Australian Yoga Journal — November 2017

(Steven Felgate) #1

IN THE NOW


th l t t


14


november/december 2017

yogajournal.com.au

WORLD WIDE wonder


A new yoga platform has been created with the view to help protect the public from unsafe yoga. Yogamate.org showcases
the knowledge of more than 50 of the world’s leaders in yoga therapy. The website provides tools and resources —
from evidence-informed literature to sample practices — that help educate yoga teachers and help the public connect with
qualified yoga professionals. YogaMate’s Founding Director, Anne Marie Johnston, says, “Yoga has immense therapeutic
benefits that are accessible to everybody. I see how yoga is portrayed in the media and I hear people suggest they can’t ‘do
yoga’, but in actual fact anyone who can breathe can do yoga. I’ve spent the past two-plus years developing YogaMate to
expand public awareness of what ‘yoga’ actually entails; to help people realise they don’t need to be young, thin and flexible;
to help teachers keep their students safe; and to empower individuals to use yogic tools to guide them on a journey towards
better health.” http://www.yogamate.org

HOLISTICALLY CONNECTING


WELLNESS PROFESSIONALS
Holistic Resources Co is a new, online space
that brings together health professionals — from
yoga teachers to nurses — to communicate and
collaborate. You can post listings with business offerings,
chat with new friends in your industry, book services,
find venues and browse articles. It’s still in its early
development, but the site is classy, easy to browse
and has great potential as a platform to connect
like-minded, ambitious wellness workers.
http://www.holisticresources.co

A recent study by the
International Journal of
Yogaset out to measure the
therapeutic benefits of yoga
in Australia, and the findings
were pleasantly un-surprising.
More than 2000 yoga
practitioners were surveyed
in a comprehensive web-
based questionnaire. Typical
respondents were 41-year-old,
health-conscious females who
practiced yoga for health,
fitness and stress management
— with 61% of their practice
dedicated to asana, and 39% to
gentler practices like relaxation,
pranayama and meditation.
The study concluded that yoga
assists “in the management
of specific health issues and
medical conditions. Regular
yoga practice may also exert a
healthy lifestyle effect including
vegetarianism, non-smoking,
reduced alcohol consumption,
increased exercise and reduced
stress with resulting cost
benefits to the community”.
Read the full study at
http://www.ijoy.org.inand search
Yoga in Australia: Results of a
national survey.

HOW YOGA


benefits


AUSSIES

Free download pdf