January 17, 2012

Yoga benefits article says the holistic regimen leads to bliss, not stupor

If you've taken a Dahn Yoga health class lately, you've probably left your local community center feeling relaxed, refreshed, even dazed.

If you've taken a Dahn Yoga health class lately, you've probably left your local community center feeling relaxed, refreshed, even dazed.

If you've taken a Dahn Yoga health class lately, you've probably left your local community center feeling relaxed, refreshed, even dazed. This sensation – which many enthusiasts refer to as "blissing out" – has nothing to do with your mental clarity or intelligence level, according to a yoga benefits article in the Boston Herald.

A reader named "Taylor" wrote to the newspaper to describe an anecdote she'd heard from her yoga teacher. The instructor, who freely admitted that yoga occasionally makes one feel dopey or dazed, was once asked if yoga "makes you stupid."

Her response, according to the reader, was a heartfelt "No!" Yoga doesn't make practitioners stupid; instead, it stimulates parts of the brain that aren't activated during conversation or everyday mental work.

The reader quoted another prominent yoga teacher, who explained that "yoga has a sly, clever way of short-circuiting the mental patterns that cause anxiety." The resulting pleasant daze has nothing to do with effects on one's intelligence.

Of course, that doesn't mean you won't occasionally say or do something silly after a good yoga workout! If you do, you can rest easy knowing that it's because your yoga routine is so relaxing.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

January 10, 2012

Yoga Can Help Ease Stress

In the fast paced world that we live in more and more Americans suffer from stress related illnesses and disorders.  If your body is under too much stress it can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, headaches and insomnia.

Yoga, which can be traced back over 5000 years has been effective in helping people reduce stress.  This ancient practice teaches physical posture, breathing control and meditation. Participants learn how to stretch the body to form different poses while keeping their breathing slow and controlled at the same time.

Other health benefits of yoga include:

  •  more sound sleep
  • reduced cortisol levels
  • lower blood pressure
  • spiritual growth
  • reduced anxiety and muscle tension
  • increased strength and flexibility

It is never too late to learn yoga to help you deal with the stress in your life.  According to a recent study by the American Council on exercise, “”the regular practice of Hatha yoga significantly improved the subjects’ flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and balance. After eight weeks, the average flexibility of the yoga group improved by 13% to 35% .”

The mind, body and spirit connection emphasized in yoga has strong emotional benefits.  People who practice yoga have reported that they are able to sleep better, deal with stress easier and learn how to live on the present and not worry about the things that are beyond their control.

If you have never tried yoga before don’t worry it is very easy to learn.  Many local gyms and rec departments offer begging yoga classes.  There are also several affordable dvd’s for beginning yoga enthusiasts.  When stress takes over your life yoga can help you relax and feel better.

Cascia  Talbert is a busy blogger, publisher, freelance writer,  online   merchant and mother of five children, living  in   The Pacific Northwest. With a B.A. in history and  law and a passion for writing and staying  healthy, she  started The Healthy Moms Magazine in 2007. The Healthy Moms  Magazine is currently  ranked the  top health  blog for moms and features   several  health  expert   writers  and mom   bloggers.  Ms.  Talbert  believes  that  if  mothers are well    educated  on  health  issues  and  how to  stay  healthy,  they can pass  that information down to their children and    reverse the   childhood obesity  statistics  in the   U.S.

 

 

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

January 9, 2012

Try these tips for choosing safe, easy yoga poses for beginners

It's hard not to notice that the best yoga poses for beginners sound like those offered by Dahn Yoga!

It's hard not to notice that the best yoga poses for beginners sound like those offered by Dahn Yoga!

In response to a recent New York Times article about yoga-related injuries, the ABC News Medical Unit blog has posted tips for choosing a holistic exercise routine that is safe, fun and relaxing all at once. It's hard not to notice that the best yoga poses for beginners sound like those offered by Dahn Yoga!

According to Judi Bar, a yoga therapist at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, it's important to do stretches at your own level, rather than at someone else's.

"Sometimes, we find ourselves being very competitive with fellow students, especially in physically based classes," she told the news source. "Then, we end up getting ourselves in trouble and hurting ourselves by not realizing our limitations."

Instead, Bar recommended doing soothing, gentle stretches that don't push your joints to their limits.

The article also touched on the practice of yoga as an injury-healing, rather than injury-incurring, routine. The news source explained that yoga poses for back pain, neck aches or sciatica should be done with a mind to easing sore joints, not to overstretching them.

Furthermore, experts told ABC News that it is essential to pick the right class and carefully follow the yoga teacher's instructions.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

January 5, 2012

Yoga benefits for women extend to, and through, menopause

One researcher discovered that even a few yoga classes each week seemed to soothe hot flashes, improve muscular fitness and lower blood pressure.

One researcher discovered that even a few yoga classes each week seemed to soothe hot flashes, improve muscular fitness and lower blood pressure.

Menopause is no picnic. This life change, which women typically reach between the ages of 45 and 55, can be accompanied by hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. Fortunately, one of the many yoga benefits for women is the potential for a little relief from menopause-related irritation.

Recently, a study conducted at the University of Lethbridge found that yoga exercises work at least as well as walking when it comes to reducing the symptoms of menopause.

The author, kinesiologist Sophia Veroza, monitored dozens of volunteers who were perimenopausal – that is, beginning or going through the hormonal shift that signals menopause.

Over the course of several months, she monitored the hormone levels, physical fitness, blood pressure, body mass and heart rate of each participant. One-half of the group was given regular yoga instruction, while the other half undertook a weekly walking program.

In the end, the yoga health benefits for perimenopausal women were clear. Veroza discovered that even a few yoga classes each week seemed to soothe hot flashes, improve muscular fitness and lower blood pressure.

Such findings aren't small potatoes. After all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in any given year, 37.5 million American women are in some stage of menopause!

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

December 23, 2011

Yoga exercises for neck pain can get the knots out

Regardless of whether you get neck aches from overworked muscles, stress, tension or pinched nerves, you can use holistic healing methods - ones that are very similar to yoga exercises for back pain, in fact - to ease your suffering.

Regardless of whether you get neck aches from overworked muscles, stress, tension or pinched nerves, you can use holistic healing methods - ones that are very similar to yoga exercises for back pain, in fact - to ease your suffering.

If you're like the millions of Americans who suffer from neck aches, the agony of these pains can occasionally leave you at your wits' end. After all, how are you supposed to get rid of a chronic condition that nearly everyone will experience? Yoga exercises for neck pain – that's how.

Regardless of whether you get neck aches from overworked muscles, stress, tension or pinched nerves, you can use holistic healing methods – ones that are very similar to yoga exercises for back pain, in fact – to ease your suffering.

Nationally, the prevalence of this health condition is discouraging. SpineMED summarizes the situation well: "Back and neck pain statistics are as painful as the conditions they represent."

True, that. According to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health Statistics, 15 percent of Americans who were asked what their most common type of aches were responded, "neck pain."

Curiously, women are more likely to experience conditions like neck aches, back pain or migraines, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

However, that does not mean that yoga works only for females. In fact, research has shown that yoga exercises for neck pain can significantly reduce aches while loosening tight muscles and increasing range of motion for men and women alike.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

December 20, 2011

Yoga benefits article explains how the holistic regimen helps all sorts

According to a survey conducted by the Yoga Journal, nearly 16 million adults use yoga as a way to unwind and unburden themselves of stress.

According to a survey conducted by the Yoga Journal, nearly 16 million adults use yoga as a way to unwind and unburden themselves of stress.

If you're wondering how far yoga poses for beginners have penetrated American culture, take a look at the numbers. According to a survey conducted by the Yoga Journal, nearly 16 million adults use yoga as a way to unwind and unburden themselves of stress. And if the Huffington Post's new yoga benefits article is any indication, that figure may soon rise even higher.

Written by Harvard Medical School physician Aditi Nerurkar, the piece focuses on the apparent utility of yoga in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The researcher said that the latest segment of American society to adopt the regimen for this purpose is the U.S. Armed Forces.

Nerurkar's colleague Sat Bir Khalsa noted that yoga is particularly well-suited for a condition that is both physiological and psychological.

"PTSD is a mind-body disorder with both mental and physical components," he told Nerurkar, quoted by the news source. "So yoga, in its blending of physical postures with conscious breathing, adds a strong dimension for the existing treatment of PTSD."

Nearly 7 percent of adults will suffer from PTSD in their lifetimes, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Regardless of the condition's cause, scientists are looking into using yoga to reduce its severity.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

December 12, 2011

Rather than doing thousands of crunches, use yoga exercises for flat stomach

Too many crunches may warp the spine, leading to disc problems and lower back pain. By contrast, yoga evenly works all muscles, encouraging strength, flexibility and a holistic sense of well-being.

Too many crunches may warp the spine, leading to disc problems and lower back pain. By contrast, yoga evenly works all muscles, encouraging strength, flexibility and a holistic sense of well-being.

In pursuit of washboard abs, plenty of people resort to sit-ups, crunches or other intense exercises. While these pursuits are not without their merits, yoga exercises for a flat stomach can accomplish the same thing with fewer aches and pains along the way.

If you don't believe it, ask someone you know who regularly attends yoga classes. They'll probably tell you that when it comes to strengthening your core, yoga holds benefits for women and men alike.

One of the problems with doing crunches is that, quite simply, you can overdo it. An article in the Yoga Journal recently explained why engaging in sit-ups to get rippling abdominal muscles is usually a bad idea.

Essentially, crunches overwork the abs. When people specifically target their tummies, this is even more likely to be true. By doing thousands upon thousands of sit-ups, it is possible to ignore the back, chest, legs and arms, thus strengthening one's muscles unevenly.

The article in the Yoga Journal noted that this imbalance can cause individuals to hunch forward, impairing their posture. Too many crunches may also warp the spine, leading to disc problems and lower back pain.

By contrast, yoga evenly works all muscles, encouraging strength, flexibility and a holistic sense of well-being.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

December 5, 2011

Dahn Yoga Meditation Circles

Graduates of its DoTong course will be eligible to lead Meditation Circles. Based on Dahn Yoga’s Energy Principles, these sessions are an opportunity for practitioners to support each other and heighten their own spiritual growth.

The new DoTong class, just recently became available for practitioners this fall. The course name, translated, means “Path to Connection”. The class takes place over a three day period and allows participants to shed all sense of materialism and truly understand who they are as individuals. Graduates of this class will then be eligible to lead Dahn Yoga’s Meditation Circles.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

December 2, 2011

Yoga exercises for back pain help enthusiast feel younger

Yoga-based therapies have been proven to soothe backaches and reduce the symptoms of chronic pain.

Yoga-based therapies have been proven to soothe backaches and reduce the symptoms of chronic pain.

It's hard to argue with the benefits of yoga exercises for lower back pain. Not only can stretching and deep breathing help sooth the aches of a pulled muscle, but by doing yoga regularly, it is possible to reduce the risk of lower back injury in the first place.

Just ask entrepreneur and author Francine Hardaway. According to her recent article in the Huffington Post, she knows quite a bit about yoga exercises for back pain.

You see, Hardaway has been practicing yoga for 15 years precisely because she injured her back. In the article, she discussed waking up one morning with terrible back pain. As a runner, she had just her lower back during a routine jog.

By attending yoga, Hardaway said, she avoided having to get surgery on her lower back. Since that time, she has been an avid yoga fan.

Yoga-based therapies have been proven to soothe backaches and reduce the symptoms of chronic pain. This is a serious boon for the millions of Americans who suffer from back pain.

Backaches are the leading cause of disability in the U.S., according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

November 28, 2011

Men and women alike use yoga exercises for neck pain

Neck aches can be a real pain in the...well, you know.

Neck aches can be a real pain in the...well, you know.

Neck aches can be a real pain in the…well, you know. Whether it's from sitting at a desk all day or tensing your muscles during stressful situations, having neck pain can be endlessly distracting. Fortunately, yoga health benefits men and women with neck aches, no matter what age they are.

About 15 percent of Americans reported that their most common body ache is neck pain, in a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health Statistics. That's a lot of agony, which can be eased away with a few simple yoga exercises for neck pain.

The area between the base of your skull and your shoulder blades can hurt for any number of reasons. One of the most common is the inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Other causes of neck pain can include tension, pulled muscles, slipped discs, cervical disc degeneration and misaligned vertebrae, the organization adds. In extreme cases, it can be difficult to sleep, sit up straight or turn the neck at all.

No matter what is causing your neck pain, you may benefit from a yoga-based healing regimen, which can gently stretch sore muscles and gradually loosen aching joints.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

« Older Entries