YOGA
Injury prevention
Yoga can help people reduce the rate of
injury by improving balance and strength of bones, ligaments, and tendons. Yoga,
if done improperly, can also cause injuries in the neck or other joints.
The lotus position is a common yoga
position that causes yoga injuries. If you have never done yoga before or
practice yoga infrequently, consider stretching exercises for at least 20
minutes to increase the elasticity of tendons, which hold muscles to bone, and
ligaments, which hold joints together, before beginning a lotus position or
doing sun salutations. There is
more research information on the various health benefits of
yoga practice. If you have an
interest in the role of yoga
and breast cancer.
To purchase Yoga Shakti DVD by Shiva Rea at Physician Formulas
Yoga Injury
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were more than
5,000 yoga -related injuries in 2005 that resulted in visits to doctors'
offices, clinics and emergency rooms—up from 3,700 in 2004. Those numbers are
largely a function of more people, especially aging boomers, taking up yoga. The
cost of treating these yoga injuries in 2005 came to nearly $90 million.
Back injury from Yoga
Yoga can cause back sprains and herniated disks if done improperly or by those
who are not in good physical shape.
Other yoga injuries
There are also a lot of elbow injuries and
shoulder injuries. Anything around the joints can be a problem, because people
injure ligaments and tendons. If you just overstretch, it's a grade one sprain.
If there are micro-tears in a ligament or tendon, that's grade two. A complete
tear is grade three.
Yoga to prevent
injury at the workplace
Since work stress has been shown to be one of the factors leading to musculo-skeletal
disorders such as: include back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder or neck
tension, eye strain, or headaches, yoga may turn out to be a helpful practice to
do for employees. Yoga can reduce stress and relieve muscular tension or pain
and put employees in a better frame of mind to work more productively with fewer
injuries.
Yoga and exercise
Yoga Improves Stamina Better Than Regular Exercise
There have been quite a number of studies that show regular exercise improves
stamina, but hardly any that evaluate the effect of yoga on stamina (perceived
physical exertion). In a research project conducted at the Defense Institute of
Physiology in Delhi, India, the effect of training in Hatha yogic exercises on
aerobic capacity and stamina was performed on 40 young men who were recruited in
the Indian army. These soldiers, whose age ranged from 19 to 23, initially
worked out to maximal exercise capacity on a bicycle ergometer. The oxygen
consumption, carbon dioxide output, pulmonary ventilation, respiratory rate,
heart rate etc., at maximal exertion were immediately thereafter recorded. The
subjects were then divided into two equal groups. One group practiced Hatha
yogic exercises for 1 h every morning (6 days in a week) for six months. The
other group underwent conventional physical exercise training during the same
period common to what many soldiers are required to do. In the 7th month, tests
for perceived physical exertion were repeated on both groups of subjects. The
results showed that those who engaged in daily yoga practice noticed that they
did not get as tired after heavy physical exertion as those who just did regular
exercises. Their aerobic capacity also improved. Therefore, it appears that yoga enhances stamina even better than regular
exercise. This would indicate that athletes in many different fields may well
improve their endurance and performance by adding yoga practices to their
routine workouts. Yoga could also certainly be helpful for those who have
fatigue or low energy. I personally notice that regular yoga practice enhances
my stamina in terms of how long I can hike, bike, or dance.
Yoga practice questions
Does yoga help with
impotence?
A. Regular yoga practice does have sexual enhancement properties,
but it is difficult to say whether it has a strong effect in the treatment of
impotence.
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yoga injury prevention