What is Scoliosis?

Every one’s spine has curves, but abnormal curves and a rational deformity in the spine is a disorder, called Scoliosis. It is frequently seen in adolescence and twice common in women compared to men. In mild form it causes trunk, shoulder and waistline asymmetry. Whereas in severe conditions it can cause significant disfigurement, postural fatigue and back pain. In some cases it can lead to heart failure.

Yoga for Scoliosis

• Practising different poses put emphasis on postural alignment of the body, this brings awareness of imbalances throughout your body.
• Especially, Iyengar yoga system emphasises on the alignment and balance of the body.
• Individuals suffering from scoliosis should strengthen and lengthen the muscles which support to relieve pain and tightness.
• The patients should concentrate on the poses which lengthen the spine and simultaneously the para spinal and other supporting muscles get strengthen.
• For example, all standing poses strengthen your legs creating a solid foundation for the spine to stretch and become freer.
• Some twisting poses will stretch the hip flexors, quadriceps and hamstrings creating mobility and improve posture

Props Required

Based on the requirement of the user, there are few props that can be used while practising yoga poses for scoliosis

Chairs
Wall
Cushions
Yoga mat
Bolster
Small table

Poses For Scoliosis

All these poses can be practised at home using props where required. The below mentioned poses are suggested by the NSF.

Right angled wall stretch
Kitchen sink pull
Pelvic tilts pose
Extended dog pose
Lunges
Piriformis Stretch (hip opener pose)
Back strengtheners
Hamstrings stretch
Abdominal strengthener
Corpse pose

Why Yoga for Stress Relief?

There are many reasons for stress, but the most important three classifications are work tension, financial problems, and personal life problems. Any difficulty or problem an individual faces can be grouped in to one of these classifications. An individual cannot afford to go after a physiatrist when ever he has mental stress. Practising yoga is the best, easy, least expensive, and no side effect solution for stress relief (both physical and mental), Yoga does not mean just asanas, but it is a mixture of activities assigned to change an individuals life style.

Concept of Stress Relief Yoga

It include

Diet routine includes

• No fast food
• If possible only vegetarian food (preferably organic)
• If meat has to be added, then no deep fries (steam cooked meat is preferred)
• Never drink alcohol (of any concentration)

Exercise regime

• Best way to relieve physical stress
• Depending on your familiarity with yoga, you can practise the asanas
• Poses like Sarvangasana, Sirshasana, Shavasana, Warrior pose, Dhanurasanas and many more can relieve both physical and mental stress instantaneously.

Pranayama

• It is very important to practise any posture in yoga, as every pose has different set of inhale and exhales
• Practising pranayama will increase the intake of oxygen and stimulates the blood cells, as a result increase the stamina and efficiency.
• Practising pranayama for 10 to 15 minutes two times day can give best results

Meditation

• Meditation increases the intake of cosmic energy, there by increasing the inner strength.
• Practising meditation will increase the ability to with stand for any problem

Feelings

Never keep your feeling to yourself, discuss them with your friends, family and colleagues depending on there maturity and understanding. That is a family member may not understand work problems and work colleague cannot understand problems between life partners.

Why only Yoga ?

Back pain is not just one problem, it leads to many other problems like arthritis, sexual limitations, disk joint problems and many more. Yoga is the only technique which not only relieves the back pain but also deal with other problems simultaneously. No drug can give total relaxation for back pain, even if it does, it is just for limited time. On the other hand if yoga is practised properly and continuously, you can forget about back pain and any other side effects possible.

Prerequisites for Back Pain Yoga

Diet – Diet plays an important role in the practise of any yoga poses, it is recommended to have only vegetarian food for the best results. If that is not possible, the next alternative is to reduce the amount of fired and cooked food intake, instead eat steam cooked food.

Pranayama – Pranayama or breath control is the next important thing to practise. Inhaling and exhaling technique are the heart of all the poses, with out proper practise of the breath control yoga cannot be completed.

Meditation – Meditation is one of the best methods for reducing back pain. Combining meditation with yoga poses can create wonders.

Poses for Back Pain Yoga

It is good to practise yoga with the instructions of a live instructor, you can also tell your exact problem to the tutor and get the proper asanas that best suits your requirement. Some of the most common asanas recommended by the yoga guru to get rid of pack pain are

• Standing Forward Bend
• Side-Angle Pose
• Triangle Pose
• Tadasana
• Pelvic Tilts
• Supported Bridge Pose
• Reclined Big Toe Pose
• Downward Facing Dog Pose
• Cobra Pose
• Child Pose
• Cat and cow pose

What is Yoga Therapy ?

According to Indians there is no physical or mental problem that yoga cannot solve, if practised properly. Yoga therapy includes diet formalities, behavioural changes, asanas or poses, meditation, and pranayama. Depending on the requirements the guru will design the procedure and schedule of the therapy, that is, some may need more asanas and less meditation, in other case it can be vice versa.

Yoga Therapy for Depression

• Behavioural changes are the first step, it includes changing of lifestyle, attitude
• Yoga therapy gives the best result for vegitarians, as they are natural, can be eaten raw, do not require much of spices for making dishes.If you are a non-vegitarian, it is recommended to stop eating meat during the therapy period.
• Meditation is very helpful to reduce depression. It will increase the cosmic energy flow to your body, thereby making you mind fresh and active.
• Asanas like Sun-salutations, Inversion pose, Bridge pose, set of Warrior poses, Bow pose will increase the blood flow in the body and help in releaving depression. People with physical disorders or disease cannot practise some of these asanas
• Pranyama practise is recommended for an easy practise of meditation and yoga asanas.

Remember that the above said procedure is given under the assumption that, the patient is having good physical health and minimal depression. If your requirements vary, vist a yogic guru or yoga therapist for the exact procedure to be follow in your condition.

Therapeutic yoga is used for treatment in many hospitals, physiotherapy centers, and workshops for trauma victims. It blends gentle yoga, restorative yoga, hands-on healing, breath work, and meditation techniques. Because of it’s flexibility, Therapeutic yoga makes an excellent choice for the people who want something gentle, yet effective to reduce stress and balance the body. The sessions include guided meditation for the obsorption of cosmic energy available in the universe, deep stretching according to the needs of the individuals and breath work which is also called as pranayama.

Therapeutic Yoga Benefits of Body Function

• It can strengthen or balance the autonomic nervous system, weight, endocrine function, gastrointestinal function and sleep.
• It improves brains alpha waves, respiratory efficiency, galvanic skin response (GSR), cardiovascular efficiency, endurance, and most importantly immunity.
• It can decrease blood pressure, pulse rate, pain and EMG (muscle activity)

Therapeutic Yoga Benefits of Mental Function

• It improves somatic and kinesthetic awareness, self-acceptance and actualization, attention, concentration, memory and learning.
• It decreases Depression, hostility and anxiety.

There are many centres around the world which teach therapeutic yoga. This yoga can be learnt by any body and every body with out any limitations of body, size, age and sex.

Yoga training for occupational therapy
Yoga that is used for therapeutic purposes is called Therapeutic Yoga. It is specifically designed to be gentle help in healing and recovery from injuries and illnesses. It helps rejuvenate the body and calm and balance the mind, speeding up the recovery process. It does not treat but stimulates the body so that it can heal itself.

Courses that train you in Therapeutic Yoga are usually short courses, lasting usually for a week or a few weeks. This Yoga form is for those who already know Yoga; it is like a specialty. This is because courses which train you in this form usually teach you how to use Asanas (Postures) and Pranayama (Breathing techniques) to help in healing and therapy. You would ideally need to know these practices prior to joining the course.

There are some areas that these courses focus on:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Biology of stress, relaxation and injuries and their effects on the body and mind
• How Yogic practices affect the body and mind
• Combining Yoga and therapy by understanding how the body works and reacts to things

This form of Yoga makes abundant use of props like blankets, belts, pillows and blocks. They help in making the practice of Yoga easier and more comfortable while giving the body the necessary exercise. This form has been shown to be especially effective in children with psychological imbalances as it helps calm them down and normalize brain functioning to a great extent.

Benefits of Yoga therapy

• Calming and relaxing
• Improves focus and concentration
• Improves body-mind co-ordination
• Strengthens body
• Increases self-esteem

However, this form of therapy should only be used as an alternative therapy or as an add-on and medical and clinical treatments should not be avoided or done away with.

Yogic practices
Pranayama or breathing techniques, specifically those that aid slow deep breathing are found to be beneficial to cope with physical as well as the psychological impact of cancer and its treatments. It helps patients to relax and take it easy. Simple gentle stretches combined with breathing are a good way to start off. Meditation combined with these practices also proves extremely helpful. These techniques help patients feel better from within about themselves, which in turn speeds up the healing process.

A lot of women have benefitted from Yogic practices and recent researches give further evidence to the fact that Yoga makes coping with cancer easier on the body and mind. It helps give these women a better quality of life.

Yoga is beneficial to everyone. Cancer patients in particular can, however, have tremendous benefits with regular practice. Although its beneficial for them, cancer surviviors and patients not under chemotherapy seem to benefit more than those under chemotherapy. This may be the case because chemotherapy tends to make them feel sick and, due to this, they may not be able to see the benefits of Yoga.

Word of caution
Yogic practices are highly recommended for those with breast cancer. But, one has to be careful where to go and who to learn Yoga from. This is because not all centres hich teach Yoga are equipped to deal with cancer patients and their unique requirements. One has to go to a practitioner who is trained to manage cancer patients. This is because such patients frequently have arm and shoulder problems which may get aggravated if proper care is not taken during practice of Yoga. If these few precautions are in place, Yoga can be a safe and effective method to help breast cancer patients heal faster and better.

Yoga for winters
Here are some Yogic practices, Asanas (postures) and Pranayama (breathing), that should be followed for better health in winters.

• Proper warm up: This is very essential to avoid injuries as the body becomes stiff in cold weather.
• Indoor yoga: This is advisable to protect the body against cold and related health impacts.
• More dynamic than static postures: Static postures help in stability but may increase stiffness in joints, while dynamic exercises help loosen the body.
• Surya Namaskaras (Sun Salutations): This is a combination of a series if Yogic postures and corresponding breathing control which helps to warm up the body and keep it flexible and supple.
• Pranayamas: These are breathing exercises which help open up the respiratory tract and relieves respiratory blockages, especially Bhastrika (forceful deep equal breathing) and Kapalabhati (fast exhalation), which also help in warming the body.
• Deep breathing: Deep equal breathing and Anulom-Vilom (alternative nostril breathing) in meditative postures like Vajrasana (Diamond pose), Sukhasana (Comfortable pose) and Padmasana (Lotus pose)
• Spine-related exercises: Asanas like Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) and Shalabhasana (Locust pose) help loosen the spine and avoid injuries.
• Exercises of the limbs: Asanas like Tadasana (Mountain pose), Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand), Halasana (Plough pose), Dhanurasana (Bow pose), Gomukhasana (Cow-face pose) help in strengthening and toning limbs.
• Shavasana (Corpse pose): This Yogic relaxation technique helps to keep the mind calm and composed and rid lethargy by refreshing the mind.

Yoga is an Indian system of fitness, not only of the body but also of the mind. It is not just bodily exercises but a whole system for complete well-being of an individual. It would be better to call it a philosophy and a lifestyle for better living.

These are some Yogic practices that can be followed for better bodily and psychological health. They also help in getting over the laziness of winters. They help us concentrate better on our work and optimise our efficiency in everyday activities. Along with all this, it is a better, healthier way of living.

Vitamins and Minerals for Asthma:

• Vitamin A is considered as the best curing product for asthma. Beta-carotene the substance of Vitamin A is present in great quantity in pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, broccoli, spinach and winter squashes,. If the vegetable or fruit The vibrant color of the fruit or the vegetables indicate the percentage content of beta-carotene.
• Vitamin B-6 helps in forming hemoglobin and improves the autoimmune function. It is found in legumes, nuts, beans, eggs, fish, meats, fortified breads, cereals and whole grains.
• Vitamin C adds greatly to the list of benefits. You can get Vitamin C through apples, avocados, apricots, breadfruit, black-currants, blackberries, blueberries, jujubes, cantaloupes, kiwifruits, peaches, pears and melons.
• Vitamin E is a chemical substance that inhibits oxidation, it helps in carrying the oxygen by improving the blood capacity. It has its presence in corn, seeds, vegetable oils, wheat germ, olives, asparagus, nuts, spinach, and other leafy vegetables.
• Zinc activates the immune system and supports the adrenal glands. It is found in excess quantity in: raisin bran, baked beans, peas, mixed nuts and oatmeal and specially in almonds, walnuts and roasted peanuts.
• Essential fatty acids like omega-3 oils are highly favorable in reducing swelling and relieve asthma attacks. They are found in a great quantity in vegetarian foods like walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin and almonds.
• Holy Basil (Tulsi) is an ayurvedic herb that helps in reducing mucus and irritation. The content of eugenol in Basil contributes to its therapeutic effects.

To remain energized and keep ourselves alert all-through the day, we must refresh our mind and body. Yoga diet is considered as one of the branch in yoga, and is an important aspect of yoga practice.

You Diet and its Benefits:

• Yoga diet is considered as the purest diet.
• It nourishes mind and body
• It maintains peaceful and stable state
• Most suitable for any student who practices yoga
• Purifies mind and enables it to perform at a maximum speed.

Yoga is not designed on how to make six pack abs, nor to keep track of how much calories do you take each day. It just helps you in maintaining balanced diet and eat in limitation.

Yoga diet is a pure vegetarian food; it consists of simple, natural and pure foods that promote health and are easily digested.

The aspects of yoga diet will help you grow your knowledge about various foods and the way it affects you. No matter how sad, ill health or depressed you are, yoga diet will get you back on track and pushes you to achieve your spiritual and material goal.

Well if you are planning to lead a better and healthy life, you need to depend upon the diet that is being practiced for more than thousand years now. Yoga diet is proven to build a strong body and mind, it drives you on the path of enlightenment and longevity.