General Article
September
5, 2002
Slow-mo exercise
Weekday yoga sessions at Day Campus are 'like a trip to the gym, the shrink and the spa, all in an hour,'
say faithful practitioners
 Jeri Glogovac (left) leads Yvonne Croteau, Eleanor Williams and Tim Hunt in yoga exercises during a class offered to center employees. Photo by Todd McNaught |
By JANIS SIEGEL
Hunching over a lab bench or squinting at a computer all day may be the most physically demanding tasks many of us experience at work.
But in a conference room in the Hutchinson Building, a dedicated group of faculty and staff stretch their bodies and push their cardiovascular systems several times a week. They spend their lunch hours engaged in the ancient physical discipline of yoga, seeking increased vitality and a calmer day on the job.
Employees who have participated in weekday classes offered at the center by local instructors for the last four years say that not only are they more physically fit and mentally alert, but their work performance also is better.
"It's like a trip to the gym, the shrink and the spa, all in an hour," said Kayla Sheets, research technician at the center. "What could be better?"
Dr. Bruce Edgar of the Basic Sciences Division has taken the classes for years.
"They helped me recover from a chronically aching back, they have improved my balance and strength, and they are good mentally," he said.
"Yoga involves the total person," said John Chevillet, research technician in the Linial lab of Basic Sciences. "On a work level, yoga increases awareness and gives a person a dynamic yet relaxed energy and enthusiasm."
Originally a Hindu philosophy, yoga has been practiced in India for more than 2,000 years. It is a system of exercises designed to promote physical and mental well-being by combining slow, steady, controlled breathing with poses called asanas.
It gained popularity in the 1960s as a way to attain "enlightenment." Now, it is offered in gyms and spas throughout the United States and is one of the fastest-growing exercise trends because of its reputation for relieving stress and increasing flexibility.
Physical, mental benefits
"An effort has been made to design a yoga program here at the Hutch that will benefit people physically as well as mentally," said Jeri Glogovac, project manager for Solid Tumor Flow Cytometry, project manager in the Porter lab in Human Biology and coordinator of the yoga program.
"The definition of yoga is the union of mind and body," she said. "Because of the focus on the breath, a meditative and relaxed quality is produced throughout."
Glogovac said breathing initiates the movement through the asanas, linking the mind (controlled breath) and body (asana). The active quality of the asanas, she said, brings the mind and body back together over and over during a class.
"There is subtle pulling, twisting, flexing and repositioning going on constantly," she said. "Growth occurs in yoga when your body reaches a limit, uses that limitation as a teacher and gradually moves beyond it to the next level, just as it's true in other areas of our lives. That reflects yoga's universality."
Glogovac says yoga is generally a slow-moving form of exercise. She recommends yoga for strengthening of the body's core muscle groups, especially the back and the abdomen.
"When we practice yoga, we are taught to be slow about entering, holding and releasing ourselves from each asana," Glogovac said. "There are asanas designed to work every muscle and joint in the body and to stimulate the body's cardiovascular, digestive, nervous and endocrine systems. There is no other form of exercise that works the postural muscles that support elongation and straightening of the spine."
Among the goals of yoga are the symmetrical balancing and aligning of the musculo-skeletal system and the promotion of optimal body function that prevent physical and emotional stress.
"You just feel better," Glogovac said. "You can sit taller, twist easier and breathe more deeply. You move differently because of increased flexibility and body awareness. The resulting body movement makes you less likely to injure yourself doing those everyday things that land so many of us in bed wondering just what it is we did to ourselves."
From the many styles of yoga that have evolved over the years, the center offers three styles taught by three instructors.
On Monday, there is the beginning, Forrest style, named after its creator, Anna Forrest. This class promotes strength building and proper body alignment.
On Tuesday and Thursday, there is more active, Vinyasa-style yoga, promoting movements with breath. On Wednesday, the more individually therapeutic Viniyoga is offered as part of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance's patient-wellness program.
"These variations of yoga styles are young, having been developed probably in the last century or so," said Yvonne Croteau, yoga instructor. "Taking the Monday Forrest class would be a great place to gain the technical base, mechanics and alignment participants need to move on to another class. The Viniyoga class on Wednesday is brilliantly subtle, perfectly tuned to the breath and gentle, yet demanding. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Vinyasa style is more vigorous."
Because some poses such as hand, head or shoulder stands are inverted and increase blood flow to the head, experts advise that anyone thinking about starting a yoga class consult his or her doctor, especially if conditions such as high blood pressure, glaucoma, a history of retinal detachment or heart disease exist.
'Being smart'
"Some form of yoga will benefit everyone," Croteau said, "but it's a matter of being smart about how you move. If you're not breathing smoothly, you're missing the point. We are practicing full body and mind integration, not self-battle. As teachers, we walk through the room and listen to students' breathing."
Croteau says classes average between six and 10 people. She encourages all levels to participate. The cost is $5 per class, and the only recommended "equipment" is a sticky yoga mat that retails for $15-25.
"Without a mat, you may slip on the carpet and not be able to gain enough leverage to feel the asanas deeply," Croteau said. "Clothing for classes should be loose enough for full movement, but not hanging off you."
Glogovac encourages anyone interested in trying yoga for the first time or returning to yoga to take a class. The benefits, she said, are more than physical.
"Regardless of the style," she said, "the focus of yoga remains on moving with the breath. Participants are encouraged to use the asanas as a sort of mirror, reflecting back the current status of their own physical body - not how the body will be or where the body or the person next to them might be. To truly benefit from yoga, we need to focus on our own growth and be willing to help others work toward their growth. That holds true for every aspect of a healthy society."
