movement.
Cartilage is resilient, pliable connective tissue that absorbs shock and reduces friction between the bones of a joint. It is avascular, which means it has little or no blood supply. Because of the lack of blood supply, there is no viable way for nutrients to get to this material and help heal it if damaged. There are many types of cartilage in the body, but the primary purpose of all types is to provide bone protection, which is why you will find it most dominantly positioned at the ends of bones. Since the function of cartilage is to protect the bones from the friction produced by movement, it is continuously being worn away—a case of use it and lose it. The bad news is that this is an unavoidable part of aging. The really bad news is that we can prematurely age our cartilage through incorrect exercise and overuse! When cartilage wears away to the point that it no longer offers protection, the resulting bone-on-bone contact can be extremely painful and debilitating. The cartilage on the back of the patella can really take a beating in Yoga.
Cartilage on the back of the patella is generally considered to be worn away due to repetitive motion. This may happen with improper jumping (for example, in sun salutations and between standing postures in Ashtanga Yoga). Improper landings from jumps also can affect another cartilaginous structure of the knee: the medial and lateral meniscii—little shock absorbers separating the femur from the tibia. If jumping is executed with proper alignment, and there are no preexisting conditions, there should be no problem. If not, or if the knees are not bent when landing—beware.
One particular posture to pay attention to is utkatâsana (chair). If the toes are habitually pointed outward instead of parallel (so that the weight rolls onto the arch of the foot), or the knees bend outward farther than the toes, the body is improperly aligned. Over time, unequal strength will develop among the quadriceps muscles (the vastus medialis usually ends up weaker). This muscle imbalance can lead to chondromalacia patella (a softening and wearing away of the cartilage on the undersurface of the patella; editors’ note: for a general overview of this disorder see http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/encyclopedia/chondro/chondro.html). We do need to follow the natural line of the body, but it would be more beneficial to have the student take less of a bend in the knee and just work on alignment until the legs are “retrained.”
The Knee
The knee joint consists of three bones—the femur, the tibia, and the patella. The femur and the tibia meet to form a hinge joint and are held together by the ligaments (medial and lateral collateral, anterior and posterior cruciate) and the joint capsule that surrounds the joint. The knee relies heavily on the ligaments and muscles for stability. When injury occurs to any structure in the knee, and pain inhibits full movements or function, the large muscles of the thigh begin to weaken and atrophy. This weakness can cause further strain on the injured area, which results in more pain and therefore more weakness. It is thus vital that any movement or stretching involving the lower body be done with the understanding that the knee joint is only meant to hinge, not rotate (torque). Consider what padmâsana (lotus) may do to this joint.
Poor body mechanics and extreme knee flexion also can contribute to chondromalacia patella. Increased friction between the patella and the femur, due to overuse, improper alignment, or unequal strength between the four quadriceps muscles causing a change in tracking, can prematurely wear away the protective cartilage. This irreversible problem results in varying degrees of pain. For poses that involve sitting on the knees, support can be given by placing a towel or folded blanket between the knees or on top of the calves on which to sit. Poses that require body weight to be supported on the patella (e.g., kapotâsana [pigeon]), need to be seriously reconsidered.
For some, poses such as vajrâsana (thunderbolt) and balâsana (child’s pose) can aggravate a preexisting knee problem. Sitting on a pillow can provide a simple solution. Other poses, such as those that require deep flexion at the knee joint (as in a quadriceps stretch) while holding part or all of the body weight on the patella, can significantly increase the possibility of damage. An example would be eka-pâda-rajakapotâsana (one-legged pigeon pose), and such poses would need to be modified or eliminated where indicated.
The Neck
The neck is comprised of the seven cervical vertebrae. Because the neck has more mobility than any other part of the spine, it requires a greater muscular support system. Since the neck can be prone to postural stress, the muscles are vulnerable to strain and are a common source of shoulder, neck, jaw, and headache pain. Poor posture can lead to adaptive shortening of the muscles and connective tissue surrounding the neck. It also can place abnormal stress on the cervical vertebrae, which can lead to joint problems such as arthritis and disc injury. Muscular imbalances in the upper back often lead to postural deviations.
Both the neck and spine are abused in some of the Yoga postures you will read descriptions about or see performed in books, magazines, and videos. Headstand (shîrshâsana) and shoulder stand (sarvângâsana) are common culprits. Our neck was designed to hold up an 8-12 pound head, not a 150-pound torso, and thus if improperly done these postures can be injurious. When the body is properly aligned in shoulder stand, distribution of the weight is aligned above the shoulders, not centered over the face, which would cause compression of the cervical spine. A picture-perfect shoulder stand requires torso strength and balance, as well as flexibility in the neck and upper back. Headstand requires enough strength in the arms to support the body with little (or no weight) on the head. Weight on the head can cause compression of the intervertebral discs (see below) in the cervical spine.
If the goal is to make the neck muscles stronger, there are many safer alternatives with much less risk. If there is a safer way, why would we not choose it?
This consideration is not meant to overlook the physiological and psychological benefits some practitioners may experience from correctly performing headstand and shoulder stand, but to strongly caution against their incorrect use.
The Back
The spine is a flexible column of bones and cartilage held together by ligaments, fasciae, and muscle and consists of 24 individual moving vertebrae, each vertebra separated by a fibrocartilage disc containing a nucleus pulposus. The sacrum and the coccyx are fused vertebrae located at the base of the spine. With the spine’s great functional role in human movement, the back is vulnerable to many stresses.
Injuries to the spine can involve muscles, fasciae, ligaments, the fibrocartilage discs, or the bony vertebrae themselves.
Postural syndromes result from improper use of the body in daily activities, such as standing, walking, sitting, lifting, and bending. Curvatures also can be affected by obesity, pregnancy, posture, activity, trauma, and disease. All connective tissue shortens with time, and if left unstretched it can permanently adapt to the shortened position. Adaptive shortening results in abnormal stress being placed on various parts of the body. For example, tight pectoral muscles can cause forward, rounded shoulders, forcing the head into a forward position. Weak muscles also can cause postural stress because they fail to support proper spinal curve alignment.
Disc injuries involve the fibrocartilage “shock absorbers” between the vertebrae. Each disc is composed of a jelly-like center (nucleus pulposus) surrounded by layers of cartilage. Positions that move the spine out of its normal curve increase pressure within the discs and place great stress on them. As a consequence, a portion of the disc may bulge, causing pressure on pain-sensitive structures. Pain may be located solely in the back or it may radiate down the arms or legs. Disc injuries also can be caused by a one-time trauma such as an accident.
Disc injuries are on the rise with the increasing popularity of Yoga. Top problematic âsanas can include full bhujângâsana (cobra) (although a modified, gently repetitive cobra is a commonly prescribed treatment for some forms of lumbar disc herniation), halâsana (plow), ûrdhvamukha-shvanâsana (upward-facing dog), ushtrâsana (camel), dhanurâsana (bow), and backbends. While some of these poses can create too much spinal pressure and should be eliminated altogether for some practitioners, many of them can be modified for safer performance. When performing poses that stretch the back, students should be instructed to move slowly and gently and to elongate the spine before attempting to stretch. Proper hyperextension, or arching, should happen along the entire length of the spine. When the bend only occurs in the lumbar region of the spine, the risk for injury is far greater to that area. Similarly, dizziness that occurs in backbends often can be traced to an exaggerated curve of the cervical spine. This places pressure on the pressure receptors regulating the carotid artery, which deliver blood to the head.
Keep in mind that even a “safe” pose such as shavâsana (corpse) can be uncomfortable for some people because of the lumbar pressure. Two simple solutions include bending the knees or adding a pillow under the knees.
(Editors’ note: Dr. Steven Katz, a chiropractic orthopedist who specializes in treating injured Yoga teachers and students in the San Francisco Bay Area and who teaches the anatomy module of our teacher training program, shows X rays of patients with disc degeneration as early as their twenties from improper backbends, etc. When the goal becomes an ever deeper backbend rather than a properly formed backbend done as a means for growth in self-awareness and honoring the foundation yama of ahimsâ, the risk for injury is great).
The Shoulder
The joint between the scapula (shoulder blade) and the humerus (long bone in the upper arm) is held together primarily by an extensive system of ligaments, tendons, and muscles, which makes the shoulder versatile but unstable. The scapula is a triangular free-floating bone on the back of the rib cage. Only a short ligament holds the scapula to the clavicle, which then connects to the central skeleton. The socket of the joint is too shallow to provide bony security for the head of the humerus. This loosely connected arrangement allows for incredible mobility, yet the shoulder girdle is often asked to generate extreme force. A most common shoulder problem is shoulder impingement syndrome. In simple terms, when the elbow is lifted above shoulder height while internally rotated (lift arms overhead, with palms facing forward or palms facing out) the tendons of the rotator cuff get impinged, causing this syndrome (also called pitcher’s shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder, or tennis shoulder). This leads to other common problems such as tendinitis (irritation and inflammation of the tendons) and bursitis (inflammation of the bursa sacs that protect the shoulder). The ultimate result is pain, usually with motion, but sometimes constant. All you have to do to help eliminate this problem when the elbow is going to be lifted higher than the shoulder is externally rotate the humerus back to neutral position (also called anatomical position) (palms facing each other) or to full external rotation (palms facing backward). Think about this in relation to adhomukha-shvanâsana (downward-facing dog), pârshvottânâsana (pyramid, or lateral forward stretch), and shashânkâsana (hare). Can these poses be modified to eliminate the possibility of impingement?
The Wrist
The wrist is a complicated joint that can be vulnerable to repetitive movements and the stress of certain hand and arm positions. The median nerve runs from the forearm to the fingertips down a tunnel formed by the carpal bones and a layer of ligaments. If the nerve gets pinched or stressed, this can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms of the latter include pain in the hand or arm with weakness, numbness, tingling, and/or difficulty making a fist or grasping small objects. We therefore should be careful to avoid extreme positions for the wrist, including flexion or hyperextension, especially if accompanied by pain. Modifications should be offered for those who already have problems related to carpal tunnel syndrome. Some poses can be altered by supporting the body on the elbows instead of the hands, using the wall instead of the floor, and even changing from an open hand to a fist in order to maintain a straight wrist. What poses do you regularly teach or perform that require the arms to support the body’s weight?
An entire book could be written on analyzing each pose and modifying it to suit individual needs. If we all honor the body’s design, however, we can practice yogâsana safely without requiring a book to guide us. It is a matter of learning the body’s structure, respecting it, and practicing within its design limitations. Sometimes it takes a while for new, healthy habits to form, but through patient practice, this new way of respecting the body’s design becomes not only our way of thinking, but also the way we move, share, and teach.
When taking a new look at old poses, it helps to ask the following questions:
• What is the purpose of exercise or stretch via Yoga postures? This may seem like an elementary question, but you would be surprised at the number of high injury risk poses that do not offer equally high benefit.
• What muscles are involved? Carefully consider each one.
• Is your spine in alignment, or is there excessive pressure on the discs? Remember, some safe poses will take the spine out of alignment, particularly back stretches. Watch for unnatural weight distribution that can stress the discs.
• Are any of your joints in contraindicated positions? (Look for natural joint movement, and safe use of ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.)
• Where is the force or weight? Is the body meant to hold that much weight in that area?
• Is there any pain? Where? (Effort should be felt in the muscles and not at joint sites.)
When analyzing poses, observe the entire body. Not all âsanas are for everyone. Does the potential risk of an âsana outweigh the benefits? If so, the âsana is contraindicated and should not be done.
I teach exercise safety around the country, and ever so often someone tells me that he or she believes we should honor Yoga by practicing âsana in its traditional form without altering it in any way. I believe, however, that we should honor Yoga’s traditional intent while also honoring the design of the body, which we now understand more clearly. I do not think that anyone who teaches Yoga does so with intent to harm. It is, however, our responsibility to protect our students’ bodies and our own bodies and make changes where called for. We know more now, and there is no dishonor in acknowledging this and bringing the wonderful benefits of Yoga into being without having to risk injury.
Endnotes
[1] Alter, Michael J. Science of Flexibility. 2d ed. Champagne, Ill.: Human Kinetics, 1996.
© 2003 Kaylan McKinney-Vialpando
About the author: Kaylan McKinney-Vialpando has been involved in the fitness industry since 1990. She was the recipient of ESA’s National Fitness Safety Award for four years, is a faculty member for the American Council on Exercise, and is a continuing education provider for AFAA. She is currently a national master fitness workshop presenter, Director of Training for SAFAX (a national training company specializing in exercise safety), creator of Sunnlan, and a facility owner. She has been a program director and adviser since 1992 and has trained thousands of participants and trainers around the country. She has a degree in Human Services and Applied Psychology and has 14 national certifications through ACE, AFAA, ESA, and SAFAX in Yoga, Aerobics, Personal Training, Aquatics, Step, Lateral training, Kickboxing, and Fitness Consulting. Contact: zenvillage@aol.com.
Editors’ note: See also the recent article by Alanna Fincke, “Bent Out of Shape,” Body & Soul magazine, available online at: http://www.bodyandsoulmag.com/show_document.asp?iDocumentID=142&iBDC=1704&iPageNumber=1.
Question: What are the benefits of Yoga for infants?
Helen Garabedian answers: Yoga is a key part of an infant’s developmental movement repertoire. In my research as a yoginî and Infant Developmental Movement Educator, I have correlated 22 Yoga poses/techniques and 22 infant developmental movements.
From birth, babies instinctively draw their knees up toward their chest as if trying to come into knees-to-chest pose (apanâsana). The infant’s digestive system is sometimes underdeveloped at birth, and apanâsana aids in digestion and relieves gas discomfort.
Sphinx pose helps the four-month-old lengthen the spine, energize the organs, and tone the upper body. Sphinx pose is a necessary precursor to weight-shifting and one-hand play as a baby rests on her tummy. As the five- or six-month-old baby is beginning to lift the head and torso to higher elevations, sphinx pose evolves into cobra pose (bhujângâsana). Postures practiced on the tummy strengthen the muscles and connections needed for crawling and may help prevent future lower back pain.
Bridge pose (setubhandâsana) is practiced at five months of age and helps connect the feet and pelvis for the baby who is learning to sit. Bridge pose is one of the earliest self-initiated experiences a baby will have of supporting weight in the feet. The feet-to-pelvis relationship helps form the triangular base used in early sitting.
Locust pose (shalabhâsana) is practiced around six months of age and is essentially the Landau Righting Reaction. The full-body extension pattern of the Landau can be viewed as the counter pose to the flexion pattern most babies are born with. Locust helps develop the muscles needed for rolling over, standing up, and walking. After this begins, a baby strives to elevate its center away from the earth's surface horizontally and later verticality.
Child’s pose (balâsana) helps balance the tone between the front and the back of a baby’s body. Pre-crawlers, of six to nine months, begin rocking back and forth between table and extended child’s pose as part of development. This offers vestibular stimulation, and babies are revving up their locomotion engine and learning to propel themselves forward through space. This spinal reach and pull pattern provides babies with the lightness and connectivity needed to crawl. (Editors' note: Two other alternative names you may sometimes encounter for child's pose are garbhâsana [embryo pose] and pindâsana [little ball pose].)
Downward-facing dog (adhomukha-shvanâsana) is first practiced before a baby starts to crawl, and later is a favorite pose of one-year-olds. Developmentally, downward-facing dog helps connect a baby’s upper and lower body. After crawling is integrated into a baby’s movement repertoire, a baby may begin to walk in downward-facing dog (or bear walk.) This helps an experienced crawler get a feel for moving through space at a higher level than crawling, but at a lower level than walking.
The Itsy Bitsy Yoga program I developed contains over 75 Yoga postures for babies from birth to 24 months. I teach parents to calm themselves and their babies so they can see and facilitate their child’s Yoga and developmental movement practice. Itsy Bitsy Yoga helps parents reap the benefits of Yoga practice for their offspring, which include better and longer sleep, improved digestion and relief from gas discomfort, increased body awareness, increased neuromuscular development, and, of course, parent and child bonding.
About the author: Helen Garabedian is a Registered Yoga Teacher, Infant Developmental Movement Educator, Certified Infant Massage Instructor, and Reiki Master Teacher. In April 2004, Helen’s first book on Yoga for babies and tots will be released by Simon & Schuster, and she is currently offering instructor trainings and workshops throughout the United States. For more information, email Helen@baby-yoga.com or visit http://www.baby-yoga.com.
Editors’ note: Time magazine brought a short article on infant Yoga in May 2003 entitled, “A is for Apple, Y is for Yoga,” by Lisa McLaughlin.
To acquire the new rural facility to house YREC/IAYT and the Yoga Forest University, and to create a serene place where members can come to study and retreat, YREC has made a major financial commitment. We have done so in good faith, with all three staff members reducing their salary to 0/month, trusting that over the coming years our worldwide membership and student body will help make the campus a resounding success.
In order to make possible all the required renovation—the building of a meditation hall, the top-to-bottom renovation of an almost new three-car garage that will serve as the âsana practice room and lecture hall, the addition of a second bathroom for the upstairs bedrooms, and the alteration of the water-processing plant to meet county requirements for facilities serving more than 100 guests per year—we need to raise 0,000 and would be most grateful for your help.
We deeply appreciate the support so many of you have extended to YREC over the years, which has made it possible for us to reach this important moment in YREC’s history. Our new project has unlimited potential, and we hope you will find it worthy of support as well.
After researching various ways to make donations to nonprofits online via credit card, we found that PayPal offers the easiest, most secure, and most efficient interface, with more of your dollars going directly to YREC. Many of us here have long used PayPal to make online purchases and have always been completely satisfied with its integrity and service. We also happily accept credit cards offline, checks, stocks, bonds, and property.
Remember, your donations are deductible in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. Thanks so much for your consideration.
India Studentship Fund Scholarship Recipients
Thanks to the generosity of member extraordinaire Sandra Ahn, we were able to donate 0 to Yoganjali Natalayam, Chinnamudaliarchavady, Kottakuppam, India, in support of low-income youth studying traditional Yoga. With some additional help from the ashram, eleven recipients were chosen to receive scholarships. The recipients range in age from 10-20, and each one has submitted to YREC a photo, biodata, and an inspiring essay on “What Yoga Means to Me.” We wish R. Varalakshmi, Pa. Vino Krubha, G. Revathy, S. Kaviarasan, G. Dayanidhii, U. Gokila, G. Kanimozhi, Padma M. Prashanthini, U. Muthu Pawan Kumar, V. K. Vinodhini, and M. Dhesh great phala (fruition) and siddhi (success) in their sâdhana. They are most fortunate to study under the tutelage of Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani.
Ecological Yoga Collaborative Research Recently Announced
This study will explore the many and various ecological aspects of Yoga. Working collaboratively, a group of 6 to 9 Yoga teachers will consider how the ecological foundation of Yoga can be more clearly articulated and experienced in both teaching and practice. The group will gather for an initial 5-day retreat, spend a year in their home communities engaged in further exploration and action, and then gather again for a concluding 3-day retreat. The primary researcher, Laura Cornell, will summarize the group’s findings as her doctoral dissertation at the California Institute of Integral Studies. The dissertation will also document the transformation of participants and lead researcher over the course of the study. Advisors to the research include Stuart Sovatsky, Ph.D., a student of Swami Kripalvananda and a 30-year Kundalinî-Yoga practitioner, and Shobhan Richard Faulds, a senior teacher and president of the Board of Trustees at The Kripalu Center. For more information, contact Laura Cornell at lcornell@mindspring.com. (Editors’ note: For anyone interested, we have compiled an extensive bibliography on Yoga and Ecology, greatly augmented by contributions from Laura. To request a copy, please write to mail@yrec.org.)
Project Gutenberg and Hindu Texts
According to the April 19, 2003, news summary published by Hindu Press International, the Mahâbhârata, volume 1, has been proofread and is currently undergoing post-processing before being released by the Gutenberg Project (http://www.gutenberg.net), which posts public domain manuscripts on the web with public help in the form of proofreading. The complete Valmiki Râmâyana is currently being post-processed as well. Early releases of these may be found at http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm. Two books that are currently being proofread are volumes 34 and 38 of the Sacred Books of the East (i.e., volumes 1 and 2 of the Vedânta-Sûtras with the Commentary of Shankarâcârya. The remaining volumes of the Mahâbhârata and other works are in the pipeline. The first book to complete this process, Sacred Books of the East, volume 48: the Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary of Râmânuja, translated by G. Thibaut, has been released and can be downloaded free of charge at http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext05/8sutr10.zip, or for the text format go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext05/8sutr10.txt.
Yoga to Be Made Compulsory in Udupi Schools
According to a May 28 item in The Hindu, B. Bhujanga Shetty, the President of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat, has declared that Yoga, moral education, and the activities of the Seva Dal (a group committed to doing social service) will be made compulsory in government and private schools in the district. In a press release, Mr. Shetty said the zilla panchayat (village council) had directed the heads of schools in the district to reserve two periods every week for Yoga, moral education, and for the activities of the Seva Dal. Since it would be difficult for students coming from rural areas to do these activities after regular school hours, the school heads were instructed to reduce the number of periods for physical education and allot a minimum of two periods a week for the new program.
Children’s Yoga in Los Angeles, California
In an article by Lisa Boone, “With the Kids: Stretching Bodies, Horizons: Parents Take Children to Yoga Class to Instill Noncompetitive Skills,” Los Angeles Times, April 3, 2003, she writes: "Instructor Michel Bayan, who hosts a family class at Maha Yoga in L.A., believes that yoga helps kids get over the fear of trying something new at an early age. ‘We make the play the yoga,' says Bayan. 'Yoga is a great opportunity for parents and kids to do something together. Sometimes the parent motivates the child or vice versa. A lot of parents who have [difficulty] with certain poses work harder to do it so their child isn't afraid to try it too.' Bayan says parents are more open to yoga if they come with their kids, especially when they see their kids trying it. 'It’s a built-in support system.'
"Yoga classes for kids are now a staple of nearly every studio’s repertoire [in Los Angeles]. Parents can find Ashtanga, Bikram and transformative yoga class descriptions mixed with Mommy and Me (dads too) classes, kids and teen groups, even family classes. In addition, many studios now host parallel classes so parents and kids can exercise in the same place at the same time . . .
"While the benefits of yoga are well known—it is said to help develop focus, balance and motor skills—teachers agree that it is especially beneficial for children in developing self-confidence.
"'The differentiation between yoga and every single other thing that a child is going to do in their life is that it’s entirely noncompetitive,' says Shana Meyerson, founder of Mini Yogis Yoga for Kids in Los Angeles. 'A kid will never be told in yoga "You’re wrong, you’re not good enough, go sit on the bench," or be the last kid picked for a team.'
"'It’s huge for their self-esteem—especially for kids who aren’t athletically inclined,' Meyerson says. 'In yoga, you try it, you’ve done it, you’re perfect. It’s great to have a place where a kid can go, release some stress, release some tension and get in touch with their bodies.’”
Head Start Children Learn Yoga Poses and Relaxation in a Program Tailored for Youth
According to an article by Laura Loh in the April 7, 2003, issue of The Baltimore Sun, Yolanda Oliver, a mental health coordinator for Head Start in Anne Arundel County teaches an hour-long Yoga class to more than 400 children enrolled in this federal preschool program for low-income families. Oliver begins her classes with “Namaste,” which she interprets for the children as "The good girl in me sees the good girls in you and the good boys in you." She says that doing Yoga helps the children gain self-awareness and achieve a sense of calm. She wants them to learn a way to cope with stress, to learn to respect each other, and to “see that everyone has a light that shines within them.”
The class is one of the few of its kind nationwide for Head Start, but Oliver is hoping that others will follow her example. Three hundred people signed up for a workshop she was scheduled to give in May about the Yoga program and other mental wellness strategies at the annual Head Start training conference in New York.
Oliver’s interest in Yoga began a few years ago when she was working as a special education teacher in southern California. One day, she heard deep breathing sounds coming from beneath her desk and found one of her students, an 8-year-old boy, sitting under it. She recalled that he told her, “I’m having a meltdown. I’ve got to do my yoga breath.” Oliver subsequently began taking Yoga classes and became certified to teach the form of Children's Yoga developed by Shakta Kaur Khalsa.
Michael McGrady, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, states, "Yoga has always been something associated with more affluent families who can pay for lessons. The idea that we can bring something like that to Head Start children is great."
British Yoga Teachers Must Obtain In-Depth Certification to Teach in Sports Centers, Schools, and Colleges
The Scottish Yoga Teachers’ Association (SYTA) Teaching Diploma certifies that a teacher has completed a part-time, thorough, two-year course, which covers postures, breathing, anatomy, the philosophy of Yoga, first aid, and teaching methods. Only people who have practiced Yoga for a significant period of time are eligible for the course. Later this year, only members of accredited organizations such as SYTA and the British Wheel of Yoga will be authorized to teach in sports centers, schools, and colleges.
New York Firefighters Battle 9/11 Stress With Yoga
Sara Kugler reported for the Associated Press in February 2003 that firefighters in New York who took Dr. Jim Gordon’s program of meditation, Yoga, and alternative therapies not long after the 9/11 nine-month cleanup continue to reap the benefits. One of the firefighters, Kevin Guy, helped Dr. Gordon launch a regular program for city firefighters and their spouses this year. According to Guy, “It really calms you down.”
Dr. Gordon, a New York City native, a clinical professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, and founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, has used similar workshops to help survivors of war in Kosovo and Bosnia.
It was a challenge initially to get the firefighters to do Yoga poses, meditate to soft music, and learn to do focused breathing, as most first-timers viewed these practices as “ridiculous and crazy.” Gordon took the approach, however, of saying, “Look, you’re practical people, try it for yourself and see if it makes a difference.” “The bottom line for them is, ‘OK Doc, I never heard of this stuff before, but if it can help, let’s check it out.’”
Susan O’Brien, a firefighter’s wife who is attending the program says, “That glimmer of hope starts to shine through a little bit better, rather than dwelling in the past. It’s a little different than anything I’m used to but it keeps me calm, teaches me how to stay focused and teaches new ways of looking to the future.”
Editors’ note: According to an April 2, 2003 article by Associated Press writer Anne D'Innocenzio, there has been a significant increase in the number of Yoga tapes purchased since the war on Iraq began. The author states that "consumers' focus on feel-good items reflects similar spending patterns in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."
Yoga Becoming a Steady Presence in Time Magazine
One the cover of the January 20, 2003, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body" Special Issue of Time magazine, one finds the same serene yoginî sitting in full lotus who earlier graced the cover of Yoga International. Inside one finds an excellent summary article on the health benefits of meditation for heart patients by Mehmet Oz, M.D., director of Columbia Presbyterian’s Heart Institute in New York. Every patient who comes to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center for a heart operation is offered an optional program of massage, Yoga (âsana and prânâyâma), and meditation. Dr. Oz states that he relies heavily on meditation “to help [his] patients prepare for surgery and to steer them gently toward recovery.”
ABC Codes Approved for Testing for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Nursing
From an Internet Wire news release, February 3, 2003: “An important milestone for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and nursing has been reached, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has authorized a test of a proposed modification to the coding standards for the nation's healthcare transactions. This historic action sets the stage for future authorization of Advanced Billing Concept (ABC) codes for products and services delivered by integrative healthcare practitioners.
"Testing and standardization of coding for integrative healthcare, made possible by the HHS approval, will help improve healthcare quality and efficiencies by highlighting best practices among all approaches to care, not just among physician-directed and disease-based models of care," notes Melinna Giannini . . .
“The ABC codes . . . will fill gaps on several levels . . . including the AMA's HCPCS Level I codes (also known as Current Procedural Terminology or CPT codes) and the CMS HCPCS Level II codes. They will also help facilitate comparisons of the economic and health outcomes of conventional, complementary and alternative practices . . .
”. . . the approval is for the testing of ABC codes in HIPAA transactions and . . . no one [can] state definitively when the codes [will] be supported by widespread insurance reimbursement. Still, [it is predicted] that the code testing ‘will lead to major improvements in the national health information infrastructure, as well as health insurance benefit plan design, managed care and provider contracting, utilization management, clinical practice management, claims processing, outcomes research and actuarial analyses.’”
For more information, see http://www.alternativelink.com.
Announcing the Launch of North American Studio Alliance (NAMASTA)
NAMASTA, a North American trade organization for Yoga professionals, offers teachers, retreat organizers, and studios affordable liability insurance, a free alternative health benefit, discounts on Yoga mats, supplies, and software, and access to low cost health and legal services. NAMASTA also provides a free newsletter. Lisa Slede, a contributor to the 2001 issue of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and Annalisa Cunningham, author of the Guide to International Yoga Retreats, are on the Board of Advisors.
NAMASTA is a socially responsible organization that contributes a portion of its earnings to wellness research and community causes and is currently offering the YREC community a special rate on the NAMASTA annual membership dues—simply enter the referral code HARMONIOUS to obtain a 33% discount. URL: http://www.namasta.com, email: info@namasta.com, tel.: 1-877-NAMASTA.
Working from OM: The Business of Yoga Newsletter
The premiere issue (Spring 2003) of Working from OM newsletter, published by OmSoft studio management software, was released in May 2003 and will soon be available online at http://www.workingfromom.com. Contents of the first issue: Welcome to the Premier Issue of Working from OM!; To Start Up or Not to Start Up?; Interview: Bob Murphy of Be Yoga; The Enterprising Kula: User Groups Build Community; Account on Me: Tax Tips; Enlightened Systems: Computer Technology Solutions for Your Studio; Ask Guru Tek: Setting Up Your Yoga Presence on the Web
Mindful Marketing Discussion Group for Yoga Teachers
According to business coach and Yoga teacher Megan McDonough, "Running a yoga business takes more than leading asanas gracefully and proficiently. It takes solid business skills. Now yoga teachers can come together in a free, newly formed discussion group to enhance their marketing skills." Ms. McDonough created the list after receiving a large response to a free teleclass on marketing she offered to Yoga teachers. Also participating in the group are Rita Coco, who specializes in helping holistic practitioners to meet the goals that they want to achieve through their presentations, seminars, and workshops, and Deena Brown, advertising director for Yoga Journal.
McDonough regularly posts marketing information from her teleclass in the forum, and the peer-to-peer interaction facilitates a constructive exchange of ideas. Participants have the option of receiving the posts as a digest once a day to minimize the email burden. To join the discussion group, send an email to mindfulmarketing-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or to megan@urinfinityinabox.com.
More on the Commodification of Yoga—or the Evolution/Devolution of Yoga in America and Abroad
Here are some glimpses at the commodification frenzy that Yoga’s popularity has engendered:
Anne Cushman writes in her article “Yoga Chic and the First Noble Truth,” Shambhala Sun, Jul 2003: “There are yoga dance clubs, yoga cruises, yoga singles’ parties; there’s disco yoga, aqua yoga, yoga kickboxing (editors’ note: See the “Yoga Hybrids and Mutants” News section below for a longer list). Yoga teachers are the toast of Hollywood parties. Images of sultry young yogis and yoginis sell everything from lingerie to SUVs to luxury apartments in the Trump Towers. ‘It’s a day to clear your mind. A day to free your soul,’ proclaims one advertisement, as an exquisite black woman folds into a seated, cross-legged forward bend, cupping her beatific face in her hands. ‘And a day for Hormel ALWAYS TENDER honey mustard pork loin filet.’
“. . . It’s not surprising that yoga’s a big seller in twenty-first-century America. There’s never been a contemplative practice that’s so photogenic, so sensual. There’s no other formal spiritual path that’s routinely practiced with so few clothes on (short of a few tantric rites whose images deck the friezes of ruined Indian temples). So it’s understandable that physical prowess sometimes gets confused with enlightenment. The cult of personality, of course, is rampant throughout most spiritual traditions, and Buddhism is no exception. But masters of other spiritual paths rarely pose for calendars in their undershorts.”
In keeping with the latter, the June 9, 2003, issue of People magazine brings what is essentially a two-page male beefcake spread on physically attractive Yoga teachers Baron Baptiste, Rolf Gates, Tim Miller, Duncan Wong, and Rodney Yee. The title of the article is “Yogalicious!” and opens, “Lately you can’t walk five blocks in Hollywood without tripping over a yoga mat. What’s the draw? Peace? Fitness? Flexibility? Or do stars see something more in the Men Who Bend?”
In a December 6, 2002, article, the Hindustan Times reports that fashion designer Lorain Chopra is “amazing her clients with garments which evoke spiritual ecstasy and enhance sensual elegance. Since spirituality dressing is fast becoming a trend among youth in most European countries, Lorain’s latest collection uses symbols like the Siva Lingam, chakras, angels, yantras, and the naga.” ‘Recently, I bought a top with a black cobra embossed on its front. Whenever I put it on, it makes me feel so ecstatic and sensuous that either I get into a trance or I feel like rediscovering my passion all over again,’ says Bonnie Baker, an American tour consultant who is a fan of Lorain’s clothes. ‘I draw inspiration from my close encounters which I experience during the state of deep meditation,’ says Lorain, who practices meditation on a daily basis. ‘I feel that the American mind, being naturally inquisitive, is more open to such experiments. I am looking for aesthetic and spiritual acknowledgement rather than financial gains. That’s why I chose New York for the display of my creativity.’”
In a similar vein, Ruth Ferla writes, in her article “The Ever-So-Elegant Tracksuit,” in the April 1, 2003, issue of The New York Times: “Rooted in the West Coast health and fitness culture, the look of a sumptuous form-fitting hooded sweatshirt and pants has bounded from the gym, dance studio and yoga ashram into the streets. It has assumed an increasingly pivotal role in women’s wardrobes, the basis of a uniform whose separate elements are as likely to turn up at cocktails as they are at the spa . . .
“. . . if a single company can be credited with branding the look as high style, it is Juicy Couture . . . ‘Juicy has gone beyond cult — it’s mainstream,’ said . . . [Stefani] Greenfield, who carries the line in her New York boutiques in myriad variations. On a buying trip to Los Angeles, she stopped in a coffee shop, she recalled. ‘There were two people behind me and one in front wearing the identical outfit,’ she said. ‘I was, like, where is the ashram?’
“Angela Ahrendts, an executive vice president of Liz Claiborne, [which purchased Juicy Couture in March for approximately million] said it wants to expand the Juicy Couture brand in the United States and internationally, as well as open retail stores. Extensions of the core brand . . . include Down Dog Couture, a yoga line . . .
“. . . there is nothing dowdy about the look as interpreted by celebrities and runway designers. It is now so competitive that fashion houses are racing alongside the big sports companies for consumers’ loyalty. Nike is offering cabana-striped Capri pants and cat suits in plush stretchy fabrics, part of a new yoga-oriented sportswear line. Others riding the trend in a newly feminine, upscale direction include Donna Karan Spa, a collection of yoga-influenced underwear, including a cat suit that the company said is being snapped up by women as a streamlined underpinning to a suit or a dress.
“Many of the makers cater to a population that places a premium on simplicity and understatement. Nevertheless, Debra Rodman, the designer of Yogini, which sells yoga-influenced fashions on the Web, said, ‘This isn’t a sackcloth-type thing.’ Ms. Rodman has supplemented her basic yoga gear with fleecy gilt-embroidered hoodies and ruffled tank tops meant to be matched with chiffon skirts. The line is for women, she said, who want to wear such fluid pieces for yoga, at the movies or on a date. She started her business three years ago. ‘At the time, I had no competition,’ she said, somewhat wistfully. ‘Now it’s really tough.’”
The same hold true for England, as Vijay Dutt writes in his article for the May 28, 2003, issue of the Hindustan Times, “Yoga Craze in UK Offers New Avenues for Indian Designers”: “Yoga has been in vogue for some time among the likes of pop queen Madonna and celebrities like Sadie Frost, but this month it officially goes mainstream in Britain. It’s a come-on cue for yoga instructors in India and fashion designers like Rohit Bal, Adarsh Gill and Ritu Beri. Yoga expert Aina Wethal attracts at her Pineapple Fitness centre at Covent Garden in London disciples who are as keen on fashion as much as they are on yoga. She believes that clothes must flow when one is doing yoga, so they must be light and breathable. High Street chains led by Marks and Spencer (M&S) have apparently realised not only the craze for yoga in the celebrities for ‘inner strength and realisation of peace’ but also their desire to wear funky clothes, especially by women. So, chains have cottoned on to the craze for comfortable gear. M&S are about to launch a Yoga and Pilates range of nifty clothes, called Mind and Body, in stores throughout Britain. Reportedly, the range will go to their Indian stores in not too distant a future. Julia Robson, fashion writer, said yoga clothes are fuelling a fitness-gear scramble not seen since Jane Fonda’s Workout topped the video charts in the 80s. Apart from M&S, other chains from French Connection to Gap and even family friendly brands like Boden are featuring clothes in their ranges that are apt for yoga. They now join the sportswear brands like Nike’s and Adidas.”
This commodification of things yogic and spiritual is not only a recent phenomenon. James Poniewozik wrote five years ago in the September 1998 issue of Business 2.0, “In the good old days, advertisers wanted merely to make you self-conscious about your body. But what about those unsightly spiritual blemishes? That dull, lifeless psyche? After years of emphasizing the diet-friendliness of its SnackWell’s line of low-fat cookies and crackers, RJR Nabisco launched a new campaign this summer that instead pitches the noshes as, literally, soul food. The ads, with the tag ‘Live well, snack well,’ show well-adjusted women snuggling in intergenerational tableaux—soft focus, fields of waving grass—while a voiceover says, “We like to think that snacking shouldn’t be just about feeding yourself, but, in some small way, about feeding your self-esteem.’ They enjoin snackers (specifically, women 35 and up) not to ‘fill yourself’ but to ‘FULfill yourself . . .’ This may sound like a greater psychic burden than one Zesty Cheese cracker can bear, but SnackWell’s is hardly the only advertiser crediting its product with spiritual uplift.”
He goes on to point out Campbell’s Soup’s “good for the body, good for the soul” ads playing off the success of Jack Canfield’s Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, Volkswagen’s Beetle campaign with the tag, “If you sold your soul in the 1980s, here’s your chance to buy it back,” and Volvo’s earlier tag, “Volvo that can save your soul.” There are also Finlandia spring water reincarnation-themed ads, Evian ads with a holy water theme, and beauty-care companies that make divine claims for their cosmetics. As Poniewozik claims, “. . . advertising is taking the language of nontraditional spiritual, pseudospiritual, and psychospiritual movements—the jargon of soul, self-help, and recovery—much more seriously.” He further writes, “. . . the government agency capable of quantifying a product’s effects on karma has not yet been established. And pitches imbued with a vague sense of spirituality may appeal as well to stressed-out modern consumers, since they imply that one can sanctify one’s life without extra work—if you’ve got kids to pick up and a report due tomorrow, a can of soup is a lot more convenient than a month at an ashram. You gotta eat, anyway! Gotta wash your hair! Why not lather in a little satori while you’re at it? Adopting the trappings of the New Age thus tends to result in ads that are about feeling neither good nor well but just nice; for whereas spiritual and emotional quests by definition involve challenge, there’s a reason we call crackers ‘convenience’ foods.”
And on the issue of Bikram Choudhury’s franchising and trademarking Yoga, Jason Blevin writes in his article, “Legal Threat Churns Yoga Style’s Harmony,” in the April 13, 2003, issue of the Denver Post: “Call it McYoga, an attempt to standardize and protect a yoga technique Choudhury has taught for three decades, just as burger meister Ray Kroc set out to deliver the same Big Mac in thousands of towns around the globe. And note it as the apex of the persistent Westernization of an ancient Eastern practice that is shedding its primary spiritual component as it flexes and twists its way westward. ‘I don’t understand how one man can put his name on poses that have been around for thousands and thousands of years,’ says Suzanne Matthews, a 45-year yoga practitioner who has been teaching yoga in Denver for eight years and heads Yoga Teachers of Colorado. ‘I left corporate America to become a yoga teacher. Oh, I had such high expectations. Ethics, contentment, honesty, unity,’ Matthews says. ‘Every time I see an occurrence of backbiting and corporate greed in the yoga world it really sets me back. I would love to be the person who ends up being a defendant if this ends up going to jury. I would love to ask how a 56-year-old man can own a 2,000-year-old yoga pose.’”
In Search of the Fountain of Youth
According to Fountain of Youth, a one-hour documentary on the search for youth by America’s 78 million “baby boomers,” U.S. consumers will spend nearly 30 billion this year on wellness seminars, anti-aging clinics, spas, hormone replacement, Botox injections, Yoga, and meditation.
Yo-Chi, a combination of Yoga and T’ai Chi; Yoganetics, a blend of Yoga and kinetics—a “slow motion extension of yoga poses into movement"; Yogilates, a combination of Yoga and Pilates; Piloga, another combination of Yoga and Pilates; Yoga Spin, a combination of Yoga and cycling; Nia (Non-Impact Aerobics), sometimes referred to as Nia Yoga, a combination of T’ai Chi, Yoga, the martial arts, modern dance, and ethnic dance; Fluidity, a combination of Yoga, ballet, therapeutic movement, stretching, and weight resistance, performed holding on to a portable ballet barre; Smoga, Yoga for smokers; Boga, a combination of boxing and Yoga; Yoga kickboxing; Disco Yoga; Hip-Hop Yoga; Elvis Yoga, Soundtrack Yoga, which replaces traditional soothing chants with club lighting and pounding dance music tracked to fit the class’s choreography; Qicology, a combination of Yoga, Qi Kung and T’ai Chi with Western ecology; Acu-Yoga, a combination of Yoga and acupressure; and Aqua Yoga, Yoga performed while in the water
When is Yoga No Longer Yoga?
by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
Imagine you see a car, and your friend says, “What’s that?” You say, “It’s a car.” Imagine that the car is missing a wheel, and your friend asks you the same question. Still, you say, “It’s a car.” But what if all four wheels were gone, and the doors were gone, and the engine was gone. Then, what would you say when your friend asked, “What’s that?” You might say something like, “Junk.” We may not know the exact point of change, but somewhere along the way, in removing the parts, you’d naturally stop saying, “It’s a car.”
At what point, and after how much adaptation to modern culture, does Yoga cease to be Yoga? When Yoga is stripped of its higher goals and methods, can it still be called Yoga? When is Yoga no longer Yoga?
Yoga and War
Two very contrasting images came across Trisha's desk this past month related to the war on Iraq: Two U.S. military F16 fighter pilots named their bomb-dropping sortie "Mission Yoga Flight"—one can only ponder why—versus Yoga âsana and meditation practitioners with their mats rolled out in front of city hall in Oakland, California, in peaceful protest of the war.
Yoga classes served as a refuge for practitioners during the war, much as they did following 9/11. The Yoga class as refuge and Yoga as a form of protest are addressed in the article "Balancing Act: War and Inner Peace" by Jeannine Stein in the March 31, 2003, issue of the Los Angeles Times. For further reading, see Georg Feuerstein's essay, "War from a Yoga Perspective" at http://www.yrec.org/war.html.
"Alternative Reality TV" Series on the Sci-Fi Channel Features a "Yoga Master"
According to a March 31, 2003, news release by PRNewswire, ". . . between a vampire, a witch, a voodoo priest, a yoga master, and a psychic, life at Alt Manor [on the forthcoming series ‘Mad Mad House’] is liable to get pretty strange. When the roost is ruled by those with alternative lifestyles, you can witness the mayhem, humor and sheer fun unfold as . . . 'Joe Normal' contestants compete in a series of increasingly bizarre challenges in order to claim the grand prize.”
Museum Uses Yoga to Draw Customers
Bernard Stamler, in his article “Temples of Culture are Needy, Too. Tai Chi, Anyone?” in the April 23, 2003, issue of The New York Times writes: “. . . with tourism down, endowments depressed and, in many cases, governmental subsidies vanishing, museums are in need of new financing sources. Lately, in the hunt for revenue, many have turned to imaginative marketing. . . . the Dallas Museum of Art celebrated its centennial by staying open for 100 consecutive hours during the middle of January. Yoga and tai chi were featured, along with more conventional activities, like gallery tours. The result: more than 45,000 visitors, nearly 20,000 more than predicted, many of them in the wee hours . . .”
The Arts: New Mark Morris Work "Kolam" is Yoga Based
According to a March 26, 2003, Associated Press article by Claudia La Rocco, Mark Morris recently premiered his new work "Kolam," which he choreographed to music composed and performed by Zakir Hussain and Ethan Merson. "Kolam" is "a Tamil word for art in India that transcends caste, occupation and religion" . . . "Dressed in Katherine McDowell's loose-fitting, simple costumes, the dancers moved through a series of slow, angled yoga poses as the lights went up on Howard Hodgkin's set, a rough rendering of sun-drenched mountain peaks and shadowed valleys. Moving through swells of energy perfectly timed to the music, the dance, true to its name, used bodies in place of powders and pigments to make its own Kolam."
A Positive Trend: Creation of Spiritual Community
We recently have begun to receive communications regarding the desire to create community, a spiritual sangha, among Yoga teachers and practitioners in their local settings. In both a global and local sense, this has been YREC/IAYT’s intention from day one, and we hope to bring it to fruition with the move to our new retreat facility. Every member is invited to come and participate in our local sangha and to create a sangha in their own setting if none already exists.
This intention to create community also is stated as the goal of one of the trendy new high-end Yoga centers in Santa Monica, California, Strike a Balance (SAB) (http://www.strike-a-balance.com). SAB’s motto is “union of mind, body, and spirit,” and class size is limited to 15. One of SAB’s goals is “to create a community feeling not only among the clientele, but throughout the entire staff as well. The center has focused on finding teachers and healing arts practitioners that wish to make the center their home, creating a strong foundation, which in turn gives the staff an opportunity to relate the importance of a regular spiritual and healing practice to their students and clients.”
How Transformative Is Your Practice?
From Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute, Longitudinal Research on Psychological Development (http://www.integralinstitute.org/future.cfm): There exist dozens of widely respected tests of individual psychological development and transformation—cognitive development, moral development, values, self-sense, altruism, creativity, and so on. Take any purported means of transformation—meditation, Integral Transformative Practice, Hatha-Yoga, psychotherapy, and so on—and give a large battery of these tests before, during, and after the practice. As only one example of the types of results that might be expected: Less than 2% of the adult population has been found to have realized Jane Loevinger's highest two stages of self development (called "autonomous" and "integrated"), and no practice has been shown to substantially increase that percentage, with one exception: Studies have shown that consistent meditation practice over a several-year period increases that percentage from 2% to an astonishing 38%. Replicating these types of longitudinal studies could have a profound impact on our understanding of how to actually help individuals transform.
Books
Charles Michael Byrd. Beyond Race: The Bhagavad-gita in Black and White. Princeton, N.J.: Xlibris Corporation, 2002. Hardcover, 150 pages. .99. Reviewed by Georg Feuerstein.
The Bhagavad-Gîtâ, as we know it today, was composed c. 500 B.C. Its spiritual message, however, has remained relevant throughout the ages, as is demonstrated by the seemingly endless flood of new translations and paraphrases.
Race likewise has been a prominent issue over the centuries. Byrd’s book utilizes the Gîtâ’s timeless wisdom to make sense of race in our time and, as the title suggests, to explore ways in which we can transcend race and race consciousness. The writer, who biologically is black, white, and red and operates the website http://www.interracialvoice.com, speaks out against racial typing, ethnic groupings, and separatist ideology. He champions, among other things, the introduction of a multiracial category by which those falling between racial stereotypes can have their own independent identity. Ultimately, however, this does not seem to make sense in terms of his avowed spirituality, which sees the same One as the essence of all individuals. That One transcends all categories (tattva), including the “mixed race” category.
On another level, Byrd rejects the bland concept of an impersonal Absolute. He comes from the Krishna Consciousness tradition, which favors a personal God (Krishna/Vishnu). That Supreme Being is the foundation of all living beings with whom we must live in solidarity.
Byrd’s commentary shows no acquaintance with the prolific Sanskrit commentarial literature on the Gîtâ and its immense theological sophistication. He does, however, demonstrate a keen awareness of race issues, especially in regard to mixed races. In this context, he surprisingly does not comment on the curious linguistic fact that Krishna can mean “dark” and Arjuna “white,” nor does he enter into a discussion of India’s caste system, which the Gîtâ is often seen as endorsing.
We can appreciate Byrd’s work as a valiant effort to extend the discourse on race considerably by including the spiritual wisdom of India in the form of the qualified nondualism of the Gîtâ. As such it is a book of sanity and hope.
Swami Bhaskarananda. Meditation, Mind and Patanjali’s Yoga: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth for Everyone. Seattle: Viveka Press, 2001. Paperback, 252 pages. .50. Reviewed by Richard Rosen.
Swami Bhaskaranada is a monk in the Ramakrisha Order, president of the Vedanta Society of Western Washington, author of the book The Essentials of Hinduism, and editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal Global Vedanta.
As the title suggests, Patanjali’s eight limbs serve as the framework of the Swami’s teaching. The first three of the book’s 20 chapters might be considered a long introduction. Chapter 1, appropriately titled “Why We Should Meditate,” sets the central theme for the entire teaching. While the Swami covers several different styles of meditation, according to him they all have the same goal, to experience “Divinity or Ultimate Truth.”
Meditation, he continues, is learned, as is traditional, from a “competent teacher.” This leads into a discussion of the teacher-student relationship in chapter 2, the longest in the book. The Swami explains the importance of (and the difficulties in finding) such a teacher, and lists some essential characteristics of an authentic teacher, among them the lack of craving for praise, honor, fame, and money. The third chapter, the book’s shortest, simply enumerates Patanjali’s eight limbs as a preparation for the chapters to come.
The next seven chapters consist of a fairly conventional account of seven of Patanjali’s eight limbs (omitting samâdhi). The emphasis in these chapters is on the yamas and niyamas and on dhyâna. A strict traditionalist, the Swami spends a good deal of time on the virtues of brahmacarya and purity, while âsana, prânâyâma, pratyâhâra, and dhâranâ are reviewed relatively briefly.
Together, the next two chapters, 11 and 12, are a kind of cautionary tale about meditation. The Swami talks about the obstacles to meditation, including Patanjali’s familiar antarâya ennead (found at 1.30) and his five kleshas, as well as the hazards of meditation, such as becoming overly critical of others and the craving for praise and appreciation.
The next chapter, chapter 13, “Kundalini Power and the Six Chakras,” actually seems to come out of the blue. The Swami claims, though does not document, that according to Raja-Yoga, the “spiritual power in humans . . . is called Kundalini.” I’m not aware that Patanjali ever mentions kundalinî, though some scholars think we may find hints about this mysterious power in certain sûtras. He also seems to take a very literal-minded view of Yoga’s subtle anatomy, writing that the “human backbone has in it three extremely narrow channels,” referring to the three main nâdîs: sushumnâ, idâ, and pingalâ.
For the next three chapters we are back on familiar classical ground, with an overview of the Sâmkhya theory of creation, which includes a description of the three gunas and a look (in chapters 15 and 16) at samâdhi and “What Happens After Samadhi.” Many scholars are of the opinion that the classical system is strictly dualistic, with an absolute separation between self and nature and a practice goal of “aloneness” (kaivalya). The Swami, naturally enough, considering his training, interprets Patanjali monistically and describes samâdhi as a state of oneness between the mind and Brahman. He then offers three examples of sages who reached samâdhi: Shri Trailanga Swami, Ramakrishna, and Ramana Maharishi.
Chapter 17 takes a long look at recitation (japa), which is, in the Swami’s estimation, an important meditational aid. He reviews three main techniques—chanting aloud, whispering, and chanting only mentally—four ancillary techniques, bîja and siddha mantras, how japa works, and five common practice obstacles.
Chapter 18, “Judging Our Own Spiritual Progress,” is based on an understanding of the psychological effects of the three gunas, especially sattva-guna. According to the Swami, spiritual progress goes hand in hand with an increase of the sattva-guna, which manifests in eight signs, among them shedding tears, sweating, shivering, and speechlessness. The next-to-last chapter deals with the sources of stress and how to relieve it through several different techniques, such as the well-known corpse pose (shavâsana), rational thinking, and positive comparisons. Finally, chapter 20 contains a few short concluding remarks.
Swami Bhaskarananda, as you can probably tell, has a decidedly conservative approach to Yoga and Yoga practice; for example, one of his qualifications for taking up prânâyâma is “perfect chastity.” While such an approach has, for a very long time, been the accepted norm in India, I am not sure it will fly all that well with most beginning students in this country, who will find this book rather slow going. The audience for this book is probably among more experienced students of a similar traditional bent, who can better appreciate the Swami’s great learning and conscientious adherence to custom. Whatever level of student you are, however, if you are interested in what the traditional teaching of classical Yoga as meditation is like, then you will definitely want to read this book.
Anna Cox. Just as the Breeze Blows through Moonlight, The Spiritual Life Journey of Thupten Heruka, a 19th Century Tibetan Yogi. Little Rock, Ark.: Xlibris, 2002. Paperback, 318 pages. .00. Available direct from the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, http://www.ebslr.org/ebspub.htm (preferred), or from major national booksellers’ websites. Reviewed by John Kepner.
This is a much different kind of Yoga book, a delightful, historical adventure novel centered around spiritual struggles still relevant to most of us today. As such, this book will be especially appealing to the experienced Buddhist or Yoga practitioner interested in traditional practice grounded in daily action and moral principles (some of “the lost teachings of Yoga,” as Georg Feuerstein calls them.)
As an adventure novel, this is an engaging tale, complete with physical trials, political intrigue, magic, and love. It is the authentic spiritual context, Buddhist teachings, and Tibetan history, however, that make this book so remarkable.
Thupten Heruka is a Tibetan yogin, i.e., a serious Buddhist practitioner who uses classical yogic technology to support his practice—seated âsanas, prânâyama, meditation, mantras, mudrâs, and more. He certainly does not need âsanas for exercise. Daily life in Tibet provides more than enough!
The presentation of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist religious and secular backdrop is fascinating. Examples: how the spiritual and political leadership of the country are intertwined, what the Dalai Lama means to the society and how they locate the new infant incarnation of their leader. In the era portrayed in the novel, Russia, England, and China are all vying for influence with the fragile country.
The glimpse into the daily life of such a practitioner is one of the most interesting parts of the book, including the everyday dangers of travel in the mountains and the ordinary problems of life with friends and family. Thupten’s family does not understand why he pursues the yogic path instead of helping with the family business and marrying his brother’s widow.
The contemporary Yoga practitioner, however, may be most fascinated by what spiritual practice means to such a yogin. In part, it means cultivating pure intent and beneficial action in a dangerous world. These classic Buddhist principals embody the ethical foundations of practice. The sage-practitioner will thus appreciate the story of the moral struggles of a traditional 19th century yogin wrestling with many of the same perennial human problems we continue to confront in the 21st century, including treachery, despair, and sexual temptation.
Even though the author is a longtime Vajrayâna Buddhist practitioner, the reader is compelled to wonder how this contemporary Western woman came to know so many details about the daily life and spiritual practices of a Tibetan yogin over a century ago. The answer: This story unfolded to her in a compelling dream, so clearly told that she could not rest until she had written it down. Her karmic relationship to the teller of this tale remains a mystery, but she is happy to share his story.
Reviewer’s note: Anna Cox is the cofounder of the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock and has been a psychotherapist, lecturer, and trainer in Buddhist practice since the early 1970s. For the past ten years, she has provided spiritual and psychotherapeutic counseling to incarcerated individuals both on and off death row in a maximum security prison. From this experience she writes and publishes a newsletter entitled Dharma Friends that is free to prisoners and subscribers around the world. Proceeds from Just As the Breeze Blows through Moonlight go to support that work.
Jaime Stover Schmitt. Every Woman’s Yoga: How to Incorporate Strength, Flexibility, and Balance into Your Life. Roseville, Calif.: Prima Publishing, 2002. Softcover, 324 pp. .00. Reviewed by Richard Rosen.
Jamie Stover Schmitt is the founder and director of Spanda (http://www.spandayoga.com), a Yoga therapy education program, a faculty member of the Himalayan Institute, a teacher at the Kripalu Center, and a contributor to Yoga International.
The material in her book is divided into four parts. Part One, “Every Woman: Body and Soul,” has short two chapters. Chapter 1 provides some background information on Yoga, its various schools, and its physical and psychological benefits. Chapter 2 looks at the subtle anatomy of the “yoga body,” and the archetypal or metaphorical dimension of the Yoga postures.
Part Two (six chapters), “The Vocabulary of Yoga Practice,” is the practical heart of the book. By my rough count these chapters include about 70 different poses, along with a large number of variations. The poses are divided into categories according to their function, and the categories are grouped into the chapters. Each pose is illustrated with a line drawing and described briefly, usually in a page or less. Each description is introduced by a review of the pose’s benefits, and frequently suggestions are included on making the pose either more or less challenging. There are also numerous sidebars inserted throughout the book, offering additional background information (on the cakras, for example, or the diaphragm, or ancillary practices like kapâla-bhâti), cautions, helpful tips (“your yoga coach says . . .”), practice benefits, and “guiding principles.”
Chapters 3 through 5 cover “essential postures” divided into nine categories: pelvic centering poses, whole body integration poses, balance poses, bending poses, poses for shoulder and hip mobility and forward bends, twisting poses, inversions, and finally poses for relaxation. There are far too many poses to list here in any detail; in general though, most of the poses are relatively accessible to all levels of students, with a few, like king dancer, crow, and headstand, that are suitable for more intermediate students. The emphasis seems to be on floor poses, with only a few standing poses (triangle and its revolved variation, two warrior variations, and side angle stretch) added into the mix.
The next three chapters treat “essential moving practices for women.” Chapter 6 is dedicated primarily to sun salutation, chapter 7 to “essential breathing practices,” including several prânâyâma exercises, and chapter 8 to Yoga practices for “special times and needs.” This latter chapter supplies a number of short remedial or preventative sequences, usually consisting of a dozen or so poses, for various conditions and ailments, such as menstruation, the inability to become pregnant, vaginal health, menopause, bone health and osteoporosis, breast care, sexual desire and expression, digestion and elimination, fatigue, depression, posture, and weight loss.
Part Three, “Soul Yoga: Look Within,” has two very interesting chapters. Chapter 9, “Untangle the Knots: Inner Work Using Yoga,” offers simple techniques to increase self-awareness, to “follow the meaningful thread of a body signal,” as a preparation for movement and sitting meditation. These techniques include establishing a “meta-observer” or Witness, self-tuning for “patterns of tension,” and signal amplification, encouraging whatever you are feeling as a means to initiate movement. Chapter 10, “Doing It, Being It: The Range of Yoga Practice,” surveys the author’s five stages of the “continuum of practice.” The continuum begins with formal practice, the “correct performance of the poses,” and gradually evolves into a completely spontaneous expression of “impulse,” with no “physical forms or formal structure.”
Part Four (two chapters), “Your Own Yoga: A Place for Practice in Your Life,” completes the teaching with chapters on creating your own practice and applying what you have learned in Yoga practice to the “other twenty-three hours,” your daily life. In chapter 11, “Yoga Your Way: Creating Your Own Practice,” the author outlines a practice “template,” which assists the reader in devising a home practice, then gives examples of three formal practices (two basic, one challenging), provides helpful hints on how to maintain a consistent practice, and finishes with six short practices, such as a 15-minute “quickie” and a walking prânâyâma practice. Lastly, in chapter 12, there is a catalog of the author’s seven “treasures” of balanced health: regularity and routine, adequate rest, fresh and natural food, internal cleansing, appropriate movement and exercise, counteracting stress, and harmony of soul.
This is an intelligent and useful practice manual. I especially enjoyed Schmitt’s ideas in chapters 9 and 10. While aimed at a female audience, there is only one chapter in the book addressed specifically to women’s issues, and it seems to me that men would get just as much benefit from the rest of the teaching as women.
Christy Turlington. Living Yoga: Creating a Life Practice. New York: Hyperion, 2002. Hardcover, 276 pp., .00. Reviewed by Richard Rosen.
Christy Turlington is a well-known fashion model and celebrity who also serves as an editor-at-large for Yoga Journal.
The material in this book is divided into two parts, “The Big Picture” with 20 chapters, and “Personal Journeys” with six. Of these 26 chapters, almost half (including all six in Part Two) are mostly autobiographical.
The 20 chapters of Part One cover a grab bag of topics, usually in 10 pages or fewer. The opening chapters trace the origins of Yoga, the beginnings of Turlington’s own Yoga career, and Yoga’s “founding fathers,” specifically Patanjali, compiler of the first systematic treatise on Yoga, and T. Krishnamacharya, one of the most influential teachers of the twentieth century. The "Asana" chapter, the longest in the book, is slightly mistitled. It is not really an âsana instructional, but rather provides a brief look at different contemporary schools and prominent teachers: Ashtanga Vinyasa and Iyengar, Kundalini, Bikram, Siddha, Kripalu, and Integral Yogas. This is followed by chapters on traditional Yoga paths (Karma, Bhakti, Jnâna), prânâyâma and the breath, and meditation, including Buddhist vipassana and the practice of mantra.
The next five chapters deal with various Yoga-related themes: spiritual initiations, compassion, faith, community, and impermanence. The first part ends with chapters on the identity and role of the teacher (guru), Âyurveda, and how to create a “sacred space” (vastu) in your home. The chapters are accompanied by a number of sidebars on various topics, including the Sanskrit language, the Hindu Pantheon, the Vedas, mudrâ, and the cakras. Many of these chapters conclude with photos and very brief descriptions of Yoga âsanas (e.g., lotus, fish, plow, camel, crane, cow face) expertly performed by Turlington.
The second part is, as I have mentioned, mostly entirely autobiographical and includes chapters on global consciousness and Turlington’s UNICEF-sponsored trip to Afghanistan, Turlington’s response to the World Trade Center tragedy in 2001, and her process of creating a “life practice.”
Turlington has a sincere and open-hearted style of writing that is quite engaging. I must admit that I am not particularly interested in her life story, but that is just me. I am sure it will give voice to and resonate deeply with many modern practitioners’ Yoga experience. The book serves as a basic introduction to Yoga practice and related themes, and as a record of one person’s personal journey toward the “experience of harmony.”
Videos
Erich Schiffmann. Beginning Yoga with Erich Schiffmann. Santa Monica, Calif.: Sacred Movement, 2003. URL: http://www.movingintostillness.com. 80 minutes. .00. Reviewed by Richard Rosen.
Erich Schiffmann is one of our more popular and accomplished Yoga instructors, and this video is one of four new offerings from him. The other three include a 70-minute instructional session on inversions for intermediate to advanced students and two 90-minute tapes of him teaching regular public classes. Both the inversion tape and this 75-minute practice session for beginners are entirely self-produced; Schiffmann filmed them in his backyard, edited them, wrote the script, and modeled them, which gives both presentations a homey, informal feel.
The session begins with a sitting warm-up for the groins, spine, and shoulders. This is followed by a series of standing exercises in tâdâsana (mountain), which works the legs and feet as well as the spine and shoulders again, a “half sun salute,” which includes only the forward-bending to arched-back portion of the sequence, and a few simple standing poses like utthita-trikonâsana (triangle) and prasârita-pâdottânâsana (wide-leg forward bend). Next come several reclining hip, leg, and groin stretches, along with some belly strengtheners, in preparation for ardha-padmâsana (half lotus). Then sitting in vîrâsana (hero pose), Schiffmann leads us through a long series of intense shoulder and chest openers leading up to the arm positions for gomukhâsana (cow face pose) and “reverse prayer” (anjali-mudrâ with the palms pressed together behind the back). The last part of the session covers easy back bends, like shalabhâsana (locust) and setubhandâsana (bridge) and their variations, a reclining twist, and relaxation.
Schiffmann is an excellent model with a straightforward, rather quirky, but hugely engaging delivery. His instructions, while quite specific, are also peppered with emotionally charged words like “enjoy” and “savor.” The pace of the teaching is leisurely, and the poses are not held long, which is just the right approach for beginners and more advanced students wanting a mild practice from an expert teacher.
Shandor Remete. Hatha Yoga: Yoking the Shadow (Chaya Samyukta) with Shandor Remete. San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Manduka MatsSource. URL: http://www.yogacentre.com; phone: 805-544-9642. 100 minutes. .00. Reviewed by Richard Rosen.
Shandor Remete is one of the more remarkable Yoga teachers I have ever run across. For him, the shadow (châyâ) represents our hidden, habitual fluctuations of consciousness that generate attachment and self-alienation. “Yoking the shadow” in this sense means to harness these unconscious tendencies, which frees bound energy and allows us to redirect all our efforts toward self-investigation and self-realization.
This is one of the more innovative and challenging presentations I have seen over the last 12 years, not only because of its practical content, but also because of its lack of oral instruction. We are shown only the visuals of Remete performing the two fixed shadow sequences accompanied by the rhythmic, hypnotic beat of a drum. The first “short” (pratignâ) sequence is preliminary to the second “long” (nata) session. “Short” and “long” however do not refer to the relative lengths of the practices, each of which takes about 40 minutes to complete. The short session is so called both because it has fewer and more accessible poses and is supposed to take a “shorter” time to memorize than its companion.
The pratignâ sequence includes a series of simple standing postures, many of them variations on tadâsana (mountain), a brief sun salute, and a series of floor exercises, including two “reverse-image” postures, pascimottânâsana (“intense-stretch-of-the-West”) and purvottanâsana (“intense-stretch-of-the-East”). The separate exercises flow easily one into the next (only a few are held for more than a few seconds), accentuated by graceful, T’ai Chi-like arm and hand movements (reminiscent of yoga-mudrâs), and belly “pumpings” (much like uddîyâna-bandha).
The style of the long form is similar to the short, but it includes around 30 exercises, about double the number of its preliminary. In addition, some of the long form’s exercises—hanumanâsana (Hanuman’s pose), for example, and a bent-arm balancing posture (eka-pâda-kaundinyasana II)—are much more challenging than any of those in the short form.
It is difficult to say if Remete’s visual-only presentation is an effective teaching tool. He is, without doubt, a striking and inspiring model, and it is hard to sit still and just watch him at work in the poses, especially with the powerfully moving drumbeat in the background. There are a few things he does, with his belly and tongue in particular, that just are not clear without verbal clues. I would say that this tape is more appropriate for experienced students, who have a better understanding of the nuances of the poses, though surely students of any level would benefit by simply observing Remete’s inspiring example.
Raub, J. A. Psychophysiologic effects of hatha yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: A literature review. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Dec 2002, 8(6):797-812. PMID: 12614533.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12614533&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Yoga has become increasingly popular in Western cultures as a means of exercise and fitness training; it is, however, still depicted as trendy. There remains a need to have Yoga better recognized by the health care community as a complement to conventional medical care. Over the past 10 years, a growing number of research studies have shown that the practice of Hatha-Yoga can improve strength and flexibility, and may help control such physiological variables as blood pressure, respiration and heart rate, and metabolic rate to improve overall exercise capacity. This review presents a summary of medically substantiated information about the health benefits of yoga for healthy people and for people compromised by musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary disease. (Editors’ note: This is the first extensive overview of the yogic literature since Arpita’s “Physiological and psychological effects of Hatha Yoga: A review of the literature,” published in the Research Bulletin of the Himalayan International Institute in 1983 (volume 5) and reprinted in he Journal of The International Association of Yoga Therapists in 1990 (volume 1, nos. I & II). Raub has done a nice job, and in progress is a similarly in-depth literature review on Yoga therapy by Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D., a research scientist on staff at the Complementary Medicine Research Institute at California Pacific Medical Center who has specialized in mind/body research for nearly three decades, has practiced Yoga for more than twenty years, and is an Integral Yoga instructor.)
Czamara, Joli Michele. Therapeutic benefits of yoga: A 10-week pilot study. Master’s thesis. D’Youville College, Buffalo, New York, 2002. Masters Abstracts International, Feb 2003, 41/01, p. 217. First 24 pages available online: http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/preview/1409936. UMI #1409936.
Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 10-week yoga practice of postures, breathing, and relaxation can increase a person’s strength, balance, functional flexibility, and mental and physical quality of life. 16 volunteers was recruited from a community-based Yoga center. Results: The Mann-Whitney showed significance at p
Daubenmier, Jennifer Joan. A comparison of Hatha yoga and aerobic exercise on women’s body satisfaction. Ph.D. dissertation. University of California at Berkeley, 2002. Dissertation Abstracts International, Mar 2003, B 63/09, p. 4415. First 24 pages available online: http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/preview/3063338. UMI #3063338.
Summary: Examined whether women who practice Hatha-Yoga report greater body satisfaction and fewer eating problems than women who practice body-oriented exercises. Women who practiced either (1) Hatha yoga (N = 43), (2) aerobics (N = 44), or (3) another type of body-oriented exercise (the baseline condition, N = 51) were recruited. Results: Onaverage, Hatha-Yoga participants reported the greatest degree of body awareness and trust during exercise as well as in daily life. They also reported greater levels of self-acceptance than the baseline condition but equal to the aerobic condition. Hatha-Yoga participants reported the least amount of internalization of the thinness ideal, the least amount of tendency to compare their physical appearance to that of others, the smallest discrepancies between actual and ideal physical attributes, the least amount of self-objectification, and the most body satisfaction. Hatha-Yoga participants also reported fewer eating problems compared to the aerobic condition but not to the baseline condition. Mediational analyses revealed that self-acceptance, body awareness, and trust significantly accounted for the more positive scores of the Hatha-Yoga participants.
Deepak K. K. Neurophysiological mechanisms of induction of meditation: A hypothetico-deductive approach. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2002 Apr, 46(2):136-158. PMID: 12500489.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12500489&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Efferent attenuation, sensory attenuation, and cognitive restructuring appear to be three possible mechanisms employed in varying degrees of combinations to produce the “meditative effect” during different types of meditations. The meditative effect is primarily produced by disengaged association cortices driven by the thalamus or other older group of reticular nuclei. There may be secondary involvement of some more phylogenetically older structures depending upon the depth and types of meditation. This model explains induction, maintenance, and long-term effects of meditation.
Majumdar, M., P. Grossman, B. Dietz-Waschkowski, S. Kersig, and H. Walach. Does mindfulness meditation contribute to health? Outcome evaluation of a German sample. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Dec 2002, 8(6):719-730. PMID: 12614525.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12614525&dopt=Abstract
Summary: 21 participants with chronic physical, psychologic, or psychosomatic illnesses were examined in a longitudinal pretest and post-treatment design with a 3-month follow-up. Emotional and general physical well-being, sense of coherence, overall psychologic distress, and satisfaction with life were measured with standardized instruments. Results: Overall, the interventions led to high levels of adherence to the meditation practice and satisfaction with the benefits of the course, as well as effective and lasting reductions of symptoms (especially in psychologic distress, well-being, and quality of life). Positive complementary effects with psychotherapy also were found.
Hirst, I. S. Perspectives of mindfulness. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, Jun 2003, 10(3):359-366.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12755922&dopt=Abstract
Summary: For the psychiatric nurse, understanding the idea and practice of mindfulness is useful for developing both transcultural awareness and to recognize that personal inattention could compromise care. In terms of mental health promotion, mindfulness is worthy of consideration as an important life skill. This paper explores the notion of mindfulness from a number of perspectives.
Mindfulness-based clinical interventions. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. Mindfulness issue, Summer 2003, 10(2). Table of contents: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/current.shtml.
Includes the following articles:
Baer, Ruth A. Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003 10(2):125-143. Author email: rbaer@uky.edu.
Abstract: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/125
Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003 10(2):144-156.
Abstract: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/144
Teasdale, John D., Zindel V. Segal, and J. Mark G. Williams. Mindfulness training and problem formulation. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003 10(2):157-160. Author email: john.teasdale@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.ul.
Abstract: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/157
Hayes, Steven C., and Kelly G. Wilson. Mindfulness: Method and process. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003 10(2):161-165. Author email: hayes@unr.nevada.edu.
Abstract: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/161
Dimidjian, Sona, and Marsha M. Linehan. Defining an agenda for future research on the clinical application of mindfulness practice. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003 10(2):166-171.
Abstract: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/166
Roemer, Lizabeth, and Susan M. Orsillo. Mindfulness: A promising intervention strategy in need of further study. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003 10(2):172-178. Author email: lizabeth.roemer@umb.edu.
Abstract: http://clipsy.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/172
McLean, Polly. Perceptions of the impact of meditation on learning. Pastoral Care in Education, Mar 2001, 19(1):31ff, Mar 2001.
Summary: About teachers and primary school pupils who have led or taken part in meditation classes at school, this paper discusses their perceptions of the relationship between meditation and learning. Three different categories of perceived benefit are examined: readiness for learning, enhanced creative expression, and spiritual development. A case is then made for the use of experiential learning models as a structure for enhancing the benefit gained through meditation. Concludes with some observations about the potential of meditation in the school setting, including the secondary setting.
Sethi, Sujata, Subhash C. Bhargava. Relationship of meditation and psychosis: Case studies. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Jun 2003, 37(3):382ff.
No abstract available.
Kolasinski, S. L. Yoga for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Not yet published. URL: http://www.med.upenn.edu/rheum/rheum_bio_kolasinski.html.
Summary: This preliminary work has suggested that Yoga has benefits in osteoarthritis management, and the researchers are continuing their investigations into the potential mechanisms that may be involved, including analysis of gait. According to an article in the Mar/Apr 2003 issue of AARP Magazine, this preliminary study found that two months of Yoga cut pain by 50 percent among patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Shapiro, Shauna Lin. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and breast cancer. Ph.D. dissertation. The University of Arizona, 2002. Dissertation Abstracts International, Nov 2002, B 63/05, p. 2603. First 24 pages available online: http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/preview/3053909. UMI #3053909.
Summary: This study was designed to test the efficacy of a meditation-based intervention—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)—for women with stage II breast cancer, and it examined the effects of psychological and sleep functioning in the MBSR treatment group compared to a control group. Participants in the control group recorded the stress management activities they chose to engage in each day. Results: Over time all participants’ psychological well-being improved regardless of experimental condition; the MBSR condition did not improve significantly more than the control condition. Within the MBSR group, however, those participants reporting greater mindfulness meditation practice improved on both sleep and psychological variables more than those who practiced less.
Sephton, Sandra E., Cheryl Koopman, Michael Schaal, Carl Thoresen, and David Spiegel. Spiritual expression and immune status in women with metastatic breast cancer: An exploratory study. The Breast Journal, Sep/Oct 2001, 7(5):345-353.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11906445&dopt=Abstract
Summary: This study examined relationships between spirituality and immune function in 112 women with metastatic breast cancer. Spirituality was assessed by patient reports of frequency of attendance at religious services and importance of religious or spiritual expression. In analyses controlling for demographic, disease status, and treatment variables, women who rated spiritual expression as more important had greater numbers of circulating white blood cells and total lymphocyte counts. Both helper and cytotoxic T-cell counts were greater among women reporting greater spirituality.
Malhotra, V., S. Singh, O. P. Tandon, S. V. Madhu, A. Prasad, and S. B. Sharma. Effect of Yoga asanas on nerve conduction in type 2 diabetes. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, Jul 2002, 46(3):298-306. PMID: 12613392.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12613392&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Twenty Type 2 diabetic subjects between the ages of 30-60 were studied to see the effect of 40 days of Yoga âsanas on nerve conduction velocity. The duration of diabetes ranged from 0-10 years, and subjects with cardiac, renal, and proliferative retinal complications were excluded from the study. Yoga âsanas included sûrya-namaskara, tadâsana, konâsana, padmâsana, pascimottânâsana, ardha-matsyendrâsana, pavanmukthâsana, sarpâsana, and shavâsana; prânâyâma also was taught. The Yoga exercises were taught by an expert and performed for 30-40 minutes every day for 40 days in the above sequence. The subjects also were prescribed certain medicines and diet. Basal blood glucose and nerve conduction velocity of the median nerve were measured and repeated after 40 days of the yogic regimen. A control group of 20 Type 2 diabetes subjects of comparable age and severity were kept on prescribed medication and given light physical exercises like walking. Their basal and post 40 days parameters were recorded for comparison. Right-hand and left-hand median nerve conduction velocity increased from 52.81 1.1 m/sec to 53.87 1.1 m/sec and 52.46 1.0 to 54.75 1/1 m/sec respectively in the Yoga group. Control group nerve function deteriorated over the period of study. Conclusion: Yoga âsanas have a beneficial effect on glycemic control and improve nerve function in mild to moderate Type 2 diabetes with sub-clinical neuropathy.
Malhotra, V., S. Singh, K. P. Singh, P. Gupta, S. B. Sharma, S. V. Madhu, and O. P. Tandon. Study of yoga asanas in assessment of pulmonary function in NIDDM patients. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, Jul 2002, 46(3):313-320. PMID: 12613394.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12613394&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Certain Yoga âsanas practiced regularly are known to have beneficial effects on [the] human body and might be interacting with various somato-neuro-endocrine mechanisms to create therapeutic effects. For the present study there were 24 NIDDM (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) patients aged 30 to 60. These subjects were type II diabetics on antihyperglycemics and a dietary regimen. Their baseline fasting and postprandial blood glucose and glycosylated Hb were monitored along with pulmonary function studies. They were trained by an expert in Yoga âsanas, which they practiced 30-40 min/day for 40 days under guidance (see above study by Malhotra et al. for a list of the âsanas). After 40 days of the Yoga âsana regimen, tests of the parameters were repeated. Results: significant decrease in fasting blood glucose levels (basal 190.08 90.8 in mg/dl to 141.5 79.8 in mg/dl), decrease in postprandial blood glucose levels (276.54 101.0 in mg/dl to 201.75 104.1 in mg/dl), and decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin (9.03 1.4% to 7.83 2.6%). FEV1, FVC, PEFR, MVV increased significantly (1.81 0.4 lt to 2.08 0.4 lt, 2.20 0.6 lt to 2.37 0.5 lt, 3.30 1.0 lt/s to 4.43 1.4 lt/s and 64.59 25.7 lt min to 76.28 28.1 lt/min respectively). FEV1/FVC% improved (85 0.2% to 89 0.1%).
Sun, T. F., C. C. Kuo, and N. M. Chiu. Mindfulness meditation in the control of severe headache. Chang Gung Medical Journal, Aug 2002, 25(8):538-541. PMID: 12392366.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12392366&dopt=Abstract
Summary: The authors report on the case of a man who was prone to developing severe headaches due to activities requiring extreme concentration. He learned to control his pain and discomfort through mindfulness meditation (MM), although this practice induced headaches initially. It is suggested that training in MM may be a medically superior and cost-effective alternative to pain medication for the control of headaches with no underlying organic causes in highly motivated patients.
Khalsa, Sat Bir Singh. [Pilot study on Kundalini Yoga for insomnia]. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH). Contact: khalsa@hms.harvard.edu.
In 2000, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, received a five-year grant from NIH to study the effects of Kundalinî-Yoga for insomnia. For eight weeks, the 10 insomnia sufferers participating in the pilot study practiced a daily 30- to 45-minute routine of five âsanas, breathing, and meditation just before retiring each night. The results were found to be as effective as taking medication: Total wake time each night decreased by about an hour, total sleep time increased by 42 minutes, and sleep efficiency (the percentage of time spent asleep versus simply in bed) improved by 10%. Participants also reported a minor increase in the quality of their sleep overall. Dr. Khalsa is now studying 48 insomnia sufferers over a longer period of time.
Kishiyama, Shirley, Jane Carlsen, Julie Lawrence, Eric Small, Daniel Zajdel, and Barry Oken. [Yoga as an experimental intervention for cognition in multiple sclerosis.] Preliminary report of results given at the American Academy of Neurology meeting, April 2, 2003, Honolulu, Hawaii. URL: http://www.ohsu.edu/news/2003/040303orccamind.html. See the article by the same title in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 2002, no. 12, which details the methodological issues associated with this study.
Summary: To assess the benefits of Yoga and exercise in MS patients, researchers studied 69 people randomized into three study groups for six months. The first group took part in a weekly Iyengar Yoga class adapted for people with MS. A second group took a weekly exercise class adapted for people with MS, which used a stationary bicycle and home exercise. Members of a third “waiting list” group maintained their normal state of activity for six months followed by an opportunity to enroll in one of the other two exercise groups The goal of the study was to determine the effect of aerobic exercise and Yoga on cognitive function, fatigue, mood, and quality of life in MS patients. Results: Neither Yoga nor aerobic exercise appeared to impact cognitive function, but there was significant improvement in fatigue for the two intervention groups when compared to the waiting list group.
Hanada, E.Y. Efficacy of rehabilitative therapy in regional musculoskeletal conditions. Best Practice & Research. Clinical Rheumatology, Feb 2003, 17(1):151-166. PMID: 12659826.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12659826&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Reviews the best evidence for the rehabilitation of regional musculoskeletal conditions. The following modalities are commonly included in the holistic approach to patient-centered care and are reviewed: exercise therapy, thermotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage and Yoga. A review of cognitive-behavioral strategies in pain management to prevent or treat fear-avoidance behavior also is presented. In addition, the application of biomechanics in treating and preventing musculoskeletal disorders is illustrated, and the evidence for pain self-management to improve symptoms and health status and to decrease the utilization of health care resources and cost is outlined. The following key questions/issues are addressed: What are the relevant therapeutic modalities for musculoskeletal pain disorders? What is the evidence of efficacy of these modalities in regional musculoskeletal conditions? What is the importance of understanding biomechanics? What is the importance of understanding fear-avoidance beliefs? What is the evidence for “alternative” therapies such as acupuncture, massage or Yoga? What is the evidence for “pain self-management”? How does one apply the evidence for rehabilitation in regional musculoskeletal conditions into clinical practice?
Bastille, Julie. The effects of a yoga-based exercise program with individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Master’s thesis. Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Professions, Boston, 2002. Available from UMI Dissertation Services, UMI #1406846, http://www.il.proquest.com/umi/default.shtml. First 24 pages available online: http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/preview/1406846. Author email: jbastille@netzero.net.
Summary: Individuals post-stroke report an impaired health status due to reduced activity, and Yoga offers alternative exercise that can be easily adapted for these individuals. Four subjects with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis participated in this single-case design. Primary outcome measures were the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Movements Battery (TMB), and data were collected weekly. A secondary outcome measure was the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), and data were collected pre-baseline, pre-intervention, and post-intervention. Baseline phases ranged from 4-7 weeks. The 8-week intervention phase consisted of 1.5-hour yoga sessions, 2 times/week, in the subject’s home. Results. Significant improvements were demonstrated in TMB in Subjects 1, 2 and 4 and in BBS in Subjects 2, 3 and 4.
Ripoll, E., and D. Mahowald. Hatha Yoga therapy management of urologic disorders. World Journal of Urology, Nov 2002, 20(5):306-309. Author email: emiliaripoll@hotmail.com. PMID: 12522587.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12522587&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Chronic urologic disorders are often difficult to diagnose because their presentation mimics other medical conditions and are often a diagnosis of exclusion. Treatment can be frustrating because the more traditional treatments are often unsuccessful in managing chronic disorders. Hatha-Yoga is one of the alternative modalities that has been extremely useful to many patients in reducing the suffering seen with chronic urologic conditions such as prostatodynia, chronic orchitis, chronic epididymitis, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, etc.
Witoonchart, C., and L. Bartlet. The use of a meditation programme for institutionalized juvenile delinquents. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, Aug 2002, 85 Suppl 2:S790-793. PMID: 12403262.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12403262&dopt=Abstract
Summary: Applied an intensive, 7-consecutive-days meditation program in 101 late adolescent male delinquents in Upekkha Detention Centre. All 101 subjects completed the program and answered the questionnaires. All stated that the meditation practice had been beneficial. 70% described feelings of contentment and calm, 53% requested to repeat the program, 52% declared a clearer understanding in the doctrine of karma, 44% referred to improved concentration and awareness, 36% felt less impulsive, and 22% had flashbacks of their criminal behavior and their victims.
Yoga Therapy Courses and Conferences
Note: Yoga therapy continuing education courses and conferences are announced in this section (please send announcements to mail@yrec.org, including title, sponsor(s), date, location, teacher(s), cost, registration instructions, and brief description). Information on ongoing Yoga therapy training programs is provided at the end of this section.
Cikitsa: A Therapeutic Approach to Practice
Date: June 11 - 15, 2003
Location: Yoga Path, 4249 Campus Drive, Suite B-140, Irvine, CA 92612
Cost: Unknown
To register: Contact Yoga Path at 949-856-9642, info@yogapath.occoxmail.com, http://www.yoga-path.com
In this Viniyoga seminar, Gary Kraftsow will use âsana, prânâyâma, bandha, chanting, meditation, and self-reflection to work with common aches and pains, chronic diseases, and emotional health. Students will refine observation skills and have an opportunity to observe Gary working with case studies. This seminar is for Yoga teachers, Yoga students, and allied health professionals and is useful for any level of practitioner. At each seminar time is devoted to questions and individual concerns and interests.
Integral Yoga, Yoga Therapy Courses
Dates (all courses take place in 2003 unless otherwise indicated):
Stress Management Teacher Training: Adapting Yoga for Business, Healthcare and Other Settings (Swami Ramananda, Swami Vidyananda, and Jo Jaya Applebaum): June 13-27
Extra Gentle Yoga Teacher Training (Swami Sarvaananda): June 27-July 6
Prenatal/Postpartum Teacher Training (Kali Morse and Loraine Shakti Small) : August 18-September 1
Yoga Therapy Intensive (Sri Om Prakash Tiwari and M. Mala Cunningham): September 1-4
Yoga for the Special Child (Sonia Sumar): October 18-23
Cardiac Yoga® Teacher Training Program (M. Mala Cunningham): 2004; dates not yet determined
Yoga for People with Cancer Teacher Training - Part 1 (Jnani Chapman): 2004; dates not yet determined
Location: Satchidananda Ashram—Yogaville, Buckingham, Virginia, http://www.yogaville.org
Cost: Varies by course. See http://www.yogaville.org/Programs/TT/TT.php, and click on the specific module in which you are interested.
To register: For an application form, call 1-800-858-9642.
For descriptions of each course, see http://www.yogaville.org/Programs/TT/TT.php, and click on the course in which you are interested
Kripalu Center Yoga Therapy Courses
Dates (all courses take place in 2003; the October courses are part of the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association Conference):
Vision and Yoga (Marc Grossman): June 15-20
Chakra Yoga Teacher Training Intensive (Todd Norian): June 22-29
Exploring the Depths of Yoga (Yoganand): July 1-6
Structural Yoga Therapy (Mukunda Stiles): July 3-6
Teaching the Deeper Practices (Rudy Peirce and Yoganand): July 6-13
Anusara Techniques for Yoga Teachers (Todd Norian): July 10-13
Experiential Anatomy (Rama Berch): July 11-14
Teaching Meditation Techniques: Dynamic Stillness (Sudhir Jonathan Foust): July 13-18
Anatomy Made Fun and Easy (Adrienne Jamiel): July 13-20 (CECs available)
Secrets of Powerful Experiential Workshops (Ken Nelson): July 13-18 (CECs available)
Childrens’ Yoga Teacher Training (Shakta Kaur Khalsa): July 18-20
Recovering Your Excellent Posture: A Yoga Approach to Common Postural Concerns (Jayelle Lindsay): July 18-20
Psychology of the Chakras: A Nine-Day Intensive (Anodea Judith and Selen Vega): July 18-27
Teaching Advanced Pranayama (Yoganand): July 20-25
Physiology Made Fun and Easy (Adrienne Jamiel): July 20-27 (CECs available)
Acu-Yoga Teacher Training (Michael Reed Gach): July 25-August 1
The Art of Class Design (Kathleen Knipp and Sudhakar Ken McRae): July 27-August 1
Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training (Shiva Rea): July 27-August 1
(Includes injury prevention and basic therapeutic guidelines)
Natural Medicine and Yoga for Menopause (Lorilee Schoenbeck): July 31-August 3 (CECs available)
The Art of Teaching (François Raoult): August 3-8
Yoga of the Heart: Cardiac and Cancer Certification Training (Nischala Joy Devi): August 7-17 (CECs available)
The Anatomy of Movement: Biomechanics of Yoga (Valerie Kit Love): August 10-15 (CECs available)
Teaching Advanced Asanas (Yoganand): August 10-15
Yoga for a Better Back (Chrysta Riypins): August 14-17 (CECs available)
Bringing Chanting into Your Yoga Teaching (Bhavani Lorraine Nelson): August 17-22
Positional Therapy: Strain-Counterstrain: An Experiential Approach [for recovery from chronic pain] (Lee Albert): August 21-24
The Body of a Warrior: Applied Anatomy for Yoga Teachers (Kathleen Knipp and Sudhakar Ken McRae): August 29-September 1
Posture Assisting Techniques (Yoganand): August 29-September 1
Restorative Yoga Teacher Training (Sudha Carolyn Lundeen): October 19-23
Yoga Teacher Training for Pregnancy Yoga (Janice Clarfield): October 19-23
Accessing Healing Prana in Your Yoga Classes (Jeff Migdow, M.D.): October 24
Creative Approaches to Teaching Yoga in Nursing Homes (Dean C. Hudson): October 24
Experiential Anatomy for Yoga: Exploring the Bony Details (Marcia Giudice): October 24
Reaching Out: Teaching Yoga to Incarcerated and At-Risk Youth (Monique Schubert): October 24
Teaching Yoga for Women During and After Treatment for Breast Cancer (Sudha Carolyn Lundeen): October 24
Anatomy thorugh Asana (Tracie Sage): October 25
Integrating Restorative Yoga into Your Classes (Puja Sue Flamm): October 25
The Science of Positive Health: A Yoga Teacher's Guide to Working with Dysthymic Depression (Amy Weintraub): October 25
Yoga for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain (Debra Risberg): October 25
Accessing Your Healing Power as a Yoga Teacher (Jeff Migdow, M.D.): October 26-30
Location: Kripalu Center, Lenox, Massachusetts, http://www.kripalu.org
Cost: Varies by course and accommodations; please see course descriptions via http://www.kripalu.org/calendar.shtml, click on the month in which the course takes place, then click on the name of the course
To register: Visit the web page for the course of interest. The bottom of each course page includes links to the Kripalu registration page. Or call 1-800-741-7353 or 1-413-448-3152.
Yoga Therapy Training Programs
Note: This list will be repeated in each issue of Yoga Studies and is provided for information purposes only. Inclusion in the list does not necessarily imply endorsement by YREC/IAYT.
U.S.A.:
American Viniyoga Institute, www.viniyoga.com, info@viniyoga.com, 808-572-1414
Integrative Yoga Therapy, www.iytyogatherapy.com, yogamanatee@aol.com, 800-750-9642; also offers a customized M.A. degree program through Lesley College, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, www.pryt.com, info@pryt.com, 800-288-9642
Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda, www.earthnet.net/rmiya, rmiya@earthnet.net, 303-443-6923
Yoga Therapy Center (Structural Yoga Therapy™), www.ytoc.org/mstiles, yogimukunda@aol.com, 720-304-3922
Europe:
European College for Yoga Therapy (Germany), www.wegdermitte.de/yoga/yoga.htm (in German), www.wegdermitte.de/yoga/yoga.htm?/english/ecyt.htm (in English), gerode@wegdermitte.de, 036072 - 8200
The Institute for Medical Yoga (Sweden), www.lifeforce.nu (in Swedish), mail@lifeforce.nu (information in English available by email), 00468-21 03 30
Yoga Biomedical Trust (U.K.), www.yogatherapy.org, yogatherapy@virgin.net, 0171 419 7199
Yoga Therapy and Training Center (Ireland), www.yogaireland.com, info@yogateachers.net, (028) 4063 0686
India:
Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, www.kym.org, admin@kym.org, 91.44.4937998
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, www.vkyogas.org.in, vkyogas@vsnl.com, +91 80 660 8645
Yoga Studies
Publisher: Yoga Research and Education Center
Editors: Trisha Lamb Feuerstein and Richard Rosen
Address: P.O. Box 426, Manton, CA 96059, USA
Tel.: 530-474-5700; Fax: 530-474-5704
Email: mail@yrec.org
URLs: http://www.yrec.org; http://www.iayt.org
Copyright © 2003 Yoga Research and Education Center. All rights reserved.
Yoga Studies is published tri-annually (in January, May, and September) for members of Yoga Research and Education Center/International Association of Yoga Therapists. Membership is per year for U.S. residents, for non-U.S. residents with email, .50 for U.S. residents without email (includes cost of providing a printout of Yoga Studies), and for non-U.S. residents without email (includes cost of providing a printout of Yoga Studies). To join or renew, please fill out the online membership application form (http://www.yrec.org/members.html) or write or call us for a printed form.