Yoga Ayurveda Meditation Healing Alternative Medicine Acupressure

Baba Ramadev Yoga Pranayama Meditation Spirituality Yoga postures Patanjali Yogasutras

2006-06-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered if anything or anyone could give tough competition to Bollywood and cricket? Well, however unbelievable it may sound, these days, it’s Yoga, courtesy Baba Ramdev. While people have always practiced Yoga individually or under the directions of a guru, it was never as popular among the masses as it is at present. Baba Ramdev’s Yoga camps are popular not only among the elite in the metropolis, but also among the masses in small districts and villages. Baba Ramdev, who was embroiled in a controversy recently for using animal fat in his Divya Jyoti Laboratory for making Ayurvedic medicines but came out clean soon after, has done a lot to make Pranayama (control of Prana or vital breath) popular among people. He has also made people conscious of keeping themselves healthy. However controversial Baba Ramdev and his programmes may appear to some, the fact remains that his Pranayama has helped people to bring down sugar levels considerably, reduce stress levels and improve overall health. Many, who attended his Yoga camps or watched his programmes on television, stopped consuming soft drinks and switched to healthier drinks. Fortunately, his success in popularising Yoga has found positive response not only in India but in many foreign countries too. Even countries like Pakistan have shown keen interest in his Yoga sessions. Surprisingly enough, a survey conducted by a Pakistani daily rated him as the most popular Indian celebrity there, leaving behind even Bollywood king Amitabh Bachchan. Baba Ramdev is all set to conduct Yoga camps in Pakistan, the US, the UK and other many other countries. Baba Ramdev is taking Yoga the world over, however, he is neither alone nor the first to do so. Much before he arrived on the scene, gurus like Sivananda Saraswati and others took Yoga (and meditation) to Western countries. Their success remained limited probably due to the non-availability of powerful global media. Even today, there are many gurus and Yoga experts who are popularising it all over the world. Indian born Bikram Choudhary’s Hot Yoga (practiced in rooms that are heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) has achieved unmatched success in the US and is gaining huge success in Japan too. Yoga, which is growing at a higher pace in foreign countries than its place of origin, has become a highly lucrative business, especially in the United States. According to US-based ‘Yoga Journal’, more than 12 million Americans practice Yoga at least once a week. The industry is estimated to be worth over 3 billion dollars in the US alone. No doubt, Yoga accessories including clothes, equipment, reading materials and videos are selling like hot cakes and multinational companies are trying to venture into this business. Though commercialised now, Yoga was intended for a much higher goal when it was discovered thousands of years ago. Its main purpose was to bring people closer to God. The word “Yoga” derives from the Sanskrit root Yuj (“to yoke”); which is cognate to English “yoke”-meaning “to join” or “unite”. There are various forms of Yoga which can be practiced to achieve this goal- Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jyana Yoga and Raja Yoga. The most popular, however, has been Patanjali’s Raja Yoga, which involves eight elements: Yama (abstentions-violence, lying, theft, sex and possessions); Niyama (observances-purity, contentment, austerities, study and surrender to God); Asana (the postures); Pranayama (the control of breath); Pratyahara (abstraction); Dharana (concentration or fixing the attention on a single object); Dhyana (meditation); and Samadhi (the super-conscious state or trance). To date thousands of research efforts conducted on Yoga have proved that by practicing Yoga one can control blood pressure, heart beat, brain waves, body temperature and can basically keep one healthy. Some research findings also show that the more one practices Yoga, the less is the instinct to smoke and drink. In simple language, it not only helps in keeping one healthy, but also helps in developing the virtues of balance, internal strength and control of basic instincts. Realising its potential, Kiran Bedi introduced the practice of Vipassana Meditation in Tihar Central Prison, with others following suit. Occasionally, Yoga sessions are organised for para-military forces, police, even call centre employees to relieve them of the highly stressful nature of their jobs. Recently even the Dubai women’s prison initiated Yoga sessions for its inmates. Clearly, the whole world is recognising its potential and its innumerable benefits over working out at gymnasium, aerobics and other modern day methods of keeping oneself fit. In India many NGOs and organisations like Vivekanada Kendra have been working to promote Yoga without giving it a communal outlook. Indian schools, except a few like Maharishi Vidya Mandir, have shown little interest in making Yoga a part of the students’ co-curricular activities. According to researches, a mere 20-minute practice of Yoga a day can keep one healthy. Wouldn’t it then be right to make use of our own age-old art whose potential the whole world has started recognising? No harm in giving it a try, is there?

YOGA PRANAYAMA FROM TOP YOGA INSTRUCTER http://kaalchakra0.tripod.comFree Horoscopes Psychics Occult http://kaalchakra2.tripod.comMake easy money http://free-sticky.tripod.comMake Money from your website http://freesticky.bravehost.comTantra Mantra Yantra http://kaalpurush.tripod.com www.google.com www.amazon.com www.yahoo.com www.msn.com www.alexa.com www.download.com

TM Meditation Reduces Chances of Heart Attack

2006-05-20T02:34:00.000-07:00

Meditation: Good for the Arteries
Learning to relax and reduce stress through the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) may reduce atherosclerosis — and risk of heart attack and stroke — according to findings published in the March 2000 issue of the American Heart Association journal STROKE.
This is the first controlled study to suggest that stress reduction by itself can reduce atherosclerosis without changes in diet and exercise, according to a team of researchers from UCLA, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, and Maharishi University of Management College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa.
“This finding that the disease process in the arteries can be reduced through the TM program may have vast implications for the current management of cardiovascular disease and health care costs,” says Amparo Castillo-Richmond, M.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine.
In the study, hypertensive African-Americans who were at risk for cardiovascular disease were randomly assigned to either the TM program or to a health education control group. Sixty men and women volunteers completed pretests and post-tests over an average intervention period of about seven months. Subjects practicing the TM program showed an approximate 11 percent decrease in risk of heart attack and a 7-15 percent reduction in risk of stroke.
These reductions are comparable to those achieved by lipid-lowering medications or intensive lifestyle modification programs.
Robert Schneider, M.D., another author of the study and director of the NIH-sponsored Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine, says, “Cardiovascular disease is associated with psychological stress. Previous research has found that the TM program decreases coronary heart disease risk factors, including hypertension, oxidized lipids, stress hormones and psychological stress, and is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and death in African-Americans and the general population.”
“Taken together, these and other findings suggest that the distinct state of ‘restful alertness’ experienced during the TM technique may be triggering self-repair homeostatic mechanisms in the body, which lead to the regression of atherosclerosis,” says Schneider. LEARN MEDITATION YOGA PRANAYAMA FROM TOP YOGA INSTRUCTER http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com

Free Horoscopes Psychics Occult http://kaalchakra2.tripod.com
Make easy money http://free-sticky.tripod.com
Make Money from your website http://freesticky.bravehost.com
Tantra Mantra Yantra http://kaalpurush.tripod.com

www.google.com www.amazon.com www.yahoo.com www.msn.com www.alexa.com www.download.com

Spiritual & Religious Prayers increases Your Life Span

2006-04-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Weekly attendance at religious services can add up to three years to your life, a new US medical study has found. Dr. Daniel Hall, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the author of the study published in the March-April issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, compared the impact of regular exercise, statin therapy and religious attendance on life expectancy, and found that each accounted for an additional two to five years of life. Hall found that regular physical exercise provides the greatest boost to longevity, adding 3.0 to 5.1 years. Use of statin medications accounted for 2.1 to 3.7 additional years, while regular religious attendance added 1.8 to 3.1 years. "This is not to say that religious attendance should replace primary prevention, such as exercise or a proven drug therapy," Hall said, "but it does suggest that regular religious attendance is associated with a substantially longer life expectancy." While Christians comprised the overwhelming majority of those examined in the US-based study, observant Hindus, Muslims and Jews also were found among the subject populations. Hall told The Jerusalem Post that religious attendance "cannot be manipulated in the same way you can manipulate other things in health care," and cautioned against making a facile conclusion about the health benefits of simply attending services. "If you put your eggs in the basket of 'get religion because it works,' you will end up with an empty basket," he said, arguing that religious belief should be viewed as a "demographic" factor, akin to race and ethnicity in looking at the health of an individual. "Unlike other health behaviors, such as exercise, there are practical and ethical problems with recommending 'therapeutic' changes in religious behavior, and there is no evidence that changing religious attendance causes a change in health outcomes," Hall said. However, "something is going on here that deserves further consideration and further study," he said.A graduate of Yale University's Divinity School and School of Medicine, Hall noted that "medicine is not a pure science, it is a moral tradition. It is about discerning what would be good for a patient and then using available technology to achieve that good." "Science can never tell us what will be good," he said. "It has to be something that comes from our moral tradition and our moral discourse." More on Spirituality Yoga Meditation Ayurveda ............ http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com Occult Paranormal Hypnosis http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com http://body2soul.bravehost.com

Reduce Weight Obesity by Ayurveda Herbs Naturally

2006-03-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

In modern days obesity is defined in terms of Body Mass Index. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a mathematical calculation used to determine whether a patient is overweight or not. It is calculated by dividing a person's body weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared (weight [kg] / height [m]2). Being obese and being overweight are two different things. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese and a BMI between 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. The tendency toward obesity is encouraged by two bad habits namely:

1. Lack of physical activity

2. High-calorie, low-cost foods. In ayurveda the swastha-vritta guidelines are very useful in preventing obesity: Food Guidelines

1. The selection of food items should be intelligently done. Any obsession or compulsion in food matters should strictly be controlled.

2. Moong and Masoor in one’s diet are a good means to treat obesity.

3. Obese people should avoid very sweet, salty or oily food especially at night.

4. One should avoid curd and take buttermilk instead.

5. One should always try and drink warm water.

6. Guduchi, Triphala or Musta should be taken mixed with honey. Takrarishta is also advisable. Triphala churna is best advisable at bedtime.

7. Bruhat Panchamoola powder taken mixed with honey may be beneficial too.

8. Amla powder is also useful in reducing obesity.

Other Guidelines

1. Diet control and regular exercises like swimming, jogging, cycling, yoga or a combination of more than one of these is the key in controlling obesity.

2. Sleeping during the daytime should be avoided at all costs.

3. One should join a group that can encourage weight loss in a positive and motivating manner.

4. Initial weight loss should not be the therapeutic goal. The major challenge should be to find out an effective way to sustain this weight loss.

5. It is very important for obese people to get their lipid and sugar levels routinely checked along with blood pressure and other tests related to heart. More on...... http://body2soul.bravehost.com
Free Horoscopes http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com
Occult Tantra Yoga http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com

Yoga Cures Back Pain Spondilities

2006-02-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Forget the Achilles heel. If there’s a weak spot on the human body, it’s probably the lower back.
In their quest for relief that’s too often elusive, sufferers turn to painkillers, acupuncture, supplements, pricey ergonomic chairs, exercise and sometimes even surgery.
They might consider adding yoga to the list.
A study in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine reports that yoga is at least as effective, and maybe more so, than traditional exercise in the treatment of lower back pain.
The study, conducted by researchers from Group Health Cooperative, a nonprofit health care system in Seattle, examined 101 adults, all of whom had experienced mild to moderate lower back pain for at least three months.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment plans for 12 weeks. The group who attended weekly 75-minute classes of a gentle form of yoga known as viniyoga reported significantly more pain relief than a group receiving a self-help book on relieving back pain. The yoga group also reported slightly more improvement than a group assigned to exercise sessions that included aerobics, strength training and stretching, although that difference was not statistically significant.
The yoga benefits appeared to persist. Fourteen weeks after the final treatment, yoga patients reported a continued downward trend in their pain, whereas the effect leveled off in the case of the self-help set. There was no statistical difference between the yoga group and the conventional exercise group.
Yoga practitioners have long suspected that the ancient exercise is helpful in the treatment of back pain, but up till now there’s been little scientific support of the claim. (Funding for the study came from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health that was specifically set up to examine under-studied alternative therapies.)
The yoga improvements could be due to two things: the relaxation that the practice instills, and improved body mechanics — paying more attention to how one sits, stands and walks, suggests Karen Sherman, the study’s first author and a Group Health researcher.
“The people in the yoga group said they became more aware of how they moved,” she says.

More on............ http://kaalpurush.tripod.com
Learn Yoga, Yoga Postures From Top Yoga Teachers Shri Rohit Anand Ji Call 011-91-42208015 New Delhi India

Yoga could Give Ayurveda A Headstart In USA

2006-02-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

Yoga could give Ayurveda a headstart in US
If the sheer numbers of those who gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate Bikram Choudhry’s birthday last week are any indication, yoga is ready for its next big innings in the US. For yoga is no longer a muddled concept practised by a select few new-age Americans, but a mass brand that spawns millions of dollars in revenues each year in the US. Yoga perhaps has been India’s first offering that touched the American way of life in a such a big way. Today, scores of practitioners in the US access yoga through several thousands centres. The Bikram Yoga, for instance, has some 250 franchisees with close to 50 more coming up in the next few weeks. The unprecedented success of Bikram Yoga through a franchisee model has led some critics to call it ‘McYoga’. “Look at the west coast where fitness is a big business. Yoga has become an integral part of the package being offered by almost all fitness centres apart from standalone yoga centres,” says Subhinder Singh Prem, MD of Reebok India. Sports and fitness companies — Nike, Reebok and Adidas — today carry yoga collections in their portfolio across stores in the US. Yoga spas are springing up across the US.
So much so that if yoga can find acceptance in the fitness space, many believe Ayurveda could do the same in the domain of alternative therapies and supplements. Various surveys show that Americans are turning increasingly to alternative therapies to meet their healthcare needs. These include medical interventions not widely taught at US medical schools or generally available at hospitals there. The prominent mention could be eastern systems of medicines such as Ayurveda rooted in Vedic philosophy like Yoga itself, apart from homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, faith healing, and herbal remedies. Recent figures are difficult to come by, but as per 1996 estimates Americans spent close to $40 billion annually on alternative therapies and herbal products. The Indian government has reportedly expressed a readiness and a keen desire to promote and teach Ayurveda to interested academics in the US. There’s a strong case for India to push further.Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India, says there is a new kind of evolution happening in the American society. “There’s an introspection in the society at large and Americans are now looking at holistic solutions to health and wellness as opposed to traditional calorie-burning ideas,” he says. No wonder then there’s a greater awareness and appreciation for yoga and vegetarianism raging across the US. While Americans are getting hooked, experts believe, they will lap it up faster if the ancient tradition is positioned on the right platform, made simpler and less enigmatic.Even if the idea is not aimed at genuine spiritual uplift, yoga will always be represented in the West for the sheer feeling of it. “For the first time, the Americans have evinced interest in adopting practices without asking too many questions on its scientific validity,” according to a CEO of a healthcare company. More on http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com

Breathe in, and hands off our yoga: India

2006-02-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

India's centuries-old traditional knowledge, preserved and orally passed down through generations of households, is now going digital. In the coming months, India will unveil a first-of-its-kind encyclopedia of 30 million pages, containing thousands of herbal remedies and eventually everything from indigenous construction techniques to yoga exercises.The project represents a 21st-century approach to safeguarding intellectual property of the ancient variety. The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) aims to prevent foreign entrepreneurs from claiming Indian lore as novel and thus patenting it.“We do not want anyone selling our own knowledge to us. Also, we would like anyone using our traditional knowledge to acknowledge that it is from India,” says Ajay Dua, a top bureaucrat in the Department of Industrial Policy and Planning, which oversees intellectual-property rights. These concerns are not unfounded. In the past decade, India has fought several costly legal battles to get patents revoked. The impetus for TKDL came in 1997, after India successfully managed to get a U.S. patent on the wound-healing properties of turmeric revoked. More on........... http://kaalpurush.tripod.com
Free Horoscopes http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com
Yoga Ayurveda fitness http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com

Karma Laws spiritual energy Control Of Nature

2006-02-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

Each deed, each word, each thought has a karmic consequence of its own. As you sow, so shall you reap. This is the divine law. So sow in the soil of your mind and in the garden of your heart, only seeds of divine love and divine understanding. Perhaps no other law in nature controls our lives as does this one law. God created the laws of nature, but is himself beyond law. And while he may be approached with devotion, it is vital to live in harmony with His laws. The law of karma urges you to think before you act, and to be wise in your expressions in speech. God in His great kindness has given us divine gifts of free choice, reason, and will. Before we act, we have an option, but once we do, we are bound by the consequences of our act. Transgression of karmic laws will delay man in his spiritual development. Karma is the fruits, the good or evil effects, of action. Action of itself is a manifestation of energy. So every action, be it physical, mental, or spiritual is energy in motion. Energy by itself is devoid of emotion and so is not bound by the conditioning of good and evil. Energy is energy, vibrating at a subtle or a gross frequency. Appropriately, the effects of each of your actions are either good or evil, only in the sense as we may define good or evil. Good actions may be simply defined as those that serve to bring about harmony in the internal and external states of the body, mind, and the soul, and evil actions as those that strengthen the fetters of maya and imprison us further in the cocoon of ignorance. In the practical sense, actions done with the consciousness of God as the Doer, bring divine returns and those done in the consciousness s of the ego reap gross returns. If at a party you pamper your palate on delicious and difficult-to-digest food, you probably end up with dyspepsia, but if you eat wisely and think that it is God eating through you and surrender the act of eating at the feet of the Divine, you actually undergo a certain level of purification of the consciousness and thereby also of your body! As soon as you are confronted with a want, check within to see whether it is wholesome or not. Anything that is wholesome will lead you away from material enslavement to the lake of true happiness. Every act is good that will bring forth a blossoming of your inner divine qualities and understanding. In some cultures of the world, one is not considered evil if one's actions are not evil, but just as ideation preceded creation, thoughts precede action. Within the realms of your inner consciousness, your thoughts are more powerful than your actions. The nature of your thoughts will draw to you like circumstances and if the level of feeling is intrinsically high in a particular set of thoughts, stronger proportionately will be the manifestation of their karmic effect. Animals live by instinct and have no discrimination, and thereby are free from individual karma. They are governed by the influences of their environment and by mass karma, but man is a free agent. So guard the cave of your thoughts and muse only on good and powerful positive thoughts. Almost all of us undergo the throes of misery at one time or the other in our lives. And at every prickly thorn on the path, we are quick to blame others for our troubles. The law of karma educates us in the realization that we alone are responsible and to blame for all that befalls us - be it grave ill-health, a broken marriage, misunderstandings in daily life, or something else. God created us free, and with free choice and the inner wisdom to see creation as He sees it. But over time, we have let our outwardly turned senses rule roost over our minds and our lives. Suffering comes because we have broken some pertinent law of nature ... either in a distant life or in the recent past.
Suffering comes as a result of man's own delusion, and also as a consequence of mass karma. Suffering has a purpose and seeks to awaken the divine strength in you, that with courage and determination you may imbue the lesson that life is striving to teach you. Until you absorb the underlying lesson, Nature will keep slotting you into those very troublesome circumstances again and again. God urges you to refrain from identification with creation and its protagonists. In sleep you experience a garish nightmare, but when you awake, you see it was only a dream. Similarly this whole creation is a dream in the consciousness of God, and if you identify only with His consciousness, then delusive pain, desires, actions will no longer bind you with the chords of karma. The only real way to escape from the karmic law therefore is to realize the Self within. As a thumb rule, do all your deeds without desire for the fruit of action and in all that you do, feel and realize that it is God who is the Doer and not you. Destiny, fate, luck, are creations of the human mind. Everything in nature is born of a scientific law and what man ignorantly calls destiny is nothing but 'effects', the cause of which he himself set into motion in the past. Karma is the law of action and is rooted in the law of causation . It is as applicable to our family lives as it is to our professional, business, or academic experiences. Action can be born of current influences of environment, inner impulses and acquired habits, or of habits and influences of past lives. We are therefore responsible for all our actions, even those born of uncontrolled innate impulses, for we ourselves created those impulses through actions in past lives. The scriptures teach us that good and bad effects of actions in the present life settle down into the subconscious and those that are brought over from the past are submerged in the subtle state of the super conscious. Here these seeds stay until one starts to awaken spiritually and work out their effects. As a general principle, ordinary man stirs his subconscious karmic baggage first, and simultaneously starts to relieve the weight of karma stored in the super conscious primarily through the practice of specific spiritual techniques, including meditation. In the fire of scientific meditation one may roast the brain cell grooves of past evil deeds, and will the awakening of past health and success tendencies. Change your life patterns by continually doing good karma, so that the weight of the good within slowly but surely drowns the evil and no matter what your pain, acquire the tenacity of mind to stay detached in the emotion of each situation. God has not damned us eternally. Sin is a coating, a parasite. As souls we descend into earth to work out these sins, and experience the good karma. When this process of 'working out' is completed we will be free to be one with God again. Life is prompting us to look at the futility of living without Him. Depend less on man and opportunity and more on His grace. Continue to be virtuous even when sorely tried in every possible way. The balance of the tide will eventually sway your way, and good fortune, happiness, and peace will be yours for the asking.

Sri Paramahansa Yogananda said, “To seek things only for yourself is destructive; to seek things for others is expensive; but to seek to please God is the best attitude. It will lead you directly into the Divine Presence.”
More on............ http://kalchakra.tripod.com

Yoga Meditation Psychic & Mind Powers

2006-01-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

Practising yoga regularly imparts great benefits, which are: Basic spiritual benefits Improved Concentration Regulated Breath Clarity in Mind Advanced spiritual benefits Thought Control (Clear and one-pointed thought) Mind Control (Firm Will power) Psychic control (like telepathy, clairvoyance etc.) Ultimate spiritual benefit - The realisation that you and every other being in the universe are one! So you = me and me = you . Healing of the body, psyche and soul is one of the basic directions in the yogic activity and serves the whole psychobiological and spiritual restoration. Purifying, healing and rejuvenating yogic exercises can restore health, life force, joy and also lengthen the life span. Laya Yoga practices serve liberation, salvation of the soul and its reconciliation with God. Discover your breath - A major and important benefit you may notice with yoga practice is that you are more in touch with your breathing. Yoga poses are practiced in harmony with the breath. One of the residues of this constant concentration on breath is that students tend to pay more attention to their breath outside of class. Most students' report they are surprised to learn that they find themselves holding their breath frequently during the day in response to stress. By learning to notice their breath holding they can begin to break the habit. When one breathes easily throughout the day, less tension will accumulate in the body. Free your thoughts - One of the most important things you can learn from a yoga class is that your thoughts have the ability to affect your overall contentment and health. During the deep relaxation pose ( savasana ), one systematically relaxes every part of the body, even suggesting that the brain itself is 'relaxed'. During conscious relaxation, thoughts are experienced more as energy, which is associated with the brain than as the sum total of who we are. We have thoughts, but those thoughts no longer take over our bodies and minds at large - triggering tension, anxiety or other responses. Yoga teaches us that consciousness and thoughts are not the same thing. During relaxation we are able to let the thoughts flow through us without dancing away with them to the past or the future. We remain conscious, allowing the thoughts to come through us, but we learn not to interact with them. We can say to ourselves, "Oh, there's another thought of dinner, or of person 'X' or of fear about tomorrow's meeting." Then we can let go of that thought and return to the relaxation at hand. This is a meditative practice, which gradually over time allows us to 'dis-identify' with our thoughts. When thoughts are experienced just as thoughts, not as reality itself, then the path to freedom which yoga promises begins to unfold naturally. And that path is as sweet as a perfectly ripe mango. More on............... http://kalchakra.tripod.com

Yoga Cures Physical Mental Afflictions

2006-01-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Peace, contentment and happiness are hard to come by in today’s terror-filled times. Living amidst bombs, physical and mental afflictions, pollution, commuting problems, stress at work and home often make life difficult. In these conditions the relevance of yogic science is paramount. When you try to conquer others you fail miserably, when you try to master yourself it is easy to inspire others too, towards ultimate beatitude. The human mind gets bewildered as it is called upon to select action from among a plethora of philosophies. What is right, what is wrong? Yoga has a clear-cut answer: Whenever you are in doubt as to what to do, and what not to do, refer to the scriptures, says the Gita (16:24). Humankind is desperate to acquire wealth, desperate to outshine others by any means but not desperate to solve these problems in the way God wants us to solve them. This results in severe distress, pain and disappointment. Due to growing decadence, human values are getting eroded and there is a climate of indifference. Yoga and ayurveda have natural, divine, scriptural solutions for the myriad complexities facing humanity today. Often even practitioners of yoga aim their sadhana towards acquiring siddhis or supernatural capabilities or awakening kundalini power. This can create problems. Sadhana should be directed towards obtaining proximity to God and towards ultimate realisation. Today, despite the many facilities available, many of us suffer in body, mind and spirit. The remedy in yogic tradition is to adopt righteousness i.e be established in dharma to the best of your capacity, then combine that with a set of yogic kriyas and natural healing methods. This will bring miraculous results. Communion with the divine is the most important achievement in one’s life. Once that connectivity is established no amount of outwardly upheavals adversely affects the person. Yoga is all about the establishment of that link; the establishment of the reciprocity of thoughts between the bhakta and bhagwan or the devotee and God. Lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, backache, cervical spondylitis, cancer, hernia, AIDS, psychiatric ailments and migraine can be effectively tackled in the tradition of yoga and ayurveda. What is needed is firm resolve to unshackle ourselves of the self-imposed limiting habits and then adopt these divinely serene sciences for one’s total well-being. In today’s context the dichotomy is complete. While we see economic growth around us with a young demographic profile, we witness suffering and afflictions of mind and body in large numbers. People have become very weak from within; their resolve, their ‘samskaras’ (moral habits and previous mental impressions) are falling apart, leading to bad karma, making the jiva get embroiled in the painful karmic cycle. Yoga teaches us how to dismantle it once and for all and lead a fulfilling life in the true sense of the word. More on........... http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Jews Turn To Yoga-'This is a movement in transition'

2006-01-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

The Reform Jewish movement is known historically for its intellectual tradition and commitment to social justice and world peace.
Now some of the faithful are adding inner peace to the mix.
"There is an increased interest in how we connect to God through our everyday actions and feelings ... and find peace within — as well as trying to create peace in the world," said Rabbi Steven Gross of the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism.
Take the "Yoga Minyan: Connecting Body and Soul to the Divine," a Thursday morning prayer offering during the Union for Reform Judaism's biennial convention in Houston.
At first glance, the 49 people stretching their arms toward the sky while standing on one leg looked like a regular yoga class. But those familiar with traditional Jewish liturgy would have recognized that the recited prayers matched poses with meaning.
"We took a service, and we embodied it fully," said Rabbi Andrea London, who led the group with a liturgical singer and yoga instructor.
The service was one of many worship and workshop opportunities of the five-day gathering of more than 4,200 Jewish leaders at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"If you were to compare a biennial brochure of today to one 20 years ago, you (wouldn't) see yoga and meditation," Gross said.
But in a denomination united on some of the same political issues that tear other faiths apart, the search for individual spiritual expression and nontraditional modes of worship can raise eyebrows.
"If there were going to be a fight that would blow this denomination apart, it would be spiritual issues, on spiritual stuff," said Rabbi Daniel Freelander, vice president of the union. "This is a movement in transition."
However, the transition does not abandon traditional Reform Jewish emphasis on reason and social engagement, rabbis and lay leaders said. Instead, it is slowly adding elements such as yoga, meditation, technology and an increased emphasis on Bible study.
Certainly, calls for justice and peace remained at the tip of many tongues at the gathering, which ends Sunday. Workshop topics include global warming, just war theory and Jewish-Muslim relationships.
In a talk at the day's plenary session, former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich told an audience of thousands that "Jews have a special memory and a special responsibility with regard to being not only personally charitable but also to working diligently and passionately for social justice."
"It is important to remind ourselves that we have got be evangelical in our society about the purpose and the critical importance of social justice in our society," Reich said to loud applause. "These are questions of profound public morality in the country."
Still, one of the workshops with the highest enrollment was called "How Can Reform Jews Encounter God?"
The growing interest in individual spiritual renewal reflects developments in the full spectrum of America's religious landscape, said Rabbi David Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform movement's main seminary.
"It is actually being seen across many quarters of the Jewish world today," he said. "In this way the Reform movement is part of a trend and on the vanguard."
Being on the vanguard has meant that in the past three years, Hebrew Union College hired experts on kabbalah, a Jewish mystical tradition, Ellenson said.
"This has never been done before in the history of Hebrew Union College," he said. " ... Our students who are going to go out and lead and inspire a new generation of Reform Jews feel they need this kind of knowledge."
The knowledge and the new approaches to Bible study and liturgy are not new to Judaism, rabbis and practitioners said.
London's yoga minyan drew from the traditional liturgy and the teachings of the Jewish masters, she said. With the help of the singer and yoga teacher, London worked to match the meaning of the prayers with movement to engage worshippers more completely than if they were praying in pews.
But London also leads many traditional services at Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston, Ill.
"There are definitely people who are really interested in this and there are those who are skeptical," she said of the yoga service. " ... People sometimes think it is a 'substitute for' (the traditional service). It is an 'addition to.' "

Yoga Saves Naomi

2006-01-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yoga saves Naomi Watts
Hollywood actress Naomi Watts says yoga saved her from serious injury after a fall on the set of 'King Kong' in New Zealand.
According to femalefirst.co.uk, Watts, who plays Ann Darrow in the movie remake, fell heavily into a ditch from a great height, much to the shock of the cast and crew.
"I fell with quite a lot of force and I was jammed up in a hole. I had a brief period when I couldn't move and I thought I may be paralysed," she said.
"I thought, 'This is it.' But after a few seconds I was able to move and they slowly got me out. I thought, 'Thank goodness for my yoga' — it had made me supple and agile."

Free Daily Horoscopes http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com
Tantra mantra yoga meditation http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com
Free Articles on yoga http://articlesfactory.bravehost.com

Restorative Yoga Helps Speed Healing Process

2005-12-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Yoga Is Gentle Enough For Those Who Are Sick
Over the past 10 years, yoga has grown in popularity, and it's considered great for flexibility and relaxation.
Now, yoga is being used to speed up the healing process in women suffering from breast and ovarian cancer, reported WXII-TV in Winston-Salem.
Susan Reeve is among the believers in yoga. She took time off from her teaching job at Jefferson Elementary School in Winston-Salem after finding a cancerous lump in her breast.
Her time off was tough while undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, but then she heard about a yoga class for cancer patients at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
It's called restorative yoga, using gentile poses so patients can relax.
"It's a type of yoga that people can do who are very sick, who are fatigued and stressed," said Suzanne Danhauer, associate director of psychosocial oncology at the hospital. "And it's something that's very, very gentle."
It also allows patients to meet others battling cancer. For Reeve, it was the strength of others that put her on the road to recovery.
"(The class) is when I realized that other people are going through this, and I can do this and get through this," she said. More on http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com
http://kaalchakra.tripod.com

Yoga More Effective In Curing Chronic Back Pain

2005-12-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

A new study has found that yoga appears to be more effective than conventional exercise when it comes to getting rid of that nagging back pain.
The study, by researchers at Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies, was conducted on a group of 101 adults with low back pain.
The volunteers were then divided into three groups. One group attended twelve 75-minute to learn yoga per week and practice it at home, the second group also attended twelve 75-minute sessions of conventional exercises such as aerobic, strengthening, and stretching exercise per week, plus home practice. The third and final group received a self-care book on back pain.
The research found that after a period of 26 weeks, the patients in the yoga group had better back-related function and less pain. It was also noted that the number of people using pain relievers in the yoga group had lessened.
The yoga students learned 17 poses from viniyoga, a style that is easy to learn and typically allows poses to be adapted for use by various body types. Karen Sherman, the lead author of the study, said that treatments offered by modern Western medicine were only partially effective.
"Most people have experienced back pain at some point in their lives. Sometimes the pain goes away in a few days, but sometimes it lasts for weeks. And unfortunately, the treatments offered by modern Western medicine are only modestly effective. Although exercise is one of the few proven treatments for chronic low back pain, its effects are often small and we haven't known whether one form is better than another," she said. The study is published in the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
More on http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com
http://kaalchakra0.tripod.com
http://kalchakra.tripod.com

Yoga Cures Chronic Back Pain

2005-12-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

HEALTH NEWS - If you are plagued with chronic lower back pain, a new study shows you may find relief in Yoga.
Scientists in Seattle found that people in Yoga classes felt better, faster than their counterparts who relied on general exercise or self-help books. Researchers believe Yoga's benefits on the mind and body may explain the effects.

More on........... http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Ayurvedic Treatment of Arthritis (Painful Joints)"

2005-12-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Arthritis is one of the most common ailment for which Ayurvedic help is being sought these days. Disease process in Arthritis
According to Ayurveda mostly pains are caused by the aggravation of vata (air) dosha. Arthritis is a condition which is caused by accumulation of ama and aggravation of vata. (Ama is a toxic by-product of improper digestion.) This ama circulates in the whole body and deposits or gets collected at the sites which are weaker. When it deposits in the joints and at the same time there is aggravation of vata, it results in a disease called amavata. This amavata is arthritis.
Remedies
As described above ama and vata are the main causes, so efforts should be made to digest ama and to reduce the vata. The digestion should be improved so that no further ama is produced. Efforts should be made to relieve the pain and inflammation. This is the line of treatment according to Ayurveda.
Fasting is very beneficial for digesting the ama. The fasting be complete or partial depending on the strength of the person, season and place. Two tea spoons of lemon juice mixed in 250 ml. of warm water and a tea spoon of honey is good to take twice a day -morning and evening.
Body massage with sesame or mustard oil helps to reduce the vata and thus reduce the pain. The joints affected by pain can be massaged for longer time.
Light exercise is useful but you must know your limits: as a general rule if any exercise, including walking, causes pain after one hour, you have crossed your limit.
Liberal intake of orange juice or sweet limejuice or Vitamin C enhances the efficacy of any anti rheumatic drug, since Vitamin C can reduce skeletal pain.
Guggul is a very helpful herb for curing arthritis. If available it can be taken in one to 3 gm dose twice a day after meals with warm water.
Contra-indications: Not recommended for people with kidney disease or acute rashes.Diet and Regimen
Foods which are easily digestible and do not make wind or gas are good. Vegetable juices and soups are good. Juices of carrot, beat root and cucumber mixed together is also beneficial. Green salad with a dressing of lemon juice and a little salt is also good. Fruits like apples, oranges, grapes and papaya can be taken. Cooked vegetables like squash, zucchini and pumpkin are good. Cooking with spices like cumin, coriander, ginger, asafetida, garlic, fennel and turmeric is also helps a lot.
Avoid eating hot, spicy and fried foods, sweets, wind forming foods like cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, okra and potatoes should be prohibited. Avoid taking too much tea, coffee, alcohol, white sugar, yogurt, chocolate and cocoa, excessive smoking Sleeping during day time, staying up late in the night and mental tensions like worry, anxiety, fear, stress and grief etc., should be given up. Regular physical exercise and every day massage with oil, once or twice a week, should form an important part of life style. http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Yoga May Help Relieve TMJ

2005-12-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

Stress-induced jaw clenching can cause aching necks, headaches, sore jaws and tooth damage -- a condition called temporo-mandibular jaw disorder, or TMJ, but yoga is proving to be effective at relieving the symptoms.
Yoga instructor Paula Weithman said yoga creates stabilization in the neck and in the jaw and can improve posture and strength.
Tamara Bullard's dentist recommended that she try yoga to treat her TMJ.
"I think a lot of it is stress, and I do have a tendency to carry stress in my jaw," she said. "Some days it hurts worse than others, and there are days when it's like in my neck, in my arm, shooting down in my leg."
During the one-hour private session Bullard leads Weithman through stretches, exercises and cranial sacral massage.
Weithman said it typically takes six to 12 sessions for clients to learn to relax and be able to get the relief at home.
The treatment began paying off early on for Bullard.
"I haven't taken Aleve in weeks, and I've only been twice," she said.
The cost for the therapy ranges from $75 to $120 per session.
Weithman said clients will achieve the best results when they practice their exercises every day. More on.................http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Acupuncture can improve chances of successful fertility treatment

2005-12-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Acupuncture can improve a woman's chances of successful fertility treatment, research shows. Patients on needle therapy during IVF had higher rates of pregnancy and lower rates of miscarriage, the conference of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Philadelphia was told yesterday.Doctors and scientists long sceptical about complementary therapies are increasingly convinced they can aid conventional medicine. Acupunct-ure and hypnosis are now available on the NHS.Researchers from the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Centre in Colorado Springs studied 114 women undergoing IVF. The transfer process can be uncomfortable and stressful, hampering the chances for a successful pregnancy.Half of the women had acupuncture during the transfer, with needles in their ears and other areas; the other half had normal treatment without needles. Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese theories about pressure points and how they affect health and well-being.Only 36 per cent of the women on conventional treatment became pregnant, compared with 51 per cent of those who had acupuncture. Just 8 per cent of the acupuncture patients suffered a miscarriage, compared to 20 per cent of the other patients.The therapy also reduced the risk of ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo develops in the fallopian tube rather than the womb. Live birth rates in the acupuncture women were 23 per cent higher for each IVF cycle.Professor Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary med-icine at Exeter University said: "We are beginning to suspect acupuncture can have hormonal effects and it [could] influence fertility." He also said extra "tender, loving care" during treatment might have influenced results. He added: "These results deserve to be rigorously tested using placebo acupuncture to ensure the effect is real." More on................... http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Acupuncture works for headache

2005-12-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

A large randomised trial in Britain has found the use of acupuncture is consistently effective in the treatment of headaches. Researchers assessed 401 patients to determine the effects of acupuncture on headaches, health status and number of days off sick, and found those receiving acupuncture consistently reported less headaches, took 15% less medication, made 25% fewer visits to primary health practitioners, and took 15% fewer days off sick. The researchers said the trial demonstrated 'persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients' and recommended an expansion of NHS acupuncture services. -British Medical Journal Aloe vera prevents blood loss A trial has demonstrated small injections of a derivative of the juice of the aloe vera plant help to preserve organ function, prolong survival time, and increase systemic oxygen consumption even after massive blood loss, and in the absence of resuscitation with blood or other fluids. The findings have important implications for trauma services, as researchers said medics could treat haemorrhagic shock immediately with a small amount of the solution, potentially saving lives prior to evacuation for transfusion. Drug-diet interactions Although the use of dietary supplements is common among patients who take prescription medications, most potential drug-dietary supplement interactions are not serious. A USA survey of 458 outpatients found over 40% of those surveyed were taking at least one dietary supplement with prescription medications. Among these, 45% had a potential for significant drug- dietary supplement interactions, however, most (94%) were not serious. Western medicine vs CAM Many of the valid criticisms applied to alternative medicines could equally be applied to conventional medicine, a Melbourne academic has told a conference in Brisbane. Professor Marc Cohen, head of complementary medicine at Melbourne's RMIT University, told the recent Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Congress that criticisms levelled at complementary and alternative medicines - including that they raised false hope; had the potential for financial exploitation; caused a delay in the use of effective treatments and lacked scientific evidence - were also applicable to many Western treatments. Foot screening education The National Diabetes Foot Screening Project Training Manual, developed by the Australasian Podiatry Council and the National Association of Diabetes Centres, is designed to help health professionals carry out regular foot screening. Although diabetes- related foot complications often result in hospitalisation and, in extreme cases, lower limb amputation, research shows the rate of foot screening among people with diabetes is low. The manual comes as a CD and contains a range of resources, including a basic foot screening checklist. To view the checklist and associated action plan, visit: www.apodc.com.au For more information Ph: (02) 6287 4844 Natural sleep UK nurses are successfully using the drug melatonin to help children with learning disabilities overcome sleeping disorders. While no detailed studies have been carried out into the effects of melatonin, nurses said it had been successful in cases where behavioural techniques have not worked. About 80% of children with learning disabilities suffer from some form of sleep disorder, and community nurse Sharon Conlon said: 'Parents are usually wary of it [melatonin] because it is unlicensed in the UK. But when we explain it is a naturally occurring hormone with no reported side-effects, they want to try it because they want something to work.' - Nursing Standard Women choose CAM With more than 80% of women using alternative therapies during menopause, health professionals should incorporate information about complementary medicines into their practices so women can be better informed about treatment choices, a researcher said. Queensland University of Technology researcher Sara Gollschewski surveyed 886 women aged between 47 and 67 to determine the type and prevalence of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used during menopause. She found 82.5% of women used at least one alternative medicine, including dietary supplements such as soy and linseed, herbal preparations such as black cohosh and dong quai, or non-prescription medications. - Inside QUT Benefits of glucosamine The Australian Government will contribute up to $500,000 toward a new research project investigating a complementary treatment for osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is a complementary medicine that shows a high degree of promise in the management of osteoarthritis, and Parliamentary Secretary for Health Irish Worth said further investigation was needed to confirm results and provide recommendations for the use of glucosamine as an option for the management of osteoarthritis. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will manage a competitive peer-reviewed selection process to ensure the study meets their evidence-based requirements.

Holistic approach to cancer treatment

2005-12-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Dr. Generosa Grana remembers a time not that long ago when cancer patients, looking for any extra help they could get, would seek out practitioners of complementary medicine without the consent or even the knowledge of their oncologists.
"Some surveys have shown that up to 60 percent of cancer patients use complementary therapy without telling their oncology team," said Grana, head of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey at Cooper University Hospital in Voorhees. "In some cases, it's because physicians haven't been asking what else their patients are doing. Also, patients think it won't be well perceived and they may bTimes are changing.
Complementary, or integrative, medicine -- such as yoga, meditation and massage therapy -- is increasingly finding its way into treatment programs for cancer patients at area hospitals.
Later this month, the Cancer Treatment Centers of America will open a new hospital in Northeast Philadelphia. The Illinois company emphasizes care that combines high-tech surgery and therapy with complementary therapies that focus on nutrition, spiritual support, mind-body medicine and naturopathic medicine.
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City recently received a $2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to further develop its art therapy program based on "mindfulness."
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center is continuing to expand the complementary medicine and wellness services it offers.
Even community hospitals have joined the trend. St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne started offering massage therapy for its cancer patients. Earlier this year, Kennedy Health System initiated a yoga class for cancer patients at its Washington Township campus in Gloucester County.
Cooper University Hospital began a complementary medicine program last year, and recently renamed it in honor of one of its founders, Dr. Diane Barton, who died of cancer this year.
The program stresses complementary therapy as an adjunct to traditional surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Grana said it began as a "mishmash" of free outpatient offerings in areas like yoga and meditation to help patients deal with the side effects of treatment and the emotional issues tied to the disease.
"I think the program highlights the fact that cancer patients have needs that span the gamut," she said. "There's obviously the need for an oncology team that focuses on treating the disease and managing patients' symptoms, but there is often behavioral and emotional components that need to be addressed. That's what this program addresses."
Mary McCall, 64, of Deptford, N.J., has been living with leukemia for seven years. She started taking restorative yoga classes at Cooper's Voorhees center in July after reading about the program in a brochure.
"I try to help myself in addition to depending on help from doctors," McCall said. "When I first started I couldn't even do the elementary positions. I would cry from the pain. But not anymore. I'm no longer in pain and I have almost no discomfort in most postures and a feeling of bliss with my ease doing some of the poses."
McCall said since taking yoga classes the pain related to her cancer has eased, her sleep has improved and her prescription grade compression stocking -- which she wears 18 hours a day -- is not causing discomfort.
"There's also the camaraderie of being with people who are in the same boat," she said. "It's great to be with like-minded people. ... This program has been a lovely gift for me. I have felt battered and weary from my seven-year battle [with cancer], but I am experiencing a blessed sense of well-being that I attribute to this program."
Bonnie Mehr, manager of Cooper's complementary medicine program, said Cooper's program offerings have expanded to also include art and music therapy, mindful meditation and reflexology. It also offers qi gong, a Chinese practice, and reiki, a Japanese method, -- both designed to channel energy for pain relief and healing.
"At least five days a week we are offering complementary services to our cancer patients," said Mehr, who estimated an average of 70 to 100 people per week are involved in the hospital's various programs -- all of which are free.
Another part of the program is a bimonthly lecture series at lunchtime for cancer patients featuring topics such as "Intimacy after cancer," "Cancer and your family" and "My treatment is finished, what now."
"The luncheons were at times the only bright point in my week," said Juliann Hanson, a cancer patient.
More recently, Cooper started offering limited inpatient programs in complementary medicine for cancer patients.
"Patients now feel they have permission to talk to us about seeking complementary therapies," Grana said. "We've grown from minimal interest to a huge interest in the program."
The Abramson Cancer Center at Penn has support groups and programs, classes and workshops that offer patients and their families ways in which they can participate in enhancing the quality of their lives, minimize or reduce side effects of cancer and cancer treatment, and promote healing and recovery.
Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia does not have a specific program for complementary medicine, according to hospital spokeswoman Karen Mallet.
Cancer patients at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have had access to complementary medicine since the Center City hospital launched its integrative medicine center seven years ago.
"One of our strongest and longest-standing programs is our stress-reduction program," said Dr. Daniel Monti, medical director of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine.
As part of that initiative, Jefferson has developed a mindfulness-based art therapy program that was funded in part though a $400,000 grant Monti obtained from the National Institute of Health's National Cancer Institute. Monti recently received a five-year, $2 million NCI grant to further develop the program.
The center's physicians work closely with the hospital's oncologists to help cancer patients deal with stress and pain using yoga, acupuncture and mindfulness. Monti said the center's nutritionists also work with patients whose eating habits can be affected by cancer treatment.
The center will also play an active role in the comprehensive breast cancer program Jefferson is building to screen, diagnose and treat patients with the disease, according to Monti.
While the oncologists and integrative medicine physicians have a solid working relationship, that wasn't always the case.
"At first, people didn't understand who we were and what we were about," he said. "They thought we were looking to provide alternatives to proven standard care. We've worked with the physicians in the Jefferson network to help them understand we can support them and make their patients' lives better while they are getting the standard care they need." e looked down upon because what they are doing is not the standard of care."

Spirituality's rising role in medicine stirs debate

2005-12-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Science and religion straddle disparate worlds, periodically creating tense standoffs—as in the recent disputes about intelligent design and the Dalai Lama's lecture at a large neuroscience meeting. Amidst those debates, some researchers are posing the contentious question: is spirituality good for health?
Driven by a surging public interest in matters of faith, research on the effect of prayer and other spiritual practices on addiction, recovery from illness and the ability to cope with stress has been steadily increasing. "There has been a growing attempt to reclaim a place for the divine in the modern world using the methodologies of the sciences," says Anne Harrington, a Harvard University science historian.
But many scientists say a broad, subjective concept like spirituality cannot—and should not—be linked to science.
In a survey of more than 31,000 Americans released last year by the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), 36% said they use some form of alternative medicine including herbs, special diets and practices such as yoga. When the survey included the number of people who pray specifically for health—their own or that of others—the number jumped to 62%.
The results underscore the need to study the effect of these practices on health, says Catherine Stoney, an NCCAM program officer for mind-body medicine. Last year, the agency gave out about $880,000 of its $117.7 million budget in grants for research on prayer, spirituality and 'distant healing'—the practice of praying for another person's health, with or without the latter's knowledge.
Among these studies is a University of Cincinnati project that links the will to live to aspects of spirituality in 350 individuals with HIV/AIDS. Another, at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, is investigating a relationship between spiritual wellbeing and levels of interleukin-6, an immune system protein associated with depression, in individuals with pancreatic cancer.
The bulk of funding, however, comes from private groups such as the Michigan-based Fetzer Institute and the John Templeton Foundation in Pennsylvania, which has poured more than $31 million since 1987 into research on the topic.
Particularly controversial have been studies of distant, or 'intercessory' prayer, a research trend that began in the late 1980s. In a study reported in July, for instance, researchers at Duke University recruited 748 people undergoing heart-related procedures and split them into two arbitrary groups. The scientists randomly assigned groups of Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists to pray for only one of the study groups. The results showed that prayer had no effect on whether people experienced postoperation complications such as heart attacks, hospital readmissions or death (Lancet 366, 211–217; 2005).
Parsing out the effects of spiritual practice in a research study is far from easy. Researchers have struggled to differentiate between the health effects of faith and other variables such as behavioral risk factors and socioeconomic issues. Scientists also lack clear definitions and standardized questions that would allow them to compare different spiritual practices and populations. "Many who are interested in studying these issues don't design studies that are in fact scientifically rigorous," says William Breitbart, chief of psychiatry at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.
But in an increasingly scientific world, it is particularly important to pinpoint the biological basis of any health benefits spiritual practice might have, notes Herbert Benson, president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Massachusetts. Benson was one of the first scientists to suggest more than 30 years ago that meditation can trigger physiological changes. "We are just coming up with scientific language for what people have been doing for millennia," says Benson. "I think it's a convergence of stress-related illnesses with the stresses of our world, coupled with the fact that people are not always helped by drugs and surgery."
Harold Koenig, a psychiatrist and co-director of Duke University's Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, says religious folk are prone to having lower blood pressure, fewer strokes, stronger immune systems and sometimes longer lives because their faith is likely to keep them from unhealthy behaviors. "Doctors need to realize that religion is a factor in health, not only for coping but through social, behavioral and psychological mechanisms," he says.
So many sick people turn to religion for comfort and guidance, Koenig says, that physicians should also consider collecting spiritual histories of their patients before pursuing a treatment path. If patients express the need, doctors could even go so far as to pray with their patients. "Probably saying a 30-second prayer at a key moment has done more good than any psychotherapy or drugs I've prescribed," he says.
But if physicians begin delving into spirituality, it might pull them away from discussing critical topics such as smoking and exercise, notes Richard Sloan, professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. Ethical concerns also arise when doctors tread into personal matters. For example, epidemiological studies indicate that marital status might be related to better health but, Sloan says, "we don't expect doctors to recommend to their single patients: 'hey Bob, time to go out and find yourself a wife'."

War Vets Relieve Combat Stress Through Yoga

2005-12-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

Veterans from wars long past may find relief from their experiences through an ancient art.
They fought for our country and still live each day with the memories, the anger, and the stress.
"For me, the bad memories will never go away. I live with that stress all the time," said Eddie Brown, a Vietnam veteran. But a new program hopes to relieve stress in combat veterans through yoga."It's gentle stretches, it's breathing, it's relaxation techniques," said Lucy Wagner, of the Central Massachusetts Yoga Institute.
CMYI started the veteran yoga program last spring and they believe the discipline's calming effects can help with post-traumatic stress, a disorder that one in eight former soldiers suffer.
"It's a way to quiet the brain, to relax and calm the mind," Wagner said. "It gives them a chance to be in a safe environment, to do something with their bodies, minds and breathe so they have a little bit of peace."
They said yoga offers veterans an opportunity to focus on the present day, instead of the past, by helping veterans identify anger triggers and teaching them how to calm their minds. More On...........http://www.thewbalchannel.com/health/5453762/detail.html

University Of Wisconsin Study Reports Sustained Changes In Brain And Immune Function After Meditation

2005-12-09T05:04:00.000-08:00

In a small but highly provocative study, a University of Wisconsin-Madison research team has found, for the first time, that a short program in "mindfulness meditation" produced lasting positive changes in both the brain and the function of the immune system.
The findings suggest that meditation, long promoted as a technique to reduce anxiety and stress, might produce important biological effects that improve a person's resiliency.
Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Vilas Professor of psychology and psychiatry at UW-Madison, led the research team. The study, conducted at the biotechnology company Promega near Madison, will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
"Mindfulness meditation," often recommended as an antidote to the stress and pain of chronic disease, is a practice designed to focus one's attention intensely on the moment, noting thoughts and feelings as they occur but refraining from judging or acting on those thoughts and feelings. The intent is to deepen awareness of the present, develop skills of focused attention, and cultivate positive emotions such as compassion.
In the UW study, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group, with 25 subjects, received training in mindfulness meditation from one of its most noted adherents, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. (Kabat-Zinn, a popular author of books on stress reduction, developed the mindfulness-based stress reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.) This group attended a weekly class and one seven-hour retreat during the study; they also were assigned home practice for an hour a day, six days a week. The 16 members of the control group did not receive meditation training until after the study was completed.
For each group, in addition to asking the participants to assess how they felt, the research team measured electrical activity in the frontal part of the brain, an area specialized for certain kinds of emotion. Earlier research has shown that, in people who are generally positive and optimistic and during times of positive emotion, the left side of this frontal area becomes more active than the right side does.
The findings confirmed the researchers' hypothesis: the meditation group showed an increase of activation in the left-side part of the frontal region. This suggests that the meditation itself produced more activity in this region of the brain. This activity is associated with lower anxiety and a more positive emotional state.
The research team also tested whether the meditation group had better immune function than the control group did. All the study participants got a flu vaccine at the end of the eight-week meditation group. Then, at four and eight weeks after vaccine administration, both groups had blood tests to measure the level of antibodies they had produced against the flu vaccine. While both groups (as expected) had developed increased antibodies, the meditation group had a significantly larger increase than the controls, at both four and eight weeks after receiving the vaccine.
"Although our study is preliminary and more research clearly is warranted," said Davidson, "we are very encouraged by these results. The Promega employees who took part have given us a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate a real biological impact of this ancient practice."
Davidson, who is integrally involved with the HealthEmotions Research Institute at UW, plans further research on the impact of meditation. He is currently studying a group of people who have been using meditation for more than 30 years. His research team is also planning to study the impact of mindfulness meditation on patients with particular illnesses. More At................. http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Meditation Associated With Increased Grey Matter In The Brain

2005-12-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

Meditation is known to alter resting brain patterns, suggesting long lasting brain changes, but a new study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows meditation also is associated with increased cortical thickness.
The structural changes were found in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing, the researchers report in the November issue of NeuroReport.
Although the study included only 20 participants, all with extensive training in Buddhist Insight meditation, the results are significant, said Jeremy Gray, assistant professor of psychology at Yale and co-author of the study led by Sara Lazar, assistant in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"What is most fascinating to me is the suggestion that meditation practice can change anyone's grey matter," Gray said. "The study participants were people with jobs and families. They just meditated on average 40 minutes each day, you don't have to be a monk."
Magnetic resonance imaging showed that regular practice of meditation is associated with increased thickness in a subset of cortical regions related to sensory, auditory, visual and internal perception, such as heart rate or breathing. The researchers also found that regular meditation practice may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.
"Most of the regions identified in this study were found in the right hemisphere," the researchers said. "The right hemisphere is essential for sustaining attention, which is a central practice of Insight meditation."
They said other forms of yoga and meditation likely have a similar impact on cortical structure, although each tradition would be expected to have a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on the specific mental exercises involved.
Co-authors include Catherine Kerr, Rachel Wasserman Jeffery Dusek, Herbert Benson and Metta McGarvey, Harvard; Douglas Greve, Brian Quinn, Bruce Fischl, Michael Treadway and Scott Rauch, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Christopher Moore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More On http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Memory Researchers Study The Effects Of Zen Meditation On The Brain

2005-12-09T04:20:00.000-08:00

Zen meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that promotes awareness and presence through the undivided engagement of mind and body. For thousands of years, many religious traditions have made meditation a common practice. Now, researchers at Emory University are looking at the effects of Zen meditation and how the brain functions during meditative states. By determining the brain structures involved in meditation and whose activity is gradually changed in the course of long-term meditative practice, researchers hope this training could one day be used as a complementary treatment for neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
"In contrast to the common conceptualization of meditation as a relaxation technique, we think that meditation could be more usefully characterized as training in the skillful deployment of attention and inhibitory control," says Giuseppe Pagnoni, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, and lead researcher of this study.
"We chose to investigate Zen meditation because, from an experimental point of view, it is a very simple technique, the quintessence of many other meditative variations. You concentrate on the correct posture and the coming and going of your breathing, and repeatedly come back to these 'attentional supports' every time you find yourself distracted by thoughts, memories, sensations, etc. We believe that people who have undergone a rigorous training in Zen meditation might display a functional modification of the neural circuits underlying the performance of attentional control and behavioral switching. Therefore, we are looking closely at the brain to understand which areas support the mental processes mustered by meditation and how these relate to the existing literature on neuroimaging of cognitive functions."
Researchers will use functional MRI (fMRI) to acquire images of the brain during a simplified experimental condition designed to tap into the same resources activated by meditation. fMRI is a technique for determining which areas of the brain are activated during specifically designed mental or motor tasks. The pilot study is being funded by the Emory Center for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Neurodegenerative Diseases.
The study will enroll 30 participants: 15 who are trained in and have practiced Zen meditation every day for at least three years, and 15 who have never meditated. The latter 15 will serve as the control group. Each participant will undergo brain scans while engaging in sustained concentration on breathing, a condition that will be interrupted at random times by the requirement of performing simple cognitive tasks. A second run of fMRI scanning will analyze an undisturbed concentrative state, with no interruption by any other tasks.MORE ON............. http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Yoga Takes A Bite Out Of Eating Disorders

2005-12-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

A study published in the latest issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly reports that mind-body exercise, such as yoga, is associated with greater body satisfaction and fewer symptoms of eating disorders than traditional aerobic exercise like jogging or using cardio machines.
Yoga practitioners reported less self-objectification, greater satisfaction with physical appearance, and fewer disordered eating attitudes compared to non-yoga practitioners. In yoga class, a woman develops sensitivity to bodily sensations and practices listening to her body's feedback.
"This heightened sensitivity and responsiveness to bodily sensations is associated with less preoccupation of physical appearance, more positive views of the body, and more healthy regulation of food intake," author Jennifer Daubenmier states. The greater the number of hours a woman practiced yoga in a week was associated with even less self-objectification and greater satisfaction with her body, while the more hours a woman spent performing aerobic activity was linked with greater disordered eating.
The article discusses two studies. Study 1 consisted of three types of women: those currently taking yoga classes, those partaking in aerobic classes, and those who had not participated in either for the past two years. Participants were asked to complete a survey on "women and exercise" that they completed at home and mailed back. Study one consisted of women who, on average, were thirty-seven years old. Study two consisted of undergraduates, a population known to be at greater risk for self-objectification and eating disorders. The results were consistent in both studies. "Through yoga, this study suggests that women may have intuitively discovered a way to buffer themselves against messages that tell them that only a thin and 'beautiful' body will lead to happiness and success," the author explains.
###
This study is published in the current issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Psychology of Women Quarterly publishes primarily qualitative and quantitative research with substantive and theoretical merit, along with critical reviews, theoretical articles, and invited book reviews related to the psychology of women and gender. It is published on behalf of the Society for the Psychology of Women, Division 35 of the American Psychological Association.
Jennifer Daubenmier is postdoctoral scholar at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California. She is the 2005 recipient of the Practice Relevant Abstract from the American Psychosomatic Society..........more on....................... http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

UCLA Yoga Study Seeks Breast Cancer Survivors

2005-12-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center are recruiting volunteers who have completed treatment for breast cancer and are experiencing persistent fatigue to join a study to see if yoga can improve energy, mood and physical functioning.
"We are interested in yoga because there are some compelling preliminary data that suggest the practice may be associated with improving mood and energy," said Julie Bower, a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute and an assistant professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. "We are collaborating with a local yoga instructor who has worked with breast cancer survivors and is very interested in doing a study to evaluate the potential benefits of yoga for this group."
Today, most women are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and most are cured, but many are left with ongoing symptoms. Fatigue is the most common symptom for women with breast cancer both during and after treatment. Research suggests it can endure for years after treatment is completed.
"Our goal is to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment and improve long-term quality of life," Bower said.
The yoga study seeks women between the ages of 45 and 65 who completed treatment between one and five years ago. In addition to the twice-weekly yoga classes, the women will participate in psychiatric interviews, complete questionnaires, and provide blood and saliva samples for immune and hormonal evaluation. The classes will be taught at a yoga studio in West Los Angeles.
Women interested in participating in the study should call Deborah Garet at (310) 267-4423 to determine their eligibility.
### UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center is composed of more than 240 cancer researchers and clinicians engaged in cancer research, prevention, detection, control and education. The center, one of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, is dedicated to promoting cancer research and applying the results to clinical situations. In 2003 the center was named the best cancer center in the Western United States by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for four consecutive years. For more information about the center,

Doctor Says Yoga May Be Prescription For Better Health

2005-12-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Yoga may be one of the hottest fitness trends sweeping the country, but a Florida State University medical educator thinks it also may be the prescription for ailments ranging from headaches to heart disease.
Dr. Richard Usatine, associate dean of medical education at the FSU College of Medicine, is the co-author, along with yoga therapist Larry Payne, of "Yoga Rx," (2002, Broadway Press), a new book that offers step-by-step programs to promote health, wellness and healing for common ailments.
"Yoga can be as important as any medication," Usatine said. "This is a lifestyle change. This is a way to improve the quality of your life."
For each type of ailment, Usatine and Payne recommend prescriptions that combine a specific yoga routine with common-sense suggestions, such as dietary changes, exercise and getting enough sleep. For example, those suffering from asthma may want to try walking as well as a yoga routine that includes the positions of "wing and prayer," "the newspaper" and "seated chair twist." Depressed? The authors say the "mountain posture," "cobra" and the "sitting cat" may help to lift your spirits. Anxiety? Heartburn? Migraines? There's a remedy for these and just about every other common malady.
Usatine, a family physician who first tried yoga in college, often recommended yoga and yoga breathing techniques to patients to help them manage stress and even quit smoking. In 1997, after suffering recurring back pain after a car accident, he was referred to Payne for yoga therapy. His back pain disappeared, and the pair began collaborating on providing yoga therapy education to medical students at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The pair then began to work on the book, believed to be the first for the general public that combines a medical doctor's point of view with a yoga therapist's. While the authors are careful to note that "Yoga Rx" is not meant to replace modern medical treatment, they assert that yoga therapy can complement medical treatment. They say patients should see considerable results within a couple of weeks and significant changes within three months.
In the meantime, yoga therapy is gaining more attention in the medical community, according to Usatine.
"As more Americans are doing yoga and asking about it, there is more medical awareness of it," he said. "As the number of yoga therapists grows and the demand for it from patients grows, yoga will become a larger part of the practice of medicine in this country." More At ................. http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Spiritual Meditation Reduces Pain

2005-12-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

Spiritual meditation 'may reduce pain'Meditation makes people more relaxed and able to withstand pain if it has a spiritual basis, say scientists.Student volunteers were put into three groups, one asked to concentrate on a phrase such as "God is love" or "God is peace" as they meditated, another to focus on messages such as "I am happy" or "I am joyful" and a third were simply told to relax.They were instructed to practise their technique for 20 minutes a day for two weeks. The researchers used psychological profiling to assess their mood at the beginning and end of each week.They also tested pain tolerance by measuring the amount of time the volunteers could keep their hands in water cooled to 2C.Those practising spiritual meditation showed greater reductions in anxiety than the other groups, and were able to hold their hands in cold water for nearly twice as long.Amy Wachholtz, a Phd student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, US, who conducted the study, told New Scientist magazine that spiritual medication delivered more than deep relaxation."It is also likely that there is something unique inherent in the practice of spiritual meditation that cannot be completely conveyed through secular meditation and relaxation."
More on Kaalchakra

Yoga Diet May Halt Prostate Cancer

2005-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

Diet, yoga may halt prostate cancer
OUR HEALTH: LIFESTYLE WATCH
Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer may be able to stop the disease with some drastic lifestyle changes.That finding comes from a new study of 93 prostate cancer patients.Some of the men were randomly assigned to a group that adopted a vegan or vegetarian diet, regular exercise and stress management through yoga.After a year, those who made the lifestyle changes experienced an average 4 percent drop in their PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels, an indicator of cancer growth.But among those who didn't make the changes, PSA levels rose an average of 6 percent.Early-stage prostate cancer is diagnosed in more than 230,000 Americans each year.

http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Yoga Cures Stress Anxiety

2005-12-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

In the early 1940s, somatic stress researchers found that stress manifested itself differently on mental and physical planes. Physical effects included the classic ‘fight-or-flee’ response — tight muscles, rapid and shallow breathing, increased blood pressure and heart rate, adrenaline secretion and sweating. The cognitive effects of stress were listlessness, concentration and memory problems and loss of motivation. The two-fold or psychophysical manifestation of stress led to a simple, but profound, means of stress-relief — corrective relaxation and breathing techniques. These were already known to the ancients. The key insight of yoga, for example, is that it is literally impossible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time. In modern parlance, this is expressed as an inverse relationship between relaxation and anxiety. In practical terms, whatever promotes relaxation also leads to reduction of anxiety.Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), which is similar to the conscious unwinding of tension envisaged in the yogic shavasana or the corpse pose, is a method designed to teach how to recognise involuntary muscle tension and relax muscle groups, to minimise negative stress. Equally profound is the insight on the relationship that the breath bears with the mind. The cessation of one leads to the quieting of the other, says a famous verse from the Hathayoga-pradipika. Researchers have found that breath control, what yogis would call pranayama, is among the most effective stress-busting techniques in existence. They found that when the breathing gets slow and full, other positive physical and cognitive changes occur that promote relaxation. Thus, diaphragmatic breathing reduces the rate and increases the depth of breathing to promote what Harvard researcher Herbert Benson called the relaxation response. The scientist who pioneered the study of transcendental meditation (TM) in the lab found that anxious individuals could be taught to slow down their breathing during bouts of anxiety, to reduce stress. He found that meditation invariably calmed the mind and body. Focusing on any sound, thought or image, even nonsensical ones, to the exclusion of everything else, hence, tended to promote inner organisation and integrity. It also led to feelings of mastery, control and unity, what psychologist Abraham Maslow called the ‘oceanic’ or merged state of bliss. Similar insights inform Dean Ornish’s ‘heart-friendly’ Lifestyle Programme. He says, “Though diet is important, it’s only one part of my programme. Emotional stress plays an important role in just about all illnesses, both directly and indirectly. For example, emotional stress makes arteries constrict and clot blood faster, which, in turn, may cause a heart attack. Also, people are more likely to smoke, overeat, drink too much, work too hard, and so on when they are feeling stressed. Thus, stress management is an important part of what I recommend. These techniques include yogic stretching and breathing techniques, meditation, support groups and imagery.” The latter involves techniques of visualisation to create altered states — heightened relaxation and concentration — through the use of vivid images and fantasies. We shall examine this next week. http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com

Yoga A simple Way for Curing Autism or Attention Deficit Disorder

2005-12-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

Yoga may be a a simple way to help kids, especially children with autism or attention deficit disorder, focus. It's a unique approach, but it makes a lot of sense, NBC4's Dr. Bruce Hensel reported. Yoga helps kids with and without learning disabilities, Hensel reported. It helps them physically and emotionally as well. A very special yoga class is held at John Muir Elementary School in Santa Monica. Yoga instructor Darlene D'Arezzo teaches kids breathing, posture and movement at schools and in private classes. D'Arezzo has kids with many disabilities. She finds yoga helps each in a unique way. "Yoga helps soothe, calm stress. It helps to filter out what's not necessary, what's not needed," D'Arezzo said. That can be crucial for children like Olivia Maitra Conell, who has autism spectrum disorder. "In general, it's a healthy, fun activity that becomes routine for her, and that's positive and healthy," said Andrea Maitra Conell, Olivia's mother. D'Arezzo said it also helps those with attention deficit disorder. "I have one student who was able to come off medicines and is actually doing better without medicines," D'Arezzo said. Just a few weeks in, Olivia is already making progress. "She's now excited," Andrea Maitra Conell said. "She's talking about it when she's home. She even says, 'Mommy' and asks to do poses with us." Whether in school or in private class, Conell believes it helps kids with or without learning disabilities. The key is it builds their self-confidence. That's a key in their development, Hensel reported. Studies show physical training also helps children with learning problems get more in touch with their bodies, which also helps them communicate and adjust to social situations.http://kaalchakra.bravehost.com/