Two new studies reinforce that mindfulness meditation can help not just to fight stress but also maintain a healthy and balanced immune system. Time to work on my meditation practice!
Category: Yoga & science
Does yoga help with (peri)menopause?
Perimenopause is a big time of transition for women – can yoga help to overcome the challenges that go with it?
Is hot yoga better (or worse) than room temperature yoga?
My first experience of hot yoga was fairly traumatic. The smell in the then Bikram Kentish Town studio. The aggressive … More
Yoga vs CBT for anxiety in older adults (plain language summary)
Large randomised clinical trial compared yoga and CBT for alleviating worry in older adults. The results are promising.
Is it time for some megastudy thinking in yoga research?
One of the biggest problems of understanding the effects of yoga on our health and minds and bodies more broadly is that a lot of yoga research is, frankly, a bit shit.So it was great to see the publication of this guidance last week on how yoga studies should be designed and reported. But it doesn’t really go far enough. Could megastudy thinking be what we are missing?
‘Sleep hygiene’ may help in Alzheimer’s – could yoga support too?
News today that sleep hygiene could help to delay or lessen the severity of Alzheimer’s – if yoga can help with better sleep, could it help with Alzheimer’s too?
Growing old well, with yoga
Ageing well is surely something that we are all after – mobile, as healthy as we can, with strong brains and great mental health. Maybe yoga can help.
Can I be into yoga without the supernatural crap?
The yoga world is obsessed with the supernatural, beyond things that are part of its actual heritage. But how much does this contribute to the rejection of science and medicine?
Meditation for a healthy immune system – plain language summary
Here’s a cool study to wrap the year up: evidence of changes in gene expression following an intense meditation retreat. … More
Why I thought “Breath” was disappointing (and even a little worrying)
There is a lot of food for thought in this yoga bible, but frankly I’m disappointed by the science-washing and the missed opportunity to put forward something great. Maybe science communication should be left to those with some scientific training after all.
Can yoga help live better with rheumatoid arthritis?
What we know from the research is that practicing yoga is linked with reducing the levels of molecules that drive inflammation, aka an ‘excessive’ immune reaction. But does that translate to an actual improvement in disease activity?
How stress messes up your immune system (and where yoga fits in)
Stress really fucks up the immune system in various different ways. Yoga’s positive effects on our immunity are likely due to its effects on our stress levels.
Does yoga really support a healthy immune system?
Ever since I wrote the blog post on yoga perpetuating the appeal to nature fallacy, I’ve been a little paranoid … More
Is yoga guilty of perpetuating the ‘natural is best’ fallacy? Am I?
In the yoga world, we have a tendency to prefer and promote a preference for all things natural. Herbal remedies. … More
What’s so special about yoga?
Ever since I read Yoga Body*, I’ve had one big question in my mind: if modern postural yoga is basically … More
Burned out? Try yoga
Working from home over the past 18 months has brought some challenges, especially in maintaining work–life balance. Could yoga help tackle stress and burnout and keep us productive and full of brilliant ideas?
Forever young with yoga?
If inflammation determines our biological age, and if yoga helps to control unnecessary inflammation, could yoga also help to keep us young?
Why is most yoga research a bit shit?
This question (or a more polite variant of it) recently came up in the pranayama teacher training I’ve been doing. I think we can all agree, it’s a valid question. It’s not that there isn’t research on yoga – this is starting to change – but a lot of what is out there is just not great. Here are three reasons why.
Yoga and mhealth – the perfect recipe for health empowerment?
Digital health can be a beautiful way to deliver the tools we all need to take a more active role in our health and wellbeing. So what happens when you combine it with yoga practices? The perfect recipe for self-care and empowerment, apparently.
What is the vagus nerve – and why should you care?
She’s everyone’s favourite nerve. She’s the vagus nerve, the main parasympathetic nerve, one that brings balance in times of stress. And yoga practices are her friend.
GEEKY YOGA 