Everyone Should Say 'Ohm' by Rachel Meek

"Everyone Should Say 'Ohm'" by Rachel Meek

Every Monday and Wednesday I attend yoga class at my campus fitness center, and I see the same faces week after week.
The class is compiled mostly girls of all nationalities (predominately Caucasian and Asian), ages eighteen to twenty-two, because of the fitness center’s location. Although girls in their late teens, early twenties are the majority, there are generally at least two boys in their twenties and maybe even a few women over fifty. I get there early so as to get the best spot (in the back, but still in view of the mirror). While I sit on the floor outside the workout room, I find myself calm, relaxed, and happy that I will soon be on a sticky mat, with the lights dimmed, Indian music playing, and twisting myself into different poses like a pretzel. But why? How could I possibly be excited about holding difficult positions, with my whole body burning because of the continuous muscle contraction?

First, what is yoga? Yoga, most simply, is a broad term describing spiritual practices geared toward freedom from suffering, and gaining a deeper awareness of the self and the world. It was originally practiced in Southern Asia, and in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The most important factors in yoga are breath control, momentary detachment from the world, postures, concentration, and meditation. There are three major classifications of yoga: raja or “royal,” kundalini which is largely associated with tantra or the “subtle body,” and the most widely practiced in the west, hatha. Hatha yoga mainly focuses on physical control through the postures, or asanas (“Yoga.”). Yoga is an ancient art originally practiced by Buddhist monks to meditate and eventually acquire healing powers, so why has it traveled across the Pacific?

Ever since its rise to popularity back in the 1960-1970, practicing Yoga has become nothing short of a phenomenon in the United States (Wild). “According to a May article in
style="">U.S. News & World Report, about 18 million Americans now practice yoga” (Wild). Gyms and fitness centers feature several classes a week, and several varieties of yoga; every class that I have attended has been jam packed. There must be some explanation as to why this practice is so popular, with women in particular, and an explanation as to why I continue to go every week. It could be that yoga provides flexibility. Twisting the body into positions that it certainly would not be in natural would undoubtedly lend to a more flexible body, and a more flexible body is a taller and healthier one. That is great, but anyone can easily stretch by themselves, and in their own living room; it has to be something else. The promise of burnt calories could be another factor. People tend to flock for redemption of excess caloric consumption, because calories burned equals weight lost, but everything from sitting up straight to running ten miles can burn calories. According to fitwatch.com, doing Hatha yoga for one hour can burn approximately 137 calories, whereas running in place, which can be done without making a trip to the gym, for one hour can burn approximately 438 calories (fitwatch.com). Again, this tendency toward yoga has to be triggered by something else. It could be that the practice of yoga is widely endorsed by celebrities, fitness instructors, and the average person alike. Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, body image editor of BellaOnline and practitioner of yoga, has noticed that
style="font-family: Times;">“Yoga has become a very trendy way to exercise. Celebrities are doing it, your co-workers are probably doing it, there are even doggie yoga classes now. It’s hard to look in a clothing catalog and not see yoga pants for sale...(Pawlik-Kienlen).” Celebrity endorsement and advertisements may be a factor in an individual’s choice to try yoga, and they may even continue to practice it, but I cannot believe that people, even those longing to train like celebrities, would chose yoga over other workout options when yoga can be more expensive, more time-consuming, and results in fewer calories burned than other work-out options. Why do people choose yoga? Why do I keep going back to the gym and continue taking classes?

The only explanation that makes sense is something about yoga goes deeper than weight loss, flexibility, or the need to be “trendy.” It is the mind body connection; it is why yoga was created and practiced in the first place. When the mind and the body are in touch, one is able to respect the body for what it is, what it does, and what it looks like; yoga makes people, women in particular who are more likely to criticize their flaws, feel good about their bodies. Jennifer Joan Daubenmier suggests that
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Times;">“...hatha yoga may be a unique opportunity for women to fully accept their bodies as they are (Daubenmier 20).”

It all starts with body awareness. A huge factor in yoga is meditation. Meditation frees the practitioner of the stresses of the outside world. All of the problems, responsibilities, judgments, and problems that are going on in real life are meant to be forgotten in the hour or so that yoga is practiced.
style=""> At the beginning of every class that I have been to, the instructor tells the group to let go of any source of stress in our lives, and focus only on yoga for just this one hour. The reason that they tell us to forget our worries is so that we may be more conscious of our bodies and what the body is capable of. This awareness and respect for the body may lead us to stop judging and criticizing and start being proud of what our bodies are able to do.
Pawlik-Kienlen says that yoga “has taught [her] to trust [her] body, and how to listen to its inner wisdom” (Pawlik-Kienlen).

A very significant result of maintaining a working awareness of the body is that when one is able to listen to the body, one is then able to respond to the body’s natural stimulations. “I know when I need to stand up and stretch, when I need to sit or rest, when I need fresh air or solitude, when and how much I need to eat. Once you start listening, it’s hard to stop. I let my body’s signals tell me when a person is good for me, or when it’s time to walk away, when I’m entering an unsafe situation and when I’m in a good place. My mind is left free of all that inner pointless chatter that existed before, and is now much more proficient when called into use for the tasks it was designed for (Pawlik-Kienlen)” says Pawlik-Kienlen about her experience with yoga. Yoga makes the mind more aware of the body’s most basic needs.

I began attending yoga classes about three years ago.  My sister introduced me to it because we were on the Atkins Diet, and the lose weight until you drop craze.
style="">  She had heard about yoga through a personal trainer at our local YMCA, so she decided to try it out, and she brought me along for the ride.  I admit that I was wary at first because, having severe body image problems, I was not necessarily thrilled at the idea of putting on tight pants and doing the downward facing dog position in front of the entire class, but I went and I fell immediately in love.  For the first time in a very long time, exercising was not something to be self conscious about, as it had been in spinning or kickboxing classes, where everything is competitive.
style="">  I was so focused on the postures we were doing, the breath control, and being amazed at what my body was capable of that the time flew by and I could not wait to come back to the next class.
style="">  At that point, exercise became less about burning calories and losing weight than doing my best and working hard because my body was able to.

Daubenmier’s point has also been very prevalent in my life. I have found that, after practicing yoga for some time, I have become more aware of or more willing to listen to my body’s wants and needs. I no longer feel the need to deprive my body of nourishment and health all for the sake of a number on the scale.

It is now clear that that yoga promotes a greater mind to body connection, and that’s good. It means that, when yoga is practiced regularly, the mind is more likely to be aware of the body’s wants and needs, but something greater results from the bond between mind and body; it is more internal and rather an emotional experience. Some experts venture that yoga practice has not only the ability to transform the body, but the regular practice of yoga can also provide people with a better overall body image.

In a study conducted by Jennifer Joan Daubenmier, women were asked to rate their level of body satisfaction. There were two different groups, the first group was made up of women who practice yoga, and the second group was made up of women who attend aerobics classes. The women were chosen from fitness centers in the San Francisco Bay area, and each woman was asked to fill out a survey, and mail it to Daubenmier after two weeks time. Overall, the yoga group reported to have better body awareness, self-acceptance, awareness of bodily sensations, and greater trust in their own bodies, on a scale produced by Daubenmier, than the group of aerobics practitioners. This is evidence that when there is a practiced connection between the mind and the body, the acceptance of the body, flaws and all, is much more likely (Daubenmier 38-51).

Daubenmier’s study explains why people, women in particular, may be drawn to yoga, as opposed to other forms of exercise. Yoga tends to be less competitive and focuses more on the individual going at his or her own pace, rather than involving an entire group, which is daunting to some. Yoga classes are more focused on the individual’s own body and the individual performing to the best of his or her ability, instead of pressuring the group to try and kick higher or dance faster than the person next to them. That is what exercise should be about and that is why yoga makes people, including myself, feel good. I have found Daubenmier’s point to be very accurate in my life as well. Before I began practicing yoga, I had suffered from an eating disorder and extremely low self-esteem. I could not look in the mirror without seeing something that I did not like or a flaw that I wanted to change and perfect. Now I am able to look in the mirror and see, not flaws, but my body as a whole and how complex and interesting it is. My negative body image is something that I thought nothing, much less yoga, could heal, but I was proved wrong.

In addition to providing better appreciation one’s body, yoga’s emphasis on the mind connecting with the body may also have healing qualities, particularly aiding ailments involved with breast cancer treatment. “Breast cancer patients who do yoga tend to enjoy better health, less fatigue and experience less daytime sleepiness - this applies to women who are undergoing radiotherapy for their breast cancer, say scientists from the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA (Nodqvist). In a study conducted by Lorenzo Cohen, 61 women were asked to take a yoga class and then fill out a survey evaluating their aspects “well-being” such as their physical stamina. Half of the women took a yoga class twice a week, and half did not. The total number of questions was worth one hundred points, and each positive answer in the survey was worth one point. The women who took the yoga class scored 82 points on average, while the non-yoga group scored only 69 (Nordqvist). This study is evidence that a mental awareness of the body has the power to heal physical ailments, and also by doing a physical exercise, the body can in turn heal the mind.

Yoga is very helpful in relieving discomfort and pain involved in breast cancer treatment, but it has also been proven to help people with musculoskeletal conditions. An experiment was conducted among people with multiple sclerosis. There were 57 participants total, and each individual was randomly assigned to a yoga group, an exercise group, or a control group, and each group met every week for six months, but were encouraged to practice at home as well. The yoga group had special poses designed to accommodate their medical needs. At the end of the study, the yoga group experienced a significant reduction in fatigue compared to the control group (Bower et al. 169). Another study, conducted by Garfunkel and colleagues, tested the effects of yoga on individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome.
style=""> The study was designed to determine whether practicing yoga, that emphasized poses focusing on the upper body, affected flexibility. “After the 8-week intervention, participants in the yoga group showed significant improvements in pain, grip strength, and certain signs of carpal tunnel syndrome (ie Phalen sign)...(Bower et al. 169)”

In addition to providing relief for those suffering from cancer and other disorders, yoga has also been proven to relieve ailments that many people encounter in their every day lives, such as stress and problems with mood. In a study conducted by Maria C. Baldwin, two groups of willing adults were chosen to participate in the eight week experiment. The first group was the “Yoga Group.” The people in this group took a Hatha yoga class, and the “Control Group” did not take the yoga class (Baldwin 45). “During the 8 weeks of study participation, all subjects maintained their individual exercise habits of cardiovascular and resistance training activities, but the Yoga Group added a weekly yoga class. Subjects tracked and rated each exercise activity in an individual Exercise Log in which they also recorded perceived exertion, and assessed mood state before and after exercise (Baldwin 45).” Baldwin found that, in the Yoga Group, on average there was a positive shift in the subject’s mood, whereas the Control Group’s (the group that did not take the yoga classes) mood shifted negatively (Baldwin 63-64). This means that the group that took yoga, overall, felt better than the group that did not take yoga. “A consideration of outcomes suggests that an 8 week program of Hatha Yoga did, in fact, significantly enhance mood state by decreasing negative affect and promoting a more ideal mood profile (Baldwin 93).” The study also showed that the participants of yoga were less likely to give in to stress. “Subjects in the Yoga Group were less vulnerable to the effects of stress at the end of the 8 weeks than subjects in the Control Group (Baldwin 90).” Baldwin also noticed that participants in the Yoga Group were more likely to attend their exercise classes than those in the Control Group. Baldwin concludes by stating that “Hatha Yoga is indeed beneficial both psychologically and physiologically to healthy, exercising adults (Baldwin 107).”

Baldwin’s study is important because it is evidence that yoga is beneficial to the average person, not just those who may be sick or overweight. Most people, if they take the time to attend a yoga class at least once a week will find that they are feeling stronger, taller, less stressed, and in an overall better mood than they were before their yoga experience.

After researching and taking the time to learn about yoga and what it can do for me, I now understand what gets me out of my house and to the gym twice a week. I want to nourish my body and my spirit, and a way that I can attain that nourishment is through yoga. From now on I will sit on my sticky mat and know why I am there and why I will be back; my mind needs it. My mind needs to let go of stress and anxiety so that my body can do what it needs to so I can be alive and healthy. Through yoga, I have learned to appreciate my body, which is something that I could never bring myself to do before. I encourage anyone who wants to get in shape, anyone who longs to feel better about themselves and their bodies, or, according to research, those who are struggling with some debilitating illnesses (if their doctor permits it) to give yoga a try. Whether it’s the stylish stretchy pants, the promise of flexibility, or the fact that your favorite celebrity is doing it, give it a chance, and I am sure that the way this exercise makes you feel and the way it changes your outlook on the world and how you look at your own body will bring you back.

It remains to be seen whether the scientific world will recognize yoga as a method of treatment for some illnesses or diseases, but the benefits from regular practice of yoga are so important, and people simply cannot afford to ignore them. More research needs to be done to determine whether yoga may be able to help not only patients suffering from physical ailments, but also those with mental diseases. Practicing yoga may be able to provide relief for people with depression, Down’s syndrome, and even Alzheimer’s disease and the scientific community should not pass up an opportunity to help those individuals; we, as people, should not let them pass up that opportunity.

Works Cited

Baldwin, Maria C. “Psychological and Physiological Effects Influences of Hatha Yoga on Healthy Exercising Adults.”
style=""> 1999.

Bower, Julienne E., et al. “Yoga for Cancer Patients and Survivors.” Cancer Control
12.3 (2005): 165-171.

Daubenmier, Jennifer Joan. “A Comparison of Hatha Yoga and Aerobic Exercise on Women’s Body Satisfaction.”
2002.

Fitwatch.com <http://www.fitwatch.com/database/searchexdb.html>.

Nordqvist, Christian. “Breast Cancer Patients Benefit from Yoga.” Medical News Today 5 June 2006 <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=44572>.

Pawlik-Kienlen.
style=""> “Yoga and Body Awareness.” BellaOnline<http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11496.asp>.

Wild, Russel. “Yoga, Inc.” Yoga Journal<http://www.yogajournal.com/views/769.cfm>

“Yoga.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2006 ed.

Everyone Should Say “Ohm” - Draft 1

Every Monday and Wednesday I attend yoga class at my campus fitness center, and I see the same faces week after week. I get there early seas to get the best spot (in the back, but still in view of the mirror). While I sit on the floor outside the workout room, I find myself calm, relaxed, and happy that I will soon be on a sticky mat, with the lights dimmed, Indian music playing, and twisting myself into different poses like a pretzel. But why? How could I possibly be excited about holding difficult positions, with my whole body burning because of the continuous muscle contraction? It may not be only about the quality workout I get or the calories I burn that keeps me coming back to class, but it may just be the way that yoga makes me feel.

First, what is yoga? Yoga, most simply, is a broad term describing spiritual practices geared toward freedom from suffering, and gaining a deeper awareness of the self and the world. It was originally practiced in Southern Asia, and the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The most important factors in yoga are breath control, momentary detachment from the world, postures, concentration, and meditation. There are three , major classifications of yoga: raja or "royal," kundalini which is largely associated with tantra or the "subtle body," and the most widely practiced in the west, hatha. Hatha yoga mainly focuses on physical control through the postures, or asanas ("Yoga."). Yoga is in ancient art originally practiced by Buddhist monks to meditate and eventually acquire healing powers, so why has it traveled across the Pacific?

Practicing Yoga has become nothing short of a phenomenon in the United States. Gyms and fitness centers feature several classes a week, and several varieties of yoga; every class that I have attended was jam packed. There must be some explanation as to why this practice is so popular, with women in particular, and why I continue to go every week. It could be that yoga provides flexibility. Twisting the body into positions that it certainly would not be in natural would undoubtedly lend to a more flexible body, and a more flexible body is a taller and healthier one. That is great, but anyone can easily stretch by themselves, and in their own living room; it has to be something else. The promise of burnt calories could be another influence. People tend to flock for redemption of excess caloric consumption, because calories burned equals weight lost, but everything from sitting up straight to running ten miles can burn calories. According to fitwatch.com, doing Hatha yoga for one hour can burn approximately 137 calories, whereas running hi place, which can be done without making a trip to the gym, for one hour can burn approximately 438 calories. Again, this tendency toward yoga has to be triggered by something else. It could be that the practice of yoga is widely endorsed by celebrities, fitness instructors, and the average person alike. Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen has noticed that "Yoga has become a very trendy way to exercise. Celebrities are doing it, your co-workers are probably doing it, there are even doggie yoga classes now. It's hard to look in a clothing catalog and not see yoga pants for sale..." ("Yoga and Body Awareness"). Celebrity endorsement and advertisements may be a factor in an individual’s choice to try yoga, but why do people keep coming back? Why do I keep going back to the gym and taking classes?

The only explanation that makes sense is something about yoga goes deeper than weight loss, flexibility, or the need to be “trendy.” It is why yoga was created and practiced in the first place; it is the mind body connection. When the mind and the body are in touch, one is able to respect the body for what it is, what it does, and what it looks like; yoga makes people, women in particular who are more likely to criticize their flaws, feel good about their bodies. Jennifer Joan Daubenmier suggests that "...hatha yoga may be a unique opportunity for women to fully accept their bodies as they are." (20)

It all starts with body awareness. A huge factor in yoga is meditation. Meditation frees the practitioner of the stresses of the outside world. All of the responsibilities, judgments, and problems that are going on in real life are meant to be forgotten in the hour or so that yoga is practiced. At the beginning of every class that I have been to, the instructor tells the group to let go of any source of stress in our lives, and focus only on yoga for just this one hour. The reason that they tell us to forget our worries is so that we may be more conscious of our bodies and what the body is capable of. This awareness and respect for the body may lead us to stop judging and criticizing and start being proud of what our bodies are able to do. Pawlik-Kienlen says that yoga "has taught [her] to trust [her] body, and how to listen to its inner wisdom" ("Yoga and Body Awareness").

A very significant result of maintaining a working awareness of the body is that when one is able to listen to the body, one is then able to respond to the body's natural stimulations. "I know when I need to stand up and stretch, when I need to sit or rest, when I need fresh air or solitude, when and how much I need to eat. Once you start listening, it’s hard to stop. I let my body’s signals tell me when a person is good for me, or when it’s time to walk away, when I’m entering an unsafe situation and when I’m in a good place. My mind is left free of all that inner pointless chatter that existed before, and is now much more proficient when called into use for the tasks it was designed for” (“Yoga and Body Awareness”) says Pawlik-Kienlen about her experience with yoga. Yoga makes the mind more aware of the body’s most basic needs.

This idea of being aware of the body's needs conies into play largely in people who suffer from eating disorders. "Through Hatha yoga practice, greater body awareness can lead to healthier eating patterns" (23) says Daubenmier. The practice of yoga and becoming more aware of the body and its needs may be able to help make the mind (and the stomach) more willing to respond when it is hungry and when it is full, which is something that is usually forgotten when there is no mind-body connection. This idea may also be very helpful to those women who "binge and purge." If those women become more in touch with their bodies they will, in theory, not suppress their negative feelings, because suppression leads to impulsive binging and purging, but rather come to terms with those feelings, and accept themselves. (23)

Everyone Should Say “Ohm” - Draft 2

Every Monday and Wednesday I attend yoga class at my campus fitness center, and I see the same faces week after week. I get there early so as to get the best spot (in the back, but still in view of the mirror). While I sit on the floor outside the workout room, I find myself calm, relaxed, and happy that I will soon be on a sticky mat, with the lights dimmed, Indian music playing, and twisting myself into different poses like a pretzel. But why? How could I possibly be excited about holding difficult positions, with my while body burning because of the continuous muscle contraction? It may not be only about the quality workout I get or the calories I burn that keeps me coming back to class, but may just be the way that yoga makes me feel.

First, what is yoga? Yoga, most simply, is a broad term describing spiritual practices geared toward freedom from suffering, and gaining a deeper awareness of the self and the world. It was originally practiced in Southern Asia, and the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The most important factors in yoga are breath control, momentary detachment from the world, postures, concentration, and meditation. There are three major classifications of yoga:raja or “royal,” kundalini which is largely associated with tantra or the “subtle body,” and themost widely practiced in the west, hatha. Hatha yoga mainly focuses on physical control through the postures, or asanas (“Yoga”). Yoga is an ancient art originally practiced by Buddhist monks to meditate and eventually acquire healing powers, so why has it traveled across the Pacific?

Practicing Yoga has become nothing short of a phenomenon in the United States. Gyms and fitness centers feature several classes a week, and several varieties of yoga; every class that I have attended was jam packed. There must be some explanation as to why this practice is so popular, with women in particular, and why I continue to go every week. It could be that yoga provides flexibility. Twisting the body into positions that it certainly would not be in natural would undoubtedly lend to a more flexible body, and a more flexible body is a taller and healthier one. That is great, but anyone can easily stretch by themselves, and in their own living room; it has to be something else. The promise of burnt calories could be another influence. People tend to flock for redemption of excess caloric consumption, because calories burned equals weight lost, but everything from sitting up straight to running ten miles can burn calories. According to fitwatch.com, doing Hatha yoga for one hour can burn approximately 137 calories, whereas running in place, which can be done without making a trip to the gym, for one hour can burn approximately 438 calories. Again, this tendency toward yoga has to be triggered by something else. It could be that the practice of yoga is widely endorsed by celebrities, fitness instructors, and the average person alike. Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen has noticed that “Yoga has become a very trendy way to exercise. Celebrities are doing it, your co-workers are probably doing it, there are even doggie yoga classes now. It’s hard to look in a clothing catalog and not see yoga pants for sale...(“Yoga and Body Awareness”).” Celebrity endorsement and advertisements may be a factor in an individual’s choice to try yoga, but why do people keep coming back? Why do I keep going back the gym and continue taking classes?

The only explanation that makes sense is something about yoga goes deeper than weight loss, flexibility, or the need to be “trendy.” It is why yoga was created and practiced in the first place; it is the mind body connection. When the mind and the body are in touch, one is able to respect the body for what it is, what is does, and what is looks like; yoga makes people, women in particular who are more likely to criticize their flaws, feel good about their bodies. Jennifer Joan Daubenmier suggests that “...hatha yoga may be a unique opportunity for women to fully accept their bodies as they are (20).”

It all starts with body awareness. A huge factor in yoga is meditation. Meditation frees the practitioner of the stresses of the outside world. All of the responsibilities, judgments, and problems that are going on in real life are meant to be forgotten in the hour or so that yoga is practiced. At the beginning of every class that I have been to, the instructor tells the group to let go of any source of stress in our lives, and focus only on yoga for just this one hour. The reason that they tell us to forget our worries is that we may be more conscious of our bodies and what the body is capable of. This awareness and respect for the body may lead us to stop judging and criticizing and start being proud of what our bodies are able to do. Pawlik-Kienlen says that yoga “has taught [her] to trust [her] body, and how to listen to its inner wisdom” (“Yoga and Body Awareness”).

A very significant result of maintaining a working awareness of the body is that when one is able to listen to the body, one is then able to respond to the body’s natural stimulations. “I know when I need to stand up and stretch, when I need to sit or rest, when I need fresh air or solitude, when and how much I need to eat. Once you start listening, it’s hard to stop. I let my body’s signals tell me when a person is good for me or when it’s time to walk away, when I’m entering an unsafe situation and when I’m in a good place. My mind is left free of all that inner pointless chatter that existed before, and is now much more proficient when called into use for the tasks it was designed for” (‘Yoga and Body Awareness”) says Pawlik-Kienlen about her experience with yoga. Yoga makes the mind more aware of the body’s most basic needs.

This idea of being aware of the body’s needs comes into play largely in people who suffer from eating disorders. “Through Hatha yoga practice, greater body awareness can lead to healthier eating patterns” says Daubenmier (23). The practice of yoga and becoming more aware of the body and its needs may be able to help make the mind (and the stomach) more willing to respond when it is hungry and when it is full, which is something that is usually forgotten when there is no mind-body connection. This idea may also be very helpful to those women who “binge and purge.” If those women become more in touch with their bodies they will, in theory, not suppress their negative feelings, because suppression leads to impulsive binging and purging, but rather come to terms with those feelings, and accept themselves (23).

Thus far, we have established that yoga promotes a greater mind to body connection, and that’s good. It means that, when yoga is practiced regularly, the mind is more likely to be aware of the body’s wants and needs, but something greater results from the bond between mind and body; it is more internal and rather an emotional experience. Some experts venture that yoga practice has not only the ability to transform the body, but the regular practice of yoga can also provide people with a better overall body image.

In addition to providing better appreciation one’s body, yoga’s emphasis on the mind connection with the body may also have healing qualities, particularly aiding ailments involved with breast cancer treatment. “Breast cancer patients who do yoga tend to enjoy better health, less fatigue and experience less daytime sleepiness – this applies to women who are undergoing radiotherapy for their breast cancer, say scientist from the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA.” In a study conducted by Lorenzo Cohen, 61 women were asked to take a yoga class and then fill out a survey evaluation their aspects “well-being” such as their physical stamina. Half of the women took a yoga class twice a week, and half did not. The total number of questions was worth one hundred points, and each positing answer in the survey was worth one point. The women who took the yoga class scored 82 points on average, while the non-yoga group scored only 69 (“Breast Cancer Patients Benefit From Yoga”). This study is evidence that yoga has a way of not only making people more in tune emotionally and mentally, but it also has the power to help the physical body by itself.

I now understand what gets me out of my house and to the gym twice a week; I long to nourish my body and my spirit, and a way that I can attain that nourishment is through yoga. From now on I will sit on my sticky mat and know why I am there and why I will be back; my mind needs it. My mind needs to let go of stress and anxiety so that my body can do its jobs. Through yoga, I have learned to appreciate my body, which is something that I could never bring myself to do before. I recommend trying yoga to anyone who wants to get in shape, or anyone who longs to feel better about themselves and their bodies. Whether it’s the stretchy pants, the promise of flexibility, or the fact that your favorite celebrity is doing it, give it a chance, and I am sure that you will be back.

Works Cited

Daubenmier, Jennifer Joan. “A Comparison of Hatha Yoga and Aerobic Exercise on Women’s Body Satisfaction.” 2002.

Fitwatch.com http://fitwatch.com/database/searchexdb.html.

Nordqvist, Christian. “Breast Cancer Patients Benefit from Yoga.” Medical News Today 5 June 2006http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=44572.

Pawlik-Kienlen. “Yoga and Body Awareness.” BellaOnlinehttp://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11496.asp.

“Yoga.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2006 ed.

Everyone Should Say “Ohm” - Draft 3

Every Monday and Wednesday I attend yoga class at my campus fitness center, and I see the same faces week after week. The class is compiled mostly girls of all nationalities (predominately white or Asian), ages eighteen to twenty-two, because of the fitness center’s location. Although girls in their late teens, early twenties are the majority, there are generally at least two boys in their twenties and maybe even a few women over fifty. I get there early so as to get the best spot (in the back, but still in view of the mirror). While I sit on the floor outside the workout room, I find myself calm, relaxed, and happy that I will soon be on a sticky mat, with the lights dimmed, Indian music playing, and twisting myself into different poses like a pretzel. But why? How could I possibly be excited about holding difficult positions, with my whole body burning because of the continuous muscle contraction?

First, what is yoga? Yoga, most simply, is a broad term describing spiritual practices geared toward freedom from suffering, and gaining a deeper awareness of the self and the world. It was originally practiced in Southern Asia, and in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The most important factors in yoga are breath control, momentary detachment from the world, postures, concentration, and meditation. There are three major classifications of yoga:raja or “royal,” kundalini which is largely associated with tantra or the “subtle body,” and the most widely practiced in the west, hatha. Hatha yoga mainly focuses on physical control through the postures, or asanas (“Yoga.”). Yoga is an ancient art originally practiced by Buddhist monks to meditate and eventually acquire healing powers, so why has it traveled across the Pacific?

Ever since its rise to popularity back in the 1960-1970, practicing Yoga has become nothing short of a phenomenon in the United States (Yoga, Inc.). “According to a May article in U.S. News & World Report, about 18 million Americans now practice yoga” (Yoga, Inc.). Gyms and fitness centers feature several classes a week, and several varieties of yoga; every class that I have attended has been jam packed. There must be some explanation as to why this practice is so popular, with women in particular, and an explanation as to why I continue to go every week. It could be that yoga provides flexibility. Twisting the body into positions that it certainly would not be in natural would undoubtedly lend to a more flexible body, and a more flexible body is a taller and healthier one. That is great, but anyone can easily stretch by themselves, and in their own living room; it has to be something else. The promise of burnt calories could be another factor. People tend to flock for redemption of excess caloric consumption, because calories burned equals weight lost, but everything from sitting up straight to running ten miles can burn calories. According to fitwatch.com, doing Hatha yoga for one hour can burn approximately 137 calories, whereas running in place, which can be done without making a trip to the gym, for one hour can burn approximately 438 calories (fitwatch.com). Again, this tendency toward yoga has to be triggered by something else. It could be that the practice of yoga is widely endorsed by celebrities, fitness instructors, and the average person alike. Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, body image editor of BellaOnline and practitioner of yoga, has noticed that “Yoga has become a very trendy way to exercise. Celebrities are doing it, your co-workers are probably doing it, there are even doggie yoga classes now. It’s hard to look in a clothing catalog and not see yoga pants for sale...(Pawlik-Kienlen).” Celebrity endorsement and advertisements may be a factor in an individual’s choice to try yoga, and they may even continue to practice it, but I cannot believe that people, even those longing to train like celebrities, would chose yoga over other workout options when yoga can be more expensive, more time-consuming, and results in fewer calories burned than other work-out options. Why do people choose yoga? Why do I keep going back to the gym and continue taking classes?

The only explanation that makes sense is something about yoga goes deeper than weight loss, flexibility, or the need to be “trendy.” It is the mind body connection; it is why yoga was created and practiced in the first place. When the mind and the body are in touch, one is able to respect the body for what it is, what it does, and what it looks like; yoga makes people, women in particular who are more likely to criticize their flaws, feel good about their bodies. Jennifer Joan Daubenmier suggests that “...hatha yoga may be a unique opportunity for women to fully accept their bodies as they are (20).”

It all starts with body awareness. A huge factor in yoga is meditation. Meditation frees the practitioner of the stresses of the outside world. All of the problems, responsibilities, judgments, and problems that are going on in real life are meant to be forgotten in the hour or so that yoga is practiced. At the beginning of every class that I have been to, the instructor tells the group to let go of any source of stress in our lives, and focus only on yoga for just this one hour. The reason that they tell us to forget our worries is so that we may be more conscious of our bodies and what the body is capable of. This awareness and respect for the body may lead us to stop judging and criticizing and start being proud of what our bodies are able to do. Pawlik-Kienlen says that yoga “has taught [her] to trust [her] body, and how to listen to its inner wisdom” (“Yoga and Body Awareness”).

A very significant result of maintaining a working awareness of the body is that when one is able to listen to the body, one is then able to respond to the body’s natural stimulations. “I know when I need to stand up and stretch, when I need to sit or rest, when I need fresh air or solitude, when and how much I need to eat. Once you start listening, it’s hard to stop. I let my body’s signals tell me when a person is good for me, or when it’s time to walk away, when I’m entering an unsafe situation and when I’m in a good place. My mind is left free of all that inner pointless chatter that existed before, and is now much more proficient when called into use for the tasks it was designed for (“Yoga and Body Awareness”) says Pawlik-Kienlen about her experience with yoga. Yoga makes the mind more aware of the body’s most basic needs.

I began attending yoga classes about three years ago. My sister introduced me to it because we were on the Atkins Diet, and the lose weight until you drop craze. She had heard about yoga through a personal trainer at our local YMCA, so she decided to try it out, and she brought me along for the ride. I admit that I was wary at first because, having severe body image problems, I was not necessarily thrilled at the idea of putting on tight pants and doing the downward facing dog position in front of the entire class, but I went and I fell immediately in love. For the first time in a very long time, exercising was not something to be self conscious about, as it had been in spinning or kickboxing classes, where everything is competitive. I was so focused on the postures we were doing, the breath control, and being amazed at what my body was capable of that the time flew by and I could not wait to come back to the next class. At that point, exercise became less about burning calories and losing weight than doing my best and working hard because my body was able to.

The idea of being aware of the body’s needs comes into play largely in people who suffer from eating disorders. “Through Hatha yoga practice, greater body awareness can lead to healthier eating patterns” says Daubenmier (23). The practice of yoga and becoming more aware of the body and its needs may be able to help make the mind (and the stomach) more willing to respond when it is hungry and when it is full, which is something that is usually forgotten when there is no mind-body connection. This idea may also be very helpful to those women who “binge and purge.” If those women become more in touch with their bodies they will, in theory, not suppress their negative feelings, because suppression leads to impulsive binging and purging, but rather come to terms with those feelings, and accept themselves (23). I have Daubenmier’s point to be very accurate in my life as well. Before practicing yoga, I had suffered from an eating disorder and extremely low self-esteem. I found that, after doing yoga, I became more aware of or more wiling to listen to my body’s wants and needs; I no longer felt the need to deprive my body of nourishment and health all for the sake of a number on the scale.

In addition to providing better appreciation one’s body, yoga’s emphasis on the mind connecting with the body may also have healing qualities, particularly aiding ailments involved with breast cancer treatment. “Breast cancer patients who do yoga tend to enjoy better health, less fatigue and experience less daytime sleepiness - this applies to women who are undergoing radiotherapy for their breast cancer, say scientists from the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA (“Breast Cancer Patients Benefit From Yoga”).” In a study conducted by Lorenzo Cohen, 61 women were asked to take a yoga class and then fill out a survey evaluating their aspects “well-being” such as their physical stamina. Half of the women took a yoga class twice a week, and half did not. The total number of questions was worth one hundred points, and each positive answer in the survey was worth one point. The women who took the yoga class scored 82 points on average, while the non-yoga group scored only 69 (“Breast Cancer Patients Benefit From Yoga”). This study is evidence that a mental awareness of the body has the power to heal physical ailments, and also by doing a physical exercise, the body can in turn heal the mind.

I now understand what gets me out of my house and to the gym twice a week. I want to nourish my body and my spirit, and a way that I can attain that nourishment is through yoga. From now on I will sit on my sticky mat and know why I am there and why I will be back; my mind needs it. My mind needs to let go of stress and anxiety so that my body can do its jobs. Through yoga, I have learned to appreciate my body, which is something that I could never bring myself to do before. I recommend trying yoga to anyone who wants to get in shape, or anyone who longs to feel better about themselves and their bodies. Whether it’s the stretchy pants, the promise of flexibility, or the fact that your favorite celebrity is doing it, give it a chance, and I am sure that you will be back.

Works Cited

Daubenmier, Jennifer Joan. “A Comparison of Hatha Yoga and Aerobic Exercise on Women’s Body Satisfaction.” 2002.

Fitwatch.com http://fitwatch.com/database/searchexdb.html.

Nordqvist, Christian. “Breast Cancer Patients Benefit from Yoga.” Medical News Today 5 June 2006http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=44572.

Pawlik-Kienlen. “Yoga and Body Awareness.” BellaOnlinehttp://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11496.asp.

“Yoga.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2006 ed.