Yoga and Science Resources

Yoga: Ancient Wisdom for our 21st Century Lives
While the research is still young (especially in comparison with how long people have been practicing yoga), the results are promising and confirm what yoga practitioners have been touting for thousands of years: Yoga is beneficial for our overall health.

Yoga for the Body:
Improves flexibility, strength, balance.
May reduce inflammation & boost immunity
May improve cardiovascular functioning
Can promote better posture and body awareness
May help improve sleep
May improve bone health

Yoga in the Brain & Nervous System
Can improve brain functioning
Helps with stress relief
Improves mental health
May reduce depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma.
Can help with burnout

Yoga for the Spirit:
May improve quality of life
May improve self-esteem
Helps during times of transition, life changes
Can connect you to your intuition & insight
An open & caring heart
Contentment (Santosha)

These benefits of yoga are supported by science



Sheila Magalhaes: 2017 Springfield TEDx Talk
Energy Shared...It Matters.

The Give Back Yoga Foundation
  Their programs include:
Mindful Yoga Therapy: Helping Veterans (and anyone dealing with trauma) to a calm body & mind.
Eat Breathe Thrive: Supporting positive body image through yoga and community.
Prison Yoga Project: Teaching incarcerated men and women non-violent problem resolution.
yoga4cancer: Helping cancer survivors manage the side effects of treatment with yoga.
Yoga of 12-Step Recovery: Supporting addiction recovery and relapse prevention through yoga.
The Hard and The Soft Yoga Teacher Training: Training Teachers not just in the physical practice of yoga but to be leaders in their communities and to participate in the healing of the world.
Powerful stories on their Stories of Impact page.

The Science Behind Yoga Uplift Film
Featuring Bruce Lipton Ph.D, Sat Bir Khalsa Ph.D, Dr. Mithu Storoni, and many other experts on the scientific research behind the benefits of Yoga.  (Not the full film, about 20 minutes)

Mindful Yoga Therapy YouTube Page
Breathing practices, Yoga Nidra "Deep Relaxation" Practices, Mindful Movement Practices and Meditation videos.

Benefits of Meditation
Over 100 studies, catorgorized into 76 benefits and 46 subheadings.


Yoga Nidra Feasability Study at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital
Adjunctive Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder pdf

"Divine Sleep Yoga" Healing Chakra Chorus
with Jennifer Reis
A lovely Yoga Nidra experience.

Increase Telomerase Activity and Improve Mental Health
Sa Ta Na Ma, some background, and how to practice this meditation:
Kundalini Kirtan Meditation


Leading with the Heart
Heart Intelligence and Cardiac Coherence.


......RESOURCES FOR YOGA IN THE CLASSROOM, and YOGA FOR CHILDREN

Heartsong's director Sheila Magalhaes is certified as a "YogaEd Tools for Teachers" instructor, which can be offered as an inservice program or specialty workshop to educate classroom teachers, child care providers and parents. 

YogaEd. Tools for Teachers
Resources, research, support for classroom teachers and caregivers.
Empower your school community through mindful movement.
Evidence-Based · Cost-Effective · Proven Results


Sesame Street's new initiative to teach children how to deal with stress and anxiety
with simple strategies to help them feel safe and secure.

Elmo Practices Belly Breathing
to calm his inner monster.

Introductory 20 Minute Yoga Class for kids 3 to 5, Pre K to K
YogaEd video on YouTube, a lovely class for kids.

Scientific Evidence for Yoga in the Classroom
YouTube video with Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. Harvard Medical

Why Aren't We Teaching You Mindfulness?
YouTube TEDx Youth@MileHigh talk with AnneMarie Rossi, the founder and director of Be Mindful, a non-profit association of mindfulness instructors dedicated to making the practice accessible to all.


......RESOURCES AND INFORMATION ABOUT YOGA & MINDFULNESS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD


Aetna CEO Puts a Premium on Employee Wellness
CBS news story, Mark Bertolini brings health and wellness to the workplace.
CBS News, March 26, 2015.

The Busier You are, the More You Need Mindfulness.
Harvard Business Review, December 18, 2015.


Yoga, Mindfulness, and Leadership
with Aetna CEO, Mark Bertolini at Wisdom 2.0 Business


Mindfulness, An introduction with Jon Kabat-Zinn
A public talk that the mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn gave at Oslo University, Norway, in April 2011. Jon talks about the challenges and benefits with mindfulness practice, about research and how mindfulness can transform and heal both us as individuals and the society as a whole.

Books detailing research and information:

"The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care". Editors, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Lorenzo Cohen, Timothy McCall, Shirley Telles

"Yoga As Medicine, The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing". By Timothy McCall, M.D.

"Yoga for Warriors, Basic Training in Strength, Resilience and Peace of Mind." By Beryl Bender Birch

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in...

From Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Peace Activist, Author, Poet.
These words are called gathas, short verses that help us practice mindfulness in our daily activities:

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

As the in-breath grows deep,
The out-breath grows slow.

Breathing in makes me calm;
Breathing out brings me ease.

With the in-breath I smile;
With the out-breath I release all tension.

Breathing in I know I am alive;
Breathing out, in this present moment.

Breathing in, there is only this present moment.
Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.