Kundalini Yoga Essay

Of the many techniques people use to reduce stress, yoga is among one of the more popular. Although some may believe that effects of yoga are merely physical, there is research that suggests that yoga has direct impacts on one’s mental state. According to Forbes, in addition to the benefits on the heart and blood flow, yoga helps release dopamine and gaba and serotonin (Walton, 2012). All of these are known to create feeling of happiness in a person (K. W. Brown, personal communication, Sept. 7). For this lab, I decided I would try yoga for myself to test the results.

A growing body of evidence suggests meditation-based interventions have the potential to reduce symptoms and improve well-being (Marchand, 2013 for review; Mitchell et al., 2014). The Stanford University study entitled Breathing-Based Meditation Decreased Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in U.S. Military Veterans: A Randomized Controlled Longitudinal Study explores the effects of Sudarshan Kriya yoga, a meditation-based therapy, on U.S. military veterans with PTSD symptoms having served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not only is yoga a healthy way to stay fit, but also gives emotional and spiritual support to those in recovery. Prinster researched yoga and found out that it strengthens the immune system, which provides protection against cancer recurrence. She constructed a system of yoga poses and sequences, each one based on needs of cancer survivors. This is the Yoga 4 Cancer method.

The ancient practice of yoga is called meditation in motion ( ). It is a technique that uses physical postures and controlled breathing to lengthen and strengthen the spine and increase flexibility. It also builds strength, calms the mind, improves concentration, promotes patience, and relieves stress. Yoga can also contribute to a greater sense of control in more acute states when experiencing drug cravings, insomnia, and agitation ( ). Many addicts in recovery find that the serenity they learned in yoga acts as a natural tranquilizer that allows them to step back and evaluate their thoughts with greater clarity. A person who experiences a craving, for example, may apply the practice of mindfulness to that craving and acknowledges it without emotion. One can recognize it as an object of active addiction and let it go without using the drug. Regular yoga practice is needed to fully experience these kind of benefits. Overall, the huge addiction problem is complex, requiring multiple methods of intervention and

A yoga practice will help the physical body by helping it rid itself of the physical impurities that have built up over time through the ingestion of substances such as alcohol and various illicit narcotics can debilitate a body and cause the receptors of the body to call for these substances that create the cravings and if not supplied to body create painful withdrawals. These cravings and withdrawals can be very hurtful to the body and wreak havoc on the mind as the addicted person tries to overcome them.

I have integrated various holistic practices into my treatment plans including acupuncture, yoga, massage, meditation and prayer. I also discuss and recommend the importance of balance in our lives, which is a major philosophy of Ayurvedic Medicine, “balance between body, mind and spirit” (What is the philosophy, n.d.). I stress how healthy choices regarding diet, exercise and relationships can impact a patient’s physical, emotional and spiritual balance in their life.

Yoga has been shown to be effective as an adjunctive treatment for a wide variety of disorders, including epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, and chronic pain (Streeter et al., 2012; van der Kolk, 2014). Streeter et al. (2012) propose that yoga is helpful in such a wide variety of conditions because it reduces allostatic load in the stress response symptom, decreases sympathetic nervous system activity, increases parasympathetic nervous system activity, and increases gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA) levels. Overall, yoga is a practice that may help the body return to a more optimal state of

Yoga has been associated with stress. The larger the amount of stress a person has, the less likely that person is to feel in control of themselves and their surroundings. Yoga has also been linked to a person’s health and wellbeing. During a one week experiment, a researcher did yoga once a day at 7:00 pm for a half hour. A survey was taken twice, in hour intervals, after the yoga session was completed, at 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm. The surveys are what was used to find the data that created the results of the experiment. One type of yoga, integrated yoga, was used throughout the week. The results concluded yoga helps relieve stress for one hour after the session was completed, but was stressed again shortly after that hour was finished. Different styles of yoga classes could be offered and more times could be made available at the Elmen Center. Yoga is currently offered at 4:30 pm in the Back Alley, but more class times could be 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Different styles include hot yoga, iyengar yoga, or hatha yoga. To improve evaluations, a person could add questions about their level of stress before and after the yoga class. These improvements will allow researchers to see if the results are true for the majority of people.

Meditation is very difficult to describe and can only truly be explained once experienced. It is the practice of mental concentration leading ultimately through a sequence of stages to the final goal of spiritual freedom, nirvana. The purpose of Buddhist meditation is to free ourselves from the delusion and thereby put an end to both ignorance and craving. The Buddhists describe the culminating trance-like state as transient; final Nirvana requires the insight of wisdom. The exercises that are meant to develop wisdom involve meditation on the true nature of reality or the conditioned and unconditioned elements that make up all phenomena. The goal of meditation is to develop a concept in the mind.

Nobody likes feeling like the outsider, whether it be the third wheel at the movies, looking physically different than everyone else, or in my case being the only one at a yoga class that doesn’t know what on earth is going on. While at SDSU, I decided I wanted to branch out and take as many opportunities as possible and try something new. There are many different activities that students can be apart of at SDSU, and a yoga class is one of them. Why not take a yoga class where I can feel physically active and good about myself for trying to not gain the freshman fifteen? Why not try something new and exciting that I have never done before? Why not make a fool of myself feeling like everyone is staring at me saying, “What is she doing?” Well, after taking the class I could find a few reasons why it may have been a poor decision; however, there are a lot of reasons why it was a great new experience that I would definitely try again.

Kundalini Yoga- This form of yoga was created to energize the body and calm the mind through movement. The chanting of various mantras, and breathing. The goal is to release the energy that kundalini which is stored at the base of the spine.

Buddhism      For over 2000 years Buddhism has existed as an organized religion. By religion we mean that it has a concept of the profane, the sacred, and approaches to the sacred. It has been established in India, China, Japan and other eastern cultures for almost 2000 years and has gained a strong foothold in North America and Europe in the past few centuries. However, one might ask; what fate would Buddhism face had Siddartha Guatama been born in modern times; or more specifically in modern day North America? Would his new found enlightenment be accepted now as it was thousands of years ago?

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Yoga's psychological benefits include; improvement of anxiety, depression, stress tolerance, addictive disorders, bi polar disorders, eating disorders, insomnia and overall emotional balance. Physical benefits include; improvement of chronic pain, reduction of heart rate and blood pressure, increased circulation, and function. The benefits continue; improvement in venous return of the

In today’s environment, many people are suffering with the stress and anxiety of day to day living and are finding themselves unable to cope with life’s little emergencies. Prescription drugs are on the rise due to the increasing need for people to deal with their stress and anxiety. However, many people are searching for ways to be less stressed and live a happy and healthy life without drugs. If stress and anxiety are getting the best of you, then think about grabbing a mat and giving yoga and meditation a spin. With that in mind, this paper will take a look at the benefits of yoga and meditation to create a more peaceful and healthy lifestyle.