Yoga and Connecting to Healthy Weight

     Many who practice of yoga have experienced a release from the imbalances created by past habits and lifestyle.  Those who practice regularly come to honor their body and mind and find it easier to choose food that is healthy and nourishing.  Many learn to appreciate the satisfaction of a good twist, stretch or bend and the completeness found within a breath.  Yoga is a path to recognizing our own truth, practicing nonviolence to others and ourselves, moderation, taking only what we need or what we deserve in order that others may have their share, separation of senses, cleanliness and contentment, commitment, self awareness and devotion to that beyond ourselves.  The mindful practice of yoga helps us to give up compulsions that do not serve our own best interests, clears the mind, and calms the senses.  We learn to seek nourishment through stretching, strengthening, breathing, and meditative awareness of all aspects of life.  Eating becomes more mindful and actually enjoyable, rather than reflexive. We can learn to choose action rather than inaction in making positive steps toward improving our own health.  We can learn to recognize and be content with what we really need.  This process of simplification of thought and action reduces the anxiety that can lead to eating patterns that are not useful to us.  We can learn to recognize subtle physical and mental sensations more clearly, and choose to respond in more healthful ways.  This shift can be truly liberating, exhilarating, even enlightening.  

    Through the practice of yoga, we learn that the small goals and achievements are just as important and satisfying as the large ones.  We learn the peace of living in the moment, dropping self-judgment and expectations which more often than not just get in our own way.  We often can make our best decisions and choices when we have cleared enough room to consider our options.   It is important to your long-term health to make decisions about exercise and eating that will support you and make you feel complete and energized.

      The practice of hatha yoga, which are the physical poses most people in the west think of as yoga, is meant to actually be only a facet in the diamond of good health.  Hatha yoga prepares your body physically through strengthening and stretching to be able to sit comfortably in a meditative state.  Breathing in a regulated and systematic way (pranayama) signals to your mind and body that you are turning of the stress switch.  Breathing is the one body function with which we can willfully affect other body systems directly, slowing the heart rate, increasing oxygen intake, reducing blood pressure, relaxing muscles, improving digestion.  Prana means energy or life force, and through the exercise of breathing we can open channels of energy that may be blocked, producing a chronic stress and tension within the body.  It has been shown in studies that those under stress and who suffer sleep deprivation gain weight more easily.  Loosing sleep can actually cause release of ghrelin in the stomach- increasing the sensation of hunger.  Leptin is produced by fat cells and transmits to the brain that the body is has had enough food.  With sleep deprivation, leptin levels decrease, stimulating hunger.  Chronic cortisol release from the adrenal glands during stress of all kinds will cause weight gain and fluid retention.  In summary, the practice of yoga benefits weight control not only through burning calories with a hatha yoga practice, but also through the long term benefits of breathing practice and meditation.

         Your hatha yoga practice will need to be geared to your physical energy level and any physical limitations you may have.  Those with high energy levels or anxiety may benefit most from a more physically engaging practice of directed active movement – sun salutations for example, followed by sitting floor stretches.  This can be followed by an equal length of time in breathing and meditation.  Those beginning with low energy levels need to coax the body into a warming practice of floor stretching and then more strengthening poses – sun salutations for example – followed again by pranayama and meditation. 

     Yamas - ethics

• Ahimsa (nonviolence, avoiding harm to self and others)
• Satya (truthfulness with self and others)
• Asteya (taking only your share, non-stealing)
• Bramacharya (moderation in all aspects)
• Aparigraha (non-greed, ability to accept only what is appropriate)

Niyamas - observances

·        Saucha  (inner and outer cleanliness)

·        Santosha (contentment, recognizing satisfaction  and self-acceptance)

·        Tapas (purification, taking care of your health)  

·        Svadhyaya  (moving toward self, or knowing oneself)

·        Ischvara pranidhana (devotion, love of God, quality of living that focuses on our actions rather than expectations or results)

Mindfulness (ischvara pranidhana)

Self-control (bramacharya) and tapas)

Stress reduction (tapas, ahimsa)

Regular exercise, more active lifestyle (tapas)

Choosing whole, nutritious food (ahimsa, satya, tapas)

Moderation and self-control (asteya, bramacharya, aparigraha)

Choosing action rather than inaction (tapas and svadhyaya)

Clearing the mind, calming senses (santosha, svadhyaya)

Learning satisfacton through breath, movement and being present rather than seeking further gratification (ischvara pranidhana, santosha)

      Asana means the physical poses or postures that people most identify with yoga.  Traditionally these poses are meant to stretch and strengthen the body, and help build concentration.  The intent of yoga poses is not just to burn calories, though that can be a side effect.  Asana along with breathing helps to quiet the busy mind and calm anxiety.  This makes it easier to make healthy choices in our lifestyles.  What was once clouded now seems clear.  This clarity is ultimately what is so appealing about yoga.  We learn to reconnect and recharge in more healthy ways.  We develop more of a hunger for a simple breath or stretch, and the feeling of lightness and openness that comes with practice.

    The following are some examples of yoga postures and breathing techniques and how they will help you on your path.  Please consult with your health care provider if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or retina disease, are pregnant, or have other physical limitations such as back, neck, hip, or knee pain to be sure these practices are safe for you.  

·        Cleansing breathes – breathe in slowly and deeply and then slowly and gradually exhale completely.  Lengthen the breath to a count of 4 for each inhale or exhale.  This will calm you, and distract you from spiraling anxiety.

·        Interval breathing – Begin an inhalation, pause, continue, pause, continue until you reach a complete inhalation.  Exhale slowly and smoothly.  Repeat a few times.  Exhale in the same way, pausing twice until complete exhalation is reached, then inhale in one long smooth breath.  You may also combine these.  This helps you open the lungs completely, giving you a feeling of completeness and lightness.

·        Alternate nostril breathing.  Traditionally, the right side of the body contains those channels that warm and energize you, the left side those channels that cool and calm you.  This breathing technique attempts to balance the stimulation vs. the calming effect.  To begin, inhale through the right nostril, exhale and inhale through the left, exhale and inhale through the right, and continue on for 2-3 minutes.  You may use either the right or left hand to control the breath. 

·        Sun salutations, done often to warm the body and build strength and stamina, will definitely burn some calories.  However, remember that that is not the goal in itself and be sure to do each pose mindfully, try not to rush, and try to move with your breath, so you really connect your mind into the movement.  You may want to do just 1 or 2 , or do a whole series of 12 or more.  Each of these poses may also be done individually.

·        Some backbends to stretch and strengthen the back will relieve backache and wake you up. 

·        Twists that will help also to relieve backache and help you unlock the belly and ribs, make it easier to breath, and shift your perspective and outlook.

·        Forward folds to calm you, center you, clear your mind.

·        End each session if possible with a meditation or period of quiet rest to digest the effects of your practice.  Yoga really is like a good meal, and this rest allows you absorb the effects.