YOGA & MOVEMENT

People who aren't familiar with yoga or qigong often think these are types of 'exercise' — activities for people who intend to improve or train their body.  

For example, people might exercise to get good at a physical skill, or they exercise to develop a strong body, or they want to be more physically attractive. So they exercise.

The exercise attitude has come down to us from the athleticism of ancient Greece (think the Olympics!). The exercise attitude dominates the modern world with its …

Yoga has been popular in health & fitness for decades. Maybe there’s a yoga studio in your neighbourhood, or yoga classes at the gym or community centre.  

But you might not realize that yoga is more than just relaxation and fitness. Yoga is a potential therapy. Yoga is good medicine!

That was highlighted in a significant research review published in 2017:  “Yoga for improving health-related quality of life, mental health and cancer-related symptoms in women diagnosed with breast cancer”.

T…

Thank you for all the feedback about last week’s post “Yoga is good medicine!”. It seems many of us are interested in yoga! Here’s some of your comments and my replies too.

Yes, I’d say yoga is a self-care practice supporting mental health. It’s been part of my life for many years, and I’ve seen many patients benefit from yoga in our MBSR programs. That’s why I highlighted the research in last week’s email. 

One member emailed to say she’s cautious about COVID so she’s not at the yoga studio…

Maybe you don’t like to ‘exercise’?

Usually I don’t advise women to exercise. Why would I?

If a woman likes to go to the gym or visit with a personal trainer, or she enjoys jogging or swimming or using exercise equipment, etc. — she doesn’t need my advice. This is something she likes to do. She feels happy and yes, she gets health benefits too. 

On the other hand, I’ve found that recommending exercise is often counterproductive. Many women just don’t like ‘exercise’ activities. If they do …