1 1733 70 PERSPECTIVES ON BENEFITS OF CLASSROOM YOGA AND THE NEED FOR INNOVATION AND ADAPTATION. SCHOLARSHIP ON THE USE OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS IS OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE: THEORETICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL PIECES TOUT THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION, WHILE RESEARCH REVEALS MANY POSITIVE OUTCOMES. BASED ON THEIR PRACTICE OF CLASSROOM YOGA, THE AUTHORS FOUND THAT YOGA, AS A CONTEMPLATIVE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, HELPED STUDENTS TRANSITION FROM BUSY LIVES TO FOCUS ON THE LEARNING PROCESS AND DEVELOP AN ACADEMIC MINDSET. ADDITIONALLY, THEY OBSERVED THAT SUCCESSFULLY OFFERING YOGA IN THE CLASSROOM REQUIRES A RESPONSIVE AND ITERATIVE APPROACH THAT FLEXIBLY ADAPTS TO CONDITIONS AND ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE CONTINUOUSLY IN FLUX. 2021 2 1734 16 PERSPECTIVES ON YOGA INPUTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN. CHRONIC PAIN IS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL. AT THE PHYSICAL LEVEL ITSELF, BEYOND THE NOCICEPTIVE PATHWAY, THERE IS HYPER AROUSAL STATE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, WHICH NEGATIVELY INFLUENCES TENSION COMPONENT OF THE MUSCLES, PATTERNS OF BREATHING, ENERGY LEVELS AND MINDSET, ALL OF WHICH EXACERBATE THE DISTRESS AND AFFECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY. BEGINNING WITH THE PHYSICAL BODY, YOGA EVENTUALLY INFLUENCES ALL ASPECTS OF THE PERSON: VITAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL. IT OFFERS VARIOUS LEVELS AND APPROACHES TO RELAX, ENERGIZE, REMODEL AND STRENGTHEN BODY AND PSYCHE. THE ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA HARMONIZE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEM AND INITIATE A "RELAXATION RESPONSE" IN THE NEURO ENDOCRINAL SYSTEM. THIS CONSISTS OF DECREASED METABOLISM, QUIETER BREATHING, STABLE BLOOD PRESSURE, REDUCED MUSCLE TENSION, LOWER HEART RATE AND SLOW BRAIN WAVE PATTERN. AS THE NEURAL DISCHARGE PATTERN GETS MODULATED, HYPER AROUSAL OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE STATIC LOAD ON POSTURAL MUSCLE COME DOWN. THE FUNCTION OF VISCERA IMPROVES WITH THE SENSE OF RELAXATION AND SLEEP GETS DEEPER AND SUSTAINED; FATIGUE DIMINISHES. SEVERAL SUBTLE LEVEL NOTIONAL CORRECTIONS CAN HAPPEN IN CASE THE SUBJECT MEDITATES AND THAT CHANGES THE CONTEXT OF THE DISEASE, PAIN AND THE MEANING OF LIFE. MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA, ALONG WITH RELAXING ASANAS, CAN HELP INDIVIDUALS DEAL WITH THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF CHRONIC PAIN, REDUCE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION EFFECTIVELY AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE PERCEIVED. 2010 3 1475 11 INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA. YOGA IS A SCIENCE OF HOLISTIC LIVING AND NOT MERELY A SET OF ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA. IT IS A PSYCHO PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL SCIENCE, WHICH AIMS AT THE HARMONIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BODY, MIND AND SOUL. YOGA IS THE CONSCIOUS ART OF SELF-DISCOVERY. IT IS A PROCESS BY WHICH ANIMAL MAN ASCENDS THROUGH THE STAGES FROM NORMAL MAN TO SUPER MAN AND THEN THE DIVINE MAN. IT IS AN EXPANSION OF THE NARROW CONSTRICTED EGOISTIC PERSONALITY TO AN ALL-PERVASIVE ETERNAL AND BLISSFUL STATE OF REALITY. YOGA IS AN ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY AT PHYSICAL, MENTAL INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL LEVEL. 2000 4 401 14 BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR YOGA. CONTEXT: THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR YOGA, WHILE SYSTEMATIC, IS OFTEN INEFFECTIVE. METHODS: A UNIQUE APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR A YOGA TEACHER TRAINING SEMINAR IS PRESENTED, FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF THOMAS MYERS' ANATOMY TRAINS. LAB ACTIVITIES ARE DETAILED AND BLOOM'S TAXONOMY IS APPLIED TO ENSURE STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN HIGHER LEVEL THINKING AND APPLICATION. CONCLUSION: GOING BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING ANATOMY FOR YOGA CAN BE EXTREMELY REWARDING FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ALIKE. 2015 5 2907 17 [ON THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE ELUCIDATION OF MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF CIGUN, INDIAN AND TIBETAN YOGA THERAPY]. THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH IS PROPOSED ALLOWING TO OBJECTIVELY CHARACTERIZE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF CIGUN, INDIAN AND TIBETAN YOGA THERAPY. EXECUTION OF EXERCISES STIPULATED IN THESE PROGRAMS IS INTERPRETED AS A CONSCIOUSNESS-INSPIRED SPECIFIC FORM OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR (ACTIVITY). STEP-BY-STEP ANALYSIS OF MENTALLY-ORGANIZED BODY'S FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS AS A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF REALIZABLE BEHAVIOUR IS PRESENTED. OPERATIONAL INTERPRETATION OF INTERNAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE SYSTEM'S FUNCTIONING PERMITS TO EVALUATE THE STEREOTYPE BRAIN CONDITION ACTUALIZED BY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND MOTIVATIONS THAT INITIATES SENSORY DEPRIVATION TO ENSURE PRIORITY REALIZATION OF INTERNAL GENETICALLY DETERMINED ACTIVITY OF THE HUMAN BODY. MOBILIZATION OF THIS INTERNAL ACTIVITY IS DESCRIBED AS A PROCESS OF SELECTIVE FORMATION OF MANY COMPLICATED INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS STRUCTURES OF THE RETICULAR FORMATION, LIMBIC SYSTEM, SUBCORTICAL CENTRES, AND NEOCORTEX MAINTAINING PRIORITY FUNCTIONING OF HOMEOSTATIC MECHANISMS OF SELF-REGULATION AND INBORN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. THESE MECHANISMS ARE BELIEVED TO UNDERLIE THE AUTORECONSTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL OF HUMAN ORGANISM BY ENSURING SYSTEMIC CORRECTION AND RESTORATION OF ITS FUNCTIONAL RESOURCES. 2010 6 543 6 CONSCIOUSNESS AND ITS PROFOUND ELEVATION WITH AYURVEDA AND YOGA. THE AYU HAS ITS FOUR COMPONENTS NAMELY :- BODY, MIND, SENSE AND CONSCIOUSNESS. THUS WO CAN SAY THAT AYURVEDA MEANS "A SYSTEMATIC COMPLETE VALID KNOWLODGE OF LIFE SCIENCE INCLUDING THO GROSS AND ASTRAL FORM OF BODY." THE WHOLE OBJECT OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA CENTRE ROUND THE KNOWLEDGE OF CORRELATION AMONG THE FOUR COMPONENTS AND ESTABLISHING A HARMONY AMONG THEM FOREVER". 1982 7 2909 17 [PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL FUNDAMENTALS AND GENESIS OF TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA. PARAMOUNT EMPIRICAL EFFICACY]. THIS ARTICLE IS DEVOTED TO THE ANALYSIS OF PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL FUNDAMENTALS AND GENESIS OF TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA BASED ON THE OVERVIEW OF THE RELEVANT LITERATURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE METHODOLOGY OF THESE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISCIPLINES AND THEIR THERAPEUTIC AND HEALTH-GIVING EFFICACY. BASED ON THE COMBINATION OF PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL CATEGORIES AND MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONCEPT OF THE FIVE PRIMARY ELEMENTS, THE AUTHORS ILLUSTRATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEMIC APPROACH BY WHICH ANCIENT PHYSICIANS RELATED MAN TO NATURE IN ORDER TO DERIVE THE ADAPTATION PRINCIPLE REALIZED THROUGH HUMAN ACTIVITIES. TRADITIONAL AND MODERN ASPECTS OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CONSIDERED. IN THE TRADITIONAL CONTEXT, THE PERFORMANCE OF EXERCISES AS ASSIGNED BY TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA IS CONSIDERED AS THE PURPOSEFUL REALIZATION OF THE ENERGY OF CONSCIENCE FOR HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT AND IN THE MODERN CONTEXT AS THE REALIZATION OF A NOVEL FORM OF PSYCHIC CREATIVE CAPACITY TO THE SAME EFFECT BASED ON FRUITFUL BRAINWORK. 2011 8 2919 12 [THE IMPORTANCE OF LETTING GO IN THE HEALTH FIELD THROUGH YOGA]. A DISCIPLINE FOR BODY AND MIND ORIENTED TOWARDS CALMING AND INNER TRANQUILLITY, YOGA IS COUNTING MORE AND MORE ADEPTS IN OUR HECTIC SOCIETIES. MANY HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS NOW OFFER YOGA CLASSES FOR TEAMS TO HELP PROFESSIONALS MANAGE STRESS, RELIEVE PAIN AND BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF WELL-BEING. A NURSE TESTIFIES TO THE BENEFITS OF THIS PRACTICE. 2021 9 1954 18 SECULARITY: GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR INCLUSIVE YOGA IN SCHOOLS. THIS COMMENTARY EXPLORES THE LEGAL AND ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS OF YOGA PROGRAMS AND TEACHERS TO UPHOLD BOTH THE PRINCIPLES AND THE SPIRIT OF SECULARISM WHEN TEACHING YOGA IN SCHOOLS. ARGUING THAT SECULARITY IS ESSENTIAL BOTH TO COMPLY WITH LEGAL MANDATES AND TO MAXIMIZE INCLUSIVITY AND ACCESS, EACH FACET OF A SECULAR APPROACH TO YOGA IN SCHOOLS IS EXPLORED THROUGH AN INQUIRY-BASED MODEL MEANT TO HELP THE READER GAIN CLARITY AND MAKE INFORMED CHOICES WHEN DEVELOPING SCHOOL-BASED YOGA PROGRAMMING. THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT ADDRESS THE USE OF NONSECULAR YOGA FOR CHILDREN OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL SETTING. IT INSTEAD SPEAKS TO THE COMPLEXITIES OF TOPICS SUCH AS SPIRITUALITY, PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION, SECULAR ETHICS, AND THE USE OF CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS WITHIN SCHOOL PROGRAMS. WHILE INVITING CONTINUED REFLECTION ON THE NUANCES OF THE TOPIC, THE ARTICLE CONCLUDES THAT GIVEN BOTH THE LEGAL IMPERATIVES AND POTENTIAL RISK OF EXCLUSION, FAILURE TO OFFER SCHOOL-BASED YOGA USING A SECULAR APPROACH THREATENS TO UNDERMINE THE SUCCESS OF THE FIELD AND HINDER ACCESS TO PRACTICES THAT HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON YOUNG PEOPLE. 2019 10 1671 25 NEW ENERGY GEOGRAPHIES: A CASE STUDY OF YOGA, MEDITATION AND HEALTHFULNESS. BEGINNING WITH A ROUTINE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PRACTITIONER OF YOGA AND MEDITATION AND EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE OF NURTURING, MAINTAINING AND PREVENTING THE DISSIPATION OF DIVERSE 'ENERGIES', THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE POSSIBILITIES FOR GEOGRAPHICAL HEALTH STUDIES WHICH TAKE SERIOUSLY 'NEW ENERGY GEOGRAPHIES'. IT IS EXPLAINED HOW THIS ACCOUNT IS DERIVED FROM IN-DEPTH FIELDWORK TRACING HOW PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION FIND TIMES AND SPACES FOR THESE PRACTICES, OFTEN IN THE FACE OF BUSY URBAN LIFESTYLES. ATTENTION IS PAID TO THE 'ENERGY TALK' FEATURING HEAVILY IN HOW PRACTITIONERS DESCRIBE THE BENEFITS THAT THEY PERCEIVE THEMSELVES TO DERIVE FROM THESE PRACTICES, AND TO CLAIMS MADE ABOUT 'ENERGIES' GENERATED DURING THE TIME-SPACES OF THESE PRACTICES WHICH SEEMINGLY FLOW, USUALLY WITH POSITIVE EFFECTS, INTO OTHER DOMAINS OF THEIR LIVES. THE PAPER THEN DISCUSSES THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS ENERGY TALK IN THE CONTEXT OF: (A) CRITICALLY REVIEWING CONVENTIONAL APPROACHES TO STUDYING 'ENERGY GEOGRAPHIES'; (B) IDENTIFYING AN ALERTNESS TO THE LIKES OF 'AFFECTIVE ENERGIES' SURFACING IN RECENT THEORETICALLY-ATTUNED WORKS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (AND COGNATE DISCIPLINES); AND (C) EXPLORING DIFFERING UNDERSTANDINGS OF ENERGY/ENERGIES EXTANT IN GEOGRAPHICAL STUDIES OF HEALTH AND IN STEP WITH THE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH MATERIALS PRESENTED ABOUT YOGA, MEDITATION AND HEALTHFULNESS. WHILE ORIENTATED TOWARDS EXPLICITLY GEOGRAPHICAL INQUIRIES, THE PAPER IS INTENDED AS A STATEMENT OF INTEREST TO THE WIDER MEDICAL HUMANITIES. 2015 11 2042 19 THE 'WORLD OF YOGA': THE PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. YOGA IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE FASHIONABLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. THIS ACTIVITY, PARTLY CONSIDERED AS THERAPEUTIC, REVEALS CONTEMPORARY WAYS OF PRODUCING GLOBAL PRACTICES. VIA A QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETED BY INDIVIDUALS AT YOGA CENTRES IN INDIA AND FRANCE, THE PAPER ANALYSES THIS PHENOMENON USING THE CONCEPT OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. FURTHERMORE, IT EXAMINES HOW THESE THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES ARE INFLUENCED BY GLOBALISATION. BRINGING TOGETHER THE CONCEPTS OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES, GLOBALISATION AND THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, THE PAPER ANALYSES THE PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION OF YOGIC THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES IN THE WORLD'S SPACE. CONSTITUTED OF NATURAL PHYSICAL ELEMENTS AND BUILT STRUCTURES, THESE THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES ARE ALSO STRONGLY LINKED TO EMOTIONAL QUALITIES AND INTIMATE FEELINGS EVOKED BY THE PLACE AND RELATED TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE PAPER ALSO UNDERLINES THAT THE EMERGENCE OF INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES DEMANDS A CULTURAL AND SOCIAL GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH THAT COULD HELP TO EXAMINE THE REPERCUSSIONS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL PHENOMENA ON THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES. INDEED, VERY OFTEN, YOGIS, ALL AROUND THE WORLD, REFER TO IDEAL PLACES WHERE THEY RARELY GO. CONSEQUENTLY, THEY CREATE AN IMAGINED THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT THAT THE PAPER DESCRIBES. 2007 12 2296 13 THERAPEUTIC PROCESSES IN A YOGA ASHRAM. ALTHOUGH COMMUNAL AND NEW RELIGIOUS GROUPS ARE SAID TO PROVIDE QUASI-THERAPEUTIC EXPERIENCES FOR RELATIVELY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR SOCIETY, THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THIS OCCURS. THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE LIFESTYLE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF A YOGA ASHRAM AND DESCRIBES HOW THEY FACILITATE PROCESSES WHERE RESIDENTS LEARN TO RELEASE AND PREVENT STRESS IN THEIR LIVES. 1985 13 2887 18 YOGA: CAN IT BE INTEGRATED WITH TREATMENT OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN? BACKGROUND: NEUROPATHIC PAIN (NP) IS A DEBILITATING CONDITION THAT MAY RESULT FROM SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI). NEARLY 75% OF ALL SCI RESULTS IN NP AFFECTING 17,000 NEW INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR, AND AN ESTIMATED 7-10% OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. IT IS CAUSED BY DAMAGED OR DYSFUNCTIONAL NERVE FIBERS SENDING ABERRANT SIGNALS TO PAIN CENTERS IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING SEVERE PAIN THAT AFFECTS DAILY LIFE AND ROUTINE. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING NP ARE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD, MAKING TREATMENT DIFFICULT. IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC MOLECULAR PATHWAYS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN PAIN SYNDROMES AND FINDING EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS HAS BECOME A MAJOR PRIORITY IN CURRENT SCI RESEARCH. YOGA HAS THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS MAY PROVE BENEFICIAL IN TREATING SUBJECTS SUFFERING CHRONICALLY WITH SCI INDUCED NP, CHRONIC BACK AND ASSOCIATED PAINS IF NECESSARY EXPERIMENTAL DATA IS GENERATED. SUMMARY: THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF VARIOUS MECHANISTIC APPROACHES OF YOGA WHICH CAN BE TESTED BY NEW STUDY DESIGNS AROUND VARIOUS NOCICEPTIVE MOLECULES INCLUDING MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES (MMPS), CATION-DEPENDENT CHLORIDE TRANSPORTER (NKCC1) ETC IN SCI INDUCED NP PATIENTS. KEY MESSAGES: THUS, YOGIC PRACTICES COULD BE USED IN MANAGING SCI INDUCED NP PAIN BY REGULATING THE ACTION OF VARIOUS MECHANISMS AND ITS ASSOCIATED MOLECULES. MODERN PRESCRIPTIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES COMBINED WITH ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES LIKE YOGA SHOULD BE USED IN REHABILITATION CENTERS AND CLINICS IN ORDER TO AMELIORATE CHRONIC NP. WE RECOMMEND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF CAREFUL YOGA PRACTICE AS PART OF AN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE APPROACH FOR NP ASSOCIATED WITH SCI. 2019 14 1310 19 HEALING MYTHS, YOGA STYLES AND SOCIAL BODIES: SOCIO-LOGICS OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE IN THE SOCIALLY STRATIFIED CITY OF MARSEILLE, FRANCE. DRAWING ON PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEWS IN TWO YOGA STUDIOS IN THE HIGHLY SOCIALLY STRATIFIED CITY OF MARSEILLE, FRANCE, THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE UNDERSTANDINGS OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE THAT EMERGE AT THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN YOGA STYLES AND THEIR SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF CONSUMPTION. ITS INSIGHTS EMERGE FROM THE COMPARISON OF THREE MODERN YOGA STYLES THAT WERE DEVELOPED FOR WESTERN ENGLISH-SPEAKING CULTURAL CONTEXTS - IYENGAR, BIKRAM AND FORREST - AND WHICH DIFFER IN FORM BUT ALSO IN THE CHRONOLOGY OF THEIR EMERGENCE ON THE GLOBAL YOGA MARKET AND THAT OF THEIR RECEPTION IN FRANCE. THESE THREE YOGA STYLES ARE ALSO BRANDED THROUGH CONTRASTING MYTHOLOGIES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL HEALING, AND THE AIM OF THIS PAPER IS TO EXPLORE HOW A BRAND CONCEPTUALIZATION OF YOGA AS A HEALTH PRACTICE RELATES TO OR RESONATES WITH THE EMBODIED EXPERIENCES OF PRACTITIONERS, AND TO THE SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXTS IN WHICH PRACTITIONERS AND THEIR PRACTICES ARE EMBEDDED. THE PAPER CONTRIBUTES A NEW CASE STUDY TO THE GLOBAL YOGA SCHOLARSHIP AND TO A POORLY STUDIED FRENCH YOGA SCENE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT CROSS-EXAMINES THE DISCOURSES THROUGH WHICH A YOGA STYLE IS BRANDED, THE WAY IT IS TRANSMITTED, AND THE SOCIAL CONTEXT AND SOCIAL POSITIONING OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE IT. COMBINING PERSPECTIVES ON THE BODY, NARRATIVE AND RITUALS, IT IDENTIFIES HOW YOGA HEALING IS CONSTRUED IN RELATION TO GENDER, ETHNICITY AND CLASS AND THE POINTS OF CONSENSUS AND DISSENT THAT EMERGE FROM THE ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN FRENCH SOCIAL BODIES AND EXOGENOUS YOGA STYLES. 2021 15 397 13 BEYOND CORRECT POSTURES AND FLEXIBLE BODIES: EXPLORING THE RELEVANCE OF YOGA IN END-OF-LIFE CARE. SINCE THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY, YOGA HAS EMERGED AS A MULTI-MILLION US DOLLAR GLOBAL FITNESS INDUSTRY. IT HAS DRAWN WORLDWIDE FOLLOWERS TO PRACTICE POSTURAL AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. HOWEVER, THE FITNESS MODEL ONLY ELUCIDATES HOW TO LIVE WELL AND NOT HOW TO DIE WELL. THIS ARTICLE CONTENDS THAT THE BODY-CENTRIC APPROACH HAS LITTLE RELEVANCE TO THOSE WHO ARE DYING. IT ESPOUSES THAT YOGIC VALUES LIKE TRANSCENDENCE, HOLISTIC HEALING, HARMONY, AND DEATH-ACCEPTANCE THAT QUALIFY A 'GOOD' DEATH ARE REGRETTABLY LOST IN MODERN TIMES. IN CONCLUSION, THE SOTERIOLOGICAL AIM NEEDS TO BE RETAINED IN THE MODERN YOGIC DISCOURSE TO LIVE WELL AND DIE GRACEFULLY. 2022 16 2304 17 TOWARD AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA THERAPY INFORMED BY PHILOSOPHICAL AND ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES. CONTEXT * YOGA THERAPY IS AN EMERGING COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTICE FOR WHICH THERE IS INCREASING INTEREST FROM BOTH CLINICAL AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES. CURRENTLY MISSING, HOWEVER, IS AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROFESSION THAT PROVIDES PRACTITIONERS, CLIENTS, AND THE PUBLIC WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW VARIOUS YOGIC TRADITIONS AND PRINCIPLES CAN BE UNDERSTOOD IN MODERN HEALTH CARE CONTEXTS. OBJECTIVE * THIS STUDY PROPOSES AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR YOGA THERAPY, INFORMED BY PHENOMENOLOGY, EUDAIMONIA, VIRTUE ETHICS, AND FIRST-PERSON ETHICAL INQUIRY. CONCLUSIONS * THESE 4 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES-PHENOMENOLOGY, EUDAIMONIA, VIRTUE ETHICS, AND FIRST-PERSON ETHICAL INQUIRY-PROVIDE A LENS THROUGH WHICH TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOGIC PRACTICES SUPPORT THE INDIVIDUAL'S TRANSFORMATION IN THE EXPERIENCE OF ILLNESS, PAIN, OR DISABILITY. WE PROPOSE THAT THIS TRANSFORMATION OCCURS THROUGH FACILITATING A REHARMONIZATION OF BODY, MIND, AND ENVIRONMENT TOWARD THE EXPERIENCE OF EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING. 2018 17 2714 22 YOGA LESSONS FOR CONSCIOUSNESS RESEARCH: A PARALIMBIC NETWORK BALANCING BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION. CONSCIOUSNESS HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SHAPING FLEXIBLE LEARNING AND AS SUCH IS THOUGHT TO CONFER AN EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE. ATTENTION AND AWARENESS ARE THE PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT UNDERLYING PROCESSES, YET THEIR PRECISE RELATIONSHIP IS PRESENTLY UNCLEAR. BOTH OF THESE PROCESSES MUST, HOWEVER, SERVE THE EVOLUTIONARY IMPERATIVES OF SURVIVAL AND PROCREATION. THEY ARE THUS INTIMATELY BOUND BY REWARD AND EMOTION TO HELP TO PRIORITIZE EFFICIENT BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN ORDER TO PREDICT AND OPTIMIZE BEHAVIOR. HERE WE SHOW HOW THIS PROCESS IS SERVED BY A PARALIMBIC NETWORK CONSISTING PRIMARILY OF REGIONS LOCATED ON THE MIDLINE OF THE HUMAN BRAIN. USING MANY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, EXPERIMENTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THIS NETWORK IS EFFECTIVE AND SPECIFIC FOR SELF-AWARENESS AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE SENSE OF UNITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS BY ACTING AS A COMMON NEURAL PATH FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCES. INTERESTINGLY, HEMODYNAMIC ACTIVITY IN THE NETWORK DECREASES WITH FOCUSING ON EXTERNAL STIMULI, WHICH HAS LED TO THE IDEA OF A DEFAULT MODE NETWORK. THIS NETWORK IS ONE OF MANY NETWORKS THAT WAX AND VANE AS RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO ACCOMMODATE THE DIFFERENT CYCLICAL NEEDS OF THE ORGANISM PRIMARILY RELATED TO THE FUNDAMENTAL PLEASURES AFFORDED BY EVOLUTION: FOOD, SEX, AND CONSPECIFICS. HERE WE HYPOTHESIZE, HOWEVER, THAT THE PARALIMBIC NETWORK SERVES A CRUCIAL ROLE IN BALANCING AND REGULATING BRAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION, AND DISCUSS HOW IT CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A LINK BETWEEN CURRENT THEORIES OF SO-CALLED "DEFAULT MODE," "RESTING STATE NETWORKS," AND "GLOBAL WORKSPACE." WE SHOW HOW MAJOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS OF SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-CONTROL CAN ARISE FROM PROBLEMS IN THE PARALIMBIC NETWORK AS DEMONSTRATED HERE BY THE EXAMPLE OF ASPERGER SYNDROME. WE CONCLUDE THAT ATTENTION, AWARENESS, AND EMOTION ARE INTEGRATED BY A PARALIMBIC NETWORK THAT HELPS TO EFFICIENTLY ALLOCATE BRAIN RESOURCES TO OPTIMIZE BEHAVIOR AND HELP SURVIVAL. 2011 18 409 20 BLENDING MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA FOR HEALTH: FROM THE LAST SAMURAI TO THE FIRST ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR. THIS PAPER INTRODUCES THE CASE STUDY OF ODAKA YOGA, AN INNOVATIVE STYLE OF POSTURAL YOGA BLENDED WITH MARTIAL ARTS ELEMENTS WHICH EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTITIONERS' HEALTH AND PROCESSES OF SELF-TRANSFORMATION AS PIVOTAL TO THE SCHOOL'S ETHOS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE PAPER EXPLORES HOW ODAKA YOGA'S PHILOSOPHICAL BACKDROPS AND PRACTICAL REPERTOIRE, COMPOSED BY A MIXTURE OF "EXOTIC" RESOURCES SUCH AS BUSHIDO, ZEN, YOGA, AND A CONSTANT REFERENCE TO THE OCEAN WAVES AND BIOMECHANICS, CONSTITUTE A VERY SPECIFIC VISION OF HEALTH AT THE INTERSECTION OF WESTERN SCIENCE AND ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE. THEORETICALLY, THE PAPER BORROWS FROM JENNINGS' THEORY OF MARTIAL CREATION AND ENRICHES IT WITH SOME OF THE CENTRAL ANALYTICAL TOOLS PROPOSED BY THEORISTS SUCH AS BOURDIEU AND FOUCAULT. METHODOLOGICALLY, IT RELIES ON A MULTIMODAL APPROACH INCLUDING DISCURSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SCHOOL'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, INTERVIEWS WITH THE FOUNDERS AND OTHER KEY TEACHERS, AND OBSERVANT PARTICIPATION OF PRACTITIONERS' APPRENTICESHIP PROCESSES. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE BIRTH OF ODAKA YOGA AS OCCURRING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS AND YOGA, AS WELL AS THE FOUNDERS' BIOGRAPHICAL TRAJECTORIES FROM THE WORLD OF COMPETITIVE MARTIAL ARTS AND FITNESS, TO YOGA; IT THEN TURNS TO AN EXAMINATION OF ODAKA YOGA'S CONCEPTION OF HEALTH AS A MIXTURE OF THE WESTERN BIOMEDICAL MODEL AND THE SUBTLE BODY MODEL OF ASIAN TRADITIONS SUCH AS YOGA AND MARTIAL ARTS. IT ARGUES THAT THE CONCEPTION OF HEALTH PROMOTED BY THIS SCHOOL GIVES RISE TO THE ODAKA YOGA WARRIOR, THE IDEAL-TYPICAL PRACTITIONER WHOSE BODY IS SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPOSED TO THE MEDICAL GAZE AND ITS IMPERATIVES OF CONTROL, KNOWLEDGE, AND MANIPULATION; WHILE IT ALSO DEIFIES IT, AS IT IS ANIMATED BY THE ELUSIVE FLOWS OF ENERGY (QI OR PRANA) THAT PROLONGED PRACTICE AIMS TO MASTER. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH A REFLECTION ON HYBRID CONCEPTIONS OF HEALTH AND THE UBIQUITOUS ROLE OF HEALTH DISCOURSES AND NARRATIVES ACROSS SOCIOCULTURAL DOMAINS. 2020 19 1955 9 SELF - REALIZATION THROUGH THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA. THE SEEKER OF ULTIMATE TRUTH NEEDS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY, THE FIVE KOSHAS OR SHEATHS BEYOND WHICH THE ATMAN, THE SELF REMAINS. THROUGH VEDANTA AND YOGA ONE CAN TRANSCEND THESE LAYERS IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER TO ATTAIN SELF REALIZATION - ULTIMATE REALITY. 1983 20 2809 13 YOGA THERAPY: BUILDING A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT FOR SOMATIC AND PSYCHE CHANGE. DRAWING ON IDEAS FROM D.W. WINNICOTT AND THE WORK OF QUAKER THEOLOGIAN PARKER PALMER, THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE CONCEPT OF A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT, ITS REFINED UNDERSTANDING IN THE LITERATURE OVER THE YEARS, AND HOW IT CAN BE OPTIMALLY USED IN YOGA THERAPY. THE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT EFFECTIVELY ESTABLISHING A HOLDING ENVIRONMENT CAN FACILITATE BOTH SOMATIC AND DEEP STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN A CLIENT, FACILITATING HEALING FROM PRIMAL WOUNDING AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL RECONNECTION TO THE TRUE SELF. 2015