A Cardiologist Explains How Yoga Can Benefit Heart Health
Kells McPhillips, February 7, 2022
"When you think of heart-healthy workouts, hardcore cardio sessions probably come to mind. (Burpees! Sprints! Squat jumps!) While it's true that going on a nice, long run or sweating your way through a HIIT class has noteworthy benefits for your ticker, there are also gentler ways to look out for your body's all-important organ. In fact, Kapil Parakh, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and medical lead for Fitbit, says that unrolling your yoga mat and breathing through pose after pose has plenty of heart-healthy benefits.
First things first, Dr. Parakh wants to remind you that all exercise is good for your heart. Period, end of story. That said, yoga has its own list of perks to brag about. The physical aspect of yoga, called "asana," has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol, and even lower blood sugar in diabetics. Yogic breathwork practices, or "pranayama," have also been shown to improve...
By Devinder Kaur
Sound as a meditation technique has its origins in eras past. The original forms of this type of meditation date back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The belief was that this type of practice could change a person’s wellness while improving their spirituality.
Over the centuries, this technique has been used by various cultures around the world and is also a key part of different yoga and meditation practices. Through the practice, a person’s body is entirely engulfed by sound and vibrations. These minute movements can help shift a person’s mindset and allow them to enter a spiritual state.
Sound bathing can include a range of instruments from singing bowls and drums to tuning forks and gongs. The instruments used depends on the type of session. There are many advantages–both physical and spiritual–that you can gain from this practice.
Release emotionsMay help you manage painLower anxiety levelsChange your state of consciousnessElevate your spirit
While there’s no single way to conduct a sound...
"Ayurveda recognizes winter as a kapha season with strong vata undertones. It is characterized by cold weather, a sense of heaviness, increased moisture (usually in the form of rain or snow), cloud-covered days, and the grounded, slow feeling that sends many animals into hibernation. These are all qualities shared by kapha dosha, which is why winter is considered—primarily—a kapha season.
However, if your climate is exceptionally cold and dry, or if you tend to feel more isolated during the winter months, vata will also be a strong component of your winter season, and you will want to actively keep vata placated as well.
How to Create a Supportive Winter Diet
Winter is actually the season when the digestive fire is strongest. The body requires more fuel to stay warm and healthy in the winter months, and the cold weather forces the fire principle deep into the core of the body—igniting the digestive capacity.
Our bodies, therefore, crave a more substantial, nutritive diet at this time of...
Yoga For Arthritis (YFA)
You have likely heard the phrase: “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga”. However, yoga also improves strength, balance, range of motion, and can lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression by contributing to better heart health and sleep. Yoga can be especially helpful for those living with a chronic illness.
Background
According to the Arthritis Society, 1 in 5 or 6 million Canadians are living with arthritis and as many as 25,000 children seek healthcare for arthritis. Women are more likely than men to have arthritis. It is Canada’s most common chronic disease for which there is currently no cure and by 2040, it is estimated that 50% more people will have arthritis.
Leading Types of Arthritis
The two leading forms of arthritis are Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoarthritis is traditionally viewed as wear and tear on the weight bearing joints such as the hips, spine and knees as well as in the hands, feet, ankles or neck. ...
By Devinder Kaur, Owner and Director of PranaShanti Yoga Centre
Sleep is the time for the body and mind to rest, reset, detoxify, and rejuvenate. However, sometimes life interferes with our internal biological rhythms, which can result in too little sleep or not very good sleep. A balanced sleep cycle is important for our health and well-being on a number of levels. Good sleep improves our brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders and can affect our ability to concentrate, to think clearly and process memories.
Yoga is a gentle and restorative way to help wind down at the end of the day. These three yoga poses relieve tension and stress to help prepare for sleep. The more that you practice the poses, the more they can help in a good night’s sleep.
Practice these poses before bedtime and stay in them about 3 to 5 minutes each.
1. Wide-Knee Child’s Pose...
Always a hit and these make the house smell so amazing. Devinder's Mom, Josephine, baked these cookies for well over a decade for students to enjoy with tea after yoga class on Sundays.
We're looking forward to bringing this tradition back to the Centre in 2023!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable shortening or butter1 cup sugar2 eggs (or egg substitute)2 cups flour2 tsp baking soda1 tsp each ginger, cinnamon and clove1/4 cup molasses1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Blend together shortening and sugar, then add eggs and molasses.Mix all dry ingredients together and slowly add it to the wet mix.Spoon into small balls and flatten on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.
...
The most striking characteristics of summer—the heat, the long days of bright sun, the sharp intensity, and the transformative nature of the season—are directly in line with pitta dosha, which is why summer is considered a pitta season.
And, despite the fact that some climates are exceptionally humid this time of year, the cumulative effect of intense heat is to dry things out, so summer is also considered dry. On a more subtle level, summer is a time of expansion and mobility—traits more characteristic of vata dosha.
While there is plenty to celebrate about summer’s unique personality, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
A summer seasonal routine is aimed at fostering diet and lifestyle habits that will help prevent the over-accumulation of summer qualities and allow you to enjoy the unique gifts that summertime has to offer.
General Recommendations for Pitta Season
Your primary focus through the summer months will be to keep pitta balanced by staying cool, mellowing intensity with relaxation,...
Our annual Summertime Fun Savings is back!
We're always so impressed how dedicated our yogis are through the Ottawa winter, that when it comes to summer, we want to help you maintain the benefits of a regular yoga practice for health and vibrancy through the warm months. That's why between NOW and August 31st, 2022, when you purchase a 10 or 20 class package, you'll receive some FREE yoga in the month of August.
The class packages do not expire and the bonus classes are valid for use between August 1 to August 31st, 2022. Our Class Packages and the FREE August classes can be used for In-Person and Online Classes.
When you purchase...
A 10 class package = 5 free August classes.
A 20 class package = 10 free August classes.
You can purchase online or at the Centre, and your classes will be added to your account.
It's a tremendous thing to get extra support in maintaining your practice! Yoga's a little like regular...
Have you ever wanted to start (or re-start) a writing practice and just can’t seem to make it happen? Maybe you think you don’t have the time or you don’t think it’s productive or that there is no benefit unless you publish. Those roadblocks along with many other myths are just some of the excuses we tell ourselves to keep us from creating and reaping the benefits that come from a creative practice.
Writing for no other purpose but ‘to write’ can be a helpful thing to do during times of uncertainty. It is a simple practice where writing for as short a time as three minutes can be beneficial after one session. While there are no guarantees, writing often helps people make sense of things going on in their lives. Writing can also help with processing and coping.
No matter what ‘purpose’ we have for writing, many people know that writing can be settling and comforting. Franz Kafka, a writer of...
Announcing our OPENING DATE! SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27!
We’re happy to announce that PranaShanti Yoga Centre will open at 950 Gladstone Ave. on Sunday, December 27!
As we wrap up construction and get ready to receive you, we will continue with our current Class Schedule and Wellness Appointments from our 45 Eccles Street location until December 23. We will be closed December 24, 25 and 26 for the holidays.
December 27-30: We will offer our current Class Schedule of Interactive Live Stream Classes and In Person Classes plus Wellness Appointments all from 950 Gladstone Ave.
December 31: Closed for New Year’s Eve.
January 1: Open for 8 Specialty Classes to celebrate the New Year!
January 2 and Onward: Open with our NEW and EXPANDED Class Schedule and wellness offerings.
To learn more and stay up to date, keep an eye on our website and sign up for our newsletter at www.pranashanti.com
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