We are approaching the end of Winter, and I have given students the opportunity to share what stood out for them in yoga class this winter. I am so grateful for my students, and for their willingness and openness to learn about yoga. May the long time sun shine upon them!!!
Kristin:)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Friday, November 25, 2011
Yoga classes end for Fall quarter
Hi there,
Yoga classes are ending next week for Fall quarter. I have given students the opportunity to post on my blog any reflections over the quarter about learning about yoga. It has been a great fall and I am very grateful to my students for practicing yoga with me and giving me the opportunity to share my practice of teaching yoga. Have a great break everyone....
Jai:)
Yoga classes are ending next week for Fall quarter. I have given students the opportunity to post on my blog any reflections over the quarter about learning about yoga. It has been a great fall and I am very grateful to my students for practicing yoga with me and giving me the opportunity to share my practice of teaching yoga. Have a great break everyone....
Jai:)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
interesting study done on yoga as an intervention for depression
A Yoga Intervention for Young Adults with Elevated Symptoms of Depression
Posted in Articles, Depression
Context: Yoga teachers and students often report that yoga has an uplifting effect on their moods, but scientific research on yoga and depression is limited.
Objective: To examine the effects of a short-term Iyengar yoga course on mood in mildly depressed young adults.
Design: Young adults pre-screened for mild levels of depression were randomly assigned to a yoga course or wait-list control group.
Setting: College campus recreation center.
Participants: Twenty-eight volunteers ages 18 to 29. At intake, all participants were experiencing mild levels of depression, but had received no current psychiatric diagnoses or treatments. None had significant yoga experience.
Intervention: Subjects in the yoga group attended two 1–hour Iyengar yoga classes each week for 5 consecutive weeks. The classes emphasized yoga postures thought to alleviate depression, particularly back bends, standing poses, and inversions.
Main Outcome Measures: Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Profile of Mood States, morning cortisol levels.
Results: Subjects who participated in the yoga course demonstrated significant decreases in self-reported symptoms of depression and trait anxiety. These effects emerged by the middle of the yoga course and were maintained by the end. Changes also were observed in acute mood, with subjects reporting decreased levels of negative mood and fatigue following yoga classes. Finally, there was a trend for higher morning cortisol levels in the yoga group by the end of the yoga course, compared to controls. These findings provide suggestive evidence of the utility of yoga asanas in improving mood and support the need for future studies with larger samples and more complex study designs to more fully evaluate the effects of yoga on mood disturbances.
To download the full article, originally published in Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, click here.
Objective: To examine the effects of a short-term Iyengar yoga course on mood in mildly depressed young adults.
Design: Young adults pre-screened for mild levels of depression were randomly assigned to a yoga course or wait-list control group.
Setting: College campus recreation center.
Participants: Twenty-eight volunteers ages 18 to 29. At intake, all participants were experiencing mild levels of depression, but had received no current psychiatric diagnoses or treatments. None had significant yoga experience.
Intervention: Subjects in the yoga group attended two 1–hour Iyengar yoga classes each week for 5 consecutive weeks. The classes emphasized yoga postures thought to alleviate depression, particularly back bends, standing poses, and inversions.
Main Outcome Measures: Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Profile of Mood States, morning cortisol levels.
Results: Subjects who participated in the yoga course demonstrated significant decreases in self-reported symptoms of depression and trait anxiety. These effects emerged by the middle of the yoga course and were maintained by the end. Changes also were observed in acute mood, with subjects reporting decreased levels of negative mood and fatigue following yoga classes. Finally, there was a trend for higher morning cortisol levels in the yoga group by the end of the yoga course, compared to controls. These findings provide suggestive evidence of the utility of yoga asanas in improving mood and support the need for future studies with larger samples and more complex study designs to more fully evaluate the effects of yoga on mood disturbances.
To download the full article, originally published in Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, click here.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Summer yoga classes
Summer yoga classes are coming to an end this week. I have given students the opportunity to reflect back over the session and share some of their experience of the process of yoga in their bodies and minds on this blog if they wish. I would like to thank all of the students who joined me in creating yoga this quarter.
Kristin:)
Kristin:)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Classes end next week for Spring Yoga
Classes end this week for spring quarter for my yoga students at CWU. I have given students the opportunity to share on my blog about any benefits or insights they have received during the quarter of yoga, and how yoga benefited their body/min,etc.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share yoga with college students at the University. I first started doing yoga when I was a college student at CWU, I was also a mother of a 3 year old boy, who is now 20...wow! Anyway, it helped me clear my mind and relax deeply so that I could keep my focus on being a Mom and student. Now, I get to give back the gift that was given to me so freely:)
Thanks again everyone for practicing yoga with me.....
Have a great summer:)
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share yoga with college students at the University. I first started doing yoga when I was a college student at CWU, I was also a mother of a 3 year old boy, who is now 20...wow! Anyway, it helped me clear my mind and relax deeply so that I could keep my focus on being a Mom and student. Now, I get to give back the gift that was given to me so freely:)
Thanks again everyone for practicing yoga with me.....
Have a great summer:)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The heart never lies
Lately I have been interested in yoga postures, stretches, etc. that help with opening the heart.
In thinking of the shoulders in particular, I encourage my students to stretch the front of the heart as well as the back of the heart. In the back of the heart is where we hide all of the feelings that we don't have time for, or that we don't want people to see...grief, sadness,anger,etc.
I encourage students of yoga to breath into; open; and melt away anything keeping a heart heavy. Many times we round our shoulders to protect the heart, because there seems to be so much that is painful to see....It's hard to breath deep that way:)
However, the heart can take it all....and... once we begin to move the breath into the heart, it is like we are opening up a well that clears and flushes out any stagnancy and allows the heart to be free...so, we can see all the miracles and beauty as well as the pain...
After all, isn't it our birth right to be happy, joyous, and free? In order to feel that sense of freedom and love means sometimes moving into the mud, and letting ourselves be afraid...alone...and alive in this world.
One of the most powerful yoga postures you can do for yourself is to place your hand on your heart at night and say to yourself gently, "I am here for me"....because the heart never lies.
Love and light on your sacred and blessed journey.......:)
In thinking of the shoulders in particular, I encourage my students to stretch the front of the heart as well as the back of the heart. In the back of the heart is where we hide all of the feelings that we don't have time for, or that we don't want people to see...grief, sadness,anger,etc.
I encourage students of yoga to breath into; open; and melt away anything keeping a heart heavy. Many times we round our shoulders to protect the heart, because there seems to be so much that is painful to see....It's hard to breath deep that way:)
However, the heart can take it all....and... once we begin to move the breath into the heart, it is like we are opening up a well that clears and flushes out any stagnancy and allows the heart to be free...so, we can see all the miracles and beauty as well as the pain...
After all, isn't it our birth right to be happy, joyous, and free? In order to feel that sense of freedom and love means sometimes moving into the mud, and letting ourselves be afraid...alone...and alive in this world.
One of the most powerful yoga postures you can do for yourself is to place your hand on your heart at night and say to yourself gently, "I am here for me"....because the heart never lies.
Love and light on your sacred and blessed journey.......:)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Time for me to fly
I am currently up in the air flying to the city of angels, Los Angeles,, the city of angels:) Just taking a moment to be grateful for this ability to be online while in the air, it truly is amazing this gift of the internet. I am also reminded of how small I am...just a person in this craft, looking down at the state of Oregon. The balance, the beauty of being able to be part of experience.
Some of the yoga poses remind me of flying...this ability to stand on one leg and allow myself to move into the present moment. Recently I was in Spokane listening to Sting's yoga teacher Ganga White and he spoke about how even when we stand it requires balance, and balance is not something to be mastered, but more to be explored. Just staying open to it, remaining curious with whatever shape you are in....
Balance is a gift...a teacher...another opportunity to learn how to let go and fly.
"Now I make you laugh, and you make me cry...I believe it's time for me to fly.." Reo Speedwagon
Some of the yoga poses remind me of flying...this ability to stand on one leg and allow myself to move into the present moment. Recently I was in Spokane listening to Sting's yoga teacher Ganga White and he spoke about how even when we stand it requires balance, and balance is not something to be mastered, but more to be explored. Just staying open to it, remaining curious with whatever shape you are in....
Balance is a gift...a teacher...another opportunity to learn how to let go and fly.
"Now I make you laugh, and you make me cry...I believe it's time for me to fly.." Reo Speedwagon
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