Archive by category 'Yoga and Meditation'

Yoga and Meditation

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
30
Jan 12

In DC, folks do yoga and meditation exercises in all sorts of places

If you're a resident of the nation's capital, you may have noticed that people in "the District" absolutely love their yoga! Whether they're meditating in a public park or blissing out in Washington, DC yoga classes, enthusiasts can be seen practicing the mind-body regimen almost anywhere!

Recently, reporters at the Washington Post snapped pics of people doing yoga all across DC, both indoors and out. The photos can be viewed in a dedicated slide show on the newspaper's website. Among other things, they depict:

- Hundreds of people participating in "Yoga in the Park," an autumnal event held at Dupont Circle

- An all-men's yoga class held just off the Circle in a cozy studio

- A football player for the University of Maryland performing a headstand as part of his team's off-season workout regimen

- A group of men and women meditating in a Petworth-area yoga session

The news source notes that some people are unsure "whether yoga belongs to the spiritual or physical realm." At Dahn Yoga, we simply say that the holistic system is good for the body, mind and soul!

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
19
Jan 12

Yoga and meditation benefits include anxiety relief, study finds

If you've always suspected that your mental tension recedes after a day (or even an hour) spent doing Dahn Yoga and meditation, you may be right on the money. According to research published in the International Journal of Yoga, the mind-body system can be used as a complementary treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Scientists have previously demonstrated that the practice of yoga and meditation benefits patients with depression or anxiety, but this is one of the first studies to specifically address the potential uses of holistic healing for GAD.

What is GAD? Simply put, it's the inability to stop worrying about everyday problems. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes that these aren't your average fretting fits, since GAD patients are typically diagnosed after at least six straight months of constant anxiety.

The condition is no small problem in the U.S. According to the NIMH, nearly 6 percent of Americans suffer from GAD in a lifetime.

In the new study, researchers found that GAD patients tended to respond favorably to weekly yoga sessions, often displaying fewer physical symptoms of anxiety or even going into temporary remission.

It makes sense. After all, the National Library of Medicine notes that people with GAD can treat anxiety attacks by learning physical methods for relaxing and managing stress.

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
5
Jan 12

Here’s how to choose the best yoga and meditation retreats

When picking out a good yoga and meditation retreat, where do you start? Do you look for centers in your area? Do you try searching online? And what makes a retreat the "best," anyway? Well, here are a few tips for choosing a top-notch yoga program.

- Think about weather and geography. Where is a yoga retreat held? Is it somewhere mountainous, that might be best for the summer months? Or is it located in a drier, more desert-like region, which is perfect for autumn and winter? Try choosing a program that fits the climate you're naturally comfortable in.

- Research online. Most quality yoga and meditation retreats have their own dedicated websites. Pick through these to see what classes and amenities they offer. But don't stop there. For some outside opinions, check out independent review sites to see what people are saying about the experience of a certain retreat.

- If it's in your area, visit. If it doesn't require a plane flight, you might consider dropping in on a retreat center, where you can meet students and staff, look in on classes and check out the facilities.

- Finally, try to feel out the community atmosphere. No one goes on a yoga retreat to be isolated from others. Try gauging the sense of togetherness in any program you consider. The Dahn Yoga community is a good example – it's close-knit, welcoming, friendly and accepting.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
21
Dec 11

To make yoga and meditation benefits last through the holidays, consider making an exercise routine

Yoga enthusiasts have been doing the regimen for thousands of years, and for good reason – the holistic mind-body regimen is both relaxing and invigorating, good for the muscles as well as the mind. Now, Reuters has published a story explaining how to keep your yoga and meditation benefits rolling through the long holiday season.

It is easy to let fitness regimens go to pot, especially during Christmas, Chanukah and New Year's. These holidays often revolve around large meals that typically involve alcohol, desserts and sweetened beverages.

Even a few such meals can bust your belt buckle and your diet at the same time. However, it's not always feasible to expect to eat nothing but healthy heart foods over the holidays.

Instead, it may be best to plan a daily fitness regimen, one that you can stick to even during the laziest of holiday afternoons.

Exercise instructor Stacey Lei Krauss told Reuters that fitness routines like running or yoga are all about controlling your appetittes, particularly when the holidays have them running wild.

"It's expected. It's family time; but giving back to yourself is just as important," she told the news source. "Willpower leads to self-confidence. Willpower is self-control: the ability to manage yourself, regardless of what's happening around you. "

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
9
Dec 11

Where is the strangest place you’ve ever done yoga and meditation exercises?

People who first try yoga and meditation for beginners may not realize just how adaptable the regimen is. Experts recommend doing yoga in all sorts of places, from your living room to your cubicle to the great outdoors. Recently, we asked some local practitioners about the strangest places where they've done yoga and meditation exercises.

Check out some of the answers we received!

"The bathroom at work. Whenever I need a break, I take five minutes to stretch, deep breathe and do some standing positions, usually in the larger stall. It does wonders!" -Becky, Columbia Heights, DC

"When I summited Mt. McKinley in 1997, I had to take a breather at the top. I have a photo of me doing yoga there. Couldn't have had a better view of the Denali National Park than from 20,000 feet in the lotus position." -Emmanuel, Georgetown, DC

"In an airplane bathroom. Alone, mind you." – Julie, Logan Circle, DC

"Once, I did a few yoga poses during a visualization exercise in class. Everyone had their eyes closed, so I silently got out of my chair did a few sun salutes!" Partrycja, Chevy Chase, DC

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
5
Dec 11

What yoga and meditation exercises do kids learn at school?

Across the U.S., millions of children and teens practice yoga and meditation for beginners. In fact, so many youths get into the ancient mind-body practice in school that a researcher from Temple University recently conducted a nationwide survey of kids' yoga curricula.

The results indicated that even though the teaching of yoga in schools isn't particularly standardized, the self-healing regimen seems to improve relaxation, self-awareness, cognition and physical health in kids of all ages.

The study author, PhD candidate Robin Lowry, reviewed the curricula of dozens of school-based yoga programs and surveyed hundreds of students and physical education (PE) teachers. She found that most yoga and meditation exercises were non-competitive, often resembling other PE games.

Lowry noted that most yoga programs were modified to fit local PE requirements, but that otherwise the yoga curricula had few standards in common.

Still, the author concluded that youth yoga classes usually entailed physical, mental and spiritual benefits for all involved, despite the variations between different standards.

In its own nationwide survey, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that approximately 4.5 million children and young adults practice yoga each year.

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
8
Nov 11

Celebrities love yoga and meditation for beginners (or experts)

Yoga and meditation exercises regularly appear in the national news, not least because plenty of celebrities love to do them. What is it about the holistic health regimen that attracts stars and starlets?

Some celebs aren't telling. For instance, the Daily Mail recently spotted actress Katie Holmes leaving a yoga session with mat firmly in hand. While she didn't open up about her love for yoga, her mussed hair and empty water bottle indicated that she probably got a real workout.

Other famous and fashionable folks have no trouble explaining why they can't do enough yoga and meditation for beginners (or in some cases, experts).

For instance, in an interview conducted by the Washington Post, model Christy Turlington Burns described her enthusiasm for yoga in no uncertain terms.

In order to train for an upcoming event promoting her maternal wellness charity Every Mother Counts, she has been doing extra sessions of yoga and talking about it online.

"I said I'd only tweet about my issue, but now with my run, I tweet about that, and yoga, too," she told the newspaper, adding that she has been an avid yoga practitioner for 25 years.

What event will Turlington Burns be participating in? A full marathon.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
3
Nov 11

Yoga and meditation exercises may help your golf swing

Thinking of hitting the links at one of the nation's capital's many golf courses? If so, you might want to consider trying yoga and meditation exercises, which many experts say may help prevent muscular tightness or soreness and potentially improve your game.

According to Men's Health, Washington, DC, yoga classes may lengthen your drive because of the way that a golf swing works. Katherine Roberts, a fitness guru for the Golf Channel, explained.

"Swing power is generated from the lower body to the hips, the trunk, the shoulders, the arms and out to the club," she told the fitness magazine. "A lot of yoga postures are very good at getting deep into the connective tissue and musculature of the hips," which she said can increase the ground-up power of a gold drive.

And if you think yoga can only help male golfers hone their skills on the fairway, think again. Yahoo! Sports recently published an article describing the popularity of yoga among female golfers, both amateur and professional.

The news source noted that the holistic regimen can help ladies increase their flexibility and, perhaps even more important, build the strength and endurance to hit the 18th hole with ease.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — No Comments
24
Oct 11

Enthusiast uses yoga and meditation exercises to prep for DC marathon

How does one train for a marathon? Beyond the obvious need for a weekly jogging routine, many runners get ready to run 26.2 uninterrupted miles by doing regular yoga and meditation exercises.

For instance, Jennifer Plasse, a resident of the nation's capital, recently told Reuters that she signed up for Washington DC yoga classes as a way to ready her body for the 36th annual Marine Corps Marathon (MCM).

Though its name suggests that it is intended only for servicemen and servicewomen, the race is open to all who wish to take part. In fact, it is the largest annually held marathon to be open for all, though it does not offer prize money for first-place finishers.

Still, Plasse told the news source that she will not be running for the greenbacks, but for the glory.

A 29-year-old insurance program director, she explained that marathon-running is a purifying experience, one that tests a participant's will to finish.

"You've exhausted yourself physically and just praying your legs will take you cross the finish line," Plasse told the news agency. "I know from experience that you just have to push through it."

Yoga classes can improve flexibility and potentially prevent running-related injury, an effect more than a few MCM entrants will be counting on.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

Yoga and Meditation — 1 Comment
17
Oct 11

Yoga and meditation exercises appear to improve memory, intelligence

Yoga and meditation benefits extend not just to the young and healthy, but also to the elderly, infirm, overweight, stressed-out or just plain frazzled. One of the primary advantages of engaging in yoga and meditation exercises is that they appear to improve cognitive function in addition to physical health.

A whole host of studies suggests that meditating, stretching and posing can benefit the brain's ability to retain and process information.

For instance, a report appearing in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology determined that children who attended a yoga camp experienced a 43 percent average increase in their spatial memory. By contrast, those who went to a fine arts camp displayed no such improvements.

Another study, this one published in the Journal of Psychological Researches, found that college-age women who did yoga regularly tended to improve their intelligence, attention span and memory capacity.

These participants also displayed improvements in heart rate, blood pressure and breath control, the authors added.

Finally, research published in the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences announced that students who adopted a meditation routine were better able to solve mazes and answer mathematical questions, compared to those who did not use the holistic method.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

Related items

← Older Entries