The Physiological Essentials of Yogic Relaxation: Body Mind Breath & Stress

By Dr. Umesh Pal Singh and Eleanor Criswell Hanna

This book lays special emphasis on the fact that the application of natural physical factors is most expedient. Written in a simple, direct, but adept manner, it is a beautiful introductory book. The focus is really to help the reader learn the basic concepts and understandings behind how the yogic relaxation techniques work and then to get them into practice.
In conclusion, I wish to note with great satisfaction that this book, which is compiled and edited by a mainstream health professional and a seasoned yoga practitioner, is expected to reveal the physiological essentials of yogic relaxation from contemporary viewpoint. The author has integrated in a beautiful fashion a bewildering and diverse scientific literature into an organized and a compelling presentation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Dec 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482822335

Dr. Umesh Pal Singh

The author has been the sufferer of postural strain due to structural scoliosis. He has been practicing self-massage since 1983. From 1986 onward, he switched over to breathing and postural exercise. After lots of experience and introspection, he made up his mind for writing this book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Umesh Pal Singh.

ISBN:      Hardcover   978-1-4828-2231-1

                Softcover     978-1-4828-2232-8

                eBook           978-1-4828-2233-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Dedication

PART I

STRESS

Chapter 1 Getting Started

Chapter 2 Understanding Stress

Chapter 3 The Human Condition

Chapter 4 Did You Know

PART II

POSTURE

Chapter 5 Getting Started

Chapter 6 Understanding Posture

Chapter 7 Simple Yogic Posture (Syp) —A Working Model

Chapter 8 Design Of The Human Body

Chapter 9 Did You Know

Chapter 10 Nature And Health

PART III

BREATHING

Chapter 11 Getting Started

Chapter 12 Understanding Breathing

Chapter 13 Experiential Gestalt Of Breathing And Postural Exercise For Relaxation And Meditation

Chapter 14 Meditation

Chapter 15 What Happens When I Do Meditation?

Chapter 16 Control Of Breathing And Respiratory Mechanics

Chapter 17 Blood Gases

Chapter 18 Did You Know

PART IV

BEHAVIOR: UNCONSCIOUS AND CONSCIOUS

Chapter 19 Habitual (Unconscious) Behavior

Chapter 20 Did You Know

PART V

THE BRAIN: COMMAND AND CONTROL CENTER

Chapter 21 The Brain/Mind—Higher Functions

Chapter 22 Did You Know

PART VI

HATH YOGA—MIND-BODY MEDICINE

Chapter 23 Understanding Hath Yoga

Chapter 24 Did You Know

PART VII

THE UPPER EXTREMITY: DESIGN AND BIOMECHANICS

Chapter 25 Upper Limb, Handedness, Habitual Movements, And Implications

Chapter 26 Yoga Practice—My Experiences And Some Speculations

Chapter 27 Did You Know

PART VIII

WE CAN CHANGE

PART IX

RECOMMENDED READINGS

FOREWORD

I first met Dr. Umesh Pal Singh when he arranged to meet me at a conference in Bangalore, where I was presenting. He wanted to discuss his book and I was interested to see what ideas he came up with regarding stress and health given his professional background and other research interests. A pulmonary physician, he is a remarkable man. He is Senior Resident, Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Subharati Medical College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. He has spent years gathering the information to support his case: that physiological change is possible. Physiological Essentials of Yogic Relaxation is the result of his explorations.

Years later he asked me to write the foreword for his book, and I wondered why he would want me to do this. As I read his book, I discovered why. He wanted me to write the foreword because he draws heavily on the concepts of somatics and stress research. Because of my longtime experience with the field of somatics, yoga, and biofeedback, I am knowledgeable about many things he writes about. I am the author of the books How Yoga Works and Biofeedback and Somatics and the editor of Cram’s Introduction to Surface Electromyography. I am director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, in Novato, California and editor of Somatics—The Magazine-Journal of the Mind/Body Arts and Sciences. I am a past president and board member of the International Association for Yoga Therapists and I have been involved with yoga and somatics for 45 years. My areas of expertise and experience allow me to recognize this book’s unique significance. I am honored to be asked to write this foreword.

In this book, Singh tells his story. He was born with Sprengel’s deformity, a rare congenital condition in which the shoulder blade does not descend properly from the neck. Frequently it is the left shoulder blade that sits higher than the right. It originates in early fetal development.

Singh has coped with postural strain due to Sprengel’s deformity with scoliosis throughout his life. Along the way, he attended medical school and developed a specialization in pulmonary medicine. He is an original thinker, embracing research and clinical findings from many disciplines. In this book he freely shares his wisdom and experience. He has conducted considerable scholarship in many fields to develop his deep understanding of the human body and how it can change toward greater health. Here we have his first-person experience of being aware of his physiological state, exploring ways of working with it, bringing in third-person information from many sources, and working to change his physiological state. The photographs in the book demonstrate his success in the process of realigning himself. While in his twenties, Singh also developed a right shoulder dislocation. He developed a technique for self-massage and yoga relaxation that addressed his shoulder dislocation, and was able to rehabilitate his shoulder.

A significant realization that is not often addressed in general medicine or in society is that posture ranks right up at the top of the list when you are talking about good health, Singh says. ‘Bad’ posture is deterioration in the left-to-right and front-to-back harmonious relationship of the muscles and joints… . Posture impacts and modulates all bodily functions from breathing to hormonal production, he says. He has had first-person experience of how posture can compromise your health and wellbeing. Finding a body posture that gives pleasant and enjoyable sensations… has to be done with humble curiosity and compassion, he tells us. Understanding the effects of stress on posture is very important. When you understand the effects of stress, you can begin to intervene.

Singh feels that posture is the key to health. Posture is everything, he says. He has discovered that to help improve skeletal alignment, rather than pulling or pushing or doing to create alignment, relax the muscles that are pulling you out of your proper alignment. From his own experience, he is very aware of the importance of understanding the significance of posture. This is a very important realization for rehabilitation. Further, it is important to understand posture and its significance for overall health and wellbeing.

Dr. Umesh Pal Singh’s Simple Yogic Posture was featured in an article that was published in the American Massage Therapy Association Journal, winter 1996, Vol. 35, No. 1. It can be considered to be a technique that characterizes as a form of symmetrical force couple relationship between right and left side of the body. This book includes a thorough exploration of Singh’s Simple Yoga Posture with instructions on how to do it.

Physiological Essentials of Yogic Relaxation is full of gems: insights from Singh’s experiences of working as a pulmonary physician and working on his own physical health. Photos illustrate his progress in somatically developing himself toward symmetry and greater health. He weaves in yoga concepts wherever it is appropriate, as only he can. Yoga was very significant in his rehabilitation and in his work with others. Little-known facts from yoga and other sources are sprinkled throughout the book. There are exciting examples and inclusions. The book is not weighted down with research findings, but there is research support for everything he says. Remember, feel to heal, he tells us. Guided breath is very significant in his approach to working with himself and his patients.

The World Health Organization has launched a new project on innovative care for chronic conditions: a comprehensive framework for updating health care to meet the needs of chronic conditions. The building blocks and overall framework are relevant for both prevention and disease-management in healthcare settings, says Singh. His work is a contribution toward updating healthcare. The book is a good example of complementary and alternative medicine or integrative medicine in action by an author who practiced integrative medicine to resolve his own health situation. It is an example of self-guided yoga therapy.

In the United States alone there are 24 million people practicing yoga for physical and psychological health. The International Association for Yoga Therapists is helping bridge yoga and health care. Yogic relaxation is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the twenty-first century, says Singh. Yogic practice addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. For example, Yoga is a multimodal treatment system. It combines a number of different strategies which are applied at the same time to gain a much greater effect than that which would be achieved by only applying one, he says. But yoga is not just for healthcare; it is for life. His chapter on Hath Yoga—mind-body medicine is a significant cornerstone for this book.

There are many people in society trying to strengthen themselves or working to rehabilitate themselves. They do not realize that it is often necessary to restore proper biomechanics of the shoulder complex (arthrokinematics) prior to strengthening. This is the most overlooked entity in shoulder rehabilitation, he says. True balance is attained through the conscious embodiment of three basic principles: alignment, relaxation and resilience. Singh has a keen appreciation for the role of gravity in our lives. When you are in touch with gravity, it allows for integration of all other postural systems and then movement becomes effortless, he says. The primary purpose of the postural reflexes is to maintain a constant posture in relation to a dynamic external environment. Further, he states, Compression of the joints provides us with proprioceptive feedback that is the basis for the integration of the body and the mind. He emphasizes that the body is a highly integrated structure, it is renewed and regenerated by movement and the force of gravity.

As a pulmonary physician, Singh is very aware that breathing patterns are very important for health. The reader will find a very helpful exploration of the nature of breathing. Awareness of breathing phases, a better sense of the location of the breath, or its duration and numbers, will result in a longer and more subtle breath, says Singh. Remember the body organizes around the breath!

Singh reminds us that the single most important tool we bring to our spiritual work [and health] is our attention, he says. There is no arena of human behavior or action which cannot be engaged ‘wisely,’ rather than habitually or automatically, says Singh. Once we start listening to our intuitions, we can attain joy and happiness and maintain harmony with the world around, he asserts.

Singh has a keen appreciation for somatics, the integrated mind-body arts and sciences. About movement he says, When [you] apply [your] attention and intention, you can improve the quality of your movements by doing things with precision. He points out, Movement is the unifying bond between the mind and the body and the sensations are the substance of that bond—without sensing we cannot act and without acting we cannot sense.

The strongest motivation to continue intervention and nourishing activities is the positive feelings from those efforts, he says, and  . . . when the body is prepared, and you start listening to your body, your body provides motor guidance . . . .

Sensory-motor amnesia is a concept developed by Thomas Hanna in his book Somatics. Singh makes good use of this concept. Since sensory-motor amnesia is a learned process at the sub-cortical level. This can also be unlearned when conscious efforts are made by moving slowly and intentionally with precision, he says. The good news is that we can change these faulty patterns by doing conscious efforts, he continues. Singh has demonstrated with his own body that this is possible. Through movement with attention, the brain lights up, thinking becomes clearer and that assists your brain in finding the best way to manage movement in your life, he says. Conscious activity makes use of your own perceptions of movement to improve muscle coordination. Good news can be found throughout this book.

Attention and intention are very important for health and wellness. Training our mind is to focus our attention that provides opportunities for mindful observation of our sensations and perceptions, says Singh. Remember, all life contains innate (inborn) intelligence and that this force is responsible for the organization, maintenance and healing of the body, he says. The human body is the most treasured, complicated, marvelous and fantastic machine that there is in the entire universe. He knows whereof he speaks.

I enjoyed reading this book. Singh has brought together the findings from different healthcare disciplines in a very interesting way. He skillfully weaves in yoga, physiology, modern medicine, and his personal experiences. The mind-body connection is echoed throughout the book, which is very comprehensive. It will be valuable for healthcare professionals and patients or for people wanting to maintain health, wellbeing, and happiness.

1.jpg

Eleanor Criswell Hanna, Ed.D.

Director, Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training

Author, Biofeedback and Somatics;

editor, Cram’s Introduction to Surface Electromyography

PREFACE

It appears that humans react to psychological dangers, fears, with the same tensions observed in situations of genuine physical danger. In our modern society, with its unrelenting demands and pressures to succeed, most people live in a more or less constant state of fear.

We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic disease that threatens the health of our people and the economic well-being of our nation. Even more important, most chronic disease is preventable, and much of it is reversible, if a comprehensive, individualized approach is implemented. Currently, chronic conditions are responsible for 60% of the global disease burden. Yet around the world, health systems do not have a plan for managing chronic conditions, and simply treat the symptoms when they occur.

Relaxation techniques are helpful tools for coping with stress and promoting long-term health by slowing down the body and quieting the mind. Yogic-relaxation is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. Yogic-practice addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.

Since, health care is slowly changing from a symptom/disease-based system to a function/performance-based system in which the structure of the human body is restored and maintained. A genuine reform of health care requires that primarily physicians must be equipped with the necessary knowledge of the applied of the physiological basis of interdependence of body and mind in health and disease.

One of the major difficulties in the rapidly emerging field of Yoga is the wealth of un-integrated clinical and research findings. The author has integrated in beautiful fashion a bewildering and diverse scientific literature into an organized and a compelling presentation. This book gives a holistic understanding of the subject of yoga in comparison to the piecemeal information given in other related books.

The background, of being a physician, yoga practitioner, scoliosis and recurrent shoulder dislocation sufferer, gave me an opportunity for developing unique and detailed insight into how the structure of the human body works. By successfully applying the techniques of self-care and soft-tissue manipulation, the author could be able to consistently resolve over 50% of his own problems.

I practiced self massage from 1983 to 1986. Later on I switched over to breathing and postural exercise (yogic relaxation) that I am continuing till date. It should be noted that after extensive observations of my postural behavior and my own preparatory automatic reactions to the act of breathing, I could also develop a working model of simple yogic posture (SYP)—a self-care modality—for the lay persons. See how you can become accustomed to yoga practice and feel motivated by doing SYP as described in Chapter 7.

The information in this book is based on a unique combination of about 30 years of practical experience of yogic relaxation and theoretical knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. This is a very helpful reference book, primarily for physicians and may also be read by any physiologist, psychologist, chiropractor, massage therapist, yoga practitioner or other individuals interested in the topic of Stress and Relaxation.

My main hope is that yoga practitioners will find this account interesting and stimulating. However, I must assume responsibility for opinions and for omissions or errors which may still remain after proofreading.

In conclusion, I wish to note with great satisfaction that the book compiled and edited by a mainstream health professional and a seasoned yoga practitioner, is expected to reveal the physiological essentials of yogic relaxation from contemporary view point.

The title, The Physiological Essentials of Yogic Relaxation: Body, Mind, Breath, and Stress, probably describes the scope of this book better than any other. An invaluable resource, this book is divided into nine parts:

Part I describes in details about what is emotional stress and how personality plays an important role in the individual’s reaction to stressors and also explains about what is human condition. No special background is required here, just a measure of patience to be rewarded, by the reading chapters included in this section of the book.

Part II through V of this book follow with an explanation of how the body-mind-breath triad works. These sections of the book provide some background on the basic knowledge of biomechanics: Find out what is poor posture (Chapter 6). See how the design of the scapula aids in determining bodily dysfunctions and also know why unilateral upper limb training is important (Chapter 8). Gain knowledge about hyperventilation and why breathing is the most important of all other functional movements of the body (Chapter 12). What is dysfunctional breathing and why conscious or deliberate breathing is important and, see how conscious breathing can totally change your yoga practice and give you control of your physical body (Chapter 16). Also discover the difference between habitual behaviour and conscious behaviour and conscious versus unconscious mind (Chapter 19, 21).

Part VI describes in details about the six limbs of Hath Yoga focused on attaining Samadhi: Find out why pratyahara or sense withdrawal? And see why the author gives special importance to reflex stimulation for neuromuscular training (Chapter 23, 24).

Part VII of this book offers an overview of the design of the upper limb. Included here are discussions about the relationships between the handedness, habitual movements and implications: Learn how to use gravity therapy for the facilitation of the weakest link, to enhance strength, ability to avoid new injuries and do yoga with maximum results and minimum efforts (Chapter 25).

Part VIII of this book then depicts the time-lapse photographs, showing an improvement in the body of the author. Lastly, the list of recommended readings is appended as shown in part IX of this book.

The author lays especial emphasis on the fact that judicious application of natural physical factors—gravity and carbon dioxide—is the cornerstone for this book. Natural physical factors are