New Study Shows Relief from Pain, Depression, and Downtime caused by Premenstrual Syndrome with Regular Isha Yoga Practice
A new study presented at the 9th International Scientific Meeting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, September 2011 in Athens, Greece, demonstrated significant improvement in premenstrual syndrome and other menstrual disorders, such as cyclic irregularity, as the result of at least six months regular practice of Isha Yoga, a system of yoga offered by Isha Foundation. Symptoms across-the-board were significantly reduced.
Isha Yoga is designed by Sadhguru Vasudev, a visionary humanitarian, yogi, and founder of Isha Foundation. Isha Foundation offers a powerful 21-minute yoga practice as a part of its introductory yoga program Inner Engineering. This practice is a yogic 'kriya' called Shambhavi Mahamudra. The kriya is a powerful and purifying energy process that incorporates the breath.
Improvements in psychological symptoms were among the greatest benefits noticed by the yoga practitioners, with 72% of the women reporting a reduction in irritability, mood swings, crying spells, and depression. 57% of women reported decreases in dysmenorrhea (painful periods), and the study reported an 87% reduction in the incidence of severe menstrual flow. 63% of people had a reduced need for medical and surgical intervention. Overall, the women surveyed by the study reported that the multi-symptomatic relief they experienced as a result of doing Isha Yoga practices reduced their impairment to work by 83%.
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, as many as 80% of women regularly experience some premenstrual symptoms. Medicinenet.com reports that “clinically significant PMS occurs in 20% to 30% of women,” which totals nearly 20 million women in the U.S. alone. Women who meet the diagnostic criteria for PMS find their symptoms are severe enough to affect their ability to function normally, significantly impacting the physical, psychological, social and financial aspects of their lives.
One participant in the study shared, “I have no pain or issues during periods and before periods whereas before Shambhavi I definitely had issues especially with painful tender body and headaches as well as bloating.” Another stated, “What surprised me most was that my cycle went from 32-33 days to 28 days and my periods are much lighter and shorter now. I previously had a good deal of lower back pain prior to my periods and occasionally very heavy cramping. I have none now.”
The Effect of Isha Yoga on Menstrual disorders study was conducted through a survey questionnaire sent by email to 200 randomly selected female practitioners of Isha Yoga of age group 14 to 55 years from U.S.A, U.K, Singapore, Malaysia and Lebanon. They have been practicing for a minimum of 6 months. 72% (128) of study respondents practiced Isha Yoga every day. The remaining 28% practiced irregularly, between 1-3 times in a week. For a complete study report, contact media.usa@ishafoundation.org
For more information on the health benefits of yoga and meditation, visit www.BeBreatheBlossom.com/Health
