In an article entitled " Beyond Om: The Many Styles of Yoga" , WebMD discusses the different types of Hatha Yoga, which is the most commonly practiced form of yoga in western countries:
The Hatha Yoga Styles
The variations of Hatha yoga range from the physically challenging
to the meditatively transcending. According to the Yoga Research and Education
Center web site, they include:
Iyengar yoga, which is the most widely recognized approach
to Hatha yoga, is characterized by precision performance and the aid of various
props, such as cushions, benches, wood blocks, straps, and even sand bags.
Asthanga yoga involves synchronizing the
breath with a fast-paced series of postures -- a process producing intense
internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs.
The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm
mind.
Bikram yoga is a system of 26 postures that are performed
in a standard sequence in a room heated to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. This
approach is fairly vigorous and requires a certain level of fitness on the part
of students.
Viniyoga focuses on practicing a posture according to one's
individual needs and capacity. Regulated breathing is an important aspect of
Viniyoga, and the breath is carefully coordinated with the postural movements.
Kripalu yoga is a three-stage yoga. In the first stage,
postural alignment and coordination of breath and movement are emphasized, and
the postures are held for a short duration only. In the second stage, meditation
is included into the practice and postures are held for prolonged periods. In
the final stage, the practice of postures becomes a spontaneous "meditation in
motion."
Integral yoga made a debut at the Woodstock festival in
1969, where yoga expert Swami Satchidananda taught thousands to chant, "om."
This style aims to integrate the various aspects of the body and mind through a
combination of postures, breathing techniques, deep relaxation, and meditation,
and function is more important than form. In this style of yoga, breathing and
meditation are emphasized as much as the postures.
Sivananda yoga includes a series of twelve postures,
breathing exercises, relaxation, and mantra chanting.
Ananda yoga is a gentle style that is designed to prepare
the student for meditation, involving consciously directing the body's energy to
different organs and limbs.
Research
Systematic review of the efficacy of meditation techniques as treatments for
medical illness.
(Although the title says 'meditation', yoga was included in this study)
From the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Arias
AJ,
Steinberg
K,
Banga
A,
Trestman
RL
.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Medical
School, Farmington, CT, USA.
BACKGROUND: Meditative techniques are sought frequently by
patients coping with medical and psychological problems. Because of their
increasingly widespread appeal and use, and the potential for use as medical
therapies, a concise and thorough review of the current state of scientific
knowledge of these practices as medical interventions was conducted.
PURPOSE: To
systematically review the evidence supporting efficacy and safety of meditative
practices in treating illnesses, and examine areas warranting further study.
Studies on normal healthy populations are not included.
METHODS: Searches were
performed using PubMed, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Database. Keywords were
Meditation, Meditative Prayer, Yoga, Relaxation Response. Qualifying studies
were reviewed and independently rated based on quality by two reviewers.
Mid-to-high-quality studies (those scoring above 0.65 or 65% on a validated
research quality scale) were included.
RESULTS: From a total of 82 identified
studies, 20 randomized controlled trials met our criteria. The studies included
958 subjects total (397 experimentally treated, 561 controls). No serious
adverse events were reported in any of the included or excluded clinical trials.
Serious adverse events are reported in the medical literature, though rare. The
strongest evidence for efficacy was found for epilepsy, symptoms of the
premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms. Benefit was also demonstrated for
mood and anxiety disorders, autoimmune illness, and emotional disturbance in
neoplastic disease.
CONCLUSIONS: The results support the safety and potential
efficacy of meditative practices for treating certain illnesses, particularly in
nonpsychotic mood and anxiety disorders. Clear and reproducible evidence
supporting efficacy from large, methodologically sound studies is lacking.
Yoga and Exercise: Do They Help People with MS? (an autoimmune disease)
Fatigue, depression, and cognitive problems (including difficulties with
paying attention and being alert) often affect people with multiple sclerosis
(MS). In the first randomized clinical trial to learn whether yoga could help
these symptoms, a team led by Oregon Health & Science University's Barry
Oken, M.D., found that yoga--as well as aerobic exercise--reduced fatigue
compared with a group of 20 people who did not participate in either activity.
However, neither yoga nor exercise produced significant improvements in
depression or cognitive problems. For 6 months, researchers followed 22 yoga
participants and 15 exercise participants who did these activities in classes
for 90 minutes weekly (modified to suit physical limitations) and at home. In
the June 8, 2004, issue of Neurology, the authors described the results
of this trial as significant but noted that no known direct physical
cause-and-effect relationship could explain the findings, so other factors (such
as the placebo effect) might have been at work.
Resources
Yoga for the Rest of Us with Peggy Cappy (dvd)
Yoga For Inflexible People (dvd)
A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners (dvd)
Reviews
There are, of course, differing views on exactly how effective yoga
is as a therapy for alopecia areata. But there is little doubt that undertaking a fitness routine that promotes health, strength and balance can be a great boon to one's self-confidence and general well-being. If you have experience with yoga,
whether positive or negative, please take a moment to share your review with
those who are considering it for themselves or their family member.
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Back to Alternative Therapy Home
Alternative therapies run the gamut from the generally accepted as
beneficial, to the edge of the edge of the fringe. First it must be
noted that one shouldn't undertake any sort of elective therapy without
consulting a medical practitioner. Now having said that (and meant it!)
we can go ahead and talk about what can be a useful and beneficial area
to explore. There was the recent much reported story on how a
preliminary study on the effects of hypnotherapy on alopecia were at
least promising. We like promising.
