Ohio Universitys WellWorks is offering a six-week series of free outdoor yoga classes to employees and members of the community this summer. Yoga Under the Elms will take place on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. at the West Portico on College Green beginning July 9.

Were really excited to be able to offer a new yoga program completely free and open to anyone, said Jenn Bennett, executive director of OHIO Wellness and director of WellWorks Wellness Center. Our main goal with this series is to bring people together and get them moving over the summer. Outdoor yoga seemed like a natural fit for our beautiful campus, and I hope people will take advantage of this opportunity.

WellWorks membership and advance registration is not required. Those interested can show up at the West Portico on College Green and sign a waiver with a WellWorks staff member. Yoga mats will not be provided, please bring your own Yoga mat or towel.

Attendance at the entire series not necessary; attend one session or all six. All six sessions are free and open to everyone.

Class will be cancelled due to rain or inclement weather. Follow WellWorks onFacebook for class cancellation announcements.

Yoga Under the Elms

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OHIO employees, community members invited to free Yoga Under the Elms series beginning July 9 - Ohio University

It also prevents injury and reduces the likelihood of sprains and strains by strengthening our ligaments and tendons, she adds. Plus, the movements promote good blood flow, which aids in muscle recovery and all-round healing.

Research published in 2016 in the International Journal of Yoga revealed that 10 weeks of yoga practice improved balance and flexibility in college athletes and may therefore enhance the athletic performances that require these characteristics.

Retired American football quarterback Tom Brady, American basketball player LeBron James, former British footballer Ryan Giggs and American tennis player Coco Gauff are among the elite athletes who have incorporated yoga in their training routines.

A study published in August 2020 in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry found that yoga improves symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder, suggesting that the practice may be useful for people dealing with anxiety.

Chellaram has experienced such benefits first-hand. A relationship break-up in her twenties triggered a bout of melancholy and anxiety. She turned to Western psychiatry and was prescribed anti-anxiety medication, which helped, but soon she started feeling lethargic and unmotivated.

After just a few sessions, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I felt joyful again. I began practising sudarshan kriya daily and eventually weaned myself off my anti-anxiety medication. This technique is still integral to my daily yoga practice, Chellaram says.

Diva Chugani, a certified yoga teacher in Hong Kong, has clients who have overcome depression and anxiety with yoga.

They tell me that yoga cheers them up and makes them feel whole again, she says.

Chugani says yoga has helped improve the quality of life for many clients suffering from chronic pain.

In 2017, The American College of Physicians recommended yoga as a first-line treatment for lower back pain, ahead of pain medication.

For one, it gets you moving, and regular physical activity is known to keep the heart healthy.

By doing yoga for 30 minutes every other day for 16 weeks, people with afib were better able to manage their symptoms and reduce their number of afib episodes, according to the study.

Breathing is a core element of yoga, so practising yoga regularly can help you become more aware of your breathing and how it affects your mind and body. A study published in 2019 in the journal Psychiatry pointed out that deep breathing may help treat insomnia, as it reduces tension, assists with relaxation and improves sleep.

Melatonin helps control how and when we sleep.

Regular physical activity is known to help induce sleepiness and improve sleep quality. Doing gentle yoga in the evening hours may help you fall asleep faster and encourage a deeper state of relaxation.

Yoga can keep our brain healthy and young.

The researchers found that kundalini yoga, which focuses on breathwork and meditation more than physical poses, restored neural pathways, prevented brain matter decline and helped reverse signs of ageing and inflammation in the brain.

There is also evidence that doing yoga just once or twice a week boosts brain performance in ways that are similar to aerobic exercise. A review published in 2019 in the journal Brain Plasticity found that regular yoga practice may positively affect key areas of the brain that are responsible for memory and information processing as well as emotional regulation.

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6 yoga benefits backed by science, from pain relief to better sleep - South China Morning Post

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'Reversed Cancer, Dementia...' Ramdev On International Yoga Day - The Elkhart Truth

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Indian Armed Forces Participate In International Yoga Day Celebrations - The Elkhart Truth

ByZarafshan Shiraz, New Delhi

The International Day of Yoga or World Yoga Day is observed on June 21, every year, to raise awareness about the numerous benefits of practicing Yoga and encourage people around the world to adopt a healthier lifestyle. It serves as a reminder of the importance of physical and mental well-being and highlights the role of Yoga in achieving that balance.

On this day, various events, workshops and yoga sessions are organised worldwide, which aim to promote Yoga as a means to enhance physical fitness, relieve stress, improve mental health and foster a sense of peace and unity among individuals. The International Day of Yoga has witnessed widespread participation and support from people worldwide and has become a platform for promoting the practice of Yoga, raising awareness about its benefits and fostering a sense of unity and well-being among individuals across borders and cultures.

It has become an opportunity for people from diverse cultures and backgrounds to come together and embrace the practice of Yoga as a unifying force. Though the International Day of Yoga is observed on June 21 every year, Yoga is practiced and celebrated throughout the year by millions of people worldwide and as we mark the annual celebrations this Friday, here are some of the best SMS, images, WhatsApp messages, quotes, wishes and Facebook status to wish family and friends a Happy International Yoga Day:

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.

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Happy International Yoga Day 2024: 25 best SMS, images, WhatsApp messages, quotes, wishes, Facebook status to share - Hindustan Times

On the frontlines of the Ukraine war, the country's soldiers were seen rolling out their mats to participate in yoga, according to a report by The Times of India.

Claiming that yoga has helped him transform his life, the commander, aged 37, at the post of the 225th Separate Assault Brigade amongst the soldiers said, "Before the beginning of the full-scale war, back in 2014, I was drafted into infantry operations, and I hurt my spine."

According to TOI, he further said, "I started practicing yoga regularly in 2016. All my problems disappeared", adding that yoga helps with his responsibilities in the war.

The young commander also said, "I always try to do asanas, pranayama and I read the 'Hare Krishna Mahamantra'. It helps me have better control over my emotions and plan things in my duty."

The war-hit Ukraine is witnessing a rise in yoga awareness for better healing, wellness and recovery among its population.

With some special forces units of the Ukrainian Army including yoga in their training, several projects have been started to support the Ukrainian teachers who have been teaching yoga and to help those who have been dealing with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Initiated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021, a 'Healthy Ukraine' programme was started to encourage the ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice.

During 'Active Parks' - a project under the initiated programme - public parks were transformed into fitness clubs where instructors or teachers would organise and hold free yoga training classes.

According to TOI, Elena Siderska, who was accountable for boosting yoga in the project said, "The response for yoga was overwhelming. Active Parks now supports studios and clubs that work with trauma, PTSD and rehabilitation of soldiers."

According to the publication, a master of yoga and Elena's father, Andrii Siderskyi claimed that yoga's roots have been in his country for a long time saying, "Actually people in Ukraine came in contact with yoga as far back as the 19th century. But after the revolution of 1917 and the Ukrainian Republic, it was little bit lost. However, following the World War II, Kyiv, Odessa and Kharkiv became some of the main centres of yoga in the Soviet era."

Siderskyi also said, "We combined specific pranayama sequences with asana sequences that we found most effective for our conditions. I believe this saved thousands of lives and helped people recover quickly during Covid."

One person named Yullia Denisova who was helping injured Ukrainian comrades at four different rehabilitation centres and also works at the 'Fierce Calm', says, "Yoga nidra and pranayama have had huge benefits for war veterans dealing with sleep disorders, PTSD and those with amputation related problems."

According to the publication, while describing how the medieval practice helped a double amputee soldier, Denisova said, "Nazar was initially unsure about yoga. He said I have come to just watch. But session after session he got into it. Finally, after a session of yoga nidra, he fell into deep sleep. After he woke up, he said it was the best sleep he ever had."

She added, "I, as a Ukrainian, can't thank India enough for giving the world and keeping this wonderful ancient knowledge."

According to TOI, another person named Velaeria Samborskaya, who runs a crowd-funded project to encourage yoga for trauma-sensitive people in Ukraine, says, "We have seen affected soldiers being fearful of going near parks because they were injured in forested areas on the frontline. But after a few sessions of yoga, especially pranayama, they are able to overcome their mental trauma."

Samborsakaya also said, "In the first year of the war, we needed physical things, good housing, etc. After two years, we now need to deal with the mental repercussions of this war and what it is doing to our society. Yogic exercises, especially pranayama, are a huge boon for us now."

Published 22 June 2024, 09:14 IST

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Ukrainian soldiers put their faith in yoga for healing, wellness and recovery in frontline of war: Report - Deccan Herald

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Indian Armed Forces Participate In International Yoga Day Celebrations - thepress.net

International Day of Yoga is celebrated worldwide on June 21. In 2015, when this was first commemorated, some 36,000 enthusiasts including the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, and dignitaries from 84 countries lined up in New Delhi, for the worlds largest yoga session.

Sessions were also held on the bank of the River Thames in London and under the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Last year, Modi led a yoga session at the UN headquarters in New York. Also last year, the Indian city of Surat hosted the worlds largest yoga session, with over 150,000 participants.

Yoga has thoroughly permeated global consumer culture and everyday news ranges from the glamorous to the absurd. The Louvre has announced yoga classes for visitors to coincide with the Olympics in Paris in June. Italy recently banned puppy yoga, saying only adult dogs could participate, for reasons of animal welfare.

UNIVERSAL APPEAL

According to one estimate, some 300 million people practise yoga worldwide. Yoga has also made significant inroads in Pakistan over the last decade. A quick search in major cities reveals an abundance of programmes and studios.

The ancient practice of yoga is a worldwide phenomenon due to its many touted mental and physical health benefits. But do these claims stand up to scientific scrutiny?

Many of these options are backed up with glossy Instagram feeds of models, twisting their bodies into the trademark poses, once so fantastical but now entirely familiar. In May, Islamabads Capital Development Authority launched complimentary classes for residents in the F-9 Park.

But beyond the glamour and buzz, the average person has questions: what is all this hype about? How is yoga different

from other fitness routines? Is it actually something special?

FROM THE SCIENTIFIC LENS

Some of yogas scientifically documented benefits are only to be expected: studies show that yoga significantly improves flexibility; it helps combat arthritis; yoga is effective against carpal tunnel syndrome; it alleviates chronic lower back pain; and it seems to be a promising aid in weight loss.

Yoga has a pronounced meditation component, and studies show significant stress reduction, which can have cascading effects on reducing risk of heart attacks, strokes, chronic disease, etc.

But when one starts to delve deeper, things get interesting fast.

Consider an early and intriguing study from Duke University, which compared health benefits of yoga with aerobics for almost a hundred adults.

At the time of the study, in 1989, the magical secret to fitness was to increase ones maximal oxygen uptake, the VO2 max, ie the maximum volume of oxygen consumed during rigorous exercise. Decades of science and research demonstrated that aerobic exercise did precisely that, making it the dominant fitness paradigm of the era. The study results were also very clear: over the four-month study period, subjects participating in aerobics raised their VO2 max significantly. There was no increase for the yogis at all.

However, when researchers surveyed participants quality of life, the response was overwhelmingly positive for both groups. At the end of the study, yogis also felt healthier, they reported higher energy levels, endurance, flexibility and better sleep. Their social lives improved markedly. Memory and concentration were enhanced. They had less loneliness, improved self-confidence and life satisfaction. They even felt that they looked better.

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

The literature on yoga abounds with counterintuitive findings like these. Another fascinating study from 2008 confronts the popular claim that yoga is restorative and anti-ageing. Could yoga really play a role in human longevity?

Biological ageing is linked to telomeres, which are DNA strands at the very tips of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, these tips get shorter, making them a kind of clock, indicating the cells lifespan. This discovery an alternative way of counting biological age was significant enough to secure the Nobel Prize.

In their study, researchers investigated a group of 30 men with low-risk cancer and introduced comprehensive lifestyle changes for them, including a low-fat diet, a walking routine, and yoga-based stretching, breathing and meditation.

After three months, they reported substantial health improvements, including decreased blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, etc. The researchers also discovered that telomerase activity the enzyme that counteracts the shortening of telomeres increased by 30 percent.

A follow-up study five years later, featuring 10 of the same subjects, confirmed significant increases in telomere length.

The authors noted the potential of these findings for cellular longevity, tissue renewal, disease prevention, and increases in life span. Even in the understated language of science, this is bold new fountain-of-youth territory.

AN AURA OF SPIRITUALITY

Yoga has always had this mystique, a touch of the exotic and the supernatural.

In 1965, B.K.S. Iyengar the man who did more than any other to popularise yoga in the West wrote in his seminal book, Light on Yoga, how this practice can bring one to the crossroads of his destiny.

I remember coming across an old book, in a library overseas, with the intriguing title Christian Yoga. Written in the sixties by a French priest, J.M. Dechanet, the book was an intimate and inspiring memoir of his experiment to reconcile yoga with the Christian tradition.

Early in the book, he notes that reading the Bible made the contemplative lives of prophets seem distant from our noisy modern existence. Later, he realises that practising yoga, surprisingly, allowed him to experience, to an extent, the serene calm hed read about.

These are very interesting claims. We see a faint reflection of these in the science. For instance, a review paper surveying some 30 studies finds that [yoga] may be positively associated with several aspects of spirituality.

In his book, A Life Worth Breathing, author Max Strom describes a complaint that many of us will find familiar: In the morning I cant wake up, in the day I am bored, in the evening I am tired, and at night I cant sleep.

Yoga can be a wonderful antidote. Even a few weeks of practice are enough to realise that yoga facilitates a contemplative state.

Multiple surveys from different countries find that, whereas most people start yoga for its physical benefits, a large number end up maintaining the practice, primarily for its spiritual side-effects.

MORE STRENOUS THAN SPORTS

However, for those who may be motivated to jump on to a mat right away, it is important to sound a note of caution. The good news is that statistics on yoga injuries are largely reassuring: the rate is low.

A Danish study of almost 3,500 participants reported an injury prevalence of one percent for yoga. To get a sense of comparison, this figure was 38 percent for soccer players, 19 percent for runners and nine percent for those undertaking strength training. However, the bad news is that there are abundant accounts of injuries and harms.

Journalist William Broad, author of the highly recommended book The Science of Yoga, comments that [yoga] makes most other sports and exercises seem like childs play.

There are reports of students pushing their bodies beyond their limits to achieve challenging poses, resulting in torn tendons, popped ribs and blood clots. When one digs into these incidents, two main reasons pop out.

One is basic common sense: a wide-ranging survey of yoga teachers, therapists and clinicians finds that the most commonly cited culprits were [p]oor technique or alignment, previous injury, excess effort, and improper or inadequate instruction.

The second reason behind injuries is more serious and more subtle: ego. Some people tend to bring a materialist and competitive drive to yoga and rush themselves into advanced poses, out of a sense of achievement. But the pose should always be part of the journey and not the goal. It is vital to listen to the body attentively.

To quote author Max Strom again regarding yogas transformative magic: Remember, it doesnt matter how deep into a posture you go what does matter is who you are when you get there.

Like most quotes on yoga, this, too, can be maddeningly cryptic for an outsider. At the end of the day, the secret of yoga cannot really be explained. Like many of the truly good things in life, it can only be experienced.

The writer teaches at the NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Islamabad. He can be reached at taha.ali@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 23rd, 2024

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HEALTH: IS YOGA ALL ITS CRACKED UP TO BE? - DAWN.com

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'Reversed Cancer, Dementia...' Ramdev On International Yoga Day - thepress.net