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Erinn Tanner’s yoga class begins with pupils on
brightly colored foam mats, lying flat on their backs, arms at their sides
(think starfish washed ashore) in a position called savasana, or the corpse pose (not
corpse in a morbid sense, Tanner says, but rather as a shedding of the old
self, a clearing of the mind, and a rebirth of the spirit).
Tanner, who goes by the name Erinn Earth, is trained
in the sivananda form
of yoga, which emphasizes exercise; breathing; relaxation; a healthy,
typically vegetarian diet; positive thinking; and meditation. Just as there exists no one path to enlightenment in
Hinduism — the religion of which yoga is an integral part —
yoga, too, comes in many different forms, all of which involve, in varying
degrees, meditation, integrating the mind and body through physical
activity, spirituality, concentration, and discipline. Over the past 50 years, approximately 30 million
Americans have begun practicing the ancient tradition. Yoga offers a number
of health benefits, both mental and physical, including short-term
respiratory improvement, according to a recent study conducted at
Thailand’s Khon Kaen University. Powerful breathing allows the chest wall to expand
and get more air to the base of the lungs. This lets more oxygen in,
decreasing the effort required to breathe, says lead researcher Raoyrin
Chanavirut. “These findings may benefit people suffering
from illnesses that affect breathing, including asthma,” says
Chanavirut, who adds that yoga helps people with neuromuscular conditions
and those who have undergone abdominal or thoracic surgery. Fifty-eight study participants practiced five hatha yoga positions over the
course six weeks in 20-minute sessions, three times a week. The positions
included cat, tree, and camel poses. The members of a control group avoided
exercise and continued with their typical lifestyle habits (but did not
smoke or drink).
Chanavirut’s research team used a measuring
tape to determine lung capacity before and after the sessions, measuring
the sternum and the middle and lower chest and then using a tool called a
spirometer to measure the amount of air a person exhales, a key indicator
of healthy lung function, according to research reports.
“Volunteers who did yoga over the six-week
period significantly improved chest wall expansion at all three measurement
points and also showed significantly better forced expiratory volume
(blowing out) and forced vital capacity (blowing out after breathing
in),” research reports say. One man says he began taking Tanner’s class
three months ago, after his physician told him that he had mild
hypertension, and says he feels great. Tanner teaches yoga three times a
week at FitClub West (2811 W. Lawrence Ave.), and FitClub South (3631 S.
Sixth St.). She also offers private instruction; contact her at 685-1643.
Other local yoga offerings include: • Ahh Yoga, 1051 Wabash Ave., 217-725-2373,
www.ahhyoga.net • Namasté Yoga Center, 907 Clocktower
Dr., 217-698-8177, www.namasteyoga.com • Springfield YMCA,
701 S. Fourth St., 217-544-9846, www.springfieldymca.org • Center for Living, Prairie Heart Institute,
217-544-LIVE, www.prairieheart.com/cfl
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com.
This report includes information provided by Content That Works, a
news-features service.
This article appears in Dec 27, 2007 – Jan 2, 2008.
