An eight-week yoga rehabilitation program led to significant improvements in strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.

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PROBLEM: Around five million stroke survivors in the U.S. live with lingering physical impairments, including reduced functional strength, flexibility, and endurance. These "chronic stroke" symptoms alter patients' lifestyles by making them less mobile and independent.

METHODOLOGY: Researchers led by Arlene Schmid enrolled older veterans recovering from stroke in an adapted yoga program. These men and women had completed their post-stroke occupational and physical therapy before the study commenced but continued to have stroke-related injuries. Over an eight-week period, the researchers measured their hip flexion strength, ability to perform arm curls, aerobic endurance during a six-minute walk, speed at standing from a seated position, and range of motion.

RESULTS: The veterans who were practicing yoga experienced gains in functional strength, flexibility, and endurance. A related study that focused on the participants' gaits showed improved balance as well as faster and longer strides. Schmid explains in her report that yoga might have "improved neuromuscular control, likely allowing for strength improvements in affected limbs, sides or areas of disuse."

CONCLUSION: Yoga improves post-stroke patients' balance, flexibility, gait, strength, and endurance.

IMPLICATION: The authors note that yoga should be considered for post-stroke in-patient or out-patient rehabilitation and should be taught by a yoga therapist who has had training in anatomy, physiology, and working with people with disabilities.

SOURCE: The full study, "Physical Improvements After Yoga for People With Chronic Stroke," was recently presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Francisco.

Originally posted here:
Nice: Yoga Helps Stroke Survivors Get Back in Shape

A nonprofit group that is providing free yoga programs for abused an disadvantaged women has planned its first major fundraiser later this month.

The Yoga for All Cooperative Inc. will host an evening of music, dance, yoga demonstrations and dinner on Thursday, June 21, at the Penfield Beach Pavilion on Fairfield Beach Road.

Tickets are $100 and include a buffet dinner, beer and wine. Corporate sponsorships and volunteer opportunities also are available, the group said.

The event begins at 8 p.m. and will include a silent auction, Yoga for All said in a news release.

The group said its goal is to bring yoga, its stress-reduction effects and the sense of well being it can foster to people who otherwise might not have access to it.

It plans to expand its programs to inner-city schools and corrections facilities and families impacted by incarceration, the group said.

Through outreach programs and scholarships, the cooperative said, it hopes to interest participants in training other disadvantaged people in yoga techniques.

Yoga for All now is providing services to The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County, which aids abuse victims, and to the Mercy Learning Center, a Bridgeport literacy program for women.

The group said it is planning programs for Danbury Federal Correctional Facility, the state's Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, the Bridgeport Public Schools and Family ReEntry, a Norwalk-based nonprofit that deals with family social problems stemming from incarceration.

All gala ticket fees and donations are tax deductible, the group said.

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Yoga nonprofit slates gala fundraiser

There's a movement afoot in Oregon's yoga studios to add a little oomph to your om.

Yoga-based infusions of activities from circus arts to acrobatics to slacklining are gaining popularity among those who prefer a more interactive, lighthearted, "fun" yoga experience.

At a recent AcroYoga class at Southeast Portland's Yoga Union, instructor Jacob Handwerker started the session with yoga poses and light meditation. Then, he turned up the music with a heart-quickening beat and the fun began.

"You guys warm enough?" he asks a dozen or so students. "Let's try some flying."

Nobody seems particularly Zen, but participants certainly seem to be in union, laughing and clapping as they execute yoga poses while balancing precariously atop hands and feet of a partner who lies on the ground as a human balance beam.

"It's about working together, developing trust, and playfulness," says Handwerker, who teaches the acrobatics-infused yoga classes in Portland and around the world. "It's taking yoga off the ground and into the air."

The newest wave of innovation in yoga appeals to the adventurous, and those who hesitate to delve into more traditional and meditative yoga styles.

"I really love how it feels to be weightless up high," says Steph Rooney, 35, a certified yoga teacher who joined Handwerker's Flight School. "It's different than alignment-based yoga."

And its popularity is rising.

Across town, Portland families use Morgan Goldberg's CircusYoga workshops to forge intergenerational bonds. The classes are built around the idea of young and old family members playing together. A typical class might include acrobatics, juggling and tumbling.

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Portland yoga enthusiasts embrace lighthearted 'play-based' forms

(Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune) Charlotte Bell helps Sandy Maclead with a pose while leading a yoga class recently in Salt Lake City. Bell recently published a book called "Yoga for Mediators."

Yoga Charlotte Bells new book offers a recipe for everyone who sits too long and too poorly.

We are a nation of couch potatoes, but that doesnt mean we know how to sit.

We know how to slouch. We know how to lean toward a screen and hunch over a desk. But we dont know how to sit still and straight so that our minds might be quiet. When we try, we discover its harder than it looks.

Reading about sitting

Charlotte Bells second book, Yoga for Meditators, is published by Rodmell Press ($14.95).

Charlotte Bell remembers going to her first five-day meditation retreat, which required her to sit upright and silent for hours each day.

"At some point, every part of my body chimed in, and sometimes shouted at me, pummeling me with its resistance," she recalls. "My knees screamed, my back and shoulders veritably shrieked. None of this helped my attitude, which became more dour with each agonizing minute."

Its difficult to make your mind empty when your body is so full of complaints.

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Learning how to sit with Utah yoga writer Charlotte Bell

LOS ANGELES - A growing number of health clubs around the world is offering exercise that allows people to stretch and strengthen their bodies while hanging in the air, often upside down. It's called AntiGravity Yoga.

At first glance, students hanging upside down on hammocks made of silk cloth hanging from the ceiling seems more like acrobatics than yoga.

When I first saw people hanging upside down from hammocks and calling it yoga I thought they were crazy," said Marie Bice. "But it ended up being a lot of fun and just swinging it felt very playful.

Thats student Marie Bice. She says AntiGravity Yoga is not all play. Its also hard work, with benefits.

I dont have a lot of flexibility in my back and doing this work has really helped my back with that," she said.

Instructor Heather Blair says hanging upside down helps the body in a way that regular yoga does not offer.

You actually have spinal decompression so when youre upside down your vertebrae actually open up so the space in between the vertebrae opens naturally and gently," said Blair.

Student Chris Meierhans has done traditional forms of yoga. But this is his first AntiGravity class.

I would like to increase flexibility," said Meierhans. "Of course, Im a guy, a runner, so my hamstrings are very tight.

Blair says when Believe Fitness Studio first started offering AntiGravity classes over a year ago, people became interested very quickly.

Excerpt from:
AntiGravity Yoga Gains Popularity

Yoga may be a powerful tool in stroke rehabilitation, according to new research.

The study, presented as two separate analyses at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, shows that spending eight weeks in an adapted yoga program helped stroke survivors to have greater balance, be more flexible, be stronger and have more endurance and strength.

The first analysis examined the physical benefits of yoga for people who had suffered a stroke. The researcher of that study -- Arlene Schmid, rehabilitation research scientist at the Roudebush VA Medical Center -- found that yoga likely helped increase strength, endurance and flexibility because it helped neuromuscular control.

And in the second analysis, study researcher Tracy Dierks found that yoga seemed to help the stroke patients to take longer steps and faster initial gait speeds, although they were unable to sustain a fast gait for the entire six minutes of the test. Dierks is an associate professor of physical therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

"The yoga intervention was designed to improve balance, not gait; we did not focus on improving gait at all. Yet we saw major improvements in most clinical gait measurements," Dierks said in a statement. "But one often overlooked deficit remained: the inability to sustain gait speed for endurance."

The University of Maryland Medical Center noted that while yoga can be helpful for rehabilitation in stroke survivors, it's important for people to consult their doctors before participating because there are some moves that could be dangerous for certain people.

Recently, a study presented at the 12th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing showed that appreciating the arts could increase quality of life for stroke survivors, and that stroke patients who find joy in music, theater and painting recover better than those who don't.

"The results suggest that art may make long term changes to the brain which help it recover when things go wrong," study researcher Dr. Ercole Vellone, assistant professor in nursing science at the University Tor Vergata in Rome, Italy, said in a statement.

Also on HuffPost:

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Yoga Could Help Stroke Rehabilitation, Study Suggests

Many people suffer from strokes, yet many recover. Sadly, over 140,000 people pass away every year due to a stroke in the U.S. alone. In addition, close to 795,000 others experience a stroke. Strokes are a grave problem, causing lasting disability in many who suffer from them. The fact that less Americans die from stokes than in the past is very promising though, and thankfully there is help for those who do survive this medical emergency. Yoga can offer help and aid in recovery to those who have survived a stroke.

Modified yoga can help stroke patients

New research suggests that yoga can aid in the recovery of stroke patients. This particular study demonstrated the following benefits to stroke patients after eight weeks in an modified yoga class:

Increased balance

Added flexibility

Advanced endurance

New strength

Longer steps with increased speed

While yoga can be beneficial to stoke patients, The University of Maryland Medical Center did point out that it is important for stroke patients to consult their healthcare provider before beginning yoga since some poses can be hazardous to certain individuals.

Wheelchair yoga can help stroke patients to recover more quickly

Originally posted here:
Yoga for Stroke Patients

4 June 2012 Last updated at 00:13 ET

Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said he will launch a protest in August unless the government brings back illegal money in foreign banks.

He made the announcement during a hunger strike with campaigner Anna Hazare to protest against corruption.

Reports say $500bn of illegal money was deposited in overseas tax havens.

The government has proposed setting up fast-track courts to deal with the two contentious issues of illegal money and tax evaders.

Baba Ramdev joined leading campaigner Anna Hazare on Sunday to undertake a day-long fast in protest against corruption, illegal money and strong anti-corruption laws.

Mr Hazare, who has been campaigning for a strong anti-corruption bill, has already announced a protest in August if the government did not investigate "allegations of corruption" against 14 ministers.

The Lokpal bill has passed in the lower house of parliament but the upper house adjourned amid chaos in December without passing the controversial legislation.

Baba Ramdev urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to pass a strong anti-corruption bill.

"Your personal honesty is not enough. You have to be politically honest too. You have to keep your cabinet honest," he said.

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Indian yoga guru plans protest

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW4NYacLCKg

31-05-2012 12:57 With the right technique its easier then it looks like. Crow Pose or Bakasana is a beginners inversion. Esther Ekhart teaches 3 steps to approach this pose. Please subscribe to my channel here: Go to my channel: Follow me on facebook : Follow me on twitter: Look me up on Google+ :

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Crow Pose or Bakasana explained by Esther Ekhart - Video

Uptowns upscale yoga bunnies are buzzing after a hot instructor at luxe Pure Yoga was ordered by the studio to roll up his mat and leave through the back door this week.

Marco Rojas was treated by his clients as kind of a deity, according to a source. But he wound up in an un-Zen-like clash with the studio that blew up this week.

Sources say Rojas was bringing in up to 500 students weekly at Pures West 77th and East 86th Street locations, but he irked the studio by becoming a bit too big for his yoga pants.

He thought he wasnt expendable, and they thought he wasnt worth it anymore, said one Upper West Side novelist and yoga mom. They started to marginalize him and push him out. Sources said Rojas further antagonized Pure because he was also teaching at rival Ishta Yoga.

Liz Sullivan

Marco Rojas

A source close to Pure said the split with Rojas was mutual. But when we contacted Rojas, the downward-dog doyen told us, Yoga is about the truth. It was not a mutual decision.

He said the clash came when Pure owners werent receptive to his ideas for workshops and retreats. Management thought I was difficult because I was trying to teach them how to do things in a yogic way, he said. Managers are not yoga practitioners. I came to them with projects, and some of the managers didnt want to do it. They dont understand what it is to do a yoga retreat.

A rep for Pure said she couldnt comment, but a source said Rojas was not kicked out. Rojas countered: They [gave me] just 45 minutes before [a] class, [and] fired me without having consideration . . . It was disrespectful. They escorted me . . . to clear out my stuff, and took me out of the back door. It might be the protocol, but this is yoga. They are supposedly running a company called Pure Yoga, but this is impure yoga. However, [Im] not interested in starting a war, but an evolution, he said.

One devotee lamented the development via Facebook: Marco, I am devastated . . . You have made such a difference in my life. Namaste.

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Pure Yoga “escorts out” popular instructor Marco Rojas