Yoga: relaxing exercise for the mind, body, soul

by Jennifer Devereaux staff writer

Yoga is about 5,000 years old and is rooted in Hindu religious principles. The term yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word for "union" and it refers to a variety intention is to prepare the body for the pursuit of union with the divine while raising the practitioner's awareness of creation to a higher, keener state. cal exercises, it is most closely related to the mind-body family of therapies. These include biofeedback and meditation. According to research, yoga produces measurable physiological changes in the body. These changes include an alteration in brain-wave activity causing increased relaxation and a decrease in the respiratory rate and blood pressure. cheers from both the Cabrini and Misericordia fans.

The aim of hatha yoga is to enhance the prana, or life force. The prana resides in the body and it is thought that by reaching it one will achieve harmony and balance between mind and body.

The practices of hatha yoga include controlled breathing, prescribed postures (also called asanas) and meditation. It is thought that the prana enters the body through the breath. This explains why much of yoga focuses on proper breathing. Slow, deep breathing is encouraged because hurried, shallow breathing is thought to inhibit the life force.

Elaine Abrams, sophomore, stated, " It was nice that they scored the one goal because at least they did not go away without the feeling of not accomplishing anything."

When asked about the game, Matt Clements, senior goalie, stated, "We all had a chance to play, which was good because we all gained some game experience."

As Cabrini looks toward their next game they hope to keep working on what they have been all season.

"We want to work on staying together as a team and keep working on completing the game as a whole," said Ryan Greer, senior midfielder. Demarest added, "We also want to keep working on our fundamentals."

The Cavs lead the PAC, as stated on the PAC website, with a standing of 2-0 and are 2-3 in the overall standings.

The Cavs will play next on March 28 at DeSales University at 3:30 p.m. They will come back home on March 31 when they take on Shenandoah University at 12:00p.m.

For this game Demarest states, "We would like more fans to come out and support us."

Stop the sniffles with Vitamins B, C , E

t,y Justine DI Filippo assistant photo editor

Cold season is coming. So prepare yourself for those runny noses and soar throats. Drink orange juice and eat healthy.

Photo retrieved from www.yoga.com of disciplines that are designed to bring those who practice it closer to God.

There are various forms of yoga. Some forms less practiced in the West include karma yoga, dynana yoga and jnana yoga. Karma yoga calls for selfless service to God and mankind, dynana yoga seeks union through meditation, and jnana yoga involves the study of scriptures, the yoga mainly practiced here in the West is called hatha yoga. Its

There are various forms of yoga postures. Some are intended to improve posture and work the skeletal system, others to stretch and strengthen muscles and still more to compress and relax the organs and nerves. The main purpose of all postures is to make the body a worthy host for a soul by perfecting it. The aim of meditation is to produce a calm, quiet frame of mind. It reinforces and supplements the disciplines of hatha yoga by focusing the mind and relaxing the body.

Although yoga involves physi-

Yoga offers many proven health benefits. It improves fitness, promotes relaxation and reduces stress. It can also improve posture, flexibility, coordination, sleep, digestion and concentration. Although yoga is not a cure for any medical ailment, it can be used as supplementary therapy for many conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and arthritis. Also, yoga can help to combat addictions such as smoking. Yoga should be performed on a mat to avoid slipping during exercises. Sometimes, advanced students will use a strap to assist in leg stretches. Wall-mounted devices may be available to maintain balance during difficult exercises. Other than this, no equipment is necessary. Loose, comfortable clothing should be worn and yoga is almost always performed in bare feet.

One way to prevent the common cold is to bone up on the vitamins. A few vitamins that can help fight off the common cold are vitamins C,E and Bl2. But be careful because if you take too many you could experience some side effects.

Vitamins help the body produce more white blood cells. White blood cells often produce antibodies that help fight off bacteria causing illness.

Vitamin C helps in the formation of collagen, absorption of iron in the body, prevents oxidation in the blood, and helps in the healing of wounds. Depending on how much the person weighs is how much Vitamin C one should take, as is with most vitamins. Vitamin C can be found in oranges, orange juice, green peppers, broccoli and cantaloupe to name a few.

If taken too much, vitamin C will cause diarrhea and if one continues to take the same amount they could die of dehydration. Vitamin B 12 is a water soluble vitamin that aids in the growth and repair of all cells in the body, including nerves cells. Also along with folic aci~ helps in preventing birth defects, heart disease, childhood asthma,, depression and diabetic oeuropathy. You can get vitamin B12 in foods such as beef, eggs, milk and Swiss cheese. These can be found in every ones refrigerator or cafeteria.

Along with vitamin C the only problem one would have overdosing on this vitamin is loose bowels. B12 can be taken by injection though some side effects are itching or irritationof injection area.

Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, leafy greens vegetables and wheat germ. Vitamin E is used to get rid of access oxygen in the blood. The only bad effect of too much vitamin E is it can cause an increase of bleeding, but if taken with vitamin K (a clotting vitamin) they will counter act and it would be as if one was not taking any vitamins at all.

Remember when taking vitamins to read labels each brand is different and can cause different reactions. Also go to your doctor for allergy tests some vitamins have a preservative that one could be allergic too. Ask your doctor if you need to be taking vitamins and tonight at dinner how about a salad on the side.