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28
Jun 11

Indianapolis instructor found peace with yoga

For many people, yoga is about more than limber limbs and a toned, fit body. For Nikki Myers, an Indianapolis-based yoga instructor, the holistic mind-body regimen essentially saved her life, as she recently told the Indianapolis Star.

Myers, now 57, runs a studio called CITYOGA and teaches the regimen at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. While today she is serene, confident and relatively health, she did not always have such a fine life balance.

She told the news source that, between the ages of 16 and 34, her life was consumed with alcohol, drugs, abusive relationships and multiple failed marriages.

It wasn't until she developed sciatica, a painful condition caused by pinched nerves, that she considered trying yoga as a way to manage her aches.

"My physician treated the illness with pain-relieving drugs, but she recommended that I practice yoga as a long-term solution. From there, I found a good yoga teacher and class," she told the source, adding that seeing how well the system worked for her encouraged her to share it with others.

Dahn Yoga has helped countless individuals get through rocky times in their lives, providing them comfort, empathy, relaxation and perspective.

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28
Jun 11

Yoga helps people with air allergies feel a little relief

Now that spring is about to transition into summer, many people with respiratory allergies may be worrying that their sensitivity to airborne particles is likely to ruin their fun in the sun. However, while over-the-counter medications may mute the sneezing and itchiness of hayfever, a new study has suggested that yoga can help as well.

Research published in the journal Holistic Nursing Practice determined that individuals with seasonal allergies who regularly practice yoga often the holistic mind-body system as a self healing method experience benefits.

The scientific team interviewed 15 participants, all of whom took yoga sessions or practiced the regimen in their homes.

Researchers found several common themes in the self-reported effects of yoga on air allergies. These included the perception that yoga eased their symptoms, the feeling of an inner force, mindfulness, empathy with other and the pursuit of equilibrium and harmony with others and with nature.

This holistic system may be of benefit to the many Americans who have such allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 17 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with hayfever.

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27
Jun 11

Hundreds celebrate summer solstice with yoga

Yoga, especially the kind practiced in Dahn Yoga classes, is in part about reconnecting to the natural environment. With that sentiment in mind, thousands of individuals nationwide celebrated this year's summer solstice by practicing yoga outdoors.

The Washington Times reported that hundreds of yoga enthusiasts turned out at Stratton Mountain, Vermont, to engage in deep breathing, stretching and posing during the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

Likewise, people flocked to Times Square to celebrate midsummer with the gentle practices of yoga, according to the Times Square Chronicles.

The International Business Times stated that thousands of people on the planet's top half turned out this time last year to celebrate the sun, the great outdoors and themselves.

What's the connection between the summer solstice and yoga? For many people, it's exactly that – the idea of connection, of rebonding with the Earth or of joining the mind and body with previously unexplored spiritual links.

There is no word whether people in the southern hemisphere celebrated their winter solstice, the shortest, darkest day of their year, but if they did, they probably did it inside, out of the cold.

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24
Jun 11

For stressed-out schoolgirls, yoga provides a ray of hope

Girls in primary school may be stereotyped as carefree – hence the phrase "to giggle like a schoolgirl" – but as many grown women will tell you, being a child in an elementary environment is not all sugar, spice and everything nice. Even under the age of 10, girls can experience stress and anxiety related to socializing and self-awareness – a problem researchers say may be addressed with yoga.

Mindfulness exercises may not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking for stress relief techniques for girls, but some scientists are beginning to see the value of yoga-based therapy for schoolchildren – similar to what Dahn Yoga has been offering for years.

Research published in the Journal of Pediatric Healthcare found that school-age girls given lessons in mindfulness were better able to handle academic stresses and self-esteem issues, compared to their peers.

The authors provided a group of schoolgirls with a one-hour weekly yoga class, in which relaxation, tranquility, self-worth and self-esteem were positively reinforced. Meanwhile, the instructor encouraged the girls to gradually shake away negative thoughts and emotions.

These kids ultimately reported having an easier time coping with stress, feeling more self-esteem and being able to regulate their emotions more efficiently.

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24
Jun 11

Yoga may improve mental health of cancer patients

The number of studies that address the efficacy of yoga among cancer patients is steadily growing, and recently a group of Taiwanese researchers set out to survey this field of inquiry to see if any conclusions could be teased out.

The results, which appeared in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, indicate that yoga-based therapies seem to improve the mental health of people struggling with the disease, as well as benefit their overall quality of life.

Scientists from National Taiwan University's College of Medicine came to this tentative conclusion after sifting through hundreds of potential articles and ultimately settling on 10 former studies that met the criteria for inclusion in the survey.

After rating each study for its rigor and randomization, the team then analyzed its results. They found that participants in these yoga-based reports tended to experience stress relief, a lessening of depression and reductions in distress and anxiety.

The group concluded that although the papers included in the meta-study were of mixed quality, yoga appears to help people with cancer improve their state of mind, which can be crucial to dealing with overwhelming illnesses like cancer.

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23
Jun 11

Fracture risk may be lower for osteopenic women who do yoga

Osteoporosis is a widespread condition in the U.S., ultimately affecting one-half of women over 50 and one-quarter of men in that age range, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) estimates. In order to prevent fractures and to improve bone health among pre-osteoporotic women, at least one therapy group is turning to yoga for good health.

Researchers recently determined that osteopenic women who perform regular yoga exercises appear to be less likely to suffer bone loss-related fractures. These results appeared in the journal Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation.

Osteopenia is a condition characterized by inadequate bone density. It can be caused by a variety of factors – poor nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity or genetic predisposition – and is the precursor to full-blown osteoporosis. The NOF states that, as with the latter condition, osteopenia is most commonly diagnosed in postmenopausal women.

In the new study, scientists led a group of geriatric women with osteopenia in weekly yoga sessions. The reseacrhers determined that these gentle exercises improved bone health in multiple ways.

"Yoga has the potential to decrease fracture risk in a geriatric population via several mechanisms, including improving balance, reducing fall risk and fear of falls, improving functioning, reducing hyperkyphosis and improving bone turnover," the team concluded.

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20
Jun 11

Welsh rugby players turn to yoga for flexibility, conditioning

Do burly rugby players, who seem to be more into tackling than meditating, ever indulge in a holistic mind-body regimen?

You bet they do. According to Wales Online, some players for the Welsh Rugby Union have turned to yoga as a method of exercise, flexibility training and injury prevention, as well as a relaxation technique.

The team's conditioning coach, Adam Beard, told the news source that he hand-selected six team members for an initial yoga tryout. The half-dozen were chosen for being the most prone to injury on the field.

He admitted that the success of this first stab at yoga was a bit overwhelming. The six players experienced so many benefits that the rest of the team tried crowding into a yoga classroom meant for 10, Beard told the source.

He added that yoga contributes to so many aspects of a rugby player's game, even though it might not be immediately obvious.

"If you think, the ball goes over their head, they have to stretch, they get hit in awkward positions, they have to run and they have to have certain mobility to hit positions in running," he concluded.

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16
Jun 11

Jennifer Aniston wins award for ‘hotness,’ partially credits yoga

Actress, film producer and perennial denizen of the tabloid headlines Jennifer Aniston recently received an award for her long-lasting beauty, and the holistic mind-body practice of yoga got its due credit for helping her stay svelte.

On June 5, the former star of the TV show Friends accepted a Spike TV Guys Choice Award for a "Decade of Hotness," while actress Mila Kunis received a similar honor, according to Ok Magazine.

Aniston partially credited yoga in her acceptance speech, saying that she would keep practicing the soothing and invigorating postures of the regimen for years to come.

"Being this side of 40, this is not lost on me," she said of the award, quoted by the news source.

This shout-out does not appear to be lip service, as Aniston, now 42, has been integrating yoga, meditation and mindfulness into her workout routine for years.

The actress even went to far as to contribute to a yoga DVD created by expert Mandy Ingber, saying in its introduction that yoga's breathing exercises and relaxation techniques would "will change your body and your mind."

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14
Jun 11

Scientists say yoga may reduce severity of arrhythmia

An irregular heartbeat can have no symptoms, but when it does, they can range from palpitations and chest pains to dizziness and, of course, anxiety. For those who suffer from such arrhythmias, yoga-based exercises may provide some relief, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Kansas University Cardiovascular Research Institute and the University of Kansas Hospital have announced that doing yoga may result in fewer episodes of arrhythmia, as well as improved stress relief.

The report, which appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, centered on a group of 49 individuals diagnosed with arrhythmia. Over the course of three months, all were asked to engage in 45 minutes of deep breathing, relaxation exercises and yoga postures three times a week.

Scientists found that this regimen reduced the rate of arrhythmia attacks by almost one-half. Furthermore, participants reported feeling less anxious or depressed, and quantitative surveys indicated that the volunteers' quality of life tended to improve over time.

More than 2.2 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

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9
Jun 11

Yoga may increase muscular endurance

Staying inert throughout much of the day, whether for a desk job or a series of classes, can allow your muscles to gradually atrophy, wasting away with disuse. However, yoga may help you maintain good health by putting your muscles to work in a gentle, low-impact way.

A study published in a recent issue of the journal Cantaurus revealed that students at Kansas' McPherson College Division of Science and Technology experienced similar gains in muscular endurance after training with either yoga or weight-lifting.

Not only that, but the disparities between the two regimens invariably favored yoga as the routine that built the most muscular power.

Whether the exercise was push-ups, pull-ups or dips, the college students involved in the study unilaterally made the greatest gains by meditating, stretching and performing a number of yoga poses.

This holistic mind-body regimen, which has existed in one form or another for thousands of years, may also contribute to improvements in mood, energy and a sense of peace. Numerous Dahn Yoga centers across the U.S. offer yoga sessions for people of all ages and backgrounds.

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