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Yoga Exercise

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15
Feb 12

Yoga breathing techniques ease stress, boost brainpower?

Okay, we're not saying that doing yoga breathing techniques can literally make you more intelligent, but research indicates that deep, measured respiration may be able to boost your brain's ability to think clearly.

It makes sense. After all, your gray matter needs oxygen in order to function. Even a few seconds without a good breath can make it difficult to think clearly. (And obviously, holding your breath any longer than that isn't advisable.)

So how can the mind-body regimen rev up your thinker? It all comes down to using yoga breathing for stress.

Dr. Frank Lawlis, a fellow at the American Psychological Association, told Wired Magazine that tense or anxious situations alter the way we breathe – and not for the better.

"Most people breathe incorrectly," he said of individuals under pressure, noting that stress can cause shallow, rapid respiration or even breath-holding. "So the first thing that goes is your memory."

The remedy? Adopt yoga breathing as part of your lifestyle, and you may find that as you become more familiar with the holistic system, your lungs and diaphragm naturally draw deeper, slower breaths during times of crisis.

As the news source concluded, yoga breathing's "impact on intelligence [is] possibly strong."

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13
Feb 12

California yoga classes serve people of all ages, body types, health levels

Whether you're a mind-body expert or a first-timer in the holistic world, there's a California yoga studio somewhere that will cater to your needs. All it takes is a little research, exploration and trial-and-error.

To find a yoga community that is best suited for you, you'll probably have to start by doing a little homework. Try using Google to search phrases like "California yoga classes," "yoga studios in [your town]" or even just plain "yoga." Chances are you'll come across a handful of studios in your area, some of which you may already be familiar with.

Alternatively, look through newspaper ads, phone listings or community bulletin boards for information on local yoga classes that are currently taking new students.

Once you've found a few that look promising, spend a weekend visiting the centers one after another. Take some time to really browse around in each one. Talk to instructors, look in on classes, ask about average costs and inquire into any membership deals that might be currently going on. You'd be surprised what kinds of deals you can find!

Finally – and this is something we always recommend at Dahn Yoga – take a few classes and see how they strike you. If you enjoy yourself and want more, you may have found the community for you.

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7
Feb 12

Dahn Yoga breathing exercises help your energy reach equilibrium

Whether you're interested in yoga breathing for relaxation, abdominal exercises, meditation or inner exploration, chances are good that you've tried some form of holistic exercise that involves slowly inhaling and exhaling.

And did it work? If you have to ask, "What do you mean, 'Did it work?'" you probably weren't using Dahn Yoga breathing exercises. Our enthusiasts will tell you that even five or 10 minutes of relaxed breath work can make them feel like they're walking on a cloud the rest of the day.

The problem with many ordinary breathing exercises is that they are just that: exercise. They'll positively leave you panting. While it's important to keep your lungs and diaphragm in working order, it is equally important to make each breath super-soothing.

Imagine breathing as slowly, gently and happily as if you were deeply and peacefully asleep. With Dahn Yoga breathing, you can! It's all in the technique. Rapid or labored heaving gets you nowhere, whereas slow, measured respiration can soothe and comfort you in seconds.

Our community-center-based classes teach enthusiasts that the key to good well-being lies in taking each breath willfully, consciously and effortlessly.

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30
Jan 12

California yoga classes are now being held…at the airport?

Among Golden State residents who are into holistic health, many are seriously attached to their California yoga classes. But does that mean they should have to go anywhere, even to the airport, in order to get in a good mind-body workout?

Probably not. But for what it's worth, MSNBC has reported that the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has opened its first – and apparently, the country's only – yoga room located in an air travel terminal.

In general, having more access to yoga isn't such a bad thing. After all, getting to the airport before the sun's even up, checking in, eating an overpriced breakfast and making your way through security can be…stressful, to say the least.

So, before you put your shoes and belt back on, why not try a few simple stretches and poses in a new, dedicated yoga room? To get there, simply head to Terminal 2.

That said, you can't be driving out to (or flying into) SFO every day just to get a decent yoga workout. Instead, check your local listings for a California yoga studio in your area, preferably one that offers the soothing, low-impact routines of Dahn Yoga.

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19
Jan 12

California yoga classes help tech company employees tune out the noise

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.

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10
Jan 12

Yoga breathing for relaxation helps soldiers overcome combat stress

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.

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5
Jan 12

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

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.

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28
Dec 11

Make yoga breathing exercises your New Year’s resolution

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!

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20
Dec 11

Psychologists use yoga breathing exercises to relax themselves, patients

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.

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9
Dec 11

Use yoga breathing for relaxation to dissolve stress during the holidays

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!

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