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Yoga for Mental Wellness

Research shows Yoga can help Improve Mental & Physical Wellness

Did you know, 1 out of every 3 Canadians will be affected by anxiety, depression and/or mood disorders and that child and adolescent incidents are on the rise?

With over 90 styles of posed based yoga it is a challenge to understand how Innovative Wellness is different from all the other styles of yoga.

Jayne?s Yoga Style blends ?restorative, gentle, therapeutic, chair and trauma-informed yoga. Mindfulness is part of the practice. She focuses on both the mental and physical well being of her clients and modifies as needed.

Some describe Jayne?s yoga is a ?self? ?centered, client-centered yoga model?that focuses on Self?awareness,?Self-care,?Self-regulation,?Self-esteem,?Self-confidence,?Self-Stress Releasers.

Yoga Programs include, Yoga for?.

  1. people living with mental health challenges (all ages and abilities)
  2. primary care givers
  3. staff and health care professionals

These programs are offered on site in a group setting, ?privately, inside people?s home, ?at Jayne?s Yoga Den, or at local schools.

?Since Sept 2014??Grand River Hospital Specialized Mental Health?in-patient Yoga Program?

On going YOGA-TASTIC Elementary School Yoga Program and YOGA-FIT High School Yoga Program. These programs are supported by Dr. Stuart Shanker, ?Canadian Self Regulation Initiative. For more information?http://www.self-regulation.ca/resources/webinars/

Yoga for Mental & Physical Wellness Program Success Story:

??I developed and coordinated the People in Motion (PIM) program with Dr. Voruganti.? Yoga was just starting to become popular when we first developed the program.? I wanted yoga in the program offerings as it was novel, trendy, and relatively low cost.? My participants had no experience with exercise and it was important for the activity to be enjoyable for them to be successful at it.? However, what I did not expect was how well it reduced their mental health symptoms.? I knew we had struck gold when one young man spontaneously reported after his first class, ?Wow! I didn?t hear one voice for the past hour and a half?.? Jayne has a passion for yoga.? She had a calm and confident?demeanour?and is able to teach anyone yoga.?? Gayle P., RN.?

PIM: 85% of the participants reported a decrease in symptoms, pain, and felt less sleepy. 90% reported felt good

Testimonial from Caregivers

Caregiver 1: I am a mother of a man with schizophrenia and anxiety.? I started taking yoga with Jayne because my son found that yoga breathing helped with the busyness in his head.? Initially, we did partner yoga which helped to re-establish our bond after the stress of fighting over going for treatment and having the police take him to hospital.? We now have an excellent, positive relationship.

Yoga?was an excellent idea because it helped my son and I?spend positive time together?again after the stress of his illness and hospitalization.?We focused on doing something together instead of his illness.?It also helped with my stress from trying to get my son treatment and continually supporting him in his journey of recovery.

Going to yoga with my son initially was to model self care to him and to support his need to reduce his mental stress.? The benefit to me was reduced back pain which was caused by stress and muscle tension and also a pinched nerve in my back (2 different issues).? After my first?2 years of yoga, I was no longer using pain medication for my back issue at all–just yoga.

I also had the added benefits of being reenergized by my weekly classes and reducing the stress I felt supporting someone with a major mental illness.? I also have metabolic disorder and have?experienced a significant reduction in my blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol over the past 5 years.

I?now have increased stamina, balance and core strength because of my yoga and I definitely experience a more positive mood now than when I started classes.

?I really enjoy the relaxation and mindfulness exercises as they help me focus and plan positively for the next week.? My son and I both enjoy our time together at yoga and hate to miss a class.

Caregiver 2: Mental health challenges affect not only the person with the illness but their family as well. My daughter’s journey with schizophrenia and anxiety has meant high levels of stress which we all know creates physical symptoms as well. I feel that yoga has been part of the self care that I have needed to pay attention to so that I have the resources to be helpful to my daughter in her recovery. Parents/caregivers can get lost in the daily struggles of their ill family member and forget about their own needs.

My daughter and I have taken yoga classes together which has helped her feel comfortable going when she is anxious and fearful.

Yoga itself has helped me to relax, eased muscle tension and increased my feelings of physical well being. After a class I feel re-energized to deal with daily demands and struggles.

Yoga through the Ages. ?Participants were asked how has doing?yoga with Jayne helped you?

5 year old?says: “Yoga makes me feel good.” ?Mom writes:?Yoga has helped my son who has a high?revving?engine learn techniques to help him self regulate. Yoga is an effective tool.”

6 year old?says: “Yoga makes it easier for me to breathe” (when I get nervous or afraid)

9 year old?says: “I use yoga to help me calm down.”

12 year old says:?“Life at home is stressful, yoga helped me focus better at school”

14 year old says:?When I am feeling anxious, yoga helps me calm down and concentrate.?When my body hurts, yoga helps reduce the pain.?When I cannot sleep, yoga helps me fall asleep.?When I am feeling sad, yoga breathing helps me, and not sink any lower. I?tallow?allows?me to reconnect with my body.?It really helps when my Mom does yoga with me.

15 year old says:?“You are the only person who helped me control my ADD. The breathing really helped”

16 year old:?“I start most every day with a headache but our morning yoga class would help it go away.”

male 17 year?old?says: “Yoga helped me focus better, at school and on the ice. It also helped me recover from some injuries” – Student and Kitchener Ranger

24 year old says😕?”I have schizophrenia with a very high level of anxiety a great deal of the time and a depression component as well. I have had the opportunity to be involved in yoga classes for some time, even when I was in the more acute stages of my psychosis.?Yoga classes have helped me in many ways, including the following:Learning to use my breathing as a calming strategy. (I use this almost daily and probably many times in a day.).?Focusing myself to stay out of my thoughts.?Increasing my awareness of what is happening in my body and using poses to release tension.?Restorative yoga has helped to give my muscles a message to relax, which has decreased headaches, neck and shoulder tension and even dizziness that is created at times by the level of tension in my muscles.?After a yoga class the decrease in tension in my body decreases my anxiety level and this can last into the next day.?I am able to sleep better and am also more alert during the day.?Yoga provides increased motivation to be healthy. Jayne’s?Sleep Aid Audio helps me sleep. I even took it to the hospital when I went for surgery. “

male 30 something says: “Before People in Motion and yoga with Jayne I was?sleeping?thirteen hours a night. I was?tired all the time?and I didn?t have a lot of energy. I?m dealing with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and my medication does this to me.?Yoga?has?woken me up. I?m?more alert.??.Now?I have a lot?more energy?now and I like to keep active. I?m now training for my 2nd half marathon walk. I power walk to keep in shape and to train for the walk?…Jayne is my instructor. Yoga has become part of my?recovery ??it is part of my?journey towards better mental health?and a?healthy life style?.Yoga energizes and relaxes me.? It helps me to stay grounded so that I can face my week, no matter what stress comes up.? For me, yoga is a great way to start the week.? Yoga has become a big part of my self-care routine.”

30 something says: “Jayne is a phenomenal yoga teacher. ?I’ve had the privilege of taking part in her “in home” yoga classes. ?Yoga adds balance to my life so I can keep up with the every day busy demands. ?Yoga increases work tolerance, relaxation and flexibility, and decreases a busy mind :)”

40 something says: “Yoga makes me feel good. 🙂 Yoga brings me back into my centre, which connects me to everyone, that warm loving space together as One. (as corny as that sounds!) ?The physical practice has so many benefits for the body, but I love it for how it calms my mind, clears and connects to what’s really important – the little things in life, aren’t little at all. ?Meditation and bhakti practice have done the same – a communication and connection time, uniting energy of the body with the energy of the Soul. ?It keeps me young at heart& feeling happy :)”

Male 50?something ?says:?“Yoga made me feel happy all over!”?I went because my back hurt, and it helped with my back and so much more.”

50 something ?says: “Yoga has helped me to?accept my body?just the way it is. This is in sharp contrast to years spent hating parts of my body and waging war with it through exercise. I now experience my body as my friend and as an amazing gift to cherish…no matter my waist size. This acceptance of, and respect for my body, enables me to stand tall. As I stand tall, I?feel confidence, which matches my new posture.? Jayne?s yoga often begins with a cup of tea and it?s also a great way to make connections with other people.”

Male 80?something ?says: “After yoga I feel I have more energy”?

90?something ?says: “Yoga has helped me feel better.”

Scientifically- Backed Benefits of Yoga:

Research on yoga is still in its infancy, however below are some published scientifically proven benefits.

? ? ? ?Improves negative symptomatology (associated with anxiety and mood disorders such as schizophrenia, PTSD, Depression and other mood )

?????? Reduces chronic muscle tensions

?????? Decreases panic attacks; assist to keep calm

?????? Decreases muscle tension

?????? Decreases anxiety

? ? ? ? Decreases suicidal thoughts

?????? Improves sleep quality

?????? Moderates chronic pain

?????? Improves alertness

?????? Motivates participants to make healthy life style choices

? ? ? ?Increases feelings of physical well being

?????? Reduces stress

?????? Helps control blood sugar in people with diabetes

?????? Enhances respiratory function

? ? ? ?Alleviates arthritis pain

?????? Increases bone density and prevent osteoporosis

?????? Improves balance

?????? Enhances self regulation

? ? ? Improves mood

? ? ? Significantly improve psychopathology and quality of life

? ? ?Improves self concept/image

? ? ?Improves confidence

? ? Improves posture

? ?Connects with others

? ?Energizes and relaxes

? ?Helps participants stay grounded

? ?Yoga ?is a self care tool for mental and physical wellness

? Trauma-Informed Yoga participants reported it?helped in their recovery from trauma?

The growing number of peer reviewed research is evidence showing that yoga can really help people living with anxiety and mood disorders.” Dr. Kelly McGonigal, PhD Stanford University health psychologist. ?yoga changes people at every level”

“Deaken University in Melbourne, Australia, researchers reported?yoga can greatly help prevent the development and recurrence of depression, and?those who are practice?yoga tend to have lesser suicidal thoughts.”

2014

Perla Kaliman, Mar?a Jes?s ?lvarez-L?pez, Marta Cos?n-Tom?s, Melissa A. Rosenkranz, Antoine Lutz, Richard J. Davidson, 2014.?Rapid changes in histone deacetylases and inflammatory gene expression in expert meditators.?Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2014; 40: 96 DOI:?10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.11.004

2014 Chair Yoga research is currently being conducted at Florida Atlantic University. The researches noticed that chair yoga participants were reporting they experienced?relief from painfor wheelchair participants and improved balance and gait speed for those not in a wheelchairs.

2013

Moore, Dana, 2013.?Yoga in Psychotherapy of Traumatized Clients: A Clinician?s Toolbox Chapter.??Van der Kolk, Bessel and Moore, Dana. “Frontiers of Trauma Treatment.”

Rosenkranz MA et al., 2013.?A comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and an active control in modulation of neurogenic inflammation.Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Jan;27(1):174-84.??http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/pdfs/ RosenkranzComparisonBBI.pdf

2012

N Gangadhar Bangalore?and?Shivarama Varambally, 2012.?Yoga therapy for Schizophrenia.Int J Yoga. 2012 Jul-Dec; 5(2): 85?91.??yoga as an add-on therapy in schizophrenia, particularly in?improving negative symptomatology and social cognition. However, the biological underpinnings of this effect remain unclear, although there are some indications that hormones like oxytocin may contribute to the changes in social cognition.

J.D. Creswell et al. , 2012.?Brain, Behavior, and Immunity?26 (2012) 1095?1101

Jamieson JP et al.,2012.?Improving Acute Stress Responses: The Power of Reappraisal.?Current Directions in Psychological Science 2012, XX(X). 1-6.

PS Jensen, PJ Stevens, DT Kenny, 2012.??Respiratory patterns in students enrolled in schools for disruptive behaviour before, during, and after yoga nidra relaxation.?Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2012.?http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-011-9519-3#page-1??This study investigated the effects of one session of?Yoga Nidra?(relaxation technique) on the breathing patterns/respiratory effort in the thoracic and abdominal chest regions of boys with disruptive behaviour using a Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography (RIP). The participants (n?=?7) were aged 10?15?years and attending NSW, Department of Education (DET) special schools for children with disruptive behaviour (DB). Results were compared with three students (one female) aged 15?years without DB. The seven boys had previously participated in a 13-week yoga program.?During this program participants were progressively taught the practice of?Yoga Nidra. The comparison group did not participate in the yoga program but underwent the same procedure for collection of data as the yoga group. Using Compumedics ?ProFusion Polysomnography (PSG)? software and further analyses in ?Polyman? European Data Format?+?(EDF), data were analysed by identifying breathing as unstable or stable. Unstable breathing was identified as fluctuations in rate/s of breathing effort, amplitude, cessation of breath, and thoracic or abdominal predominance. Results indicated that boys with disruptive behaviour generally displayed unstable?breathing patterns?throughout the pre-recording period and showed?more stable breathing during?Yoga Nidra?compared with pre- or post-recording periods. There were also examples of reductions in thoracic dominance during?Yoga Nidra. The comparison group?s breathing patterns throughout the three phases of the process were found to be stable.

Kelly A et al. 2012.?Does the Perception that Stress Affects Health Matter? The Association with Health and Mortality.?Health Psychology. Sept; 31(5): 677-684.

Daniel J. Libby, PhD, RYT, Felice Reddy, MA, Corey E. Pilver, PhD, Rani A. Desai, PhD, MPH, 2012.?The Use of Yoga in Specialized VA PTSD Treatment Programs.Interantional Journal of Yoga Therapy,?Volume 22, Volume 22 / 2012, 79-88

C.C. Streeter, P.L. Gerbarg, R.B. Saper, D.A. Ciraulo, R.P. Brown, 2012.?Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.?Medical Hypotheses,?78(5) 571-579.?http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987712000321

Varambally S1,?Gangadhar BN,?Thirthalli J,?Jagannathan A,?Kumar S,?Venkatasubramanian G,Muralidhar D,?Subbakrishna DK,?Nagendra HR., 2012.?Therapeutic efficacy of add-on yogasana intervention in stabilized outpatient schizophrenia: Randomized controlled comparison with exercise and waitlist. Indian J Psychiatry. 2012 Jul;54(3):227-32. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.102414.?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23226845/?? In schizophrenia patients with several years of illness and on stabilized pharmacological therapy, one-month training followed by three months of home practices of?yoga as an add-on treatment offered significant advantage?over exercise or treatment as usual. Yoga holds promise as a complementary intervention in the management of schizophrenia.

Streeter CC, et. El. 2012.? ?Western and Eastern medicine complement one another [and] yoga is known to improve stress-related nervous system imbalances,? said Chris Streeter, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center ?This paper provides a theory, based on neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, to understand how?yoga?helps patients feel better by relieving symptoms in many common disorders.? Streeter CC, et. El. 2012 May

A 2012 study published by the Journal of Nursing Research (Journal of Gerontological Nursing May 2012 – Volume 38 ? Issue 5: 12-22)?has shown that yoga is improving the quality of life for seniors in assisted living facilities. It confirms that?yoga exercises lead to better sleep?and a?decrease in the symptoms of depression.

2011

Dr. Voruganti. Diabetes Prevention in Schizophrenia.??Canada, Researchers found, yoga helps Schizophrenia, anxiety, and other serious mood disorders. For a five year period, data was collected weekly with the following results: 85% of the participants reported a decrease in symptoms, pain, and felt less sleepy. 90% reported felt good, 98% reported they were looking forward to returning to yoga the following week.(People in Motion program 2007-2009 Research, 2010-2012 Community)

Visceglia E1,?Lewis S., 2011.?Yoga therapy as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia: a randomized, controlled pilot study.?J Altern Complement Med.?2011 Jul;17(7):601-7. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0075.?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21711202/.Adults with schizophrenia being treated in a state psychiatric facility who participated in an 8-week therapeutic yoga program?showed significant improvements in psychopathology and quality of life?compared with controls.

Overcoming Trauma through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body, by David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper, 2011.

2010

Kaplan, S. & Berman, M. G. (2010). Directed attention as a common resource for executive functioning and self-regulation.?Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 43-57.

Simpkins, A., & Simpkins, C. A. (2010).?Yoga in Psychotherapy of Traumatized Clients: A Clinician?s Toolbox. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Segal, Z et al., 2010.?Antidepressant Monotherapy versus Sequential Pharmacotherapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or Placebo, for Relapse Prophylaxis in Recurrent Depression.?Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010 December; 67(12): 1256?1264

Streeter CC, et el. 2010. Yyoga poses are associated with greater?improvements in mood and anxiety?than a metabolically matched walking exercise. Streeter CC, et el. 2010 Nov

2009

Bowen S et al., 2009.?Mindfulness-based relapse prevention for substance use disorders: a pilot efficacy trial. Substance Abuse. 2009 Oct-Dec; 30 (4): 295-305.

Manjunath RB. Bangalore: Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences; 2009.?Efficacy of yoga therapy as an add-on treatment for in-patients and out-patients with functional psychotic disorder

A pilot study of a short-term yoga module evaluated in-patients being treated for psychosis, including schizophrenia. Consecutive patients who were reaching a clinical state that was adequate to engage them in yogasana practices were approached. Consent from both the patient and the relative was obtained after adequate information. These patients continued to receive the antipsychotics prescribed by their treating team. Consenting patients who met these conditions in the wards were recruited into the study. Yoga therapy sessions for the next two weeks or until discharge. Yoga was taught for first two weeks only and patients had to practice in the month of care at home.

At the end of the next month (n = 60), clinical ratings again suggested comparable reduction in symptom scores between the two groups (yoga & exercise). However?depression scores fell more steeply?in the yoga group.

2009?Harvard Mental Health Reports Yoga Helps: Bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia, Depressions, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

2008

David Creswell, Hector F. Myers, Steven W. Cole, Michael R. Irwin, 2008.?Mindfulness meditation training effects on CD4+ T lymphocytes in HIV-1 infected adults: A small randomized controlled trialBrain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2008. Volume 23, Issue 2, Pages 184-188J. Zylowska, L., et. Al. (2008) Mindfulness Meditation Training in Adolescents and Adults with ADHD: A Feasability Study. Journal of Attention Disorders. 11(6), 737-746.

2007

Blechert, J., Michael, T., Grossman, P., Laitman, M., & Wilhelm, F. H. (2007). Autonomic and respiratory characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder and panic disorder.?Psychosomatic Medicine, 69, 935-943.

Duraiswamy G, Thirthalli J, Nagendra HR, Gangadhar BN., 2007.?Yoga therapy as an add-on treatment in the management of patients with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2007;116:226?32. [PubMed]

2006

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2006).?Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves that the World through Mindfulness.?New York, NY: Hyperion Press.

Ogdon, P., Minton, K., Pain, C., & Siegel, D. J. (2006).?Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy.?New York, NY: W.W. Norton Co.

Walsh, R. & Shapiro, S. (2006). The meeting of meditative disciplines and Western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist, 6(13), p. 227 ??Meditation is now one of the most enduring, widespread, and researched of all psychotherapeutic methods.?

van der Kolk, B. A. (2006). Clinical implications of neuroscience research in PTSD.?Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1071, 277-293.

2005

G Kirkwood1,?H Rampes2,?V Tuffrey3,?J Richardson4,?K Pilkington5,?2005?Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review of the research evidence?Br J Sports Med?2005;39:884-891 doi:10.1136/bjsm.2005.018069?Encouraging results, particularly with obsessive compulsive disorder.?http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/39/12/884.short

Semple, R., Reid, E. & Miller, L. ,2005.?Treating Anxiety with Mindfulness: An Open Trial of Mindfulness Training for Anxious Children.?Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 19(4), 379-392.

Karen Pilkington, Grahm Kirkwood, Hagen Rampes, Janet Richardson, 2005.?Yoga for depression: The research evidence.?Journal of Affective Disorders?Volume 89, Issues 1?3, December 2005, Pages 13?24. Potentially beneficial effects of yoga interventions on depressive disorders.?http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032705002570

2004

Carson, J. et al.,2004.?Mindfulness-Based Relationship Enhancement. Behavior Therapy,?35, 471-494.

2003

Davidson, RJ et al. Psychosom Med. 2003.?Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation.?2003 Jul-Aug;65(4):564-70.

2001

Williams, M., Penman, D., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2001).?Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for?Finding Peace in a Frantic World.?Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press.

2000

Raghuraj P, Nagarathna R, Saraswathi A, Nunn H, Telles S. Proceedings of the International Symposium on?Innovations in Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Richmond Fellowship Asia-Pacific Forum. Bangalore, India: The Richmond Fellowship Society; 2000. Effects of yoga on schizophrenics; pp. 193?5.

Rothschild, B. (2000).?The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment.?New York, NY: W.W. Norton Co

?1994

van der Kolk, B. A. (1994). The Body Keeps the Score: Memory and the Evolving Psychobiology of Posttraumatic Stress.?Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 1,?253-265.

?

Jayne?s yoga is a ?self? ?centered,?client-centered yoga model?that focuses on Self?awareness,?Self-care,?Self-regulation,?Self-esteem,?Self-confidence,?Self-Stress Releasers.

Self-Awareness.?Yoga?breathing exercises, stretching, strengthening and balance poses help improve participant?s sense by connecting to the body and mind. Learn new way to relate to internal and external stimuli (mindfulness), calm the mind, reduce isolation, befriend the body, and release tension. Jayne works on sensation awareness (contraction, stretching, relaxation), body alignment to help connect with their body to deepen the participants self awareness. Often this is referred to as mindfulness – practising present moment awareness without criticism or judgement.?

Self-Care.?Yoga?breathing and poses promote self-care. Participants will learn ways to ease their symptoms, aches, pain and discomfort. Jayne will modify poses as needed.? As participants become more self aware, they become more informed about how to best care for their body and mind.?Self care is important for everyone. Too often, caregivers do not take time to care for themselves. By practicing self-care, the caregiver becomes a good role model, plus they will have the resources to be helpful.

Self-Regulation. Jayne encourages participants to tap into their self-awareness and self care tools and techniques to achieve self regulation. She guides participants into non-judgmental curious observation, allowing, belly breathing, knowing, choice, and empowerment; shifting form disorder to order. Breath is used to manage intense sensations.

The more frequent a participant practices the Self awareness, Self care and self regulation, the will improve their?Self-esteem,?Self-confidence, and activate theirStress Releasers.

This model helps with mental wellness through:

Mindfulness: Paying attention in a particular way on purpose in the present moment and non-judgementally (Jon Kabat Zinn).?Focusing the Mind: At the beginning of yoga, we give ourselves permission to let go of all the ?Chitta?/chatter inside the mind. Giving ourselves a mini vacation.

Breathing: By filling the body up with oxygen and completely exhaling, we kick in the relaxation response which?reduces anxiety, muscle tension and symptoms related to various mood disorders. By learning to breath in slowly for the count of four we can begin to slow the heart rate, the adrenal gland produces less cortisol and the immune system begins to improve too.

Moving?the ?Body:?Physical postures ?focus on stretching, strengthening, balancing and coordination. When done correctly by an experienced instructor, the physical results are astounding. ?Try restorative yoga or gentle yoga poses that help ground you like restorative savasana, supported resting child, leg?s up the wall pose? -all these allow your body to restore its homeostasis.

Webinars:

Listen on line to?YOGA-TASTIC,YogaTastic_Logo??The Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative (CSRI) has just posted a?new webinar, “Yoga as an effective tool t enhance a child’s ability to self regulate”???You may view the latest post at?http://www.self-regulation.ca/resources/webinars/?This webinar begins with an introduction by Dr. Stuart Shanker. Followed by an overview of how yoga can assist children of all ages and abilities to STOP and listen to their bodies and minds, develop self awareness, and learn techniques on how to become more calm, alert and optimize their learning experiences inside and outside of school. This presentation was designed and delivered by Jayne Hembruff, President of Innovative Wellness and ??expert on yoga for children? for the Canadian Self Regulation Initiative.

We would like to invite educators, parents, grandparents and others working and interacting with children, youth and teens to watch this webinar. ?Our greatest hope is that you will go away from this webinar with a greater understanding and appreciation of how much yoga will do for children, youth and teens, as well as be motivated to enjoy the benefits of yoga for yourself too. Our dream is to get YOGA-TASTIC into every classroom across Canada.

Rave Reviews:

?Yoga with Jayne has helped control my symptoms??

“You have transformed my sibling?s life for the better?

?My psychiatrist recommended Restorative yoga with Jayne and it has reduced my chronic tension by 50%?

??Your Sleep Aid Audio (yoga to help you get a good nights sleep) has made a real difference in our lives?

?I have taken yoga courses over the years to deal with stress, anxiety and depression. ?Yoga was of great benefit to me. I can see the need and benefit of offering yoga to the more vulnerable members of society–i.e. those with mental health issues and financial difficulties as the two often go hand in hand. “

“Yoga is a wellness solution,?which benefits the mind, body, spirit as well as the community and society in the long run. ?It is also a relatively inexpensive?solution aside from the pay for the instructor. ?It also doesn’t require drugs or a lot of specialized equipment. “

Story from a 23 year old ?client

I have had the opportunity to be involved in yoga classes for some time, even when I was in the more acute stages of my psychosis.

Yoga classes have helped me in many ways, including the following:

  • Learning to use my breathing as a calming strategy. (I use this almost daily and probably many times in a day.)
  • Focusing myself to stay out of my thoughts.
  • Increasing my awareness of what is happening in my body and using poses to release tension.
  • Restorative yoga has helped to give my muscles a message to relax, which has decreased headaches, neck and shoulder tension and even dizziness that is created at times by the level of tension in my muscles.
  • After a yoga class the decrease in tension in my body decreases my anxiety level and this can last into the next day.
  • I am able to sleep better and am also more alert during the day.
  • Yoga provides increased motivation to be healthy.

Yoga can assist ?in coping with the symptoms of serious mental health challenges.

Testimonial from a Caregiver

Mental health challenges affect not only the person with the illness but their family as well. My daughter’s journey with schizophrenia and anxiety has meant high levels of stress which we all know creates physical symptoms as well. I feel that yoga has been part of the self care that I have needed to pay attention to so that I have the resources to be helpful to my daughter in her recovery. Parents/caregivers can get lost in the daily struggles of their ill family member and forget about their own needs.

My daughter and I have taken yoga classes together which has helped her feel comfortable going when she is anxious and fearful.

Yoga itself has helped me to relax, eased muscle tension and increased my feelings of physical well being. After a class I feel re-energized to deal with daily demands and struggles.