Yoga is undoubtedly one of the greatest gifts to mankind by ancient Hindu culture.
ancient Rushis(sages who must also have been physicists, mathematicians and Doctors) have explained in great details about benefits of Yoga on Human mind, soul and body.
They have always insisted that body is a temple and must be kept in best condition for the soul to attain highest goals inlife.
Patanjali rushi has written about Ashtang Yoga (eight steps of Yoga) . pranayam (breathing techniques ) and asans (bending body in various postures ) are one of these steps . it has been proven beyond doubt that they help imrove focus, concentration and improve oxygen intake and distribution of it to all the cells in body. (oxygen is known as pranvayu in sanskrit meaning the gas that sustains life form) .
Ramdev swami has made the pranayam popular in recent years in india and has re-established the benefits with medical records .
the medical world has known about these benefits since long (there are recorded . but have ignored it .
here is an article published in may-2013 :
The results of the study were presented last week here at the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) 2013 Scientific Sessions. shows clearly that yoga can reduce hypertension and reduce requirement for medication .
if a similar feat was achieved by a new medicine the same news would have made headlines. however for some unknown reasons, many in medical profession would prefer that instead of benefiting from yoga we should continue to use the medicines.
i have reproduced some part of the paper. you may follow the link to read the whole paper
"We know with
prehypertension it is a risk factor for cardiovascular events, so in
these people yoga would definitely have a benefit," lead investigator Dr Debbie Cohen (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) told heartwire
Excited by the results
To heartwire,
Cohen explained that there are a number of studies that have addressed
the benefits of yoga therapy on blood pressure. In fact, one of the
first studies was published as far back as 1975 in the Lancet,
but the medical community hasn't really embraced yoga to date. As a
result, many other trials are of poor design and of limited use given
the quality issues.
In fact, the US Food and Drug Administrationhas
approved one device (RESPeRATE, InterCure) as an adjunctive to lower
blood pressure. The device is designed to help train patients to slow
their respiration and ultimately, lower their blood pressure. The
mechanisms underlying the reduction in blood pressure are complex, said
Brook, and to date there are no long-term data supporting its use. The
evidence to support device-guided breathing is classified IIa, level of
evidence B.
Brook said there is concern that patients get their medical advice from television, specificallyDr Mehmet Oz,
and stop their use of medication. Breathing techniques to lower blood
pressure are considered appropriate in prehypertensive patients,
untreated stage 1 hypertension patients with no indication for drug
therapy, and as a possible adjuvant to step-down drug therapy, said
Brook.
it seems that instead of teaching yoga, they would want us to use machines made by them to get the same affect. then everyone will be happy - people for using a "modern technique" and profession for making money out of selling something which is available for free in first place.
i would suggest to everyone to learn and practice yoga regularly and get beenfits without waiting further.
if you need proof, talk to thousands of people in India who have benefited.
