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Healthy Activities Healthy Living Yoga

Playing with words…synonyms, antonyms…images come alive:

Movement vs. Stillness
Vibration, gyration, fluctuations, oscillation vs. calmness
Dynamic vs. Static
Surge, Swell, Waves vs. Ripples
Pouring, soaking vs. dripping… oozing…
Jumping, skipping, Stopping vs. Flowing
Splitting, pounding, stabbing, splintering, separating into parts vs. combining, folding, melding, merging into wholeness
Agitation vs Peace
Shaking, tremors, rolling, swaying vs. centering, grounding, settling…
Hardness, Toughness, tightness vs. Softness, tenderness…
Resilient vs. Delicate and Mellow…or the ideal would be resilient ANDdelicate and mellow probably…
Roughness rockiness vs. Smoothness…

Sharp vs. …. soft, cuddly, squishy…
Solid, firm & steady vs. Flexible, Fluid and …Foolish? no, no, Flowing:)

Which will you choose? No, no, that is the wrong question. It’s not about making a choice – its about striking a balance.

… Going from one extreme to the other? Or stuck in the extreme? Find the equilibrium, the balance of all the forces that whirls around you.

We are programmed to go into heightened “Flight & Fright” mode instantly – it’s a matter of seconds when we respond and that electric responsiveness, while meant to be a lifesaver in the pre-historic times may not be as beneficial when it leads to chronic stress, chronic tension, chronic fatigue, heart disease, anxieties and that general feeling of … un-wellness. We are wired to respond with alarm at a speed of light as our defensive mechanism is instinctive. After all, its developed since the primitive caveman’s time to protect ourselves from predators and other possible disasters where, without our alertness and quick responsiveness, we would have perished. We are the survivors – just the fact that we are here today, we are the by-products of chosen strains of DNAs after repeated tests of survival of the fittest…so we are already experts at sympathetic nerve system aiding us in times of crisis…or not.

On the other hand, to truly feel relaxed and comfortable … to feel fully safe, we normally take upwards of 20 minutes (or more for some Vatta and Pitta personalities) or so. Such “rest and digest” mode is needed for our body to nourish all its cells, repair some of its cells, renew all its cells so that we can once again be who we are – luminous light, our true nature to warm our heart and soul. Physiological part, we learned from Roger Cole, PhD. To get to para-sympathetic nervous system dominance, today, that usually means that we are getting our nervous system into balance as there’s a general deficit on the para-sympathetic nervous system. Most of the time, we have a tendency to dip more into the sympathetic nervous system dominance – that’s our modern life style with the constant barrage of stimuli coming at you. It’s hard not to respond, especially given the fine sensitively we have developed to hear, feel and heed our body.

It is interesting to note though, that harder the exterior shell, softer the interior flesh… and that exterior shell, that skin of our’s is also … an organ. The largest organ … all its pores opening and closing… breathing rhythmically. The rise and the fall…

May we feel the Source.

May we feel the Light.

May we feel GOOD.

May we find joy, ease and comfort. Namaste.

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Season of utter …Reverence:)

春…Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence.
夏…Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance.
秋…Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence.
冬…Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.

– Yoko Ono

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Here’s the science – evidence based practice:)

Health Benefits of Restorative Yoga Include Trimming Fat, NIH-Funded Study Finds
October 16, 2013, 02:30:01 PM
Health Benefits of Restorative Yoga Include Trimming Fat, NIH-Funded Study Finds

PLAINSBORO, N.J. – Yoga’s health benefits may go beyond stress reduction – a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that for overweight women, restorative yoga may offer a way to actually trim subcutaneous fat.

The benefits of restorative yoga – a form of the practice that emphasizes relaxation over flowing movements or challenging balance poses – compared favorably with simple stretching when tested among a group of women who were clinically obese.

The study’s lead author, Maria G. Araneta, PhD, MPH, of the University of California, San Diego, said researchers examined whether women could lose fat from less intense exercise than aerobic activity. Patients with a BMI of 30 or more, which the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines as obese, may have a hard time starting an exercise program, despite their obvious need for physical activity.

Araneta presented results at the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago, according the quarterly edition of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management, a supplement to The American Journal of Managed Care. To read the full article, click here.

Smaller studies had shown other health benefits from yoga to persons at risk of diabetes, but Araneta said no study had specifically measured a loss of fat. A 48-week study comparing two groups, one taking restorative yoga and one performing stretching exercises found that the yoga practitioners lost significantly more subcutaneous fat over the initial six months, and kept losing it afterward. There was no significant loss of visceral fat in either group. Of note:
Weight: Both groups lost weight, with the restorative yoga group losing more, an average of 1.3 kg at six months compared with 0.7 kg for the stretch group. Significantly, the yoga group maintained the reduction.
Fat: The restorative yoga group lost more than 2.5 times the amount of subcutaneous fat as the stretch group, and kept losing fat between the six-month mark and the 48-week mark. After six months, the stretch group reversed its progress, regaining almost half its lost fat.
While stretching and body alignment are involved, restorative poses are often performed in a reclined or seated position, with limbs and parts of the torso supported by blankets, pillows, or padded bolsters that resemble a sofa cushion. Poses are held much longer than in other styles of yoga, often as long as 7 minutes. Measured breathing is emphasized, and many commercial classes feature meditative music.

One explanation for the difference may be that restorative yoga reduces levels of cortisol, which rises during times of stress and is known to increase abdominal fat. Araneta told Evidence-Based Diabetes Management that results on cortisol will be released later in 2013.

CONTACT: Mary Caffrey (609) 716-7777 x 144
mcaffrey@ajmc.com
www.ajmc.com
– See more at: http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/Health-Benefits-of-Restorative-Yoga-Include-Trimming-Fat-NIH-Funded-Study-Finds#sthash.17bXqxpu.dpuf