Posts Tagged ‘study’

Join the Club

Deepening your practice doesn’t always mean getting your body into a deeper asana. In fact, sometimes you’ll get more out of sitting down with a book and deepening your knowledge of the practice.

But there are so many important yoga books filled with philosophy, history, anatomy, and spirituality that it can seem like an impossible task to just pick one up and start studying. For many yoga students, it’s even more difficult to stay motivated to keep reading when the books get too esoteric or life gets in the way. If either of these scenarios for yoga study sounds like you, you might consider joining a yoga book club. Sometimes a little extra support from friends is all you need. You could get together a group of friends once a week to discuss the texts or write your thoughts through an online community group like the YJ Community Yoga Study Group.

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Image from Namaste Book Club

Or you could read along with a new blog called the Namaste Book Club where you can now vote for the first book the club will read together. You can even follow the club leaders’ tweets on Twitter for constant reminders (that you should get away from your computer and crack open a book, perhaps?)

Have any of you ever participated in a yoga book club? What are some books you think should be first on the list?

Read the whole story on:http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogabuzz/

Depressed? Anxious? Yoga Works!

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The latest Harvard Mental Health Letter touts yoga as a tool to help people manage both anxiety and depression.

In the past, studies evaluating yoga as a therapeutic tool have been too small and poorly designed to be scientifically sound, says the study. However, a 2004 analysis found that, in recent decades, an increasing number met more rigorous standards. “Available reviews of a wide range of yoga practices suggest they can reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends.”

Isn’t it nice to see that science is starting to come around to something yoga practitioners have known for thousands of years? Have any of you seen an improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms because of your yoga practice?

Read the whole story on:http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogabuzz/