Build immunity with food

A 1999 study of the American Cancer Society suggests that over one-third of the 563,100 cancer deaths were caused by nutrition. But more importantly, on the brighter side, it concluded that MOST of these could have been prevented. Why? What?s going wrong? Despite our improved standard of living, why are infections and disease more rampant. Why are our bodies not able to respond effectively? The answers lie in eating habits. Little do we realize that being fed on ?junk? food and the ?rushed? eating habits are taking a heavy toll of our physical AND mental health. Some of us have begun to acknowledge the downside of these foods by resorting to ?health diets? such as ?high fibre?, ?low cholesterol?, ?diet-foods? etc. But herein lies the problem. We go overboard in the opposite direction. This leads to a unique set of problems. As years pass by, don't be too surprised if we have a whole new set of illnesses caused by these so-called ?health-diets?. The need today is to build up our immune systems. So then, what de we eat and how? It?s astonishing that despite having the solution in front of our eyes we choose to ignore it. In our enthusiasm to develop new fashionable foods, we have turned a blind eye to what has existed for centuries?. Yoga has developed an eating philosophy and a concept of a balanced wholefoods diet. These powerful principles help in maintaining a healthy body along with a stress-free mind. What?s most important is that they have existed for centuries and it?s NOT some ?recently-developed untested and unproved fad?. Ancient yogis are known to have lived to well over 100 years of age WITHOUT disease or illness. Yoga does not dissect food into vitamins, minerals, protein etc. Instead, the true benefits of these vital ingredients can be had only when they are NOT isolated but as much in their original form as possible. Foods must be as close to their ?whole? or natural state as possible. Such foods are called wholefoods and are not pre-processed in any way. The key to true health is to have a balanced wholefoods diet. Such a diet ensures that the 3 functions of digestion ? absorption, assimilation and elimination ? work in perfect harmony. Often ?synthetic? or ?processed? foods create conditions that disrupt the harmony between these 3 functions. Over years, this leads to severe physical and psychological problems. How do we go about adopting a wholefoods routine? Firstly, we MUST set aside time for eating. We owe that commitment to ourselves. Food CANNOT be treated as one of those ?rushed? affairs. Believe me, once you realize the gains, you?ll be wondering why you didn?t do it before. The next is to get down to wholefoods selection, setting wholefood menu plans and preparing wholefoods dishes. The golden rule of wholefoods cooking is to keep it simple. If you feel clueless about it, you may like to read the ?Yoga, Food and Health? book which deals into every aspect of wholefoods cooking and eating INCLUDING menu plans and recipes. I have found this book to be a useful directional guide. We have made special arrangements with the Australian authors to provide an easy downloadable version. For details, click here The bottomline?Let?s not ignore the early signs of personal illness until it?s too late. Let?s go back to the basics to develop an eating format that will make our bodies stronger and more resistant to infections, allergies and attacks. Best wishes,
Arun Goel

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Understanding Yoga Holidays

We all understand that there's work and after some time, there's a need to get away from work.

Which is why we holiday. The idea is to get involved in "unwinding" activities that take us away from our workplace with the resultant diversion serving as a stress buster . So whether we ski, trek or camp, it is the diversion that helps us in de-stressing.

But whatever we do, we'll have our desk waiting for us when we get back. While some of us feel quite low on returning to work, others begin work with gusto but soon get into a downward spiral of stress. Try a Yoga Holiday or Retreat and you just may find the desk disappear (or at least the concept of work as we see it). A yoga retreat other than serving the purpose of rejuvenation helps you to discover a new meaning to life. How can a Yoga retreat help you?

In such holidays, you are exposed to a whole new philosophy to life. Modern medicine now recognizes that over 90% of all health disorders are psychosomatic in nature - they have their origin in the mind. Yoga recognizes this holistic aspect of health and a yoga retreat serves a perfect medium for understanding this mind-body connection for health management.

A yoga holiday can help you learn tips and techniques on self-health management - Why feel dependent on external help to set yourself right?

More importantly, a yoga retreat provides a clearer direction towards a peaceful way of existence. We develop an increased capacity to resolve our inner turmoil and anxieties that we experience every single day.

A Yoga holiday serves as a guide for a fitter lifestyle through an all-round focus including attention to food and diet.

In all, while serving as a pleasant diversion, a yoga holiday helps you appreciate nature and surroundings in a way you have never before while providing you invaluable tools for independent life management that you will continue to cherish forever.

What to look for in a Yoga retreat?

A lot of casual holidays pass of as Yoga holidays when in fact they teach you nothing more than just some odd yoga routines in a good serene setting. However, there is much more to a Yoga retreat.

Firstly, be clear what you are looking for. You could either be a beginner seeking to be exposed to a yoga way of life management. Or you could be a practicing yogi seeking to explore advanced techniques and practices in physical postures. These 2 kinds of retreats could be quite different.

If you are a beginner, you should choose a yoga retreat that exposes you to various facets of yoga including some enlightening talks that will help you get familiar with the yoga way of life. Meditation techniques that help to harmonize the mind-body connection are a must. Qualified yoga teachers must conduct the retreats with a comprehensive understanding on various aspects of yoga and not JUST yoga exercises. It goes without saying that the yoga retreat should be conducted in a suitable, serene place that fits into the spirit of yoga. A place with tremendous spiritual energy would work best for such retreats.

If you are the one looking for advanced yoga practices, seek out a retreat organized by teachers with considerable experience in Ashtanga, Hatha or Iyengar Yoga, as they will be best suited to teach you advanced practices.

Either way, Yoga retreats are something that must be experienced as they provide that "something" that will serve as a helpful guide and something that you will always hold close to you - something that other kind of holidays can rarely provide.

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Avian Flu and Neti

Recently, a fear psychosis has been gripping the world regarding a possible flu pandemic arising out of Avian Flu.

Scientists have gone so far as to resurrect the deadly flu virus of the 1918 world epidemic that claimed close to 50 million lives. Though of clearly different strains, due to some similarity of symptoms, these scientists have concluded - and quite alarmingly - that the present virus can mutate into a deadly one. Moreover, there is no available vaccination (external help) to guard us from a possibly impending calamity.

All of this has served to further the paranoia and people are clearly worried.

How do we tackle this?

As yoga students and enthusiasts, we should be able to use this as an opportunity to become more aware and take charge of our own lives.

This is a time to remind ourselves that over 90% of disorders are psychosomatic in nature. We should remember that fear / anxiety lowers our immunity and provides a fertile ground for disease.

According to yoga philosophy, our entire being is organized into sheaths or layers. Disease arises in the Manomaya Kosha (mind sheath); this disturbs the energy balance in the Pranamaya kosha (energy sheath). This disturbance percolates down and causes subsequent malfunction in the organs, nerves and bodily systems - the Annamaya Kosha.

The task before us is to 'reverse' this vicious cycle of fear (negative thinking) resulting in the lowering of immunity, which in turn leads to disease.

Specifics

Besides the usual precautions of keeping your hands clean and body hydrated, it has been found that the nasal irrigation practice of Neti can be very effective in the prevention and treatment of Flu symptoms.

One of the primary causes of Flu and colds is the Rhinovirus and about 80% of all virus enters through the nasal passages. The sinuses offer the first line of defense and it follows that healthy sinuses can nip the problem in the bud.

What does Neti (nasal cleansing) do?

Neti keeps the first line of defense clean and fit enough to kill the virus at the first instance of its growth cycle when it is relatively at its weakest.

Neti keeps the sinuses humid and the mucus thin. This helps drain out the viruses and inhibits them from getting a hold onto the membranes.

Neti is especially effective against the rhinovirus, which is a major contributor to the flu.

The subsequent drying action after Neti is a very effective yoga practice for the oxygenation of the brain and keeping the mind relaxed. But, more importantly, from a flu perspective, it increases the temperature within the sinuses greatly. An increase in the temperature by even a few degrees dramatically increases the body's ability to kill these viruses, by increasing the activity of immune system cells in the nose.

With these practical benefits, Neti not only boosts the physical immunity, but also provides a boost to your psychological defense by helping you know that you are one up in the battle.

To read more on the nasal cleansing technique of Neti, click here
To read 'never-ending' testimonials on Neti, click here

In fact coupled with other internal detox techniques such as stomach cleansing (kunjal) & colon cleansing (enema), you can lend your natural defense mechanism a BIG helping hand - both physical and psychological. This will automatically & dramatically reduce the risk of contracting disease.

We can't guarantee ourselves freedom from disease, but by taking charge of our own health, we can ensure that we are on the right side of Darwin's theory in the various battles that lie ahead.

All the best,
Arun

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Sheetali Pranayam (Cooling Breath)

From the base position, inhale from the mouth through the 'tubular' tongue. As the air flows over the moist tongue, it greatly reduces the temperature of the inhaled breath.

You should feel the coolness over your tongue and upper palate at every inhalation.
The inhalation should be deep WITHOUT strain on the lungs or diaphragm.
After inhalation, draw back the tongue, close your mouth and exhale through the NOSE.
This complete cycle of inhalation-exhalation forms one round.

Sound while inhaling

In the rolled tongue position, as you draw the breath in, the sound will be like that of rustling leaves. In the variation pose, the sound will be a hissing sound while inhalation.

Frequency

Begin by practicing 10 rounds and overtime increase both, the duration of each round as well as the total number of rounds. For general benefits, practice upto 15 rounds. However, for relief from symptoms created by hot weather, do upto 50 rounds.

Who should NOT do

If you suffer from respiratory conditions such as asthma, wheezing or bronchitis, please avoid this practice.
If your body type has a cold disposition characterized by excessive mucus secretion, this Pranayama should be avoided.
Chronic constipation sufferers should refrain from this practice.
Those with heart disease may do so but WITHOUT breath retention.

Unfavorable Conditions

As we are bypassing the filtering mechanism of the nose during inhalation, this practice should NOT be done in a polluted or dirty environment.

Also, it should not be practiced during cold weather conditions.

If for any reason, the above directions seem confusing, you can now download the video of Sheetali Pranayama at a nominal charge of $2 to cover our bandwidth costs. To download the video, Click here.

Enjoy your summer with the knowledge that you can always cool down when things get too hot to handle.

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Chronic Injury and Yoga Rehabilitation

By Sam Dworkis

Because many of us were brought up believing in the saying "no pain, no gain," most of us, at some time or another, will experience a yoga injury. After all, when we were in school, our coaches and peers encouraged, and often demanded, that we give our athletic pursuits our very best effort, even when injured.

Many of us have transferred that concept right into our yoga practice. In addition, there are many approaches to yoga whose teachers encourage their students to "push their edges."

Yet, even if we practice non aggressive yoga, it is normal that muscle soreness will follow; for it is simply the natural breaking down of muscle tissue and its rebuilding that promotes strength and flexibility, and enhances performance.

Yet, even if we practice non aggressive yoga, it is normal that muscle soreness will follow; for it is simply the natural breaking down of muscle tissue and its rebuilding that promotes strength and flexibility, and enhances performance.

Injuries are supposed to be painful, because pain is the body's way of telling you there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Ignoring this message often creates chronic injury, which becomes more common as we age. Trying to work through pain often exacerbates what might have been a minor injury and often creates additional unwanted fascia adhesions (scarring) along with stressed and atrophied soft tissue.

When chronically injured, many structures away from a primary injury also become affected; including surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, and especially, the fascia, which when chronically contracted, becomes a primary cause of chronic overall pain, weakness, and loss of flexibility.

When applied to the healing process, yoga therapy is a non-painful and an extremely effective rehabilitative tool. When appropriately practiced, it works on the level of fascia, which serves to rebuild strength and endurance, and to restore and maintain flexibility; both during and after the therapeutic process.

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