Yoga Care Foundation and University of Texas Study Yoga and Cardiovascular Health

Nov. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- The Yoga Care Foundation (YCF), an Austin-based nonprofit that supports yoga research, education and community outreach, is conducting a joint study with the University of Texas Kinesiology Lab on yoga and cardiovascular health.

The project, led by Hirofumi Tanaka, Ph.D., Director, Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory, is studying the effect of a regular yoga practice on the risk of cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. Tanaka previously demonstrated that regular cardiovascular exercise and weight training can impact the heart’s arteries and function. The study aims to replicate this finding in yoga practitioners, comparing beginning yoga students to those with an established practice of at least three years.  

Rich Goldstein, CEO at Austin-based Yoga Yoga and founder of YCF, says that heart disease is not the only medical condition helped by yoga. "A growing body of scientific research studies have shown that people with a wide variety of health conditions, including heart disease, back pain, sleep disorders, arthritis, and breast cancer, can benefit greatly by practicing yoga," he says. "Our goal with the foundation is to educate the general public about yoga's therapeutic applications and significantly add to the existing research in a way that will support yoga being embraced as a tool for self-care and improving quality of life."

YCF, which recently received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, has also contributed to a research study by the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School on the effects of yoga on individuals’ health and well-being when first beginning a yoga practice. Founded in 2007, the Yoga Care Foundation was formed to enhance yoga's role in addressing the health and wellbeing of the community at large. Its three primary objectives are to research the physiological, psychological and therapeutic effects of yoga; make yoga available to disadvantaged communities; and educate the public about the varied benefits of yoga. For more information about YCF, visit http://www.yogacarefoundation.org/. For more information about Yoga Yoga, visit http://www.yogayoga.com/

About the Yoga Care Foundation
The Yoga Care Foundation is an Austin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports yoga research, education, and community outreach. Its three primary objectives are to research the physiological, psychological and therapeutic effects of yoga; make yoga available to disadvantaged communities; and educate the public about the benefits of yoga. For more information about the Yoga Care Foundation, visit http://www.yogacarefoundation.org/

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About Yoga Yoga
Yoga Yoga is Austin, Texas’ premier source for yoga with five locations and over 350 classes weekly. With more than 100 registered yoga teachers, Yoga Yoga provides a wide variety of yoga styles for new and continuing students, including prenatal, postnatal, and children’s yoga. Yoga Yoga Teacher Training offers a nationally recognized program with 200 and 500-hour courses approved by the Yoga Alliance. Yoga at Work specializes in bringing the benefits of yoga into the workplace. For more information, contact Yoga Yoga at (512) 358-1200 or visit www.yogayoga.com