VOA标准英语2013--Yoga Helps Mentally Ill Improve Their Lives

 

Yoga Helps Mentally Ill Improve Their Lives

Ericpaul Clark has been taking yoga classes for several months.  He’s been in jail and a psychiatric facility after abusing drugs.  Today, he says he’s clean and looking forward to a better life.  Yoga helps keep him calm.

“I have rather a bad temper, and I’m afraid that if I really get angry I might do something dumb that will cause me to go back to jail.  When I do the stretches and poses it relaxes my muscles and just makes me feel more comfortable," said Clark.

The free, weekly yoga classes are offered as a part of Green Door’s program to help people who are mentally ill cope with their problems and become more independent.  Most are poor and many are homeless or in temporary housing.  Social worker Miranda White says a lot of them don’t exercise, but yoga is a good way to get them moving, even if it’s from a chair.

“Their patience for doing any type of exercise is minimal¹ at first, but once they’ve gotten involved in yoga, I’ve seen this love for it," said White.

This is Clarence Marble’s first yoga class and he’s finding it challenging.

“I had to pull both my legs up with both my hands," said Marble.

He hopes yoga will help him lose weight and alleviate² his depression.

“If it relieves me of some stress, I’ll really enjoy that, and if I can go do some yoga to get out of my depression that would be even better," he said.

Studies have shown the positive effect of yoga on a range of mental illnesses.  They indicate the practice helps reduce stress, ease chronic³ depression and lessen⁴ the symptoms of schizophrenia - a brain disorder⁵ characterized by hallucinations and delusions⁶.  

Earnestine Jackson, who takes medication to control schizophrenia, says yoga benefits her in several ways.

“It helps you get your self-esteem together, and most of all, it helps me with peace of mind," said Jackson.

Miranda White says that’s something these people really need.

“It’s a moment for their bodies to just relax because if you’re homeless, or if you’re struggling with symptoms of hearing voices or depression, it’s hard to find a calm place within yourself and your environment, and with a lot of them you can see it in their faces," she said.

Instructor⁷ Megan Davis, a specialist in yoga therapy, says learning the proper way to breathe while doing yoga helps her students feel more in control.

“Especially the breathing techniques, [they] really invite people not to be reactive, so it comes up when you’re having a craving⁸ for drugs, for a drink," said Davis.

That’s beneficial for Charles Bradley, who had a mental breakdown⁹ due to drug abuse, and has been clean for a year.  

“You don’t always have to go running back to substances to make you feel good.  You can make yourself feel good just by doing something as simple as breathing," said Bradley.

Bradley started taking yoga because he was curious - but now considers it a vital part of turning his life around.

1 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

2 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

5 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

6 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句

7 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

8 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

9 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。