'Nose Bidet' Gives Sinuses Alt Relief

Injuries are on the rise as more novices embrace it: NYT Magazine

(NEWSER) - Yoga is acclaimed as a healing, relaxing, and generally safe pursuit, but the exploding number of practitioners in the US should know that injuries are fairly common and that the problem is growing, reports the New York Times Magazine . Sprains, dislocations, broken backbones, and even strokes are suffered by yoga participants who are not physically primed for the activity. The story quotes one yoga teacher who has been in the field four decades as saying that the "vast majority of people” should quit altogether. More»

It reduces inflammation, asthma, depression: study

(NEWSER) - It goes without saying that yoga can help you calm down—but it turns out it can do much more than that. A new study shows that women who practiced yoga regularly for two years or more had less inflammation in their bodies, LiveScience reports . That could in turn lead to fewer instances of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and depression, since high levels of inflammation play a role in those and other health conditions. More»

'Mindfulness' effective in preventing relapse

(NEWSER) - The best prescription for recurrent depression isn't pills or talk therapy, it's "mindfulness"—a combination of meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques that empties the mind of negative thoughts. So claims a UK mental health organization so impressed by its effectiveness in combating chronic depression that they're urging doctors to start prescribing courses for patients. Clinical trials have shown that it halves the rate of relapse in people with recurrent depression, they note, urging Britain's national health insurance system to start covering it. More»

(NEWSER) - Consumers are cutting back in all sorts of ways amid the recession—just not when it comes to yoga. Sales of designer mats, which fetch in the ballpark of $100, are surging, reports Time. One leading company, Manduka, has seen sales shoot up 87% on Amazon in the last 4 months. It's now teaming up with the national Dick's chain to take advantage. More»

Study shows daily time-out may reduce medication needs

(NEWSER) - An Om a day might just keep the blood pressure medication away, reports NPR. Daily meditation helped lower the blood pressure in two-thirds of patients in a recent study who were striking out on the medication front. Participants used the “relaxation response” technique, of sitting quietly for 15 minutes while repeating a word silently. Nitric oxide production increases, opening blood vessels wider and lowering blood pressure. More»