Home
Yoga Exercise — No comments
19
Jan 12

California yoga classes help tech company employees tune out the noise

A few industrious tech companies are combating information overload the old-fashioned, holistic way - that is, by making yoga breathing for relaxation part of company policy.

A few industrious tech companies are combating information overload the old-fashioned, holistic way - that is, by making yoga breathing for relaxation part of company policy.

Usually, working in Silicon Valley means being vulnerable to information overload to an extent that few Americans can even imagine. However, a few industrious tech companies are combating this problem the old-fashioned, holistic way – that is, by making yoga breathing for relaxation part of company policy.

That's right. According to the San Jose Mercury News, several major tech firms in California are offering California yoga classes to their workers, or in some cases all but making it mandatory.

Gopi Kallayil, marketing manager for the social network Google+, teaches his own weekly class at the tech giant.

"The speed at which information is coming at us can get overwhelming,'' he told the news source. "I'm seeing more and more people in Silicon Valley moving to yoga as a centering, anchoring ritual because it gives them a respite from that relentless onslaught.''

According to the article, other companies like Facebook, Twitter and Salon.com agree and are following suit.

If you've had it with information overload, check out Dahn Yoga classes in your area. These soothing group sessions can help you unplug even as you reconnect to the world around you.

Related items

Yoga Exercise — 1 comment
10
Jan 12

Yoga breathing for relaxation helps soldiers overcome combat stress

Researchers found that when used with sensory-enhanced yoga, deep breathing and meditation almost unilaterally helped members of the Armed Forces shake off the severe stress and anxiety of the battlefield.

Researchers found that when used with sensory-enhanced yoga, deep breathing and meditation almost unilaterally helped members of the Armed Forces shake off the severe stress and anxiety of the battlefield.

There are plenty of yoga breathing styles out there, from shallow-and-rapid respiration designed to eliminate toxins to the deeper, calmer breaths of regimens like Dahn Yoga. The latter style has recently been the subject of research into the effects of yoga breathing for relaxation.

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, delved into the uses of yoga and meditation in treating combat stress among deployed U.S. soldiers.

The results were impressive. Researchers found that when used with sensory-enhanced yoga, deep breathing and meditation almost unilaterally helped members of the Armed Forces shake off the severe stress and anxiety of the battlefield.

How is combat stress different than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? The distinction is a subtle but important one. Combat stress is the extreme tension and shock caused by the experience of military trauma, while PTSD is a long-lasting condition that may result from this.

The new study may give hope to many enlisted men and women, not to mention the many U.S. veterans who need simple, effective stress relief techniques.

Yoga-based treatments for battlefield traumas are nothing new, as they've been used for years by mental health experts at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga Exercise — 3 comments
05
Jan 12

Yoga breathing for relaxation may reduce severity of side effects from breast cancer treatment

By taking meditation courses, tai chi classes or Dahn Yoga Shim Sung instruction, women with health problems may be able to find some much-needed relief.

By taking meditation courses, tai chi classes or Dahn Yoga Shim Sung instruction, women with health problems may be able to find some much-needed relief.

Breast cancer is one of the most common carcinomas in the U.S., second only to prostate tumors, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though many forms of breast cancer are treatable or even curable, the regimens patients undertake can come with awful side effects. Fortunately, stretching, posing, meditation and yoga breathing for relaxation all appear to reduce the severity of these problems.

The latest report to confirm this effect was recently published by a scientist at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. The author, medical expert Karolyn Chang, reported that yoga-based therapies appear to soothe the nausea and fatigue caused by chemotherapy for breast cancer.

She noted that the source of this effect is unclear, but that it probably stems from yoga's mixture of mental health benefits, physical effects and social interactions.

Chang's results were based on a thorough search of the existing medical literature. She suggested that further research be conducted into the connection between yoga and relief from cancer treatment side effects.

By taking meditation courses, tai chi classes or Dahn Yoga Shim Sung instruction, women with health problems may be able to find some much-needed relief.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga Exercise — No comments
28
Dec 11

Make yoga breathing exercises your New Year’s resolution

Have you thought about your New Year's resolution yet?

Have you thought about your New Year's resolution yet?

Have you thought about your New Year's resolution yet? Every year, millions of Americans vow to start exercising, quit smoking, get outdoors more often or reconnect with family and friends. Depending on the goal, some of these resolutions can fall apart fast. This is why it may be a good idea to consider taking up yoga breathing exercises in 2012.

You see, whether it's yoga breathing for relaxation, pain relief, weight loss or a flat stomach, such exercises can do wonders for your mental and physical well-being.

Consider what the medical literature has to say about yoga-based breathing techniques:

- A study published in the Medical Science Monitor found that fast yoga breathing appears to help the body burn more carbohydrates.

- Another report, this one appearing in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, determined that yoga-guided respiration helped patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder breathe deeper and experience greater relaxation.

- Wildest of all, a study included in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences concluded that yoga breathing may even increase lifespan.

Why not resolve to breathe in a holistically healthy way this coming year? It's good for you!

Related items

Yoga Exercise — No comments
20
Dec 11

Psychologists use yoga breathing exercises to relax themselves, patients

More than a few mental health professionals use the holistic regimen to relax.

More than a few mental health professionals use the holistic regimen to relax.

Ever wonder how a therapist can be so calm after talking with dozens of patients about their anxieties and deepest fears? It can't be easy. After all, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that psychologists already experience stress caused by deadlines, overbooked schedules, long hours and seemingly endless billing paperwork. But apparently, yoga breathing exercises can help.

That's right – yoga breathing benefits psychologists and psychiatrists in the same way that it can help the patients themselves. And more than a few mental health professionals use the holistic regimen to relax.

According to a survey conducted by Gabriela Hirsch, a PsyD candidate at Alliant International University in San Diego, a regular yoga routine can be of incalculable benefit to overworked psychotherapists.

She found that psychologists often reported using yoga to control their stress, breathing rate and the balance between personal and professional responsibilities.

And that's not all.

"Furthermore, psychologists asserted that their regular yoga regimen was helpful in regards to their being empathic, compassionate and 'present' with their clients," Hirsch explained. She added that yoga also reportedly helped professional therapists maintain a nonjudgmental attitude.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga Exercise — No comments
09
Dec 11

Use yoga breathing for relaxation to dissolve stress during the holidays

If holiday stress has you pounding your head or toes against a wall this Christmas, consider using yoga breathing for relaxation and stress relief.

If holiday stress has you pounding your head or toes against a wall this Christmas, consider using yoga breathing for relaxation and stress relief.

Yoga breathing benefits your entire body, from the top of your skull right down to the tips of your toes. If holiday stress has you pounding your head or toes against a wall this Christmas, consider using yoga breathing for relaxation and stress relief.

According to a recent article in the Tulane Hullabaloo, people often turn to the wrong activities to help them decompress when things get tense during December. Individuals who overeat, drink alcohol, smoke or vegetate on the couch are not doing themselves any favors, the news source said.

Instead, it may be more effective (and healthier) to simply do a few minutes of yoga breathing.

By sitting and focusing on your respiration and posture, you can take your mind off the many Christmastime stressors that surround you. A few minutes of deep breathing and mindfulness meditation, and you'll be recharged and ready to go.

According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga, the mind-body regimen addresses stress in several ways – namely, the physical, hormonal, emotional and spiritual.

No wonder we see so many people in our yoga classes each holiday season!

Related items

Yoga Exercise — 2 comments
01
Dec 11

Yoga breathing for relaxation may ease menopause symptoms

Each woman's experience of this life change is different, meaning it is important to explore alternative therapies that may improve well-being when other, more traditional treatments offer little relief.

Each woman's experience of this life change is different, meaning it is important to explore alternative therapies that may improve well-being when other, more traditional treatments offer little relief.

Most holistic health enthusiasts know that yoga breathing benefits one's emotions and well-being. After all, even a few minutes of stretching, posing and meditating can help the body decrease its blood pressure and overcome anxiety. However, new research has suggested that yoga breathing for relaxation may have other physical benefits for middle-aged women.

In a study published in Menopause, a journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), women who are going through this eponymous life change can significantly improve their sleep duration.

Likewise, the report found that yoga and stretching helped participants decrease the incidence of stress, anxiety, depression and other symptoms of menopause.

Researchers noted that one of their most encouraging findings was the fact that yoga breathing helped reduce the effects of menopause in as little as one week's time.

According to the NAMS, each woman's experience of this life change is different, meaning it is important to explore alternative therapies that may improve well-being when other, more traditional treatments offer little relief.

The agency adds that the average age at which a woman enters menopause is 51.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga Exercise — No comments
28
Nov 11

Yoga breathing benefits every part of your being

Take a slow, deep breath, inhaling for a count of eight. Hold it for two seconds. Now release, letting it out gradually, for a count of 10. As you exhale say, "Ahhhhhhhh..." Try it a few more times. Feel better?

Take a slow, deep breath, inhaling for a count of eight. Hold it for two seconds. Now release, letting it out gradually, for a count of 10. As you exhale say, "Ahhhhhhhh..." Try it a few more times. Feel better?

Take a slow, deep breath, inhaling for a count of eight. Hold it for two seconds. Now release, letting it out gradually, for a count of 10. As you exhale say, "Ahhhhhhhh…" Try it a few more times. Feel better? You should! Yoga breathing benefits every part of your being, from your blood pressure and heart rate to subtler, less quantifiable things like stress level and spiritual well-being.

Research has shown again and again that yoga breathing for stress is an effective way to decompress. Yoga instructors recommend it. Physicians approve of it. Cognitive-behavioral therapists swear by it.

And plenty of studies support its benefits. For example, a paper published in the journal The Lancet found that yoga breathing reduced airway sensitivity among participants with asthma.

Another study, this one in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, determined that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder had higher levels of oxygen in their blood after trying yoga breathing.

These techniques may even reduce the severity of emotional problems. A groundbreaking study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences suggested that yoga breathing and meditation may be applied to the treatment of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga Exercise — No comments
18
Nov 11

Yoga breathing benefits 12,000 Mexican enthusiasts at once

Led by instructor Joseph Michael Levry in the Plaza de la Constitucion - otherwise known as Zocalo Square - an unheard-of 12,000 yoga enthusiasts practiced holistic exercises all at once on the afternoon of November 13.

Led by instructor Joseph Michael Levry in the Plaza de la Constitucion - otherwise known as Zocalo Square - an unheard-of 12,000 yoga enthusiasts practiced holistic exercises all at once on the afternoon of November 13.

California yoga studios can be pretty crowded these days. After all, the mind-body regimen is both healing and relaxing, so it's little wonder that a popular yoga class may play host to dozens of students at once. But that's nothing compared to a yoga convocation recently held in Mexico City.

Led by instructor Joseph Michael Levry in the Plaza de la Constitucion – otherwise known as Zocalo Square – an unheard-of 12,000 yoga enthusiasts practiced holistic exercises all at once on the afternoon of November 13.

Though it is not yet official, this massive yoga gathering could soon be listed as the world's largest yoga class. Currently, the biggest yoga class on record was a 10,000-person gathering led by instructor Elena Brower in New York City's Central Park, according to the Guinness World Records Association.

Rebecca Torres, one of the organizers of the latest event, said that "this truly was an explosion of joy and happiness in Mexico City, and many of us were touched and transformed."

Though the 12,000 people gathered to experience yoga breathing benefits just four days before the annual Guinness World Records Day, the two events do not appear to have been related.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga Exercise — No comments
09
Nov 11

Yoga breathing for beginners can help young enthusiasts stay fit, have fun

Yoga classes for kids are becoming all the rage, thanks in part to the wide variety of activities available to tots who join these groups.

Yoga classes for kids are becoming all the rage, thanks in part to the wide variety of activities available to tots who join these groups.

If your child is often restless, unruly, bored or edgy, they may need an activity that gives them the chance to stay fit and have fun while calming down. Many California yoga studios are offering just that.

According to Berks County TV, yoga classes for kids are becoming all the rage, thanks in part to the wide variety of activities available to tots who join these groups. The news source noted that the holistic health regimen may offer children the chance to utilize exercise balls, hula hoops, and other exciting "toys."

However, that doesn't mean that California kids will leave yoga class more amped up than they were going in. On the contrary, mindfulness meditation, tai chi, deep stretches and yoga breathing for beginners can leave tykes in a state of tranquility that nearly any parent can appreciate.

Yoga has always been appropriate for children, even though this variety is just now beginning to take off. A study published in the journal Continuing Nursing Education Series stated that yoga is popping up in schools nationwide.

Likewise, the mind-body system is often recommended as an alternative physical recovery regimen, according to an article appearing in the journal Pediatric Physical Therapy.

Related items

← Older Entries