The International Association of Yoga Therapists has released an article
on Yoga for Osteoporosis, in response to important questions from yoga
teachers, therapists, and practitioners.
The article is now available for viewing at the International Association
of Yoga Therapists website.
The article, “Osteoporosis: An Opportunity to Serve”, by Matthew J.Taylor, M.P.T., R.Y.T., will be published in October in the Fall 2005 issue of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy.
We are releasing it early, and making it freely available, as both a public and yogic service. Feedback is most welcome and can be sent to mail@iayt.org or submitted via the “Contact” form at our website. We hope that this article will be the first of a series of public service articles.
IAYT is grateful to Trisha Lamb for her help bringing this article to publication as one of her final contributions in her long and phenomenal service as Associate Director of IAYT and Editor-in-Chief of the the International Journal of Yoga Therapy.
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Yoga Therapy

A prison in Norway has stopped holding yoga classes after it found that instead of calming inmates, they were actually making some more aggressive….
…On the negative side, the yoga had provoked “strong reactions: agitation, aggression, irritability, trouble sleeping and mental confusion”…deep breathing exercises are an essential element of Yoga…but such exercises could make inmates more dangerous by unblocking their psychological barriers…

Ananova – England,UK
An Indian yoga teacher is hoping to get in the record books by swallowing fish and blowing them out of his nose.
G P Vijaya Kumar swallowed 509 small fish through his mouth and blew them out of his nose within one hour, reports The Asian Age.
He was inspired by American Kevin Cole who holds the record for the longest spaghetti strand blown out of a nostril in a single blow.

Mr Kumar, of Gunduppalavadi in Tamil Nadu, started experimenting with live fish after successfully ejecting peas and corn through his nose. He said: “This is a kriya (method) in yoga where the nostrils are purified by swallowing fishes and bringing them out of the nose. “I swallow the fish and take deep breaths to guide it through my nose. There are times the fish might glide back to the mouth, but by inhaling hard it can be brought up quickly.”

Here’s a perspective your average yoga teacher won’t get to see every day; a conservative writer (Terence Jeffrey) railing against the government spending NIH dollars to study the benefits of yoga.
Although I know I disagree with him on a lot of issues, he does have a point that is valid. Some of the studies he mentions sound incredibly ridiculous; e.g.:”Yoga as a treatment for insomnia,” or “Yoga for the treatment of persons with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).”
Why do I think this is silly? Just substitute the words “relaxation training” for “Yoga” in the studies. Do we really need government grants to find out if relaxation techniques can help with anxiety or sleeplessness? Duh.
The larger issue is that the federal government should simply not be in the business of healthcare research of any kind. The real motivation of the people behind Yoga studies like this is to provide enough evidence for the government and insurance bureaucrats to make modalities like Yoga part of “mainstream healthcare delivery.” Why do people want this? So it can be reimbursable by health insurance.
My bottom line: the more the government becomes involved in Yoga and Yoga Therapy, the less Yoga will be about an alternative practice that creates individual freedom.

From: Leslie Kaminoff

I’ve just recieved my advance copies of the Fall Kripalu catalogue, which prominently features my symposium “The Future of Breathing.”

I wanted to give e-Sutra list members one last opportunity to register before the inevitable rush that will accompany the general release of the catalogue. We only have room for about 100 attendees, and we’re already about half-full.

We’ve got a really spectacular program lined up for you, and I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible at this landmark event.

If you are on the e-Sutra mailing list, you will be receiving a PDF attachment that can be forwarded, and/or printed out as a flyer and posted. If you are not on the mailing list, follow this link to register.

Here is a link to the PDF online.

Thanks for you ongoing support.

Leslie

Here’s a perspective your average yoga teacher won’t get to see every day; a conservative writer (Terence Jeffrey) railing against the government spending NIH dollars to study the benefits of yoga.
Although I know I disagree with him on a lot of issues, he does have a point that is valid. Some of the studies he mentions sound incredibly ridiculous; e.g.:”Yoga as a treatment for insomnia,” or “Yoga for the treatment of persons with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).”
Why do I think this is silly? Just substitute the words “relaxation training” for “Yoga” in the studies. Do we really need government grants to find out if relaxation techniques can help with anxiety or sleeplessness? Duh.
The larger issue is that the federal government should simply not be in the business of healthcare research of any kind. The real motivation of the people behind Yoga studies like this is to provide enough evidence for the government and insurance bureaucrats to make modalities like Yoga part of “mainstream healthcare delivery.” Why do people want this? So it can be reimbursable by health insurance.
My bottom line: the more the government becomes involved in Yoga and Yoga Therapy, the less Yoga will be about an alternative practice that creates individual freedom.

Hello All.
Its Vyasa’s birthday today and celebrated as Teacher’s Day (Guru Purnima). Vyasa is considered the greatest teacher from the Indian tradition. It usually is on the full moon of this month. Here is a shot I took today. Hope you enjoy it.
Kausthub
P.S. Practice asteya. Please do not use this photo elsewhere without permission.
photograph by and © kausthub desikachar.

Mysore, July 22 (KMC&BLU)- City-based Guru of international repute in Ashtanga Yoga Pattabhi Jois, celebrated his 90th birthday on a grand scale, along with his family members and a large number of his disciples from India and abroad.

Jois cut and shared the birthday cake at Kempegowda Memorial Hall in Gokulam IV Stage yesterday.

This article brings up points that were aired in one of the very first e-Sutra threads: “Yoga and Hinduism.” In fact, two of the Hindu authorities who were interviewed, David Frawley and “Swami Param,” figure prominently in the thread.
Is Yoga Debased by Secular Practice?
Millions of Americans are practicing yoga to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles and relieve stress.
But they also are co-opting an ancient spiritual philosophy, many yoga experts contend. A sacred practice, they complain, is increasingly being debased and commercialized.

The Breathing Project is proud to present
World Renowned breathing expert Dr. Robert Fried, Ph.D.
teaching a new 6-hour certificate course:

“THE TRANSCENDENTAL BREATH™—LESS IS MORE”

Dates: Wednesday, July 20 & Wednesday August 3, 2005
Times: 12:00 noon to 3:00PM
Cost: $95.00 for both sessions, $55.00 for one
To Register: contact Leslie Kaminoff

All workshop participants will have their breathing personally analyzed using state-of-the-art computerized breath capnometry, and will receive a certificate of completion signed by Dr. Fried.
For a full workshop description, click “Read more!” below.

The objectives of this workshop are:

Day 1, July 20, 2005

a) To define the purpose of breathing training in terms of its impact on normalizing respiration behavior and lung and blood gases.

b) To identify common pattern of breathing that adversely alter inspiration and expiration volume.

c) To identify common medical conditions such as heart disease that require compensatory breathing changes.

d) To identify the adverse consequences of abnormal lung and blood gases on a variety of physical conditions ranging from anxiety to hypertension.

e) To learn the basic instrumentation for monitoring breathing and the lung and blood gas outcome of “deep diaphragmatic breathing exercises.”

f) To learn how to execute the “deep diaphragmatic breathing exercises” leading to The Transcendental Breath™ taught in: R. Fried (1999): Breathe Well, Be Well (John Wiley& Sons)

Day 2, August 3, 2005

g) To practice doing, and to practice teaching the “deep diaphragmatic breathing exercises” leading to The Transcendental Breath.™

h) To learn to integrate this information and these skills in a CAM treatment plan.

Dr. Fried is Professor of Biopsychology, Hunter College, CUNY

• Member of the American Physiology Society (APS)—Respiratory and Cardiovascular Division
• American Association for Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)

Author:
• The psychology and physiology of breathing in behavioral medicine. Plenum/Kluver, 1993
• The hyperventilation syndrome—Research and clinical treatment. The Johns Hopkins University Press.