American Viniyoga Institute - Blog

Influencing the Direction of Change: Practicing Yoga for Stress Reduction by Gary Kraftsow

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:37:00 GMT

YogaChicago Magazine, March/April 2012

Got stress? The ancients handed down a systematic approach for overcoming the effects of stress on the mind and body: yoga. These teachings and practices remain highly relevant and applicable for reducing stress and mitigating the effects of chronic stress on the human system.

Meet a Viniyoga Therapist - Lynn Weinberger, Sonoma, CA

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:39:00 GMT

Lynn Weinberger began practicing yoga while serving with her husband in the Peace Corps in India. The study and practice of the full range of yoga sustained their health and wellbeing in the face of a variety of challenging conditions. Some 30 years after this initial exposure, and following much intensive exploration, Lynn found her yoga home in Viniyoga. “I am grateful to all my teachers, and to the precious friendships I have formed through my rich relationship to the AVI community."

Today, Lynn, now 68, teaches at several studios in Sonoma, California and sees private clients. She is an invited faculty member to trainings – and occasionally assists Gary Kraftsow at workshops. She appears in the Pranamaya DVD Viniyoga Therapy for the Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders.

For Lynn, yoga is a “forever, lifetime learning” experience. She maintains an extensive personal library and uses this and online resources to research conditions and other topics to support her students. She often begins her classes with presentations of her latest research and findings in areas of health and well-being. Her students are excited about the learning and the yoga they share. “I am never more satisfied than when I can see that my work helps someone”, Lynn says.

I am never more satisfied than when I can see that my work helps someone.

-Lynn Weinberger
AVI Yoga Therapist Graduate

Viniyoga and mindfulness programs helped participants significantly reduce their perceived stress levels

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:19:00 GMT

Aetna Mind-Body Stress Reduction in the Workplace Trial Results Published

The AVI/Aetna collaboration represents a significant step in the integration of ancient insights into health and healing with modern evidence-based research. Hopefully this type of collaboration will lead to more widespread adoption of self-care practices that support people in their wellness and reduce the burden of stress-related disease on the health care system.
— Gary Kraftsow, MA, E-RYT 500, Founder and Director,
American Viniyoga Institute and Viniyoga Wellness Programs

The Aetna, Inc. Mind-Body Stress Reduction in the Workplace Trial, recently published in the online version of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, investigated the impact on perceived stress level and other variables with two distinct mind-body approaches. The Viniyoga Stress Reduction Program (therapeutic Viniyoga) and Mindfulness at Work (mindfulness meditation) were each compared to a control group. These programs helped participants significantly reduce their perceived stress levels while improving their ability to respond to stress.

Participants in the mind-body stress reduction treatment groups (mindfulness and Viniyoga) showed significant improvements in perceived stress with 36 and 33 percent decreases in stress levels respectively, as compared to an 18 percent reduction for the control group as measured with the Perceived Stress Scale.
Participants in the two mind-body interventions also saw significant improvements in a biological marker called heart rhythm coherence, suggesting that their bodies were better able to manage stress.
A statistically significant improvement in a biological marker called heart rhythm coherence (a measure of autonomic balance) suggests that the participants in the two study treatment or intervention groups were better able to manage stress.
Sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index also improved compared to controls.
The Viniyoga study group reported less current pain compared to controls.
The study found that these improvements occurred in about half the length of time using the Viniyoga Stress Reduction Program and Mindfulness at Work.
Developed and studied in a collaborative effort with Aetna, Duke Integrative Medicine, eMindful and the American Viniyoga Institute, this study contributes to the body of evidence for the use of mind-body approaches to reduce stress and improve health.
The programs, Mindfulness at Work (mindfulness meditation) and Viniyoga Stress Reduction (therapeutic Viniyoga) are sold to worksites through Aetna, Inc.

The Viniyoga Stress Reduction program is a 12-week therapeutic yoga-based program. Participants in the worksite trial received instruction for managing stress including physical yoga postures, breathing techniques, guided relaxation and mental skills. The classes also provided coping strategies for dealing with stressful events and promoted use of home and office strategies for reducing stress through yoga. The program offered weekly in-person classes, home practice handouts and yoga break handouts for home and office use.

Related...

News Release February 23, 2012 - Aetna Delivers Evidence-based Mind-Body Stress Management Programs

Learn more about the Viniyoga approach used in this intervention in AVI professional training programs.

Watch Gary Kraftsow as he provides an overview on the Viniyoga Stress Reduction Program in this video:

Yoga Anatomy: Principles Class of 2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:47:00 GMT

American Viniyoga Institute and YogaAnatomy.net are now accepting enrollments for the Yoga Anatomy: Principles Class of 2012

When I wanted to upgrade the anatomy portion of our trainings, I turned to Leslie. My students love this training. It is the best course of its kind available today.
— Gary Kraftsow, Founder, American Viniyoga Institute

If becoming a better teacher or deepening your yoga practice is a goal for you this year, now's the chance to sign up. The next course starts next Saturday, January 28, 2012.

AVI has negotiated a substantial discount for AVI students and alumni only. If you are a prospective student, a current student or an alumni, contact info@viniyoga.com for more information.

New features this year include:

Live Q&A

Study partners

Streaming videos for the iPad/iPhone

Join hundreds of yoga teachers, movement professionals, and advanced practitioners from 30 countries as part of our online community.

More information »
Fee & registration »

Watch this video preview from class where Leslie describes the moment that literally took his breath away and helped shift his focus and teaching career for life.

What course members are saying...

I loved every bit of it. I love how Leslie made anatomy so accessible. The explanations were clear and easy to understand. The practices were fun and really brought home the importance of the breath. There were lots of interesting ways to guide students into a pose safely with focus again on the breath.

The homework questions were well thought-out and really made me think hard before hitting send! I so enjoyed being challenged to think for myself rather than being told what to think and feel.

Reading everyone's comment and sharing my own experiences made me feel like I was part of the class, which, of course, I was. Leslie's humour and colourful language made the lessons extra fun too! Leslie's down-to-earth approach to yoga is refreshing. I can't wait for more!"
— Wendy Snongjati, Yoga Teacher, Derbyshire, UK

I think the most important thing that the course has done is that is has opened me up to new possibilities in my yoga journey, as a practitioner and as a teacher. The course has provoked deep questions in me, about why I practice and teach, and I'm excited about where the questions will lead me.

And of course, I learned a LOT about the anatomy of yoga - which is extremely helpful to me personally and professionally. It has changed my body, my practice, and the way I teach - in very positive ways.

I enjoyed the content, the way it was organized, and the way it was taught. I liked the informal and relaxed atmosphere of the classes, and the way the online students were included. I also love the opening chant, it is very inspiring and sets a nice tone. The quality of the content and professionalism, while at the same time giving a feeling of a down-to-earth, open-minded community really resonated with me. I loved how Leslie was always open to learn from his students, to hear another perspective, to listen to others' experiences.

I thought that the online course was very professionally presented, with great technical quality. I think the entire organization was amazing and seamless.
— Mary McGovern, Yoga Teacher, Paris, France

AVI has negotiated a substantial discount for AVI students and alumni only. If you are a prospective student, a current student or an alumni, contact info@viniyoga.com for more information.

More information »
Fee & registration »

Can Yoga Be Bad for You?

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:41:00 GMT

It's not about the postures, it's about the practitioner.
-- Gary Kraftsow

KQED (NPR affiliate station in Northern California) held a radio show on January 12, 2012 about a recent New York Times Magazine article focused on how yoga can cause serious injury. The safety of yoga practice was addressed by a panel of speakers including:

Baxter Bell, director of the Piedmont Yoga Studio's teacher-training program in Oakland and a board-certified family doctor
Glenn Black, yoga teacher featured in the New York Times Magazine article
Jason Crandell, yoga teacher and contributing editor of Yoga Journal
Kaitlin Quistgaard, editor in chief of Yoga Journal
Moshe Lewis, physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at California Pacific Medical Center, St. Luke's Campus

Gary Kraftsow, Founder and Director of the American Viniyoga Institute called in to the radio show to discuss his perspectives on the New York Times Magazine article. You can hear Gary's comments about 40 minutes into the show.

Listen to the radio show »

Read "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body" at NYTimes.com »

What distinguishes the Viniyoga approach to asana from other forms of yoga? Read more »

Volume discount pricing on CDs

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:42:00 GMT

We now offer volume discount pricing on our CDs – order at least 10 of any one CD and receive 40% off. Contact Stephanie Harding at stephanieh@viniyoga.com to place your order.

The Purpose of Kriya Yoga...meat for us...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Does suffering and your relationship to it hold you back from actualizing your full potential? Listen in as Gary discusses the purpose of Kriya Yoga. We invite you to comment in our blog about your own understanding of/experiences with Kriya Yoga. Select comments will be published...

» Listen now

Sutra audio downloads reduced to $5.95

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:54:00 GMT

Audio downloads of Gary Kraftsow’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali have been reduced to $5.95 per lesson.

Buy them here »

Viniyoga for Low Back Pain: New Study Results Released

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:04:00 GMT

Karen Sherman’s first randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of yoga for low back pain was published in 2005 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Her initial study was met by high enthusiasm among Viniyoga teachers and therapists as well as the broader yoga community.

Recently, results from Sherman’s second, larger study using the same study design have been released (Archives of Internal Medicine, December, 2011). In new study, Sherman compared the effectiveness of a 12 week group Viniyoga intervention, a Physical Therapist designed stretching program of similar intensity and a self-care booklet in 226 subjects with moderate level, uncomplicated low back pain. Subjects in both the stretching and Viniyoga groups reported reduced medication use and improved functioning when compared to the subjects who received the self- care booklet.

Sherman reports “we found that physical activity involving stretching, regardless of whether it is achieved using yoga or more conventional exercises has moderate benefits in individuals with moderately impairing low back pain.” Further analyses of the data are planned to examine the mechanisms (physical, mental and emotional) through which Viniyoga influences chronic low back pain.

Are you interested in learning more about how to use research results in your Yoga Therapy practice? Would you like to know how to explain yoga research findings to clients and colleagues? Clare Collins will be offering a 2012 Webinar titled “Viniyoga for Low Back Pain: How Evidence-Based is Our Practice?” For more information about this spring continuing education offering, contact info@viniyoga.com.

Karen J. Sherman; Daniel C. Cherkin; Robert D. Wellman; Andrea J. Cook; Rene J. Hawkes; Kristin Delaney; Richard A. Deyo
A Randomized Trial Comparing Yoga, Stretching, and a Self-care Book for Chronic Low Back Pain
Arch Intern Med, Dec 12/26, 2011; 171: 2019 - 2026.

Why Chant the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:27:00 GMT

Chanting makes the sutras intimate for you. That's true in every tradition: if you want to have serious membership in the tradition you memorize the ancient texts. The way to have this intimate connection to it is to know the words by heart and to recite them. You're removing the distance between you and the Word.
-Andy Sugerman, AVI Viniyoga Foundations Program Faculty in an interview in YogaCity New York

Andy Sugerman, AVI Faculty for the Viniyoga Foundations Program, is starting a Yoga Sutra Chanting Group in New York City. Andy is an AVI-trained Viniyoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist who learned to chant the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali one-on-one with master teacher Sri Ramaswami.

Students in the AVI Viniyoga Foundations Program (formerly Viniyoga Teacher Training) have long been graced by Andy's expertise in chanting the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali. The AVI Viniyoga Foundations Program (new program starts at Yogaville in June 2012) includes daily chanting of the Yoga Sutra with Andy.

Learn more about the Yoga Sutra Chanting Group in New York City with Andy Sugerman in an interview by Joelle Hann, AVI Viniyoga Foundations Program Student on yogacitynyc.com

You can find Andy's CD set, Tutorial for Chanting the Yogasutra of Patanjali - Samadhipada and Sadhanapada, in the AVI Store.

Clare Collins awarded the IAYT 2011 Karma Yoga Award

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:02:00 GMT

IAYT 2011 Karma Yoga Award for Remarkable Service and Effective Leadership goes to Clare Collins!

Clare Collins, RN, PhD, FAAN, CYT, E-RYT-500 was the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) 2011 Karma Award Winner for her extraordinary selfless service.

John Kepner, Executive Director for IAYT, said that Clare received the award for her four years of "remarkable service and effective leadership" on the IAYT Board of Directors. Kepner credits Clare with defining the charge and leading the initial IAYT educational standards efforts. She also serves as a research abstract reviewer. "Clare championed the IAYT Symposium on Yoga Research at a critical juncture," said Kepner.

Clare Collins is Training Coordinator for the AVI Viniyoga Therapist Training. She has been in leadership roles as Training Coordinator for past AVI Teacher Trainings and the 2009 Foundation for Yoga Therapy Training. Clare is certified by the American Viniyoga Institute as a Yoga Teacher (2003) and Yoga Therapist (2005).

We are fortunate to have Clare as friend, faculty and mentor. Clare serves the Viniyoga community with expertise and enthusiasm. She assists AVI with program development and strategic planning. She is also a mentor for staff, faculty, current students and AVI graduates.

She completed a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Nursing at Yale University, Ph.D in Counseling at University of Michigan and a post doctoral research fellowship in geriatric mental health at NIMH. Currently, she is a Yoga Therapist in East Lansing, Michigan and Professor Emeritus of Nursing at Michigan State University.

Nikki Myers and the Yoga of 12 Step Recovery

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Nikki Myers was introduced to yoga in the trendy 70s - and then it lay dormant while she pursued her dual careers of jazz singing and software design (she holds songwriting credits and software patents in these fields). Emotional and physical stressors encouraged her to return to her yoga practice some years later.

Now Nikki is a Viniyoga 500Hour Teacher and Viniyoga Therapist and owns a studio, CITYOGA, in Indianapolis. She shares her yoga in classes, in juvenile detention centers, in university settings, in private sessions. Nikki and Nate Rush are deeply committed to a program they’ve developed call The Yoga of 12 Step Recovery, the foundations of which lie in the principles, the teachings, and the philosophy that have come to her from her Viniyoga training – and the wisdom of the 12 Step program for addiction.

Nikki describes her Yoga of 12 Step Recovery in 2 interviews with Yoga Modern:
» Bringing Back the Body in Addiction: Interview with Nikki Myers, Part 1
» How dare you play small? Interview with Nikki Myers, Part 2

The success that Nikki has demonstrated with this program has piqued the interest of a major health insurer. Stay tuned for more in the next year as Nikki and Gary Kraftsow collaborate to bring her program to a broader audience.

When Nikki reflects on her experiences with the AVI community she says she is overwhelmed by the brilliance of the people Gary attracts into his trainings. “This speaks to who Gary is and the depth of his teachings.” Throughout her Yoga Therapy training, she found herself deeply grateful for what she was learning there.

What amazes me is how it continues to deepen and how the integration process comes together. It becomes so alive.

An Introduction to Chapter Two of the Yoga Sutra-s of Patanjali by Gary Kraftsow

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:56:00 GMT

The second chapter of the Yoga Sutras is called Sadhana Pada. Sadhana is a the Sanskrit word that is used to mean “practice.” This chapter is for most of us, who are called Baddanjali, meaning those who are bound, caught, in circumstances and those kind of experiences that cause us suffering.

Suffering comes in many forms: back pain is suffering, sleeping loss is suffering, depression is suffering, anxiety is suffering, not knowing who you truly are is suffering. Being alienated, uncertain about what you are going to do tomorrow, your goal in life, your main purpose in life – all these are examples of what gets us caught, and causes our suffering.

The idea is that, for most of us, it is through active process that we can begin to effect change. Most of us are caught up in our patterns and are not even mindful of them. The theory is that through practice and through specific kinds of action, we can begin to transform our patterns, break our attachment and identification – which are the root of most of our problems -- and ultimately get to the root of our suffering.

Suffering is characterized by the term avidya, which translates as ignorance, or fundamental misapprehension about the nature of who we are. We mistake the unreal for real, the impure for the pure, that which is going to create suffering as that which brings pleasure, and the not self for the Self. The greatest example is looking in the mirror, and, what do you see? Most people say they see themselves. But you don’t see yourself; you see a reflection of yourself. And most of us are identified with our self-image. Not with who we truly are.

Although it is difficult to express this phenomenon in the English language, Yoga itself is considered a vidya, a living body of knowledge, which is the opposite of avidya. But most of us have avidya, ignorance.

The second chapter of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Sadhana Pada, talks about what are the sources of suffering and how to overcome them. It is in the context of this chapter that you find the greatKriya Yoga of Patanjali and the Astanga Yoga, not of Pattabhi Jois, who has now left us, but the great Astanga yoga of Patanjali. It reveals how, through action, we are able to not simply reinforce our existing dysfunction. You know how, if you move without consciousness of your movement patterns, you’ll reinforce those patterns. When we act and behave without self-consciousness of how we are acting and behaving, we follow pre-established patterns. One example is being in a bad relationship and leaving, and few years later, finding ourselves in another relationship with the same problems because we haven’t become reflectively self-conscious of these patterns. Chapter two addresses these issues of becoming conscious of our patterns, and learning to move and act with awareness.

Righting the Balance of Emotional Well-being

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:29:00 GMT

By engaging every aspect of our being, yoga teaches us how to lift ourselves out of depression and move toward a deeper sense of self.
--Gary Kraftsow, MA, E-RYT 500, Founder and Director American Viniyoga Institute

Gary Kraftsow's latest article on Viniyoga Therapy appears in the Winter 2011-12 issue of Yoga International. Gary reminds us that "yoga teaches us that we aren't our feelings or our symptoms but live in multidimensional relationship with them."

In "Righting the Balance of Emotional Well-being", Kraftsow discusses the role of balancing physiology, particularly the autonomic nervous system for managing depression. He also discusses the importance of and tools for stabilizing and uplifting moods, awakening the intellect and building will.

The article features an integrated practice sequence for depression using asana, pranayama, chanting and mantra meditation. A great companion tool to the article is Kraftsow's Viniyoga Therapy for Depression DVD from Pranamaya.com.

We're interested in your feedback on the article and DVD. Send your comments to info@viniyoga.com.

Yoga International, Winter 2011-12
Read article online »

Does Yoga Conflict with your Religion?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:07:00 GMT

Gary Kraftsow was a member of a panel that discussed issues of yoga and religion with Yoga Journal.

When asked if it's possible to teach the deeper aspects of yoga in a way that doesn't cross boundaries of ideology and belief, Gary responded, "I think that we can definitely teach a mind-body connection and teach deeper aspects of yoga without any language that would conflict with anyone's ideology."

"If you have a deeper initiation into the broader tradition of yoga, then you recognize that what's relevant for one individual or group isn't the same as another. If you see what is going to be appropriate for the individual or the group you're working with, you can adapt and give them what's going to serve them."

You can read the full article, "Beyond Belief" by Andrea Ferretti, in the Yoga Journal December 2011 edition.