Yoga has long been known as a great low impact exercise. Nowadays, many practitioners are also aware of the healing power of Yoga. Many doctors who explore alternative therapies even agree and recommend it as a treatment for various ailments.

Yoga has been shown to help relieve diseases such as chronic back pain, diabetes, stress, and fatigue. Apart from that, regular Yoga practice also helps develop and maintain the physical and emotional well being of a person.

In recent years, Yoga has been touted to provide relief for back pain sufferers. Since many asanas require bending and stretching, Yoga is ideal for building strength in the back muscles. It is also a great way to improve circulation in body areas that may otherwise never be stimulated.

With the help of a Yoga instructor, you can develop a program that best suits the needs of your physical condition. For instance, if you suffer from back pain, you can target the muscles in that area with specific asanas. The camel pose, cow pose, and locust pose have all been shown to help with back pain. Asthma patients can also benefit from the practice. Specifically, breathing exercises or pranayama can strengthen the lungs and increase the capacity.

People with terminal illnesses like cancer have also been shown to benefit from the healing powers of Yoga. Research suggests that cancer patients who are receiving treatment for cancer sleep better and are more relaxed. A recent Yoga Journal report also suggests that regular Yoga practice may help in reducing the risk of breast cancer among women. It helps regulate the production of hormones throughout the endocrine system and it also improves the immune system.

Yoga should be included in any holistic treatment program. Holistic medicine tells us that stress can be a major contributing factor in how our bodies prevent disease and heal themselves. Yoga has been proven to help reduce stress and detoxify the body.

Emotional well-being is an essential part of any recovery and Yoga can help with that as well. The practice has a calming effect on the body and if done properly, it can impact your state of mind and your ability to relax. Anyone diagnosed with a terminal illness or disease is destined to feel stress. Many doctors recommend Yoga not only to help relieve stress but also as a great way to exercise without overdoing it. It is a great low-impact exercise for people whose mobility is limited. Incorporating a regular program of Yoga into your treatment plan will help.

Even the slightest ailment can be helped relieved through the practice. If you have cramps in your leg, try a simple Yoga stretch to relax the muscles. Yoga stimulates muscle tissue, organs, and blood flow and many asanas can be modified so that they can be performed in a wide variety of situations. Many practitioners report not only a healthier body, but a general sense of peace and well-being after doing Yoga.

       

Who said that Yoga is only for the body? Your face can also benefit from the practice with the latest discovery of Yoga enthusiasts: Yoga Facials.

A Yoga Facial is a great addition to the growing number of ways on how to look and feel younger naturally. It includes a series of face exercises based on Yoga tradition. A Yoga Facial can help tone, smoothen, and soothe the face. Some spas and Yoga institutions offer Yoga Facials but the good thing about this is that it can also be done at home.

You can start your Yoga Facials with palming, an exercise that involves rubbing the hands together briskly, to concentrate energy. Rub your palms together until they feel very warm then cup them over your closed eyes. Relax and feel as it relieves stress. Most people have at least a few tense muscles in their face and this exercise will help loosen and free them.

Another exercise is done by placing the index and middle fingers of both hands in the middle of your forehead. Then, rub your forehead by making small circles with your fingers. Move your fingers across your brow and to your temples.

Give importance to your eye socket and give it a massage. Take your index and middle fingers of both hands and place them on either side of your nose just below the bridge. Rub them up to the bridge and along your eyebrows.

These are only some of the Yoga Facials that you can do. You can also try gritting your teeth and opening your lips as wide as you can. Some spas also have a Yoga Facial that includes a lion pose, in which the mouth and eyes are opened as wide as possible while roaring and sticking the tongue out. In spas, they incorporate facial massages along with these exercises. Also, if you are really looking for more stress-relieving facial massage, opt for clay facial.

All of these facials relieve tension, improve circulation, and relax facial muscles. It will also help enhance the general condition of your skin in the long run. Include Yoga Facial in your regular Yoga session and you will surely have a healthy body from head to toe in no time.

       

 Yoga breathing, or Pranayama, is the science of breath control. It consists of series of exercises especially intended to meet the body’s needs and keep it in vibrant health. Pranayama comes from the following words:

• Prana - “life force” or “life energy”
• Yama - “discipline” or “control”
• Ayama - “expansion”, “non-restraint”, or “extension”

Thus, Pranayama means “breathing techniques” or “breath control“. Ideally, this practice of opening up the inner life force is not merely to take healthy deep breaths. It is intended for yoga practitioners to help and prepare them in their Meditation process.

In our respiration process, we breathe in or inhale oxygen into our body, going through our body systems in a form of energy to charge our different body parts. Then we exhale carbon dioxide and take away all toxic wastes from our body. Through the practice of Pranayama, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is attained. Absorbing prana through breath control links our body, mind, and spirit.

But life is full of stress. Because of the daily work, family, or financial pressures, we tend to ignore our breathing. Thus, it tends to be fast and shallow. The use of only a fraction of your lungs results to lack of oxygen and may lead to different complications. Heart diseases, sleep disorders, and fatigue are some of the effects of oxygen starvation. Therefore, the negative energy of being restless and troublesome leads to lesser prana inside the body. By practicing deep and systematic breathing through Pranayama, we reenergize our body.

These are the four stages of Pranayama:

• Arambha - the commencement stage wherein the person’s interest in Pranayama is awakened
• Ghata - the stage where the three sariras merge to envelope the soul. The three sariras are gross, subtle, and causal.
• Parichay- the stage where the yogi experiences the knowledge of Pranayama
• Nispatti- the stage where the yogi goes beyond his physical body, and unites with the supreme

Benefits of Pranayama

Breathing is a normal part of our life, though we fail to pay attention to it. It is an autonomic function of the body that we perform even without concentrating on it. Why then do we have to learn yoga breathing? Here are some reasons why Pranayama is important:

• Pranayama teaches us the proper way to breathe. We became used to breathing from our chest, using only a fraction of the lungs, not knowing that this unhealthy and unnatural way of inhaling may lead to several complications. With yoga breathing, we increase the capacity of our lungs, bringing more oxygen supply to the body to function well. We learn how to breathe slowly and deeply - the right way.
• Pranayama reduces the toxins and body wastes from within our body. It prevents one from acquiring diseases.
• Pranayama helps in one’s digestion. With the proper way of breathing, one’s metabolism and health condition will start to improve.
• Pranayama develops our concentration and focus. It fights away stress and relaxes the body. Controlling one’s breathing also results to serenity and peace of mind.
• Pranayama offers a better self-control. Through concentration, one can better handle temper and reactions. Mind can function clearly, avoiding arguments and wrong decisions. Moreover, self-control also involves control over one’s physical body.
• Pranayama leads to spiritual journey through a relaxed body and mind.

However, Pranayama should not be forced and done without proper preparation, or it may lead to nervous breakdowns. It is part of a process in yoga. Breath control is a spiritual practice of cleansing the mind and body which should be done appropriately and with proper guidance and preparation.