[reverett123]

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/pranayama/
A good site about controlling your body systems by controlling your breath. Heck, guys, you don't even have to get out of your chair! It seems custom made.

[Ronhutton]

Hi Rick,
We have been doing one and a half hours Yoga every week for the last year. It is a class for PWP that I helped organise. Does it do any good? Well, our oldest member drives himself to the class, and can do all the positions, lives alone and has no help. His age? ......93!!!
Ron

[girija]

Rick,
I used to do yoga and had acupuncture twice a month and stopped both because I was traveling and missed several sessions. I meant to go back but its been almost 9 months now since acupuncture and regular yoga. My decline in physical abilities is drastic and PD is visible. I think yoga was very helpful for my rigid body. I am going back to yoga and acupuncture this week

Girija

[reverett123]

I am wondering about the breathing exercises in particular. They seem to be a way to manipulate the nervous and endocrine systems to some extent.

[reverett123]

Keep in mind that the vagal nerve bundle plays a big role in PD-

1. J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Feb;11(1):189-201.

Sudarshan Kriya yogic breathing in the treatment of stress, anxiety, and
depression: part I-neurophysiologic model.

Brown RP, Gerbarg PL.

Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.

Erratum in:
J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Apr;11(2):383-4.

Mind-body interventions are beneficial in stress-related mental and physical
disorders. Current research is finding associations between emotional disorders
and vagal tone as indicated by heart rate variability. A neurophysiologic model
of yogic breathing proposes to integrate research on yoga with polyvagal theory,
vagal stimulation, hyperventilation, and clinical observations. Yogic breathing
is a unique method for balancing the autonomic nervous system and influencing
psychologic and stress-related disorders. Many studies demonstrate effects of
yogic breathing on brain function and physiologic parameters, but the mechanisms
have not been clarified. Sudarshan Kriya yoga (SKY), a sequence of specific
breathing techniques (ujjayi, bhastrika, and Sudarshan Kriya) can alleviate
anxiety, depression, everyday stress, post-traumatic stress, and stress-related
medical illnesses. Mechanisms contributing to a state of calm alertness include
increased parasympathetic drive, calming of stress response systems,
neuroendocrine release of hormones, and thalamic generators. This model has
heuristic value, research implications, and clinical applications.

PMID: 15750381 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


and here is a view from "Hahverd"
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...f9yzjvYImLZKxw

[girija]

Rick,
Breathing exercises were an integral part of my yoga class.
my yoga class started with a beautiful, secular prayer in Sanskrit wishing happiness, well being and peace to all, followed by chanting "Om" and pranayama breathing exercises. This 10-15 min part of my yoga session was enough to relax me. Looking back again, it was very useful.
thanks for your post, a good remainder to go back to yoga.

Girija

Originally Posted by reverett123

I am wondering about the breathing exercises in particular. They seem to be a way to manipulate the nervous and endocrine systems to some extent.

[Canna]

What a coincidence! I just found a pranayama class and was thinking of trying it. I use Bhramri pranayama and also the bellows breathing. It calms my tremor and anxiety that I get when I feel my tremor starting to kick into gear. I am not sure if I do it correctly because I learned from a book, youtube and itunes.

[lindylanka]

There were some fascinating studies done in the US that are similar, using advanced meditation techniques:

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/...ngyur-rinpoche

and:

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/...thieu-ricard-0

the second article also has an interesting take on placebo

I have been at talks by both Mingyur Rinpoche and Matthieu Ricard, they offer some great insights into the way science and eastern thinking converge, and what science is learning by studying some of the effects on the brain of meditation etc........