Finally, students finish with sitting exercises and positions that elevate the feet above the head. For nurses, good body posture is one of the most valuable lessons they can learn in yoga, MacInerney said. He teaches them to hold their shoulders back and chest up. MacInerney said yoga is more therapeutic than other forms of exercise. Yogis become more attuned to their bodies and know how to push themselves to the ideal limits, which results in maximum pleasure.
Sports usually draw the participant s attention away from the body and outward to the game.
Riding a stationary bike may seem more yogic than a game of soccer, but MacInerney said most people ignore their bodies by distracting themselves with music or watching the television while pedaling. Yoga teacher Tara O Neill, RN, also trains students to be sensitive to their bodies, but her pupils sometimes present more challenges than most. She works with patients who have had heart transplants or open-heart surgery. I try to get people to simply breathe and rationalize with them that they are not wasting time. The classes for cardiac patients use more gentle yogic methods, such as breathing and hand gestures that can relax the body.