Yoga and Meditation — No comments
08
Nov 11

Celebrities love yoga and meditation for beginners (or experts)

Christy Turlington Burns has been an avid yoga practitioner for 25 years.

Christy Turlington Burns has been an avid yoga practitioner for 25 years.

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.

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Yoga and Meditation — No comments
03
Nov 11

Yoga and meditation exercises may help your golf swing

Yoga classes may lengthen your drive because of the way that a golf swing works.

Yoga classes may lengthen your drive because of the way that a golf swing works.

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.

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Yoga and Meditation — No comments
24
Oct 11

Enthusiast uses yoga and meditation exercises to prep for DC marathon

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

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

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.

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Yoga and Meditation — 1 comment
17
Oct 11

Yoga and meditation exercises appear to improve memory, intelligence

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

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

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.

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Yoga and Meditation — No comments
11
Oct 11

Yoga and meditation exercises appear in a number of Washington, DC, news items

If you need proof that stretching and posing is important to residents of the nation's capital, just look at these recent Washington, DC, news items in which yoga and meditation exercises make an appearance.

If you need proof that stretching and posing is important to residents of the nation's capital, just look at these recent Washington, DC, news items in which yoga and meditation exercises make an appearance.

Whether a holistic health enthusiast lives in the heart of Washington, DC, or on its outskirts, yoga and meditation benefits their brain, body and spirit. And if you need proof that stretching and posing is important to residents of the nation's capital, just look at these recent Washington, DC, news items in which yoga and meditation exercises make an appearance.

- Besides marching, chanting and protesting the nation's wealth imbalance, members of an Occupy Wall Street-like movement have been doing yoga. The Los Angeles Times reports that participants in Stop the Machine, a 500-person protest that materialized outside the conservative think-tank U.S. Chamber of Commerce, took some time to do yoga together. After getting down and meditating in a large group, the demonstration moved on to the White House, the news source stated.

- Many yoga instructors have begun offering free classes in Washington, DC, as a way to bring holistic health to the underemployed, according to the New York Magazine. Teacher Alex Odell explained to the periodical that, for many people, yoga is the only form of stress relief they get right now.

- The Washington Post adds that several patient advocacy centers in the capital are offering yoga to cancer patients as a way to manage pain and the side effects of treatments.

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Yoga and Meditation — 1 comment
05
Oct 11

Yoga and meditation benefits veterans in Washington, DC

Several Washington, DC, yoga classes rely on this phenomenon, including the Exalted Warriors Foundation (EWF).

Several Washington, DC, yoga classes rely on this phenomenon, including the Exalted Warriors Foundation (EWF).

Use yoga and meditation exercises, and you are likely to experience a sense of inner calm and tranquility that cannot be recreated with traditional workouts. Several Washington, DC, yoga classes rely on this phenomenon, including the Exalted Warriors Foundation (EWF).

A nonprofit dedicated to helping wounded veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, the EWF began in 2007 when yoga teacher Anne Okerlin was working at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the nation's capital.

She told ESPN-W that doctors asked her to work with a 25-year-old soldier who had lost both legs to a land mine while serving in Iraq. Okerlin told the news source that treating the man was a transformative experience.

The veteran suffered from nervous tremors and insomnia, but Okerlin was able to help subdue these conditions through a regular yoga breathing routine.

Less than a year later, she had founded the EWF, which today operates in medical centers in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.

She can still recall treating her first patient at Walter Reed, though.

"We did five minutes of breath work, and he fell asleep. It was beautiful," she told the news source.

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Healthy Heart — No comments
29
Sep 11

Yoga exercises may promote a healthy heart

No wonder so many people come to Washington, DC yoga classes in the pursuit of a healthy heart.

No wonder so many people come to Washington, DC yoga classes in the pursuit of a healthy heart.

In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). No wonder so many people come to Washington, DC yoga classes in the pursuit of a healthy heart.

But can yoga really improve your cardiovascular well-being? After all, many varieties of the holistic health system involve minimal aerobic exercise.

Be that as it may, numerous studies point to the potential health benefits of regularly engaging in yoga. These reports typically note that there is more to holistic heart health than mere aerobic activity. Being able to reduce your blood pressure, lower your heart rate or reduce your stress levels can contribute to better cardiovascular fitness.

For instance, a study published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure found that heart failure patients who used yoga therapies were better able to stabilize their bloodborne biomarkers for inflammation.

These organic molecules, including interleukin-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and extracellular superoxide dismutase, point to dangerous inflammation when they are in flux. The team found that participation in yoga classes seemed to bring these biomarkers closer to a state of equilibrium, as compared to traditional therapies.

Similar results appeared in a study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. By measuring the levels of the same inflammation-related biomarkers, researchers found that African-American heart failure patients who engaged in yoga were able to improve their cardiac well-being better than those who used a daily walking regimen.

Other scientific investigations have suggested that doing yoga can increase insulin sensitivity, regularize heartbeat for arrhythmia patients or lower blood pressure. Such effects could be of real benefit for yoga enthusiasts looking to keep their hearts healthy.

More than 631,000 Americans die of heart disease each year, the CDC estimates. This means that cardiac problems account for one in every four deaths in the U.S.

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Yoga and Meditation — No comments
16
Sep 11

5 things you should know about yoga and meditation for beginners

yoga and meditation for beginners

Here is a short primer on what many experts think you should know about yoga and meditation for beginners.

Do you feel like you still have a lot to learn about yoga and meditation exercises, even after months or years spent engaging in the holistic health system? If so, you're not alone.

Not only can the etiquette of yoga class be subtle or elusive, but its techniques and their benefits may be difficult to fully comprehend. With that in mind, here is a short primer on what many experts think you should know about yoga and meditation for beginners.

1. Yoga is not a quick fix. The International Business Times (IBT) describes yoga as a "process" rather than an "instant solution." Like mindfulness meditation and tai chi, doing yoga is primarily about gradually cultivating a sense of physical peace and spiritual wonder at the unity of all things.

2. You should ask questions before, during and after class. Many of the mental concepts and physical postures that form yoga's foundation can be difficult to grasp. The health and fitness website FitSugar states that it is essential to have a good channel of communication between yourself and your teachers. Start a dialogue.

3. Accept incomplete knowledge. No one person can ever internalize all there is to know about yoga, the IBT states. Though you can (and should) study the discipline carefully, be happy with what you learn rather than anxious about what you don't yet know. Remember: yoga's goal is happiness!

4. Be vocal about how you feel. Are certain positions too easy for you? Too hard? Do particular poses hurt? If so, don't be afraid to speak up. Your yoga instructor wants to keep track of your well-being, and that means knowing how you're feeling.

5. Yoga is an alternative approach to health. While hundreds of studies point to the physical and mental benefits of yoga, the holistic regimen is not necessarily a cure for anything, the IBT adds. Instead, yoga acts as a complementary treatment, putting your body in a state from which better well-being may be within reach.

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Healthy Heart — No comments
14
Sep 11

Yoga, laughter promote healthy hearts, experts say

healthy hearts

More than a decade of investigations conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore suggests that laughter is an effective way to improve vascular function and reduce the risk of heart disease.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) wants to prevent more than 1 million strokes and heart attacks over the next five years, but how should individuals go about attaining a healthy heart? Studies have shown that laughing yoga may be a good start.

More than a decade of investigations conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore suggests that laughter is an effective way to improve vascular function and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Lead researcher Michael Miller recently announced that his latest studies confirm findings announced 10 years ago – namely, that while eating healthy heart foods is important for good vascular health, so is laughter.

Miller described a series of experiments designed to demonstrate the effect of different emotional states on blood vessels. He said that his team asked hundreds of volunteers to watch funny or sad movies, or, alternatively, to discuss happy or disturbing situations.

He explained that simultaneous vascular monitoring indicated that people who watched tragic films – for example, Saving Private Ryan – experienced vasoconstriction, or the tightening of the inner lining of blood vessels (a tissue known as the endothelium).

By contrast, participants who laughed their way through comedies like There's Something About Mary experienced the opposite effect. Their veins and arteries dilated, contributing to endothelial flexibility.

The team concluded that laughter of any sort appears to have a positive effect on vascular health.

Any activities that regularly encourage a good chuckle, cackle or guffaw – like laughing yoga – could decrease the risk of negative cardiovascular events, researcher said.

These findings may be a boon for the USDHHS, which announced that it has launched an initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and potentially save $444 billion in annual medical costs.

Called Million Hearts, the initiative will encourage Americans to take better holistic care of their hearts.

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Healthy Heart — 1 comment
08
Sep 11

Yoga + healthy heart diet = potential cardiovascular improvements

healthy heart diet

Never fear! The key to a healthy heart may consist in combining these two activities.

Perhaps you've tried going on a healthy heart diet and found that you couldn't make much headway. Alternatively, you may have tried doing yoga without addressing your nutritional needs and found that you were not experiencing improvements. Never fear! The key to a healthy heart may consist in combining these two activities.

Anyway, that is the thrust of a study published in the journal Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. Drawn up by researchers at the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine in Germany's Hannover Medical University, the paper is blunt: adding a vegetarian diet to a yoga regimen may work wonders.

Coming to this conclusion involved asking dozens of participants to take part in a three-month yoga program designed to keep them active and in shape. These individuals were also fed a healthy daily diet that was based mainly on fruits and vegetables.

The team described this fare as "lacto-vegetarian," since volunteers were given dairy products. Therefore, while not vegan, the diet was quite tightly controlled.

After the study period, researchers found that a number of the participants' health risk factors had dropped precipitously, including their body mass indices, cholesterol and blood pressure. Likewise, their hormone levels had balanced noticeably.

"Urinary excretion of adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, aldosterone, as well as serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels were reduced, while cortisol excretion increased significantly," the group noted. These changes indicate that participants may have altered their stress- and anxiety-related hormone levels for the better.

Other studies have reaches similar conclusions. A report appearing in the Journal of Association of Physicians of India found that middle-aged adults who do yoga may experience dips in oxidative stress.

Another paper, this one in the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, noted that many prior studies have pointed to yoga as a heart health-improving system. Researchers collected a total of 70 previously published reports detailing the positive effects that stretching and deep breathing can have on one's cardiovascular condition.

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