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Perceived stress and anxiety can be a normal and healthy response to life circumstances. But for some, the fast pace and uncertainty of modern society causes debilitating levels of stress and anxiety. Chronic, unmanaged stress hurts our quality of life and is responsible for an increase in health issues and disorders across the world. It is a psycho-social crisis that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates of anxiety in the U.S. have more than tripled in the second quarter, from 8.1% in 2019 to 25.5% in 2020. [1] The resulting negative emotions are not only traumatic, but also make our immune systems more vulnerable. Managing these draining emotions is difficult but doable.

Exercise, breathing techniques, relaxation and meditation have all been shown to mitigate anxiety. It is no surprise that traditional yoga - a practice that combines all four techniques - is what more people are relying on to manage their anxiety. However, yoga has not received the same level of attention from medical research. That is beginning to change. Health care professionals and researchers, like myself, are finding consensus around why yoga is such a powerful tool for regulating emotions and reducing anxiety.
Yoga as a Mind-Body Treatment
If anxiety increases, it may start to interfere with everyday activities and overall well-being and thereby meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Mentally, this includes pervasive day-long exaggerated worry and tension, inability to relax, difficulty concentrating, anticipation of disaster and excessive concern about life issues. Patients are unable to control this even though they realize that their anxiety is more intense than is warranted. However, many anxiety symptoms are actually physical, such as muscle tension, trembling, sweating and insomnia. Such symptoms are due to an activation of the fight or flight stress response, which prepares both the mind and body for real or imagined threats by causing significant changes in the body, mind and emotions.

Conventional medical treatments for anxiety include pharmaceuticals, which do not necessarily address the underlying causes of anxiety. Psychotherapeutic approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; considered a gold standard behavioral GAD treatment), do address underlying mechanisms of anxiety in many patients, but they are not effective for all. Both approaches focus primarily on mental aspects of anxiety. Given the physical symptoms of anxiety, it follows that any successful anxiety treatment would be best if it addresses both the mind and body, which is what makes yoga such an effective option. Yoga can address both the symptoms and causes of anxiety, while strengthening the tools needed for emotional regulation.

Feelings of anxiety can quickly overwhelm us, leading to an automatic reactivity with no gap, filter or interval for response. Through practice, yoga breaks the patterns responsible for this automatic behavior. The meditation practice component of yoga works on improving self-regulation of the attention networks in your brain. As you gain more skill in the interface between your thought processes and emotion control, you simultaneously become more sensitive and less negatively reactive to your own thoughts and life situations. The physical components of yoga practice work effectively on anxiety symptoms in the body while also impacting mental functioning through the mind-body connection. Overall, these skills make it possible to have a degree of control over our emotional state and how we respond to stressful events. It's what makes the mind-body practice of Yoga so powerful.
Evidence from the Scientific Community
Yoga's positive impact on anxiety and anxiety disorders is supported by a growing body of research. Recent published meta-analyses (review papers summarizing statistical results from a number of previous clinical trials) of yoga for anxiety have concluded that yoga might be an effective and safe intervention for individuals with anxiety disorders or with elevated levels of anxiety. [2][3] Other researchers have found evidence to suggest that yoga for children and adolescents may also reduce anxiety - welcome news given that anxiety disorders are prevalent in younger people.[4]

Much of my own research has focused on Kundalini Yoga as a treatment for emotional and physical health. Kundalini Yoga is a traditional yoga practice that incorporates movement, postures, dynamic breathing techniques, deep relaxation, meditation and mantras. It is a yoga style focused on improving physical functioning, self-regulation of mind and body, increased mind-body awareness and enhancement of positive psychological states. These states include feelings of calm, balance, well-being, gratitude, compassion, and ultimately depth of self, transcendence, life purpose and meaning, and spirituality.

I have focused on understanding Kundalini Yoga's efficacy in improving emotional well-being. That work has contributed to a study that showed positive benefits of a Kundalini Yoga treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[5] I have also researched the potential benefit of enriching CBT with Kundalini Yoga to treat GAD.[6] The results showed statistically significant improvements in state and trait anxiety, depression, panic, sleep and quality of life, demonstrating its potential as a promising treatment for those suffering from GAD.

Following positive results of a preliminary study of Kundalini Yoga alone as a therapy for GAD,[7] our most significant research trial of Kundalini Yoga for GAD was published last August in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry. This large, rigorously conducted randomized controlled trial assigned patients with GAD to participate in a 12-week intervention of either Kundalini Yoga, CBT or a stress education control condition. Participants attended weekly group sessions and engaged in daily 20-minute home practice sessions. The results showed that Kundalini Yoga was a credible treatment. It was more effective than stress education in treating GAD, though not as effective as the CBT gold standard. Given that conventional treatments of GAD are not fully effective or easily accessible for everyone, these results are encouraging for the use of yoga as an additional treatment for anxiety and anxiety disorders. [8]

These findings are important steps toward establishing that traditional yoga (incorporating not just physical exercises but also controlled breathing, relaxation and meditation) is particularly effective at managing stress and emotion.
Practice at Home
While researchers continue to make the case to the medical establishment for yoga as treatment strategy, nothing is stopping you from using yoga as self-care. One of the many beautiful aspects of yoga is that it requires no special equipment - though a yoga mat is helpful - so there's nothing to stop you from practicing Kundalini Yoga in your living room. Try a Kundalini sequence or meditation at home whenever you feel worried or anxious. It is always best to learn with a qualified Kundalini instructor to ensure that you are practicing properly, but there are plenty of techniques you can easily perform on your own while socially distancing during the pandemic. For a list of practices that beginners can use, visit https://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/kriya/featured-kriyas.

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Editor's note: This is a guest post by Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. Dr. Khalsa is the Director of Research for the Kundalini Research Institute, Research Associate at the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School at Brigham and Women's Hospital. His research on yoga for mental health in public schools, insomnia, anxiety disorders, and chronic stress; his Harvard e-book Your Brain on Yoga; and the medical textbook The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care which he co-edited, have established him as a world-renowned yoga researcher, collaborator, author, and speaker.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/an-epidemic-of-depression-and-anxiety-among-young-adults/2020/08/22/dcc06c34-e43c-11ea-82d8-5e55d47e90ca_story.html

[2] Cramer H, Lauche R, Anheyer D, Pilkington K, de Manincor M, Dobos G, Ward L. Yoga for anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Depress Anxiety. 2018 Sep;35(9):830-843. doi: 10.1002/da.22762. Epub 2018 Apr 26. PMID: 29697885.

[3] Hofmann SG, Andreoli G, Carpenter JK, Curtiss J. Effect of Hatha Yoga on Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis. J Evid Based Med. 2016;9(3):116-124. doi:10.1111/jebm.12204

[4] Weaver LL, Darragh AR. Systematic Review of Yoga Interventions for Anxiety Reduction Among Children and Adolescents. Am J Occup Ther. 2015 Nov-Dec;69(6):6906180070p1-9. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2015.020115. PMID: 26565100.

[5] Farah Jindani, Nigel Turner, Sat Bir S. Khalsa, "A Yoga Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress: A Preliminary Randomized Control Trial", Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2015, Article ID 351746, 8 pages, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/351746

[6] Khalsa MK, Greiner-Ferris JM, Hofmann SG, Khalsa SB. Yoga-enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (Y-CBT) for anxiety management: a pilot study. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2015 Jul-Aug;22(4):364-71. doi: 10.1002/cpp.1902. Epub 2014 May 7. PMID: 24804619; PMCID: PMC4224639.

[7] Gabriel MG, Curtiss J, Hofmann SG, Khalsa SBS. Kundalini Yoga for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: An Exploration of Treatment Efficacy and Possible Mechanisms. Int J Yoga Therap. 2018 Nov;28(1):97-105. doi: 10.17761/2018-00003. Epub 2018 Apr 26. PMID: 29698081.

[8] Simon NM, Hofmann SG, Rosenfield D, et al. Efficacy of Yoga vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Stress Education for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online August 12, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2496

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Growing Medical Recognition of Yoga as a Treatment for Anxiety

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By Dr. Sat Bir S. Khalsa Perceived stress and anxiety can be a normal and healthy response to life circumstances. But for some, the fast pace and uncertainty of modern society causes debilitating levels of stress and anxiety. Chronic, unmanaged stress hurts our quality of life and is responsible for an increase in health issues...

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completeness/absorption; no duality of mind and object; no ego-consciousness.

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meditation that brings deep understanding; no distraction of the mind; mind is aware of itself and object of inquiry.

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concentration to direct the mind towards an internal object or external object/idea.

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breath restraint to control the flow of prana/energy.

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physical connection to the Earth through postures.

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observances that are directed inward; attitude that we adopt toward ourselves.

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restraints or attitude we adopt toward the outside world.

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Pratyahara itself is termed as yoga, as it is the most important limb in yoga sadhana.
-Swami Sivananda

Yoga is a vast system of spiritual practices that provides tools for inner growth. It teaches us how to understand the different aspects of our nature and how to harmonize these with the greater universe within and around us. This wonderful inner science shows us how to realize our highest evolutionary potential.

How many people, even yoga teachers, can define pratyahara?

To this end, the classical yoga system ( ashtanga yoga) incorporates eight limbs, each with its own place and function. Together they form a complete system for spiritual unfoldment. The eight limbs are: yama (observances), niyama (disciplines), asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (control of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). Of these, pratyahara is probably the least known. How many people, even yoga teachers, can define pratyahara? Have you ever taken a class in pratyahara? Have you ever seen a book on pratyahara? Can you think of several important pratyahara techniques? Do you perform pratyahara as part of your yogic practices? Yet unless we understand pratyahara we are missing an integral aspect of yoga. Without this aspect the system cannot work.

Inner and Outer Aspects of Yoga

Yoga has an outer aspect, which consists of right living, right care of the body, and enhancement of vital energy. This is what yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama are all about. Yama and niyama build a foundation of right behavior through such values as nonviolence and truthfulness and such practices as cleanliness and contentment. Asana makes the body strong and flexible, and pranayama develops our vital energy.

Yoga also has an inner dimension-meditation or the development of higher consciousness. This is the real purpose of yoga, the focus of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, which together form a single process- samyama, or meditation in the broadest sense.

As the fifth of the eight limbs, pratyahara occupies a central place. Some include it among the outer aspects of yoga, others with the inner aspects. Both classifications are correct, for pratyahara is the key to the relationship between the outer and inner aspects of yoga; it shows us how to move from one to the other.

It is not possible for most of us to move directly from asana to meditation. This requires jumping from the body to the mind, forgetting what lies between. To make this transition, the breath and senses, which link the body and mind, first need to be brought under control and developed properly. This is where pranayama and pratyahara come in. With pranayama we control our vital energies and impulses, and with pratyahara we gain mastery over the unruly senses-both prerequisites to successful meditation.

What Is Pratyahara?

The term "pratyahara" is composed of two Sanskrit words, prati and ahara. "Ahara" means "food," or "anything we take into ourselves from the outside." "Prati" is a preposition meaning "against" or "away." "Pratyahara" means literally "control of ahara," or "gaining mastery over external influences." It has been compared to a turtle withdrawing into its shell-the turtle's shell is the mind and the turtle's limbs are the senses. The term is usually translated as "withdrawal from the senses," but much more is implied.

In yogic thought there are three levels of ahara, or food. The first is physical food that brings in the five elements necessary to nourish the body-earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The second is impressions, which bring in the subtle substances necessary to nourish the mind-the sensations of sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell that constitute the subtle elements: sound/ether, touch/air, sight/fire, taste/water, and smell/earth. The third level of ahara is our associations, the people we hold at heart level who serve to nourish the soul and affect us with the gunas of sattva, rajas, and tamas (the prime qualities of harmony, distraction, or inertia).

Pratyahara is twofold. It involves withdrawal from wrong food, wrong impressions, and wrong associations, while simultaneously opening up to right food, right impressions, and right associations. We cannot control our mental impressions without right diet and right relationships, but pratyahara's primary importance lies in withdrawal from or control of sensory impressions, which frees the mind to move within.

By withdrawing our awareness from negative impressions, pratyahara strengthens the mind's powers of immunity. Just as a healthy body resists toxins and pathogens, a healthy mind resists the negative sensory influences around it. If you are easily disturbed by the noise and turmoil of the environment around you, you need to practice pratyahara. Without it, you will not be able to meditate.

Just as a healthy body resists toxins and pathogens, a healthy mind resists the negative sensory influences around it.

There are four main forms of pratyahara: indriya-pratyahara-control of the senses; karma-pratyahara-control of action; prana-pratyahara-control of prana; and mano-pratyahara -withdrawal of mind from the senses. Each has its special methods.

Control of the Senses

Indriya-pratyahara, or control of the senses, is the most important form of pratyahara, although this is not something that we like to hear in our mass media-oriented culture. Most of us suffer from sensory overload, the result of constant bombardment from television, radio, computers, newspapers, magazines, books-you name it. Our commercial society functions by stimulating our interest through the senses. We are constantly confronted with bright colors, loud noises, and dramatic sensations. We have been raised on every sort of sensory indulgence-it is the main form of entertainment in our society.

The problem is that the senses, like untrained children, have their own will, largely instinctual in nature. They tell the mind what to do. If we don't discipline them they dominate and disturb us with their endless demands. We are so accustomed to ongoing sensory activity that we don't know how to keep our minds quiet-we have become hostages of the world of the senses and its allurements. We run after what is appealing to the senses and forget the higher goals of life. For this reason pratyahara is probably the most important limb of yoga for us today.

The old saying "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" applies to those of us who have not learned how to properly control our senses. Indriya-pratyahara gives us the tools to strengthen the spirit and reduce its dependency on the body. Such control is not suppression (which causes eventual revolt), but proper coordination and motivation.

The Right Intake of Impressions

Pratyahara is about the right intake of impressions. Most of us are careful about the food we eat and the company we keep, but we may not exercise the same discrimination about the impressions we take in from the senses. We accept impressions via the mass media that we would never allow in our personal lives. We let people into our houses through television and movies that we would never allow into our homes in real life!

What kind of impressions do we take in every day? Can we expect that they will not have an effect on us? Strong sensations dull the mind, and a dull mind lets us act in ways that are insensitive, careless, or even violent.

According to ayurveda, sensory impressions are the main food for the mind. The background of our mental field consists of predominant sensory impressions. We see this when our mind reverts to the impressions of the last song we heard or the last movie we saw. Just as junk food makes the body toxic, junk impressions make the mind toxic. Junk food requires a lot of salt, sugar, or spices to make it palatable because it is largely dead food; similarly, junk impressions require powerful dramatic impressions-sex and violence-to make us feel that they are real, because they are actually just colors projected on a screen.

We cannot ignore the role sensory impressions play in making us who we are, for they build up the subconscious and strengthen the tendencies latent within it. Trying to meditate without controlling our impressions pits our subconscious against us and prevents the development of inner peace and clarity.

Sensory Withdrawal

Fortunately we are not helpless before the barrage of sensory impressions. Pratyahara gives us many practical tools for managing them properly. Perhaps the simplest way to control our impressions is to cut them off, to spend some time apart from all sensory inputs. Just as the body benefits by fasting from food, so the mind benefits by fasting from impressions. This can be as simple as sitting to meditate with our eyes closed or taking a retreat somewhere free from the normal sensory bombardments-like a mountain cabin.

Yoni mudra (also known as shanmukhi-mudra) is one of the most important pratyahara techniques for closing the senses. It involves using the fingers to block the sensory openings in the head-the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth-allowing the attention and energy to move within. It is done for short periods of time when our prana is energized, such as immediately after practicing pranayama. (Naturally we should avoid closing the mouth and nose to the point at which we starve ourselves of oxygen.)

Another method of sense withdrawal is to keep our sense organs open but withdraw our attention from them. In this way we cease taking in impressions without actually closing off our sense organs. The most common method, shambhavi mudra, consists of sitting with the eyes open while directing the attention within, a technique used in several Buddhist systems of meditation. This redirection of the senses inward can be done with the other senses as well, particularly with the sense of hearing. It helps us control our mind even when the senses are functioning, as they are in the normal course of the day.

1. Focusing on Uniform Impressions
Another way to cleanse the mind and control the senses is to put our attention on a source of uniform impressions, such as gazing at the ocean or the blue sky. Just as the digestive system gets short-circuited by irregular eating habits and contrary food qualities, our ability to digest impressions can be deranged by jarring or excessive impressions. And just as improving our digestion may require going on a fast, followed by a mono-diet, like the ayurvedic use of rice and mung beans ( khichari), so our mental digestion may require a period of fasting from impressions, followed by a diet of natural but homogeneous impressions.

2. Creating Positive Impressions
Another means of controlling the senses is to create positive, natural impressions. There are a number of ways to do this: meditating upon aspects of nature such as trees, flowers, or rocks, as well as visiting temples or other places of pilgrimage, which are repositories of positive impressions and thoughts. Positive impressions can also be created by using incense, flowers, ghee lamps, altars, statues, and other artifacts of devotional worship.

Another means of controlling the senses is to create positive, natural impressions.

3. Creating Inner Impressions
Another sensory withdrawal technique is to focus the mind on inner impressions, thus removing attention from external impressions. We can create our own inner impressions through the imagination or we can contact the subtle senses that come into play when the physical senses are quiet.

Visualization

Visualization is the simplest means of creating inner impressions. In fact, most yogic meditation practices begin with some type of visualization, such as a deity, a guru, or a beautiful setting in nature. More elaborate visualizations involve imagining deities and their worlds, or mentally performing rituals such as offering imaginary flowers or gems to imagined deities. The artist absorbed in an inner landscape or the musician creating music are also performing inner visualizations. These are all forms of pratyahara because they clear the mental field of external impressions and create a positive inner impression to serve as the foundation of meditation. Preliminary visualizations are helpful for most forms of meditation and can be integrated into other spiritual practices as well.

Laya Yoga

Laya yoga is the yoga of the inner sound and light current, in which we focus on subtle senses to withdraw us from the gross senses. This withdrawal into inner sound and light is a means of transforming the mind and is another form of indriya-pratyahara.

Control of the Prana

Control of the senses requires the development and control of prana because the senses follow prana (our vital energy). Unless our prana is strong we will not have the power to control the senses. If our prana is scattered or disturbed, our senses will also be scattered and disturbed.

Pranayama is a preparation for pratyahara. Prana is gathered in pranayama and withdrawn in pratyahara. Yogic texts describe methods of withdrawing prana from different parts of the body, starting with the toes and ending wherever we wish to fix our attention-the top of the head, the third eye, the heart, or one of the other chakras.

Perhaps the best method of prana-pratyahara is to visualize the death process, in which the prana, or the life force, withdraws from the body, shutting off all the senses, from the feet to the head. Ramana Maharshi achieved Self-realization by doing this when he was a mere boy of 17. Before inquiring into the Self, he visualized his body as dead, withdrawing the prana into the mind and the mind into the heart. Without such complete and intense pratyahara, his meditative process would not have been successful.

Control of Action

In addition to sense organs (like the eyes and ears), we also possess motor organs (like the hands and tongue). We cannot control the sense organs without also controlling the motor organs. In fact the motor organs involve us directly in the external world. The impulses coming in through the senses get expressed through the motor organs, and this drives us to further sensory involvements. But because desire is endless, happiness consists not of getting what we want, but of no longer needing anything from the external world.

Just as right intake of impressions gives control of the sense organs, right work and right action gives control of the motor organs. This involves karma yoga-doing the actions necessary to life and avoiding those based on desire and self-gratification. Karma yoga has two parts: outer action or service ( seva), and inner action, which consists of various forms of rituals ( puja).

Karma-pratyahara can be performed by surrendering any thought of personal rewards for what we do, doing everything as service to God or to humanity. The Bhagavad Gita says, "Your duty is to act, not to seek a reward for what you do." This is one kind of pratyahara. It also includes the practice of austerities that lead to control of the motor organs. For example, asana can be used to control the hands and feet, control which is needed when we sit quietly for extended periods of time.

Withdrawal of the Mind

The yogis tell us that mind is the sixth sense organ, and that it is responsible for coordinating all the other sense organs. We take in sensory impressions only where we place our mind's attention. The mind also coordinates the sensory and motor organs, for example by linking what the eyes see with the movements of the hand when we pick up a cup from the table. In a way, we are always practicing pratyahara. The mind's attention is limited, and we give attention to one sensory impression by withdrawing the mind from other impressions. Wherever we place our attention, we naturally overlook other things.

The yogis tell us that mind is the sixth sense organ, and that it is responsible for coordinating all the other sense organs.

We control our senses by withdrawing our mind's attention from them. According to the Yoga Sutra, "When the senses do not conform with their own objects but imitate the nature of the mind, that is pratyahara." More specifically, it is mano-pratyahara-withdrawing the senses from their objects and directing them inward to the nature of the mind, which is formless. Vyasa's commentary on the Yoga Sutra notes that the mind is like the queen bee and the senses are like worker bees. Wherever the queen bee goes all the other bees must follow. Thus mano-pratyahara is less about controlling the senses than about controlling the mind, for when the mind is controlled, the senses are automatically controlled.

We can practice mano-pratyahara by consciously withdrawing our attention from unwholesome impressions whenever they arise. This is the highest form of pratyahara and the most difficult-if we have not gained proficiency in controlling the senses, motor organs, and pranas it is unlikely to work. Like wild animals, prana and the senses can easily overcome a weak mind, so it is usually better to start first with more practical methods of pratyahara.

Pratyahara and the Other Limbs of Yoga

Pratyahara is related to all the limbs of yoga. All of the other limbs-from asana to samadhi-contain aspects of pratyahara. For example, in the sitting poses, which are the most important aspect of asana, both the sensory and motor organs are controlled. Pranayama contains an element of pratyahara, as we draw our attention inward through the breath. Yama and niyama contain various principles and practices, like nonviolence and contentment, that help us control the senses. In other words, pratyahara provides the foundation for the higher practices of yoga and is the basis for meditation. It follows pranayama (or control of prana) and by linking prana with the mind, takes it out of the sphere of the body.

Pratyahara is also linked with dharana. In pratyahara we withdraw our attention from ordinary distractions. In dharana we consciously focus that attention on a particular object, such as a mantra. Pratyahara is the negative, and dharana the positive aspect of the same basic function.

The Most Important Limb

Many of us find that even after years of meditation practice we have not achieved all that we expected. Trying to practice meditation without some degree of pratyahara is like trying to gather water in a leaky vessel. No matter how much water we bring in, it flows out again. The senses are like holes in the vessel of the mind. Unless they are sealed the mind cannot hold the nectar of truth. Anyone whose periods of meditation alternate with periods of sensory indulgence is in need of pratyahara.

Pratyahara offers many methods of preparing the mind for meditation. It also helps us avoid environmental disturbances that are the source of psychological pain. Pratyahara is a marvelous tool for taking control of our lives and opening up to our inner being. It is no wonder some great yogis have called it "the most important limb of yoga." We should all remember to include it in our practice.

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Pratyahara itself is termed as yoga, as it is the most important limb in yoga sadhana. -Swami Sivananda Yoga is a vast system of spiritual practices that provides tools for inner growth. It teaches us how to understand the different aspects of our nature and how to harmonize these with the greater universe within and around us.

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B.K.S. Iyengar discusses Pranayama. I like the connection to our lineage...

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B.K.S. Iyengar discusses Pranayama. I like the connection to our lineage...

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Сергей Дорошенко

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BKS Iyengar - Pranayama meditation, iyengar yoga style

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A Yoga Practice & Your Brain | Weekly Bulletins | Andrew Weil, M.D.

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Practicing yoga seems to be as good for the brain as aerobic exercise. Do not forego good, daily aerobic exercise - this is in addition to yoga!

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Yoga offers many health benefits such as improving flexibility, reducing stress, and improving overall wellness and physical fitness. It is a wonderful mind-body activity that promotes relaxation as you practice linking breathwork to asanas (or poses). Additionally, recent research has also linked the benefits of all types of yoga to increased bone density and improved sleep quality.

As yoga has grown into mainstream popularity, many styles and variations have emerged into the wellness space. This centuries-old Eastern philosophy is everywhere now, being performed and taught by people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds. With so many different types of yoga, it can be a little overwhelming deciding which style is right for you. It's helpful to ask yourself what is important to you in a yoga practice: Are you looking for a sweaty, athletic workout, or does a more meditative, gentler approach sound more attractive?

Keep in mind that there is usually a fair amount of crossover among the various yoga styles, as well as diversity in teaching approaches within each discipline. Try exposing yourself to different types of classes and instructors to discover the right match for you.

Eight Types Of Yoga To Consider

Hatha

Hatha yoga is a standard term that includes most yoga styles that combine breathwork with physical postures. The term is broadly used, but typically involves a gentle introduction to basic yoga postures for beginners or those who prefer a more relaxed style. You probably won't leave a hatha yoga class sweaty and tired, but you should end up feeling more relaxed and stretched out. Hatha classes may vary so it is best to call and inquire with the gym or studio offering the class.

Vinyasa

Vinyasa-style yoga combines rhythmic breathing with a series of flowing postures for a vigorous mind-body workout. Since it links breath to movement, vinyasa yoga is fluid and quickly paced - perfect for those looking for something athletic and dynamic. Vinyasa yoga can also be called power yoga, depending on the gym or studio. Expect to move to upbeat music, sweat, and burn some calories in this type of yoga!

Ashtanga

Ashtanga is very similar to vinyasa yoga, in rigor and style as both link breath to movement. Sometimes both terms are used interchangeably, but traditional ashtanga is more structured. It follows a specific sequence of poses in the exact same order, ideal for those looking for something predictable.Expect ashtanga to be hot, sweaty, and physically demanding. This is best explored if you are used to a vigorous workout and is not intended for someone just starting to become more active.

Iyengar

Iyengar is a meticulous style of yoga, giving emphasis to proper form in a yoga pose. An Iyengar class will usually provide an array of yoga props - blocks, straps, bolsters, blankets, etc. - to help each student find proper alignment. It is also usually taught without music and at a slower pace to help students get deeper into the postures and hold them for longer. This style of yoga is best for those with an injury or chronic condition, as Iyengar teachers must undergo comprehensive training to provide knowledgeable instruction.

Kundalini

Kundalini focuses on repetitive movements synchronized with the breath, along with chanting and meditating. The practice focuses on awakening the energy at the base of the spine in order to draw it up through each of the seven chakras (areas of energy throughout the body). Expect to chant mantras such as "Sat Nam" (meaning "I am truth") and practicing more simple poses, while focusing your energy on awareness of both body and mind.

Bikram

You can be assured of two things when attending a Bikram class - sweat and consistency. A Bikram class is the same no matter where you go, as it consists of a series of 26 poses done in a specific order for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105°F (40.6°C), with a humidity of 40%. It's wildly popular and relatively easy to find, but is not recommended for those with sensitivity to heat. Pre-hydration and post-hydration along with electrolyte replacement after this workout is advised to prevent fluid/electrolyte imbalances. It is also important to guard against over-straining your muscles and joints beyond what is comfortable due to increased flexibility with heat. Caution is also advised for those who are already overly flexible (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). Classes are usually taught in a bright room with students facing mirrors to check proper alignment in the poses. If you're looking for a disciplined yoga practice without music and want to know what to expect every time, this is the style for you.

Jivamukti

Jivamukti yoga incorporates vinyasa-style flow through movement along with weekly themes, Sanskrit chanting, meditation, readings and affirmations. Classes typically begin with a standardized warm-up sequence unique to Jivamukti and end with students adding to their broad yoga education overtime. Each week there is something new to learn whether its focusing on a particular asana (pose) or discussing an ancient yoga teaching. If you're looking for something highly meditative, but also physically challenging, consider trying Jivamukti.

Yin/Restorative

Yin yoga is a slow-paced style that is meant to be meditatitive and relaxing. It is often interchangeable with "Restorative" yoga as both typically use props to experience yoga in passive poses for several minutes. The focus is to lengthen the connective tissue - the tendons, fascia, and ligaments - in order to improve flexibility and increase circulation in the joints. Expect to hold poses for longer than usual (three to five minutes). This class is great to unwind after a long week or weekend and suitable for everyone looking to feel rejuvenated and relaxed.
A Final Note on the Types of Yoga
There are many more types of yoga practices and each one offers something for everyone. When you find a type or a studio or instructor style that works for you, stick with it. Incorporating yoga into your life with dedication and consistency will allow you to reap the many benefits, both mental and physical.

If you are trying something new, come to class with an open mind and be sure to notify your instructor if you have any chronic pain, injury, or condition that would require modification. They can't help you if they don't know! It is key to release any expectations and explore different styles as your body and soul may need depending on your life or schedule. Yoga provides many benefits and its emerging popularity is a wonderful practice to incorporate into your life for physical, mental, and spiritual balance.

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Types of Yoga | The Eight Most Popular Styles Of Yoga | Andrew Weil, M.D.

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Yoga offers many health benefits such as improving flexibility, reducing stress, and improving overall wellness and physical fitness. It is a wonderful mind-body activity that promotes relaxation as you practice linking breathwork to asanas (or poses). Additionally, recent research has also linked the benefits of all types of yoga to increased bone density and improved sleep quality.

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The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

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The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

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An accessible book for anyone interested in learning more about the history of Yoga and some basic poses.

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Yoga The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness

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Yoga The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness

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Written by Erich Schiffmann, this is another accessible text that offers more information about Asana poses.

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This organization certifies both Yoga Teacher Training Programs and Instructors.

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2024-2030 Strategic Plan

We believe that if more people practice yoga, the better the world will be. This is our "why" - the driving force behind our vision of crafting a bolder, more compassionate, equitable, and inclusive world, grounded in yoga. And, this year, we are inspired, humbled, and proud to share our "how" - Yoga Alliance's 2024-2030 Strategic Plan.

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Yoga in the World Research Study

The Yoga in the World Research Study examined various aspects of the practice and profession and collected quantitative and qualitative data from yoga practitioners, yoga teachers, business owners and the general public across 10 countries.

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The Yoga Alliance Ethical Commitment supports our members and broader yoga community in welcoming all who wish to practice yoga. It unites membership under the YA Code of Conduct, Scope of Practice, and shared responsibility to equity in yoga.

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Many Paths, One Yoga Alliance | Yoga Alliance

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Yoga Alliance® is the largest nonprofit association representing the yoga community. Our mission is to promote and support the integrity and diversity of the teaching of yoga.

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New research does suggest that practicing yoga affects some of the same structures in the brain that are enhanced by aerobic exercise. An investigation from the University of Illinois published in December 2019 reviewed earlier research on the links between yoga and brain health and found increases in the volume of the hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory processing. In addition, the amygdala, which contributes to emotional regulation, was larger in people who practice yoga compared to those who don't. Other areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex also tend to be larger or more efficient in yoga practitioners. The studies reviewed used brain-imaging techniques such as MRIs, and they all focused on hatha yoga, which includes body postures, breathing exercises, and meditation.

Researcher Jessica Damoiseaux, of Wayne State University, noted in a press release describing the study that the prefrontal cortex "is essential to planning, decision-making, multitasking, thinking about your options and picking the right option."

Five of the studies the researchers reviewed looked at volunteers with no yoga background who engaged in one or more sessions per week over 10 to 24 weeks. The investigators compared brain health among these individuals at the beginning and end. The other studies measured brain differences between people who already practice yoga regularly and those who don't.

In addition to the beneficial brain changes seen, they found that people who practiced yoga performed better on cognitive tests and measures of emotional regulation than those who didn't.

Study leader Neha Gothe, a professor of kinesiology and community health, commented that since yoga is not aerobic in nature "there must be other mechanisms leading to the brain changes" but "so far, we don't have the evidence to identify what those mechanisms are." She said she suspects that "enhancing emotional regulation is a key to yoga's positive effects on the brain. Studies link stress in humans and animals to shrinkage of the hippocampus and poorer performance on tests of memory."

The findings of the new study tell us even more about yoga's positive effects and its potential for expanding the brain and improving its function. We've long known that yoga can improve muscle tone, flexibility, and balance as well as feelings of calm and emotional and spiritual balance. It is one of the best forms of nonaerobic exercise.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Neha P. Gothe et al, "Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature," Brain Plasticity, December 26, 2019, DOI: 10.3233/BPL-190084

Read more tips, recipes, and insights on a wide variety of topics from Dr. Weil here.

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Is Yoga Good For The Brain? | Mental Health | Andrew Weil, M.D.

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New research does suggest that practicing yoga affects some of the same structures in the brain that are enhanced by aerobic exercise. An investigation from the University of Illinois published in December 2019 reviewed earlier research on the links between yoga and brain health and found increases in the volume of the hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory processing.

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The last few months of any year, with deadlines and holidays, often create a harried pace. The beginning of a new year can give you a chance to exhale. But even if you experience a few serene days or weeks, tight shoulders and tension are never far off.

Family stress. Work stress. Daily life stress. Self-induced stress brought on by scrolling through the news. As it turns out, stress is almost impossible to avoid. So this year, instead of waiting for your most recent stressful patch to ebb, take a different approach. Teach yourself to stay grounded and calm - regardless of what's going on around you.

Managing stress helps you stay healthier

It's important to manage stress, because it's not only emotionally taxing, but it's also bad for your health. When you are under stress, the levels of a hormone called cortisol start to rise in your blood. Over time, chronic stress that results in higher than normal levels of cortisol can wreak havoc on your metabolism, spurring weight gain (particularly around your middle), and causing dangerous inflammation inside your body. It can affect your blood sugar levels, your blood pressure and heart, and even your memory.

Three simple strategies to counter stress

To lessen the effects of stress, try three simple strategies to help you reset.

Take a new approach. Much of life's stress comes from how we view the various situations we encounter. For example, two people may take on the exact same task, but only one person may find it stressful. Some of this has to do with personality, but it also has to do with your inner narrative - how you frame things in your mind. Aim to change your perspective, and you can often reduce the number of stressors in your life.

Burn off tension. Physical activity can reduce cortisol levels, and help get you on a more even keel. But for many people, sticking to a daily exercise schedule is itself stressful, because they pick activities they don't enjoy. Instead, choose to do something you love - gardening, taking nature walks, or yoga, which can slow the harmful effects of stress. Looking forward to the activity can keep you motivated, and help you destress and recharge.

Get organized. Ever spend 20 minutes looking for your car keys or trying to find a misplaced shoe? Disorganization and clutter can be stress inducing, and it's unnecessary. Taking time to set up some systems, such as a set location for your keys, can help reduce these daily nuisances. In addition, plan ahead when it comes to other strategies that can help you manage your stress. Create a time for exercise, to plan healthy meals, and get on a regular schedule to ensure that you're getting enough sleep. Also, if you know you're going to be encountering a stressful period - the anniversary of a loved one's death, an upcoming surgery, a financial challenge - think ahead of time about how you are going to manage it. Having a plan can help to reduce your level of stress, and prevent it from taking a toll on your health.

Whatever strategies you choose, be certain to take time to assess and revise your approach if it's not working. Sometimes finding the right combination of stress busters can take time. If you are trying to reduce stress on your own and aren't having any success, talk to your doctor. She or he might recommend a mental health specialist who can help.

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3 simple strategies for stress relief - Harvard Health Blog

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The last few months of any year, with deadlines and holidays, often create a harried pace. The beginning of a new year can give you a chance to exhale. But even if you experience a few serene days or weeks, tight shoulders and tension are never far off. Family stress.

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restraint of senses to turn inward.

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The Congregation Detroit offers a community yoga class every week.