Saturday, June 17, 2017

What if Yoga isn't Just New Age Bunk #Science

After seeing "Lilias, Yoga, and You," the Rockhouse picked up the vibe that Yoga went through what looked like incredibly uncomfortable contortions but this resulted in a state of meditative peace and apparent physical healthy.  Lilias was in such incredible shape, it would have been silly to question the benefits.  Researchers always need to why and, what do you know, they found something.  (Science Daily:  Meditation and yoga can 'reverse' DNA reactions which cause stress, new study suggests)


Mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as meditation, yoga and Tai Chi don't simply relax us; they can 'reverse' the molecular reactions in our DNA which cause ill-health and depression, according to a study by the universities of Coventry and Radboud.

The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, reviews over a decade of studies analysing how the behaviour of our genes is affected by different MBIs including mindfulness and yoga.

Experts from the universities conclude that, when examined together, the 18 studies -- featuring 846 participants over 11 years -- reveal a pattern in the molecular changes which happen to the body as a result of MBIs, and how those changes benefit our mental and physical health.

- SD

That's not a huge sample size but it does give an indication of truth and the interested student is invited to pursue it but do expect deep genetics in that path.


Yoga doesn't look any more inviting to the Rockhouse than it ever did but we like it that there's solid reason.  It's not that we really questioned it since Lilias has always looked so damn good and never seemed to age; it's more like a kid taking apart a clock to see all those wheels and, wow, they all work together ... which is kind of what yoga was saying already ... except, unlike the kid, yoga can put the clock back together again.





While Lilias is the first association with Yoga, Colonel Stuart from "Die Hard 2" is another.




I don't know if that's Yoga, Tai Chi, or the cow jumped over the Moon but that's got to be the most blatant pandering to gay men I ever saw Hollywood run in a general-distribution movie.  Maybe gay men think he's a puke because he's so narcissistic he's oiled himself up like some kind of Greek god even when his actual ambitions were nothing more than those of a thief.

Ed:  thanks for that demented inclusion.

You're welcome and I do think it's germane since the fellow had more headworms than the Cuckoo's Nest but, in this context, he was remarkably healthy and specifically from the type of regimen endorsed by the researchers.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why you leap from yoga to Hollywood garbage is beyond me.
But alignment of your inner strength and the power available is easily documented through so many different disciplines.
If you want to increase the same size there are thousands of studios of different trainings and practices across the world that can offer subjects from the beginners to advanced.
Including children, the correlation between these disciplines and increased grade averages is astonishing

Unknown said...

I do think the leap was valid for the sake of the illustration of the Yoga type of exercise so that's why. That bit was a shocking in this context as it was in the movie since it generates an immediate WTF reaction. I do think it was valid in this context but I still think it was pandering in the movie.

You sound like you're well familiar with the disciplines and it would be stupid of me to try to second guess that. Hopefully someone else reads that and takes it to heart. We can easily see it never did Lilias any harm.