We need to be watching out for the children. I would like to give you the opportunity to learn about the five dimensions of health and give some helpful ideas as how to do what is best for the children you know.
There are five dimensions of health: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social and Spiritual?
Physical Health – All of these need to be in place for a physically healthy human being:
eat a balanced diet
drink plenty of water – half their weight in ounces
exercise: cardio, strength, and flexibility
sleep in a dark and quiet environment for more than 7 hours
set up routines and goals
teach cleanliness
create a healthy environment
teach basic self-care of small aches and pains
Mental Health – If dealing with any of the following, seek knowledge and assistance:
Anger Issues
Panic Attics
Bipolar
Depression
Drugs
Alcohol
Eating Disorders
Hoarding
Loneliness
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Panic Attacks
Paranoia
Personality Disorders
Phobias
Seasonal Affect Disorder
Schizophrenia
Self-Esteem Issues
Self-Harm
Sleep Issues
Stress
Suicidal Feelings
Emotionally Health – Understanding and being able to identify the types of positive and negative emotions assists one in learning to deal with those emotions.
Love
Appreciation
Compassion
Euphoria
Happiness
Hope
Enthusiasm
Confidence
Gratitude
Patience
Pleasure
Surprise
Trust
Optimism
Joy
Fear
Agression
Anger
Apathy
Boredom
Guilt
Sadness
Pride
Jealousy
Self-Pity
Anxiety
Resentment
Envy
Frustration
Shame
Denial
Pessimism
Regret
Worry
Grief
Social Health – Forming meaningful relationships with appropriate interactions needs to be recognized. Discuss and dig deeper into the following:
How does one connect with other family members, peers, neighbors, friends, strangers?
Do you have the ability to adapt to a variety of social situations?
Do you have strong communication skills?
Do you have empathy for others?
Will you give your time, skills, efforts, energy and money?
Do you have a sense of accountability towards others?
Are you able to give and take within relationships?
Are you able to be your true self in relationships instead of acting?
Spiritual Health – The ability to feel hope, comfort and peace in all situations. Being intimately connected to the Divine Spirit brings about love, self-acceptance, better relationships with others, and a feeling of being protected. Prayer brings us the ability to talk to the Divine about our life, our issues, ourselves, and the ability to shower others with blessings and protection. Meditation, yoga, mindfulness, gratitude and connection with the elements of nature (fire, water, earth and air) all balance our spiritual life. Singing praise lifts our hearts and spirits.
Sharing experiences and finding ways for children to develop spiritual health is what we need in this dimension.
Having all of these dimensions balanced creates the healthiest of situations. Sometimes we are just looking for an area to focus on when we are falling out of balance. Praying that all children are getting what they need to become happy and healthy adults.
Hot yoga is practiced in a room that’s heated up to 105°F.
It’s thought that the temperature helps to warm your muscles in preparation for practice, however hot yoga has been found to have a number of other benefits too…
18 SIZZLING BENEFITS OF HOT YOGA: TURN UP THE HEAT
A critical review of the various studies done in to Bikram yoga, conducted at Western Sydney University, showed that Bikram yoga was proven to improve your lower body strength.
The 2015 review looked at a number of pieces of research and also highlighted how good the practice was for improving your range of motion.Watch this short guided hot yoga session below, designed to build strength:https://www.thegoodbody.com/benefits-of-hot-yoga/
3: AIDS BALANCE
A study conducted in 2008 looked at the impact of Bikram yoga on the steadiness and balance of young adults.
Results were powerful, with certain subjects seeing a 228% increase in the length of time they could balance successfully.
It was concluded that a short term hot yoga program, in this case eight weeks, can improve your balance significantly, as well as help with leg strength and muscle control.
4: INCREASES YOUR FITNESS LEVEL
Hot yoga really is a powerful practice that can help to improve your overall general fitness.
Eight weeks of research conducted in Colorado focused on healthy adults and sought to discover whether Bikram yoga can help improve general physical fitness.
Results were astounding with participants showing improvements in their back and shoulder flexibility, as well an deadlift strength.
There was no change in maximal aerobic fitness, just in musculoskeletal fitness, but results were significant.What’s the difference between Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga?
Bikram yoga is a form of hot yoga, but there are a number of differences:
Both are practiced at high temperatures, however Bikram yoga is made up of the same 26 poses, whereas any asana can be practiced during hot yoga.
Another key difference is that Bikram studios tend to be hotter and there is no talking allowed, whereas hot yoga tends to be a little more laid back.
5: GOOD FOR YOUR BONES
Researchers initially thought that studies would show that hot yoga was bad for your bones, however a 2017 study actually demonstrated the opposite.Dr Gordon MacGregor, the professor who conducted the study at The University of Alabama explains:
“Our original idea was that people were going to be sweating out a lot of calcium and their bones would start to break down for the body to maintain its calcium levels…
But as it turns out, while there’s a lot of salt lost in sweat, only just a little bit of calcium is lost. So it was the opposite – hot yoga is actually really good for your bones.”
Dr Shannon Mathis who also worked on the project did however offer a warning to yogis:
“We still recommend that fluid, sodium, and calcium are replenished after hot yoga practice”.
They explain how hot yoga relies on you having great control of your breathing to flow through the poses and how it trains your body to rely on your breath during endurance activities such as running a marathon.
Subjects were tested over a 14 day period, choosing the number of Bikram sessions they wanted to follow and wearing a headband at night to monitor their sleep.
Results of the study showed that participants fell asleep quicker and if they did wake, they stayed awake for shorter durations.
The uncontrolled nature of the study means the results have limitations, and it was felt that a larger scale study was needed.
8: REDUCES STRESS
It’s reported that Americans are among the most stressed out people in the world.
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess participants, and following a series of hot yoga sessions, stress levels were significantly reduced.
The small sample used in the study and the uncontrolled nature of the research meant it had major limitations however the findings were still felt to be significant.
9: BENEFITS FOR DEPRESSION
Hot yoga is also shown to be good for depression.
A study of 52 women in San Fransisco who were showing signs of depression were tested as part of a study to determine the impact that hot yoga could have on mental health.
Half of the women in the project took two classes a week for eight weeks, with the rest of the group practicing no yoga.
Results showed that the reduction in depressive symptoms, including stress and emotional eating, was almost three times higher in the group of the women who had practiced hot yoga.
10: FOCUSES YOUR MIND
Yoga encourages a mindful state, that many feel is further heightened by the heat and humidity of a hot yoga studio.
Olga Allon, founder of Hot Bikram Yoga Studios in London, states:
“When someone is fairly new to Bikram, the focus is certainly on the physical side but after a while, there is normally a shift that allows the students to start to focus on breath. The practice can then become incredibly meditative…
Once you start to do that, I think you start to take some lessons learned in the hot room outside of class too, as you learn to stay calm and focused in any situation”.If you want to see how Bikram yoga could improve your concentration, take a look below:https://www.thegoodbody.com/benefits-of-hot-yoga/
11: IMPROVEMENT IN LUNG CAPACITY
Founder of Bikram yoga, Bikram Choudhury in his book on the practice, explains that many people only use about 50% of their lung capacity.
He claims that through Bikram yoga you can increase your lung capacity:
“The more deep breathing is practiced, the more the lungs become flexible and capable of holding a lot of oxygen.
Strong, healthy lungs can efficiently help transport oxygen to the blood, purifying it and helping remove toxins from the body.
The 90 minutes of deep breathing practiced in a Bikram yoga class can increase the ability of oxygen to enter the body and cleanse its systems”.
12: ASSISTS HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS
According to the experts, hot yoga is a good healthy way to lose weight.
A qualitative study that looked at the impact of yoga on weight loss delivered positive results.
Though the study focussed on yoga in general, Bikram yoga was practiced by some participants who spoke of an “aerobic effect that burned calories”.
Overall practitioners reported the respondents having better attitudes to food and embracing more mindful eating.
13: CREATES CLEARER SKIN
In a study of 700 people, 33% of respondents reported clearer skin following a short series of hot yoga sessions.
However there were a number of mild side effects reported including dizziness, nausea and dehydration.
Unfortunately little research has been done in to the effectiveness of hot yoga for back pain, however as the heat helps to increase flexibility in the joints many are giving it a try.
One of the great benefits of hot yoga is the fact that it’s low impact, depending on the poses you practice, so it’s ideal if you struggle to take part in more aerobic forms of exercise.
However you should always consult your doctor before taking up any new form of exercise.
16: BENEFITS FOR MENOPAUSAL WOMEN
For menopausal women suffering from hot flushes, hot yoga might sound like their own version of hell, however research has shown that it can be beneficial.
Yoga teacher Michele Pernetta, who is often cited as the person who brought hot yoga to the UK in 1994, explains:
“While it may seem counterintuitive to go into a hot room when one is suffering from hot flushes, the heated room allows the sequence to work deeper and faster and in fact has the opposite effect on the flushes – reducing rather than aggravating them”.
17: EASY TO ACCESS
If you’re interested in trying hot yoga then the good thing is, you’ll find it easy to locate a class!
Hot yoga is growing in popularity so a little Google search is likely to bring a whole list of hot yoga studios near you where you can try the practice!
18: GIVES YOU THE BUZZ OF CARDIO
If you want the cardio buzz without the cardio then hot yoga might be for you!
“You know that awesome feeling of accomplishment you get after a great cardio workout? It feels like that, only more centered and grounded… it’s a feeling close to elation.”
5 MUST-KNOW RISKS OF HOT YOGA: PROCEED WITH CAUTION
As well as hot yoga having many benefits, it’s no surprise that practicing yoga in room at around 105°F comes with a number of different risks:
1: HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE
Perhaps unsurprisingly with the studio heated to such a high temperature, one of the major risks of practicing hot yoga is heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
“The dramatic increases in heart rate and core temperature are alarming when you consider that there is very little movement, and therefore little cardiovascular training, going on during class”.
She goes on to explain:
“While the excessive perspiration that participants experienced during class is often cited by those who practice this style of yoga as a benefit in terms of the release of toxins, the results of this study show that this sweating was insufficient to cool down the body”.
2: DEHYDRATION
Arm in arm with hot temperatures and exercise, of course is the problem of dehydration.
Naturally after a Bikram yoga session you drink lots of water, however that can lead to a condition known as hyponatremia. This is caused when the sodium in your blood is too low.
Research in to the risks of hot yoga identified the case of a 34 year old woman who presented with severe hyponatremia after drinking 3.5 liters of water following a hot yoga class.
It’s advised that instructors should pay close attention to their students and be able to make sound recommendations regarding hydration.
3: JOINT AND MUSCLE DAMAGE
Many believe that the heat of a hot yoga class helps them get deeper in to their stretch however Professor Win Change MD, clinical professor of Orthopedic Surgery at New York University’s Hospital for Joint Diseases, warns that:
“Although it may feel good, over stretching your muscles actually backfires”.
He explains that it can actually lead to joint problems, arthritis and inflammation and claimed that orthopedic surgeons are seeing more and more yoga injuries.
4: CAUTION FOR THOSE WITH INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE
Men over the age of 45, who may have previously had a sedentary lifestyle, are warned to be cautious when practicing hot yoga, due to their increased risk of heart disease.
In fact it is recommended that anyone with CVD risk factors consults a doctor before practicing.
The caution was based on the case of a 53 year old man who experienced acute coronary syndrome while in a Bikram yoga class.
5: CAUTION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
Due to the extra weight and loose muscles that are a part of pregnancy, as well as the lower blood pressure that typically accompanies the early stages, pregnant women are advised not to practice hot yoga.
It’s thought that the heat could lead to fainting, or even birth defects, therefore hot yoga should be avoided.
So hot yoga has its risks but it has a whole host of benefits too.
If you’re ready to get sweaty, why not give it a try?!
