Gees, I really do dislike shoddy research! Again, I refer back to the October 4, 2007 Time Magazine article, "When Yoga Hurts." The author stated, "and while yoga has been shown to alleviate stress and osteoarthritis, it doesn't develop the muscle-bearing strength needed to help with osteoporosis." Such misinformation!
Numerous books on yoga discuss and demonstrate many of the weight-bearing asanas that help strengthen bones and create more bone mass. Linda Sparrowe, author of Yoga for Healthy Bones, validates the practice of yoga as a way of helping preserve and build bones. She includes information from Iyengar yoga teacher, Patricia Walden, who has stated that to prevent osteoporosis, you need to incorporate inversions and weight-bearing poses such as the downward facing dog, the upward facing bow, and headstand.
Lifting your own weight in such poses also helps build muscle mass. The kicker, of course, is that you must exercise REGULARLY (got it?) At least 5 times a week for 30 minutes a session according to Yoga for Healthy Bones. Weight-bearing yoga poses and movements that exert pressure on bones stimulate them to retain calcium. And, unlike walking or running, Yoga exerts pressure on all the bones (including those in the wrist, elbows etc.), not just those in the lower body.
Yoga Quote of the Day: "Even novice yoga practitioners say it's impossible to separate the physiological benefits of yoga from the emotional and spiritual ones." ~Yoga for Healthy Bones by Linda Sparrowe.
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