“Yoga is an ancient discipline designed to bring balance and health to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions of the individual. ”
In Indian beliefs, yoga (from the Sanskrit word meaning "to destroy" or "to unite") is "tools or techniques for transforming consciousness, attaining freedom and rebirth."
Today, programs that include physical exercise (asana) and breathing exercises (pranayama) come to the fore in the popular interpretation of Yoga.
Yoga and Pranayama: Scientific Studies on Health Effects
Many people today practice yoga for its health benefits, without consciously adopting the Hindu viewpoints that underlie the practice and often become apparent in later stages of teaching. Hatha yoga beginner exercises focus on physical exercises consisting of various postures and breathing techniques. A growing body of research evidence argues that some yoga techniques can improve physical and mental health by downregulating the Hypothalamo Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system activities.
Stress and stress-related diseases (such as hypertension, angina) are rapidly growing epidemics in “modern” society. Holistic yoga science is the best way to control and prevent stress and stress-induced disorders. Many studies have shown that yoga has an immediate regulating effect on the stress response of both HPA axis. The effectiveness of yoga against stress management is accepted. At the same time, yoga-based brief relaxation training has been found to normalize the function of the autonomic nervous system by pulling both sympathetic and parasympathetic indices to reference values considered "normal". Studies show that yoga reduces cortisol release, blood sugar levels, as well as plasma renin and 24-hour urea epinephrine-norepinephrine levels. Yoga significantly reduces heart rate and systolic-diastolic blood pressures. These studies show that yoga has an immediate calming effect on the stress response of the HPA axis. Although the exact mechanism of action has not been determined, it has been hypothesized that some yoga exercises cause parasympathetic nervous system activation, possibly through direct vagal stimulation. Shapiro et al. noted significant reductions in low-frequency heart rate variability (a hallmark of sympathetic nervous system activation) following 8 weeks of yoga training in depressed patients. Regardless of the pathophysiological pathway, yoga has been shown to have direct psychological effects: reducing anxiety and increasing feelings of emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. Several literature reviews have been conducted examining the effect of yoga on specific health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, and anxiety.
Benefits of Yoga for Amputees