An individual seeking to become a complete martial athlete cannot afford to leave the ancient practice of yoga out of his/her training regimen. No other exercise addresses and develops as many physical AND mental attributes as yoga does. If you think that yoga is only for new age hippies or human pretzels, think again!! If BJJ black belts such as Rickson Gracie and Wallid Ismail train in yoga, you owe it to yourself to rethink what yoga is all about.
For BJJ practitioners, the most crucial physical link between yoga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is their emphasis on ground work. ALL yoga poses (handstands, seated poses, standing poses) emphasize the body's relationship to the ground. All strength related exercises in yoga put the practitioner in direct resistance to the pull of gravity. Sound easy? Sure, if you're just standing around on both legs, gravity is a piece of cake. Now try standing on the balls of your feet, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and hold that pose for 10 controlled breaths. That's yoga!
More importantly, the mechanics for most of the poses found in yoga almost directly resemble the physical movements found in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I've found, from personal experience, that yoga's "crow" pose (hands on the floor, with your knees planted behind your triceps for support) has helped my transition from side-mount to knee-on-belly tremendously. Next time you bench press 250 lb., ask yourself how that's going to help your mount escape. If you're not sure, I'm willing to bet that there's a pose in yoga that will.
Finally, yoga prepares you mentally for the rigors of BJJ sparring and competition because it teaches you how to mentally relax while holding physically compromising positions. There are poses in yoga that are meant to arouse specific emotional responses, be it anger, fear, or frustration.
Regardless of what you might feel, and how intensely you feel it, the practice of yoga teaches you not only to endure such emotions, but also encourages you to EXPERIENCE them. When you experience your physical and mental limits at their extremes, yet respond with a calm and clear attitude... getting mounted by a 260 lb. sparring partner or competitor won't be as fearsome as it used to be. That is the true benefit of yoga. Each pose, each practice session, is an opportunity to face your internal, resisting opponent. Each breath and each moment is a personal challenge that we can experience and overcome.
It's quite unfortunate that, for the majority of the population, when the word "yoga" comes up in conversation, one immediately envisions a half-naked Indian man, dressed only in a loin cloth, with his feet behind his head, chanting "ohm", smiling the widest, most masochistic grin imaginable. Or, even worse, one envisions a group of individuals, seated in full-lotus position, trying to get in touch with their inner dolphin.
But there is more to this art. Much more. Drop the weights, leave the running shoes, the gloves, and the gi at home for just one hour every Saturday, and open yourself... to yourself. Empty your cup. This is the first challenge of the path to yoga.
"So it is said that if you know your
enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred
battles. If you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you
will win one and lose one. If you do not know your enemies nor
yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle"
Yoga gives
immune boost to breast cancer survivors
By Megan Rauscher
Updated:
2007-04-30 16:37:40 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In
breast cancer survivors, the Iyengar method of yoga not only promotes
psychological well-being, but seems to offer immune system benefits as
well, according to research reported Monday at the American
Physiological Society meeting in Washington, DC.
The Iyengar method, created by B. K. S.
Iyengar, "is considered to be one of the more active forms of yoga,"
lead researcher and presenter Pamela E. Schultz from Washington State
University, Spokane, told Reuters Health.
"It still has the meditative component, but
it's been shown to have a physical output equivalent to a
moderate-intensity exercise," she explained.
Schultz and colleagues randomly assigned 10
breast cancer survivors to 8 weeks of Iyengar yoga (2 classes and 1 solo
session at home per week) and 9 to a wait-list control group. The women
had an average age of 61 years, were about 4 years out from initial
cancer diagnosis and were being treated with hormone therapy. None of
the women had any prior experience with Iyengar yoga.
Psychosocial tests showed that the "demands
of illness," which reflects the burden of hardship of being a breast
cancer survivor, fell in the yoga participants.
"Psychosocial variables indicated improved
quality of life with Iyengar yoga," Schultz said.
Importantly, these improvements correlated
with decreased activation of an important immune system protein called
NF-kB, which is a marker of stress in the body.
"So it's possible," Schultz said, "that
decreased activation of NF-kB indicates decreased stress in the body,
which would be a positive thing. NF-kB can be activated by any type of
stress in the body, like physical stress and mental stress."
Schultz plans to continue her research by
looking at different immune system proteins to see if they too show
changes for the better, "which would confirm immune and psychosocial
benefits of Iyengar yoga
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Yoga has become extremely popular to tone the body and get in shape. But the newest trend uses yoga to heal the body and soul.
Denise Jones just attended her second class. "The first time I was nervous and apprehensive," says Jones. I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I had never done yoga before. But after the first class I was really excited."
Denise didn't attend the class to loss weight or learn specific poses. She goes to yoga as way to fight breast cancer. "Cancer was hard on me," says Jones. I was in the hospital twice and was very rundown. With the yoga, its just a good feeling to have your strength back."
As a one year survivor, Jones attends the Yoga for Breast Cancer class. The point of the class is to help those fighting cancer or cancer survivors feel better both physically and mentally.
Christina Phipps offers the class for free. And the Cobalt Moon Studios allows Phipps to hold the class there free of charge. As a cancer survivor and yoga instructor, Phipps knows specific moves to help with their healing after surgery and chemo. The stretches and poses are simple and often times lying down, leaning against a wall or sitting in a chair. This helps meet everyone's strength level.
"It's very calming," says Phipps. "We do many restorative poses that help us to let go and relax. Often times with cancer, we just keep going and try to act well. But this class gives us a time to relax and be at peace."
Many stretches are specifically designed to help with tightness and soreness from a mastectomy, lumpectomy or radiation. The 1.5 hour class isn't just about yoga. The ladies get a chance to talk about their treatment, their worries and laugh with each other. "We also support each other," says Jones. "Its like we all have something in common and we all feed off of each other, give each other support and ideas." Phipps is now expanding the class to offer it to people fighting any type of cancer.
It's the third Tuesday of every month. Class space is limited so people should call ahead before coming to a class. You can call Phipps at 904-631-8173. The Cobalt Moon Studio is located at 217 1st Street in Neptune Beach. But you don't have to have cancer to attend yoga classes for a greater cause. Some yoga studios are now donating money from certain classes to charities.
Yoga Fusion of San Marco offers the "Solid Citizens" class on Fridays at 6 p.m. All of the proceeds from the class go to charities. For the month of October the money will be given to breast cancer charities in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast may benefit from participating in a tailored yoga program that includes gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, new research suggests.
"The benefits could include less pain and fatigue, and more vigor, relaxation, and acceptance," study leader Dr. James W. Carson, from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, told Reuters Health.
Effective ways to curb cancer-related symptoms are needed for women with advanced breast cancer, Carson and his associates note in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. The "Yoga of Awareness" program, which is specifically designed and tailored to address patients' pain, fatigue, and emotional distress, seems to fit the bill, according to results of a pilot study.
Thirteen women with breast cancer that had spread to other sites in the body attended the yoga classes once weekly for 8 weeks. The women were an average of 59 years old and had been first diagnosed an average of 7 years beforehand.
The program proved "helpful in significantly boosting daily invigoration and a sense of acceptance," the investigators report. "There were also trends for improvement in pain and relaxation."
They also found that "greater practice on a given day was associated with improvements not only on the same day, but the next day as well."
This study "provides some of the first, tentative evidence for yoga's potential benefits in this vulnerable population of women with limited life expectancy," Carson and colleagues conclude.
SOURCE: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, March 2007.
(From : Ayurevedictalk-com) India: The Government Medical College and the Vivekanand Institute of Yoga have entered into a tie-up for carrying on with their experimental project on healing cancer through yoga.
The project, which was started a year ago under sponsorship by the Indian Council of Medical Research was carried out under the leadership of Dr.Varsha Sagdeo, who mentioned that three out of ten patients who underwent surgeries for breast cancer, had no cancer cells post surgery. This being a rare phenomenon happens only in ten percent of the cases, and according to Dr.Varsha, three out of ten is a good ratio.
The project involved fifty patients, divided into two groups of twenty five each. While one group practiced Pranayam (Breathing exercise) and Sudarshan Kriya, the other underwent conventional treatment.
In the yoga group, the level of reduction of cancerous cells post surgery was higher than the usual percentage, and they could also cope with the side-effects of chemotherapy in a much better manner. While thirteen of them never experienced nausea or vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatment, the others experienced very little of such symptoms.
The researchers are now planning to conduct trials on the benefits of pranayam and similar exercises on patients who are to take up any general surgery.
Phipps is now expanding the class to offer it to people fighting any type of cancer.
