Strategies for Elite Athletes to Prepare Mentally

In a study done by Taylor (2005), possibilities of using yoga therapy in giving relief to patients with osteoporosis were examined to give yoga therapist views on the possibilities and challenges of treating yoga patients with osteoporosis. To demonstrate the authors point in the potentiality of yoga therapy in this type of ailment, a case study of an 81-year old man was presented. He was suffering from osteoporosis along with other various ailments common to old people. The patient was instructed to do adapted asanas yoga initially for 30 minutes. Thereafter, significant developments were already present after the initial yoga exercise; decreased forward head, kyphosis (spinal disorder) was improved and his arm posture changed. Through this example, the author also stresses the need for yoga design specialization for such cases and to address the patients’ social support, psycho/social/spiritual issues, a means to keep the patient motivated to be active yet safe and changes in the patient’s diet.

Taylor then made recommendations and possible practice development concepts for yoga therapists to aid them in applying yoga for patients with osteoporosis and low density bone mass. Yoga therapists are still venturing on their practice since yoga therapy as a complementary treatment is still a maturing profession. This study then is bound to be useful to those yoga therapists that are interested in specializing in aiding numerous people who have osteoporosis or are at risk of having the disease.

In relation to this particular study, evaluated a yoga based regimen for treatment of osteoarthritis of the hands. Here the researchers opted to take down controlled observations on the effect of yoga on the hands of the patients. The test was done in 8 weeks with a once a week yoga program for the patients who were selected to have the program. After the test period, results were favorable to the yoga treated group where they were compared to the control group who were in pain during a joint activity. This study therefore encourages other studies on other forms of treatment on osteoarthritis patients for comparison and on long term effects of yoga programs on the afflicted patients.