Yoga and Science Resources

This page is originally designed to support those who attended our Yoga & Science Workshop in October, 2017, as well as anyone curious about this topic! We especially want to support those students who are health care professionals who would like to share their yoga love with clients and patients.

The resources listed and links here will help connect you to books, research, citations and links for more information and home practices.

Information about the work that Sheila Magalhaes does to help classroom teachers bring yoga to their children in our local school systems is also offered here. "YogaEd Tools for Teachers" can be an inservice program or specialty workshop to educate classroom teachers, child care providers and parents.

Links to some of our favorite sites

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

......RESOURCES FOR THE SCIENCE OF YOGA WORKSHOP AT HEARTSONG YOGA
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.

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. (26 minutes YouTube)

Mindful Yoga Therapy research
including related research for PTSD, Trauma, Mood Disorder, and more.

Mindful Yoga Therapy Resources for home, including:
Yoga Posture Guide
Breathing download/stream "Breathe In, Breath Out"
Yoga Nidra download/stream "Deep Relaxation"

Meditation and the Brain
Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes your brain.
The Washington Post, 2015

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

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

Guided Yoga Nidra for Sleep
with Jennifer Piercy
You can click on this recording and enjoy a Yoga Nidra experience.

"Divine Sleep Yoga" Healing Chakra Chorus
..with Jennifer Reis
Another 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.

Master your Health with Yoga
Resources for Masters in Health Administration Programs.
Lots of wonderful links to learn more about yoga. History, health, poses, and more.

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

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

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.

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

At Eetna, a CEO's Management by Mantra
Describing the positive effects of offering yoga, meditation and mindfulness in the corporate world.
New York Times, February 27, 2015.

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.

Mindfulness for Senior Executives
Harvard University social psychology professor Ellen Langer says organizations can make better decisions by setting the right context.

5 Tips for Employers thinking about Mindfulness Programs
March 25, 2015
From Aetna, with more links to other sites.

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

MBRP (Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention) and Addiction:

1Khanna S, Greeson JM. A Narrative Review of Yoga and Mindfulness as Complementary Therapies for Addiction. Complementary therapies in medicine. 2013;21(3):244-252. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008.
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010 Jun;78(3):362-74. doi: 10.1037/a0019172.

Yoga and Anxiety in Young Musicians:

Yoga ameliorates performance anxiety and mood disturbance in young professional musicians, Khalsa, S.B.S., Shorter, S.M., Cope, S. et al. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback (2009) 34: 279. doi:10.1007/s10484-009-9103-4

Meditation in Depressive Care Givers:

Lavretsky H, Siddarth P, Nazarian N, et al. A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: Effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity. International journal of geriatric psychiatry. 2013;28(1):57-65. doi:10.1002/gps.3790.

PTSD and Combat Stress:

1: Carolyn C. Stoller, Jon H. Greuel, Lucy S. Cimini, Mary S. Fowler, Jane A. Koomar; "Effects of Sensory-Enhanced Yoga on Symptoms of Combat Stress in Deployed Military Personnel." Am J Occup Ther 2012;66(1):59-68. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2012.001230

2: Carter J, Gerbarg PL, Brown RP, Ware RS, D’Ambrosio C, et al. (2013) "Multi-Component Yoga Breath Program for Vietnam Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial". J Trauma Stress Disor Treat 2:3.

Heart Disease:

1: "Effects of yoga on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis"., Cramer H, Lauche R, Haller H, SteckhanMichalsen A, Dobos G. Int J Cardiol. 2014 May 1;173(2):170-83. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.02.017. Epub 2014 Feb 25. Review. PMID: 24636547

2: "Effects of yoga on inflammation and exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure"., Pullen PR, Nagamia SH, Mehta PK, Thompson WR, Benardot D, Hammoud R, Parrott JM, Sola S, Khan BV J Card Fail. 2008 Jun;14(5):407-13. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2007.12.007. Epub 2008 May 27. PMID: 18514933

Endothelial Function:

Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies (2017) 21, 30e34
The effect of Bikram yoga on endothelial function in young and middle-aged and older adults
Stacy D. Hunter, PhD a,b,*, Mandeep S. Dhindsa, MD a,
Emily Cunningham, MEd a, Takashi Tarumi, PhD a,
Mohammed Alkatan, PhD a, Nantinee Nualnim, PhD a,
Ahmed Elmenshawy, MS a, Hirofumi Tanaka, PhD a
a Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA b Pure Action, Inc., Austin, TX 78703, USA
Received 31 March 2016; received in revised form 9 May 2016; accepted 1 June 2016

Type 2 Diabetes:

1: "A review of yoga programs for four leading risk factors of chronic diseases".Yang K., Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2007 Dec;4(4):487-91. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nem154. PMID: 18227916

2: J Clin Diagn Res. 2015 Apr; 9(4): CC01–CC03. Published online 2015 Apr 1. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2015/12666.5744, PMCID: PMC4437062

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.