Michael Wagner Chief Marketing Strategist Vero Beach Florida
Yoga Therapy: Why Doctors Are Prescribing The Ancient Practice
By Laura HilgersIn 2011, Jacquelyn Jackson had the most traumatizing year of her life. On a beautiful morning in Tucson, she was just 25 feet away when her former boss, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and 18 others were shot in a grocery store parking lot. In the weeks that followed, as Jackson began suffering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (including chronic anxiety and difficulty sleeping), she turned to a psychotherapist. The sessions helped “tremendously,” she says but 11 months later, when her seemingly healthy younger brother died suddenly from a brain tumor. “the trauma was so great I felt like I needed something more.”Desperate, Jackson looked online for support and stumbled upon yoga therapy, an emerging treatment for people struggling with anxiety, grief, and trauma. Long practiced in India, yoga therapy was introduced in the United States some three decades ago but has begun gaining popularity only in the past five years or so. (Membership in the International Association of Yoga Therapists [IAYT] has quadrupled since 2004, to about 3,200, and next year the IAYT plans to begin accrediting yoga schools to offer a standardized certification program.)
“It’s not just postures,” says yoga therapist Janice Gates. “We use all the tools of yoga — breath work, sound, visualization, and meditation — and tailor them to a client’s specific health condition.” One of Gates’s clients was a woman in her 40s who was experiencing serious depression and anxiety but couldn’t tolerate psychiatric medication. While a doctor oversaw the medical issues, Gates worked with the client weekly to manage her moods. On days when she was anxious, Gates led her through exercises like standing poses and forward bends (to help her feel more grounded) and exhalation breath work (to calm her down). When the woman was depressed, she did back bends and inhalation exercises, designed to give her energy. Six months later, the woman’s crippling dark moods, once a thrice-weekly occurrence, now overtake her only a few times each month. With her newfound energy — and time — she’s teaching art classes to children.
Though research on the efficacy of yoga therapy is ongoing, traditional doctors are taking notice — and finding it, in some cases, to be a valuable complement to the work they’re already doing. “Yoga therapy can be extremely helpful for people who need a way to work through what they’re experiencing, not just in their minds but in their bodies,” says psychotherapist Jack Obedzinski, MD, of Corte Madera, California. “Often, it allows my patients to experience a feeling of calm in a way they couldn’t in talk therapy.” And, he says, this calmness can bring more clarity and awareness to their traditional sessions.
For Jackson, one-on-one yoga appointments with Amy Weintraub, a pioneer in the field and author of Yoga for Depression, proved transformative. In their first session, Jackson “was practically hyperventilating with anxiety,” says Weintraub, who created a program that included “stair-step” breathing, building up to deeper and deeper breaths. “What the yoga did was provide a slow, gradual path to help her manage her moods and not immediately react when grief arose.” After just a few sessions, Jackson no longer used medication to help her sleep at night. “Working with Amy was like doing emotional Roto-Rooter-ing,” she says. “I had so much stress in my body, and she was able to help dislodge it — and clear it out.”
Benefits of Hot Yoga!
As a certified yoga instructor and self-proclaimed “hot yogi,” I can assure you that there are many benefits to practicing Bikram and hot yoga. But of course, those benefits don’t come without a few precautions as well. Read on for the 411 on how to practice safe hot yoga.
The difference between hot yoga and Bikram yoga
Bikram yoga, which is the practice of 26 postures selected and developed by Bikram Choudhury and derived from hatha yoga, takes place in studios with temperatures set around 105 degrees F with 40 percent humidity. Hot yoga, like Bikram, is also practiced in a heated room, usually maintained at a temperature of around 95 to 100 degrees F.
Unlike Bikram however, hot yoga isn’t based on of the same 26-posture series. Instead, it tends to be more of a flowing vinyasa style practice, similar to a dance, linking one pose to the next. In both Bikram and hot yoga, the heated rooms help promote sweating and warm up the body to increase flexibility with less risk for injury.
“One of the benefits to many hot yoga classes is the routine is repetitive. When you are doing the same poses repeatedly, you can begin to see where you are today in relation to yesterday,” said Mandy Ingber, fitness expert and author of Yogalosophy: 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover.
The benefits of a really hot room
Practicing yoga in a heated room increases your pulse rate and metabolism, allowing your blood vessels to become more flexible and making your bod burn some major calories! This in turn makes circulation easier and increases blood flow to the limbs.
“Hot yoga is amazing for weight loss, as you sweat like a fiend. Like other yogas, it will build muscle tone [but will also] improve the lymphatic system and flush out toxins. It’s amazing for developing equanimity in the face of adversity and obstacles,” says Ingber.
Hot yoga goes above and beyond when it comes to relieving stress and building inner confidence. This practice is the true definition of “mind over matter.” The endorphin rush you receive after completing 60- to 90-minute sweat session will leave you feeling like there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
While I’m a huge fan of hot yoga, there are definitely some precautions you should take in order to stay safe. Read the tips below before turning up the heat in your practice!
Stay hydrated
Ingber recommends drinking 2 to 3 liters throughout the day. You will undoubtedly sweat more during these types of classes than in most other forms of exercise, so it’s very easy to become dehydrated. It is extremely important that you drink plenty of water before, during and after your practice.
“Everyone is encouraged to drink at least eight glasses of fluids per day in general,” says yoga expert and director of SpaHalekulani, Kamala Nayeli. “When you exercise, this amount should increase by two to three cups. If you raise your core temperature or partake in a hot yoga class, I would [also] recommend including a small dose of salt prior to the class. Or have a natural ‘sports drink’ that will replenish the sodium you lose when sweating.”
The rules for eating before hot yoga
It is important to avoid eating too much or too little before participating in a hot yoga class, which can be a tricky task to master. Nayeli suggests avoiding heavy foods, but encourages light snacks before yoga classes to properly fuel your body.
“Fruit, particularly those that have a high water content such as watermelon, or sodium content like bananas [are great to eat before class],” she says. “Dried fruit is good, too (figs, raisins, apricots, etc.). Seeds and nuts are also great. However, I would limit the dairy intake before class.”
Ingber agrees and recommends snacks like half a banana, melon or almonds.
Listen to your body
It is important not to overexert during hot yoga classes. The warm temperatures and practice of poses can make your body feel looser and more flexible than normal, which can make it easier to pull a muscle. Be mindful of your body and try not to overstretch or push yourself too far when first starting out.
Gradually let yourself experiment with poses as your body adjusts and becomes more accustomed to the atmosphere and workout. If you feel any symptoms of heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea, headache, confusion, poor vision or weakness, stop your practice and immediately leave the room.
“Personally, I do not recommend hot yoga for beginners,” says Nayeli. “Rather, it’s something to build yourself up to. Every body is different and not always suitable for such an intense workout in such intense heat. I have seen some harsh and concerning reactions in class with people not realizing what to expect, and then they feel they need to ‘keep up’ with the rest of the class even though their body is saying ‘take a break.’ ”
Ingber says one of her main concerns for hot yogis is the strict guidelines a studio may have about staying in the room. “It’s really important to listen to your body more than the teacher.”
Check with your doctor
If you have any injuries or health concerns, such as diabetes, cardiovascular or respiratory disease, or a history of heat-related illness, make sure to get your doctor’s OK before practicing hot yoga.
Michael Wagner Chief Marketing Strategist Vero Beach Florida 772-532-6397
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