Chapter 3: Yoga as Preventive measure for Lifestyle Disease

Lifestyle diseases stem from the way people live and work. Lack of physical activity, irregular eating habits, and stress are their primary causes. Yoga (particularly Asanas and Pranayama) serves as a potent preventive measure for these ailments.

1. Obesity

Obesity is the condition where excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, diagnosed when the Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 30.

• Beneficial Asanas:

  • Tadasana: Standing with hands stretching upwards. It improves posture and height in children.
  • Pavanmuktasana: The wind-relieving pose. Massages abdominal organs, aiding digestion and reducing visceral fat.
  • Matsyasana: the fish pose.
  • Halasana: the plough pose.
  • Ardha-Matsyendrasana: the half spinal twist pose.
  • Dhanurasana: the bow pose.

• Contraindications (General): Pregnant women, people with severe back injuries or recent abdominal surgeries should avoid intense backward or forward bending asanas like Halasana and Dhanurasana.

2. Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar due to inadequate insulin production or the body’s cells not responding correctly to insulin.

• Beneficial Asanas:
  • Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): Performed by lying on the stomach and raising the upper body. Stimulates the pancreas.
  • Mandukasana (Frog Pose): Pressing fists against the navel area while sitting in Vajrasana. Specifically proven to stimulate insulin secretion.
  • Paschimottanasana: Seated forward bend stretching the hamstrings and massaging abdominal organs.
  • Kapalabhati Pranayama: Active exhalation and passive inhalation. Helps clear blockages and rejuvenate pancreatic cells.

3. Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult, causing inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes.

• Beneficial Asanas:
  • Sukhasana: The easy sitting pose for breathing effectively.
  • Chakrasana (Wheel Pose): Expands the chest, lungs, and rib cage, drastically improving oxygen capacity.
  • Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose): Alleviates stiffness in the shoulders and opens up the chest.
  • Anulom-Vilom: Alternate nostril breathing balances the autonomic nervous system and relieves respiratory stress.

4. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Hypertension is a chronic medical condition where the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated.

• Beneficial Asanas:

  • Shavasana (Corpse Pose): Utter relaxation flat on the back. It drastically calms the nervous system and lowers blood pressure.
  • Vajrasana: The thunderbolt pose. Calms the mind.
  • Makarasana (Crocodile Pose): Extremely relaxing for the autonomic nervous system.
  • Sitkari Pranayama: Cooling breath that drops the body temperature and blood pressure.

• Contraindications: People with hypertension must avoid inverted poses like Sirsasana or forceful breathing like Bhastrika.

5. Back Pain

Back pain is a common ailment reflecting poor posture, muscle imbalances, or prolonged sitting.

• Beneficial Asanas:
  • Shalabhasana (Locust Pose): Lying on the stomach and lifting the legs. Strengthens the lower back muscles immensely.
  • Vakrasana (Twisted Pose): Gentle spinal twist.
  • Ardh Matsyendrasana: Half spinal twist. Alleviates severe lower back stiffness.

Competency-Based Questions

Q1. A 40-year-old software engineer complains of severe chronic back pain due to long hours in front of a computer.

a) Recommend an Asana that specifically strengthens the lower back muscles, and briefly state its procedure.
b) Assume the structural stress \( \sigma \) on a lumbar vertebra is given by: \[ \sigma = \frac{F}{A} + \frac{M \cdot c}{I} \] where \( M \) is the bending moment caused by poor posture. How does practicing the recommended Asana physically alter the variable \( M \) (bending moment) in this equation over time?

Answer: a) Shalabhasana (Locust Pose) is highly recommended. Procedure: Lie prone on the ground, keeping hands by your side or beneath your thighs. Inhale deeply and raise both legs upward together as high as possible without bending the knees. Hold the posture, then exhale and lower the legs.

b) Practicing Shalabhasana consistently strengthens the erector spinae and deep core muscles. These strengthened muscles help physically support the spine and naturally encourage an upright, erect posture rather than a slouched one. By standing and sitting straighter, the horizontal distance between the body’s center of mass and the vertebral axis decreases. This significantly reduces the bending moment \( M \), thereby safely lowering the total stress \( \sigma \) exerted on the lumbar spine.

Q2. During a physical fitness camp, Ram is practicing Kapalabhati while Shyam is practicing Sitkari Pranayama.

a) Out of the two, who is more likely to be seeking relief from Asthma and who from Hypertension?
b) Identify the physiological mechanism by which Sitkari aids the hypertensive patient.

Answer: a) Ram (practicing Kapalabhati) is likely seeking relief from Asthma or Diabetes as it actively clears airways and stimulates abdominal organs. Shyam (practicing Sitkari) is seeking relief from Hypertension.

b) Sitkari is a cooling pranayama. Creating a hissing sound by drawing air in through the teeth physically cools down the body temperature. This physiological cooling triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, drastically lowering heart rate and relaxing blood vessels, thereby reducing the sheer pressure of blood in the arteries (hypertension).