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Comment on Pictures of Animals Getting CT Scans Against their Will: A Thread

I’m in a yoga teacher training at the moment, and a biologist by training. It’s been amazing seeing how the different yogic breathing techniques impact mental and physical states.

Those crazy folks in the Indus valley civilization made a serious study of this, at least 4,000 years ago according to current evidence. Some techniques, like yiga nidra (alternate nostril breathing for several minutes) have significant impacts on nervous system function.

You can measure this directly with a cheap heart rate monitor and an app that can interpret and returns stats on heart rate variability.

Those old yogis made a study out of exploiting our brain’s dependence on oxygen and developed some pretty cool biohacks.

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brbposting@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Wim Hof breathing is so good from time to time

Have never given him money and think he ventures into pseudoscience but this beginner video is safe (no BS, just breathing)

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- pticrix@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Yeah, people, don’t follow Wim Hof in having enemas on public fountains.
  
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  - zalgotext@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Public fountain? I think you mean community bidet
    
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peoplebeproblems@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Anything on there that fixes POTS or general awareness of everything around us?

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- meyotch@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Do you mean the syndrome that causes lightheadedness when standing up?
  
  I found a 2021 research article that shows 6 months of regular cardiovascular exercise improves the condition. Some forms of physical yoga practice are vigorous and get into the cardio range.
  
  I can’t find yoga-specific studies on POTS, but there are many on other conditions that include dizziness and syncope as main symptoms. That’s what a quick google scholar search revealed.
  
  POTS and cardio
  
  Yoga emphasizes attention and breath awareness during the movement practices. I personally have a job that requires a lot of stooping and standing. At first I was often dizzy standing up, but as my practice has intensified and progressed that has gone away completely.
  
  I don’t know, if your physician clears you for the activity, there are many benefits to it. Maybe worth a deeper look?
  
  And as for general awareness, hell yes. That is the entire focus of yoga philosophy, to quiet the busy mind. The scientific studies on that are plentiful.
  
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lars@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Does

alternate nostril breathing

mean holding lefty closed with your finger for a few minutes then righty, or does it mean back and forth… surely you can’t do this without manual intervention, right?

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- meyotch@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Yes that’s the method. It’s improperly called yoga nidra, but the correct term for the method is Nadi Shodhana Pranayama.
  
  I’m not exactly sure what you mean. You describe the method that is used. One holds their own hand to the face with the nose between thumb and index finger. On alternate breath cycles, you direct the breath through alternating sides.
  
  Did I understand your question correctly?
  
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  - lars@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    You answered my wildly rambling question—thank you!
    
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