Rewards Of Yoga – E-Commerce Style

As we enter a new millennium, more and more people are seeking lifestyle changes that foster mental and spiritual well-being as well as physical fitness. As a result of this trend, the ancient discipline of yoga is currently undergoing a widespread renaissance. We are dedicated to bringing the benefits of yoga to the widest possible audience through the Internet.

With this statement, wailanayoga.com launched its grand opening on the World Wide Web.

People are more aware than ever of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness, says Wai Lana. regular exercise has been linked to a reduction in the risk of heart disease, strokes, and cancer. Although it is common knowledge that exercise helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, reduces blood pressure, and promotes psychological well-being, there is increasing consensus among health and fitness experts that physical activity doesn’t need to be strenuous to be effective. Yoga offers the perfect combination of strength and flexibility.

Yoga’s roots date back around 5,000 years when it was established as a form of meditation. The word ‘yoga’ in Sanskrit means ‘union’ – practicing yoga ultimately brings one back in touch with the state of union, or oneness, that exists at the core of every being, she added.

Wai Lana has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 25 years. Her television series, Wai Lana Yoga, is aired in the U.S. on PBS nationwide, as well as in over a dozen countries on five continents. She has produced and hosted nearly 200 half-hour television shows of yoga instruction. Wai Lana has also authored several books on yoga, recorded yoga music in a variety of styles, and released an award-winning series of yoga home videos.

The web site, wailana.com, features yoga asanas (exercises), yoga music, a guided meditation, vegetarian recipes, information on Wai Lana’s television series, video and CD sales, and Wai Lana’s personal life story.

Diabetes

Diabetes in various forms affects up to 5percent of the world population with 12 million diabetics in Western Europe alone. Of the different ways in which diabetes presents, noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is probably the most commonly encountered genetic disease. NIDDM or Type II diabetes is multifactorial, depending also on environmental factors including obesity, sedentary lifestyles and nutritional imbalances.

Yoga has shown some beneficial results in curing diabetes. The yoga exercises that are prescribed for curing diabetes is different from hatha yoga exercise because it involves positions tailored to treat certain conditions, as well as meditation, relaxation and stretching exercises.

One of the studies conducted to cure diabetes was the one set up by the Yoga Biomedical Trust, founded in 1982 by biochemist Dr Robin Monro, and an Indian yoga research foundation which discovered that practicing yoga for 30 minutes a day for one month helped reduce blood glucose levels in some diabetics.

The yoga patients took part in one or two 90-minute sessions a week and were asked to practice at home. The classes included the specific yoga exercises of the spinal twist, the bow and abdominal breathing.

At the end of the 12 weeks blood sugar levels fell significantly in all patients in the group and were slightly raised in a control group which had not joined in the yoga sessions. Three yoga students managed to reduce their medication, including one man who had not changed his drug regime for 20 years.

It has been known for a long time that exercise is helpful for diabetics. Yoga therapy may help reduce stress levels which could play a part in maturity onset diabetes. But one drawback is that some patients would find it hard to keep up the regular sessions needed to sustain the benefit. All the patients said they would like to see these classes set up on a permanent basis but we don’t have the money.

It is not necessarily the exercise component of the yoga therapy package which is most important, because there is not enough physical exercise to account for the changes, but stress reduction has a lot to do with it. Stress hormones increase sugar levels in the blood. People also benefit from the stabilization of their moods which yoga brings, an increased feeling of well-being and a feeling of being more in control, which may help with their diet control.

Yoga for Business People: Workplace Implications

Mind-body fitness, which derives from Eastern philosophies and religions, improves physical and emotional well-being, and has implications for workplace performance.

The overall benefits of mind-body exercise are documented in an increasing number of scientific studies. They include everything from reducing cardiac risk factors to enhancing mood.

‘You’re under stress, but you have to be in control all day, and after so many years, what happens is that leads to eating misbehaviors, stress hormone production and cardiac risk factors,. The good news is you can reverse these risk factors non-pharmacologically and develop some habits for a lifetime’ that complement conventional diet and exercise.

The kinder, gentler movements typical of yoga improve flexibility, strength and muscle tone and can be more youth-promoting than the wear-and-tear of daily aerobics, weights and running alone.

Especially with the baby boomer generation getting older, they’re realizing the need for flexibility, the need for good posture, and the desire for the things that are going to help them look and feel young.