TO YOGA OR NOT TO YOGA IN MS

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May 2, 2003

We're bending, stretching, toning bodies, quieting minds -- and reaping some unexpected benefits from the ancient practice of yoga. A friend credits yoga for the speedy birth of her first child -- just four hours. That's amazingly fast for someone over 40, her obstetrician says.

Of course, a 4-hour labor might have happened anyway, but yoga strengthened those muscles, making childbirth physically easier, perhaps. Yoga studios are everywhere, even in small towns in Idaho.

The legions of yoga fans are, well, stretching out across the country. Today, the practice boasts 20 million followers. It's mostly about stress reduction. People are looking for a form of exercise that is "gentler."

In Manhattan's tJivamuktiamukti Yoga Center, infant-and-mom yoga classes are big, says spokesman VaSicignanoignano. "I'm talking about little babies ... they watch their mothers, try to mimic with legs and arms what their mothers are doing."

Hot Bikramr Bikram yoga

(**Please note: this style of yoga is NOT, I repeat, NOT recommended for those with multiple sclerosis, due to the exexacerbativeacerbative effects of heat.

It's for everyone, but men are particularly drawn to "HoBikram" or "Bikram yoga" BikrameChoudrykram Choudry, the yogi to the stars). This yoga practice is trendy on both coasts. (**Please note: this style of yoga is NOT, I repeat, NOT recommended for those with multiple sclerosis, due to the exacerbative by effects of heat.

Hot it most definitely is -- sauna-style hot, in a room heated past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, she says. "It's supposed to make the muscles more flexible, thereby reducing the possibility of damaging muscles. But any type of exercise in 100-degree heat is difficult on the body. Extreme yoga appeals to some because "it makes you sweat, makes you hurt. It's the American mentality -- no pain no gain," she says.

Ashcan Ashtanga yoga

Another extreme style of yoga -- has been made by Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and Sting. "It's a very asansasng series of asansas (postures). It has many levels, gets you oFeuersteinth," says Feuerstein. "It's not an easy stHathao practice."

Hatha yoga is something that offers benefits to people at many different levels, People come for stress management, or because they're trying to mange some physical illness. Some come because of a very strong spiritual curiosity, they want more quietness in their lives. They don't know precisely what yoga offers, but they know that relaxation and meditatiHathae part of it."

Hatha yoga is a meditation program that includes exercises to help improve flexibility and breathing, decrease stress, and maintain health. Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years in India and is based on the principle of mind-body unity. It is thought that yoga improves health by improving mental clarity, thereby calming the spirit, and decreasing stress.

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The copyright of the article TO YOGA OR NOT TO YOGA IN MS in Multiple Sclerosis is owned by S. W. Hussey. Permission to republish TO YOGA OR NOT TO YOGA IN MS in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.