Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease Without Wearing Shoes
Brian was teaching an exercise class at the Durham "Y" last week, and I decided to go.
His wife Julia – my best friend of almost 25 years – and I ate breakfast that morning at my favorite breakfast dive in Chapel Hill. The restaurant, Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe, was hopping with the usual wait, which requires standing along the tile wall for 20-40 minutes until a seat opens up. I had not seen Julia in several years, and as we talked, she mentioned how much her husband Brian enjoyed my friendship. I was touched, and later that day I promised myself I'd try his class that night. Let me tell you... the class was amazing.
Some of you may recall that I wrote about this form of exercise almost two and a half years ago. The topic was yoga, and after taking Brian's yoga class and experiencing the sensations of my mind and body after the workout, I decided I had to write about it again.
I first encountered yoga during my third year of medical school. I had just finished a light workout on weight machines in the gym across the street from the hospital and I noticed several attractive women (a couple of nurses I knew) going into a room upstairs. I was very curious and my testosterone was flowing, so I followed them into the class. Inside, a lightly tattooed redhead was talking and turned to me as I entered. "Welcome," she said, "take off your shoes and grab a mat, bricks, blankets, and a belt." So I slipped off my shoes and followed along.
Since that first class, years ago, I have attempted many different yoga poses, but none have been as powerful as the twisting poses Brian had us trying. The poses had simple names like cobra and triangle. As I attempted them, Brian's calming voice encouraged each of us at our own pace and effort to try the pose without fear of failure. It was those words that made me realize how universal yoga can be for health. I learned that night to push to my limit, breath slowly, and then easily push beyond what moments before I thought was my limit. Powerful stuff.
Ironically, I went to my first yoga class simply looking to meet one of the cute women and now my most recent class has taught me about looking beyond my physical and mental limits.
However, it turns out that this 7,000-year-old exercise program has given many of its poses and movements to western athletics as warm-up and warm-down stretches. In fact, most of the aerobic dance moves you may have done or seen originated in yoga. Even professional athletes perform yoga regularly: Most of the NFL teams incorporate up to two hours of yoga into their weekly practices. And in other sports, for example the NBA, players young and old use yoga to improve their games.
Yoga is probably the simplest of all exercise programs because you:
| • | Don't need to wear shoes or use any special equipment. |
| • | Do as much or as little as you can handle – NO PAIN required. |
| • | Sweat as little or as much as you want. |
| • | Wear old, comfortable clothes. |
| • | Don't compete with anyone. |
But better than the simplicity of yoga are its amazing health benefits. On my drive home that night from Durham, the radio reported a short story about heart-failure patients who reaped benefits from yoga. Sadly, for years the medical establishment discouraged exercise for heart-failure patients thinking it could kill them. It turns out... that was bad advice. Now in 2007, yoga is improving health in patients with heart failure. So when I got home I did another literature search…
According to the scientific literature, among its many health benefits, yoga:
| • | Lowers blood pressure. (Teachers of yoga, called "yogis," can control their "autonomic" nervous system... some can lower their heart rates to two beats per minute and their breathing to one or less breaths per minute, WOW.) |
| • | Increases alpha waves in the brain, calming the nervous system, similar to meditation. |
| • | Improves gait and balance, especially in older patients, thus reduces the risk of falling. |
| • | Reduces seizures in epilepsy patients. |
| • | Increases oxygen uptake and thus stamina and power. |
| • | Increases the secretion of melatonin, which improves sleep. |
| • | Lowers resting heart rates and basic metabolic rates. |
| • | Improves gastrointestinal function. |
| • | Decreases pain in joints and muscles. |
| • | Improves aerobic capacity. |
| • | Reduces thyroid activity, suggesting calming benefits. |
| • | Reduces depression. |
| • | Increases flexibility. |
| • | Promotes a sense of peace. |
The word yoga means many things: "oneness," "harmony," and "united." The philosophy is based on peace, respect, and nonviolence. In this day and age, when reality TV shows people beating each other senseless with bare fists, and governments proudly send younger men off to kill in the name of peace, perhaps yoga has a needed place in our world.
You see, yoga is not competitive. It is about allowing each individual to achieve his full potential and heighten his awareness of himself and others. A good instructor helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses and then in many cases move and grow beyond those limits.
Interestingly, at the end of the class, people place their hands together in a prayer position and then bow toward each other saying "namaste," which sort of means... I salute the god within you... or... Our spirits are one... or... The peace in me celebrates the peace in you... or... I celebrate your spirit... or... Thanks... This is a wonderful way to end a workout.
I have found the benefits from yoga seemingly endless. Truly no other exercise matches it for an overall sense of physical workout and mental balance. (I am a three-time marathoner.) Its stretches, exercise poses, deep breathing, meditation, and visualization give me a sense of wholeness and quietness. Theoretically, I imagine, if everyone practiced yoga, it would lead to world peace. Anyway, the main point is that the physical and mental benefits are truly amazing.
When it comes to yoga what do I do?
| • | I take every opportunity when traveling to take a yoga class. |
| • | I try and go to a yoga class once a week. |
| • | I will often practice a few of the moves, a series called the "sun salutation," at home on the carpet, on a beach, or even in my backyard. |
| • | I go to classes of all levels because many good studios encourage classes with advanced practitioners mixed in with beginners so that everyone can learn something from each other as well. |
| • | I make sure to avoid competition with anyone while in a class. I did this in the second class I ever took (trying to impress those women) and was as sore as any I was after every marathon I've ever run. |
Namaste,
Dr. David Eifrig Jr.