How Yoga Really Works Quotes

“Time-dependent-strain means that if you tug on the ligament abruptly the ligament is strong and stiff and holds its length, but if you put even a very light load on a ligament over a long time period (e.g. an hour, or over night) the ligament stretches and lengthens and can potentially stay like that for some time after the load is removed. The consequence is that you have a joint that is operating ineffectively and this may lead to an acute injury while playing sport for example as the joint is not functioning effectively. It can also lead to excess muscle tension as the muscles need to over-work in order to hold the joint firmly through its range of movement in the way that the ligament would be doing if it were at its healthy length and operating like a firm hinge.

How does this situation happen? The trouble usually begins during rest.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works

“Many people assume that if something is “supported by science” then it is clearly true. The reality is that only about 17% of scientific research that is published is actually good quality science. The rest is either intentionally misleading for the sake of profiting the funding body, or it is simply poorly conducted methodically.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works

“About twelve years ago I was studying biomechanics, learning from a professor who was one of the leading researchers in the world when it came to understanding the biomechanics of the spine. Ten years later I saw him walking down the street looking like a walking advertisement for the letter C. Yep, the man with probably the most knowledge of the spine of anybody on the planet had just about the worst spine degeneration I’ve ever seen. Granted, there may have been genetic factors involved, but I dare say the office working life would have had a lot to do with why he crumpled down so quickly and severely. Knowledge doesn’t fix everything. And very often, when it comes to matters of physical health, awareness trumps knowledge.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works

“By reducing stress levels, yoga lowers the presence of glucocorticoids circulating throughout the body. The result is that you now have less to fight against. Your cravings change—you want junk food less and salad more.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works

“Inversion postures lower the heart rate while extension postures raise the heart rate. So, moving back and forth between the two throughout a yoga session effectively develops heart rate variability.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works

“In yoga, great emphasis is placed on the spine. It is said that the spine is like the trunk of a tree. Without the trunk, the tree has no support, no strength, no conduit for the supply of nutrients (or in the case of the spine—nerve signals).

It has been observed that when the spine is compressed anxiety tends to be high and energy is low. In contrast, when the spine is erect and ‘extended’ there is more a sense of radiance and positivity.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works

“Whenever you inhale, the sympathetic nervous system is activated slightly, creating a slight increase in heart rate. Exhaling does just the opposite: turning on the parasympathetic nervous system and activating your vagus nerve slows the heart as you exhale. This is why many breathing techniques practiced in yoga are built around extending exhalations. The breathing technique in which one gradually makes the out breath longer works by progressively slowing the heart and thus aiding relaxation.”
― Jax Pax, How Yoga Really Works