Yoga The Savior

Over the last fifteen years, Yoga has truly been the light of my life.  It's helped me change the way I live my life, from being a mere spectator into a doer.  I experience my faith better with Yoga.  It even cured my sinusitis, a burden I thought I would have to live with for the rest of my life.  I may not have the body of someone who can get into pretzel-like poses; Yoga keeps me in a peaceful, healthy, and physically sound state.  It has, most importantly, taught me to trust my body.

How Yoga helped me cure attack of hives
It happened three years ago, in October.  I had to suffer from hives and face edema for the first time.  My face had swollen so much then (my face was blowing up like a balloon); but instead of running to an emergency room and take steroids (i have become quite allergic to Benadryl), I did otherwise.  Here are some of the three things I did to self-heal: one, by increasing blood circulation through the Sharsasana or the head pose twice every day, for 10 minutes each; and two, by doing Asana every day. My face, after doing those Yoga routines has, quite astonishingly, regained its normal shape after a two-week period.

Curing sleeplessness and sinusitis with Yoga
In spring of '95, I'd started to teach Yoga at a nearby gymnasium.  By the end of the session, I'd give instructions to go into Shavasana (the corpse pose). Almost everybody in the class falls asleep during Asana at one point or another.  That is why, when I could not fall asleep at night, I would also do those instructions. Rarely would I be sleepless anymore.

There is another way that Yoga has helped my life.  Ever since I was a child, I've suffered severe sinus trouble.  When I was still living in India, I would take Aurvedic or Homeopathic medicines each day to control my sinusitis.  Upon moving here, I have become concerned about my sinus trouble.  I was undecided as to whether to order a shipment of medicines from India or switch to over-the-counter drugs from US. A month or so later, I increased the number of exhalations in Kapalbhati (Shuddi Kriya or Cleansing process) from 100 to 300. Every time I do this my sinuses feel very light, I feel very fresh, and I can breathe easily. The clogging and the heavy feelings were completely gone. 

By doing Kapalbhati for 15 minutes every day with Udiyana Bandha (abdominal lock), I am able to control the symptoms of my sinusitis with little to no medicines.  I can say that I have my sinusitis under good control.  I still get allergies, on occasion, but it was completely unlike before.

These two events were life-changing for me. They are, for me, beyond me being cured physically; they were an awakening.  I am an introvert; I would rather wait for things to happen than do something about any situation.  These events helped me realize that things can be changed through persistent efforts. Miracles happened in my life because I did something about my situation.

Spiritual, moral and physical benefits of Yoga
Regularly practicing Yoga has truly prepared me for spiritual practices such as meditation, visualization and prayers.  It is a fact that the practice of Yoga is perceived as a step towards meditation, concentration and union with God in the philosophy of Ashtanga Yoga.  Yoga has helped me become optimistic, and gave me a sense of control. I am able to be completely in charge of my health. Through Yoga, I learned to trust my body.

Whenever I feel like my health or focus is in disarray, I do Parvatasana (mountain pose).  When my palms are held together in a prayer pose, I notice that it helps me calm down, and I regain focus.  Whenever I maintain an Asana for a long time, I feel a cooling sensation in my eyes, a pleasant taste in the mouth.  This helps me relieve all of the negative emotions I have.  I do Yoga whenever I feel tired, and afterwards, I would feel fresh and energetic.

Having done Yoga for a long time, I've been able to considerably stabilize my weight. The Dhanurasana (bow pose) and Bhuangasana (cobra pose) helped me control symptoms of spondylytis.  Practicing Pranayama and Kapalbhati also helps keep my blood pressure in normal levels, relieve pain from spobdylytis, and keep sinus trouble at bay. 
Since 1995 to 2005, due to emotional trauma, my binge eating habit was out of control, I was 50 pounds overweight. My body fat ratio was beyond normal. My blood pressure and pulse rate, however, were in the healthy range.  This is due to Kapalbhati (Yogic cleansing of breaths) and Udiyana (Abdominal lock).

Precautions
I am assuming that you have already had much training in Yoga. If you have not had it yet, make sure you take a class in a nearby gymnasium, spa, or learn it privately.

I'm recommending that you had better go to a class initially if you feel that you have learned all new Asana.  When you go to a class, its purpose is not only to learn new Asana, but to have someone monitor your Yoga practice until you have gained enough understanding of the concept of stable and comfortable state of an Asana. Going to a class is better than practicing at home, because there is always an element of overstretching yourself just so you could get to a perfect stage.

Attending a Yoga class will help you keep a much needed check on the temptation to overstretch yourself. It is also important that you consult your doctor, if you have any illness that makes it difficult for you to do any Yoga poses.  In all other cases, I would say this -- if you practice Yoga for at least thirty minutes every day, or at least every alternate day, it would greatly help you to stay balanced and healthy.