Yoga Medical News Daily

A comparison of flexibility after a single-bout of Ashtanga and Bikram Yoga

This M.S. thesis by Samatha Gallo, California State University, Fullerton (December 2009), points out that "There is very little research on yoga and nothing on the differences between styles, particularly Ashtanga and Bikram yoga. The purpose of this study was to compare flexibility after a single session of Bikram and Ashtanga yoga. Sixteen subjects (5 men, 11 women) with at least 6 months yoga experience were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The groups completed one session of Bikram and another of Ashtanga Yoga with a reversed order design separated by one week between yoga sessions. . . . Ashtanga and Bikram yoga were equally effective in producing trunk flexion flexibility. Right shoulder flexibility was greater due to the yoga treatment but style differences were measurement error. The heat generated through both styles had been enough to increase muscle flexibility in different areas of the body for this study. "  Abstract:  UMI ProQuest Dissertations & Theses with link to full pdf version (fee).  

Ashtanga in Rwanda: the Project Air initiative

 Project Air, a not-for-profit organization founded in 2007, has just announced an initiative to raise $1,000,000 in 100 days to fund its work in Rwanda and help to expand services into Eastern Congo. The unique yoga-based program it oversees is designed to help allay some of the trauma and mental health issues left in the wake of the 1984 Rwandan Genocide. "Focusing on HIV+ women and their children, Project Air uses yoga to help genocide rape survivors manage the devastating effects of catastrophic sexual violence and HIV/AIDS. For the past two years, in collaboration with the medical NGO WE-ACTx, Project Air has reached thousands of HIV+ women and children, prompting the UN to endorse its work—the first time the UN has ever given formal endorsement to a yoga initiative."  

The advisory board of Project-Air includes Eddie Stern, of Ashtanga Yoga, New York; Madonna, singer and student of Asthanga; Dr. Tobias Siegfried, Professor, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, and several others.

In addition to seeking funding, Project Air is looking for Asthanga yoga teachers to donate three months of their time teaching in Rwanda or Eastern Congo.

Aditional information on this initiative: Project Air and on the Ashtanga Yoga site; and the interview on YouTube with Project Air's founder and director, Deirdre Summerbell.

Recent Ashtanga yoga study and some essential Ashtanga resources

The study by Sandra Benavides and Joshua Caballero, “Ashtanga yoga for children and adolescents for weight management and psychological well being,” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (vol. 15, issue 2, May 2009; 110-114; Abstract: PubMed ) concludes that “Ashtanga yoga may be beneficial as a weight loss strategy in a predominately Hispanic population.” The article mentions that the participants did a modified Ashtanga yoga sequence lasting approximately 1 h and 15 min, three days a week for 12 weeks. For those interested in learning more about Ashtanga yoga, there are now dozens of excellent books and DVDs available. YMN Daily recommends two sources that offer a expert overview and introduction to this strenuous yoga: David Swenson's Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual, an Illustrated Guide to Personal Practice (2 ed. 2007); and his DVDs, most especially, his First Series, the Short Forms, and the Second and Third Series DVDs. Also, Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy (2007) by Gregor Maehle serves as an essential reference guide and practice manual to the positions and the philosophy - a book of interest to those new to Ashtanga as well as those who have been decades-long practitioners.