5 Top Take-Aways from The Medical Yoga Symposium at The Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Siddha Pratima Yantra Western

India, dated 1333 (Samvat 1390)

Bronze, 21.9 x 13.1 x 8.9 cm

Freer Gallery of Art, F1997.33

Linda Lang of Greater Washington curated a 2-day symposium in conjunction with the exhibition of Yoga: The Art of Transformation at the Freer & Sackler Galleries.  The symposium showcased evidence based research on the elements of yoga therapy.  Here are five major take-away points of the symposium lectures and presentations.

1.  Dean Ornish, MD delivered the keynote speech on Day 1 and shared 4 lifestyle changes that can help reverse heart disease and early stages of prostate cancer.  He discussed the following four factors:

• Plant based diet
• Exercise
• Stress Management  (Yoga + Meditation)
• Love & Support *

2.  Richard Miller's iRest program of yoga nidra is a research based transformative practice which effectively reduces : PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Chronic Pain and Chemical Dependency. It is widely used with veterans, military hospitals and beyond.

3.  Sat Bir Singh Khalsa PhD, a Harvard professor and researcher presented data on  positive effects of the relaxation response.  The relaxation response enhances : energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, telomere maintenance and reduces the expression of genes linked to inflammatory response and stress related pathways.

4.  Amrita McLanahan, MD, a holistic medical physician and keynote speaker of Day 2 shared that one yoga class releases oxytocin in the body. Oxytocin makes one feel : Belonging, Seen, Connected and Heard.

5. NIH and NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) are conducting research on the effects of yoga on health. If you are interested in research, please contact: info@nccam.nih.gov.

Research Study Shows Weight Loss with Restorative Yoga

Maria G. Araneta, PhD, MPH, of the University of California, San Diego conducts a NIH funded study to reasearch the effects of restorative yoga on weight loss.

"Both groups lost weight, with the restorative yoga practitioners losing more, an average of 1.3 kg at 6 months compared with 0.7 kg for the stretch group. Significantly, the yoga group maintained the reduction, with the average weight loss reaching 1.7 kg at the 48-week mark, even when controlling for BMI."

"One explanation for the difference may be that restorative yoga reduces levels of cortisol, which rises during times of stress and is known to increase abdominal fat. Contacted in August, Araneta said her team is reviewing data on cortisol, and results will be released later in 2013."

Restorative Yoga Sequence by: Scott Blossom on Yoga Journal

Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit

"John Denninger, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, is leading a five-year study on how the ancient practices affect genes and brain activity in the chronically stressed.  His latest work follows a study he and others published earlier this year showing how so-called mind-body techniques can switch on and off some genes linked to stress and immune function."

Yoga: The Art of Transformation

October 19, 2013–January 26, 2014

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

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Medical Yoga Symposisum January 11-12 in Washington D.C.