CHANGES IN PERCEPTION FOLLOWING YOGA PRACTICE
Perception is sensation with added complexity due to factors such as memories and emotions. Yoga practice influences perception in three ways: (1) by increasing perceptual sensitivity, (2) by selectively `shutting out? undesirable stimuli, and (3) by changing distorted perception, which occurs in schizophrenia. Practicing yoga improved auditory and visual perception, by increasing sensitivity to various characteristics of the stimuli (e.g., intensity, frequency). Also, electrophysiological studies using evoked potentials have shown that during yoga practice the transmission of sensory information is facilitated. These studies suggest several applications of yoga practice, in activities ranging from aviation to art. Interestingly, other studies suggest that yoga practice can also help to `shut off? undesirable external stimuli, which is possibly due to cortical feedback connections to the sensory pathway. It is also possible that through changes in cognitive factors yoga influences perception, so that even though the stimulus is `sensed? it is not disturbing. This concept has been studied using yoga to help persons with chronic pain to willfully ignore it. Finally, preliminary studies have shown that yoga practice may modify distorted perception in conditions such as schizophrenia. Hence, there is sufficient research to support the idea that yoga practice influences perception in different ways, with varied applications. Perception is the process of interpretation, organization, and elaborating the `raw materials? of sensation (1). Sensation involves sensory receptors and pathways, whereas perception is a cognitive process. The actual perception of a sensation depends on factors such as what has been learned, memories, and emotions. It is also important to remember that while perception usually refers to sensory stimuli, this definition can be extended to include the perception of situations. Recordings of middle latency auditory evoked potentials (AEP-MLRs) have shown that the practice of ujjayi pranayama modifies the AEP-MLRs components in two ways. A specific component (the Na wave) has reduced latency and increased amplitude during pranayama practice (2). These results suggest that this practice facilitates the processing of auditory information at mesencephalic and diencephalic levels. A similar result was also seen during the practice of meditation on the syllable Om (3), where subjects who had more than ten years of meditation experience, showed an increase in the Na wave amplitude and a decrease in its? latency while mentally repeating (Om). No such effect was seen when the same subjects mentally repeated `one?, during a control session, for comparison. These electrophysiological data are corroborated by neuropsychological studies. Previous studies on meditation have shown significant changes in perception, attention and cognition (4). Brown and Engler in 1980 (5), reported that meditators were found to be more sensitive to subtle aspects of color and shading of the Rorschach test inkblots, than they had been before meditation. Two studies on the Critical Flicker Fusion Frequency have shown that perceptual sensitivity is not restricted to subtle aspects of the stimulus alone, as detection of a high frequency flickering stimulus was found to improve following yoga training (6,7). A study on the degree of a visual geometric illusion, based on M?Lyer lines showed that a combination of focusing and defocusing yoga visual exercises reduces optical illusion more than focusing alone (8). These studies were conducted on adult subjects with varying durations of yoga training. It was reported in a recent study on Critical Flicker Fusion Frequency and optical illusion on children who practiced yoga for a shorter duration of 10 days that there was also a significant improvement following the practice of yoga (9). To perceive an optical illusion with minimal error and for accurate depth perception the spatial component of visual perception is necessary (10). The decrease in the degree of optical illusi
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Paths of Yoga II
Continuing the Paths of Yoga, I?m delivering to you the practical side of this mysticism that thousands of people around the world use to achieve spiritual growth, and body purification. According to yoga experts, its early practice reduces the risk of developing most of the common illnesses. And according to Yogis, masters of Yoga, its exercises can deepen your meditation.Practicing physical yoga is not difficult, and it can be done by anybody including babies, children, teens, and adults; one just needs to perform different asanas which are defined as bodily poses. In a great scale, there are dozens of easy positions that students must learn, and there are others quite singular that need a little touch of flexibility. Also, there are a kind of prescribed asanas for each specific body constitution, so that students reduce all risk of injures. The most popular styles of yoga are Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga, but there?re other styles of Yoga taught and practiced today. Below is a short guide of the most common disciplines derived from Hindu Yogis. Remember, first thing to do is to ask for your physician's advice before getting involved into any exercise activity.Hatha Yoga:Hatha yoga is basically the type of yoga that requires asceticism, physical and breathing techniques to reach a certain pure and spiritual level. If it?s your first time hearing the word ?asceticism?, don?t worry because it is a state of abstinent, a condition we all can achieve in life. Now, the goal of Hatha Yoga is to condition the body in a way that any perfomer can reach in meditation. Vinyasa Yoga:Vinyasa is exactly a breath-synchronized movement in yoga which means that all poses or asanas will flow from one to another and being coordinated with breathing for a transformative and balancing effect. According to its series of postures called Sun Salutation, this style of yoga tends to be more dynamic making it popular also by its balance on awareness and alignment, as for strength and flexibility. Ashtanga Yoga:Ashtanga, which means ?8 limbs? in Sanskrit, is a rhythmically fast, intense set of yoga practice always performed in the same order.Ashtanga Yoga is physically demanding and it is meant for people seeking body strength, flexibility and workout including challenging series of postures with Ujjayi Breathing and vinyasas. In yoga terminology, this is called ?flow?.This process leads to an intense internal heat and a prolific sweat that purifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind.Iyengar Yoga:Iyengar Yoga focuses on alignment. In yoga, alignment describes the correct way in which the body should be stationed in order to obtain the maximum benefits of the pose. Iyengar Yoga works like this: Performers hold a posture for a longer time than the other Yogas, and repeat it several times. Its practice builds strong legs, and improves circulation, coordination and balance.It is this discipline that pioneered the use of ?Props? such as yoga blankets, cushions, belts, and benches used to bring the body into alignment and to provide support and diminish the risk of injures. Kundalini Yoga:This type of yoga uses a system of meditative techniques and movements related to the concept of intensified life-energy-pranotthana-. Typically, Kundalini Yoga teachers use fast-paced and repetitive movements often coordinated with in-calls and response chanting. The emphasis in Kundalini is on the breath in conjunction with physical movements which also gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system due to the freeing of energy in the lower body and allowing it to move upwards.Bikram Yoga:Known as ?Hot Yoga?, this discipline is designed for a sequence of 26 asana yoga postures and 2 breathing exercises that are performed in a heated room between 95 - 100 degrees Fahrenheit (35 - 40 degrees Celsius).As I have seen, this type
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