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6
Feb 12

Yoga is a key to stress-free, healthy living

What's the best way to reduce stress and improve your chances of happy, healthy living? If you ask Naomi Tsu, a regular attendee of Atlanta yoga classes, the answer is without a doubt "mind-body meditation."

An attorney and de facto connoisseur of anxiety, Tsu told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she has to take yoga, or else her tension gets absolutely unbearable.

"[The regimen] makes my stress level livable," she told the newspaper. "After I meditate, things don't bother me as much… If I have a tough conversation with opposing counsel, I don't carry [it] around with me all day."

Tsu and her fellow lawyers are not the only folks whose professions tend to crank up stress and lead to high blood pressure, elevated heat rate and muscular tension. In fact, in several surveys collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 26 and 40 percent of American adults admitted to being "very or extremely" stressed at work.

Since quitting your job is hardly an option in these tough economic times, it may be best to simply use yoga, meditation and tai chi to decompress as soon as the 5 o'clock whistle blows.

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30
Jan 12

Healthy living blog talks about using yoga to get some shut-eye

If you're a fan of healthy living blogs, chances are you've been following the Huffington Post's 21-day yoga challenge, in which one writer tries to adhere to the holistic system for the better part of a month. This week, the news source touched on a great use for yoga: using it to try to get to sleep.

As you might expect, this is not the first time this idea has been tossed around. For quite some time, researchers have been investigating the effects of yoga on sleep. In fact, enthusiasts have been using the regimen for centuries as a way to relax, reflect and get ready for bed.

It makes sense. Yoga instructors widely agree that using a stretching-and-meditation routine just before hitting the hay is a great way to improve your chances of getting a good night's sleep.

Not only does engaging in yoga encourage the release of endorphins, but it also loosens sore or tired muscles and empties the mind of work-related stress and nagging thoughts.

If you want to try the mind-body regimen as a way to get the sandman to stop by, then consider taking an Atlanta yoga class or two.

You may be one of the 50 million Americans who suffer from sleep problems, but that doesn't mean you have to take it lying down!

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17
Jan 12

Healthy living blog says plank pose is great for strength, balance

If you attend Atlanta yoga classes even semi-regularly, chances are you've encountered the plank pose. This basic yoga position is common to many holistic regimens, including Dahn Yoga, and it may be used to strengthen the back and core muscles while improving balance and stamina.

According to the South Tampa-Hyde Park Patch's healthy living blog, this yoga pose is often half-jokingly called a "resting" position. The joke is that, at first, the plank posture can be a little challenging. However, with practice, "the plank can feel restful in the flow of a [yoga] class," the news source explained.

To perform a plank pose, one can start from a lying position or from one's hands and knees, according to the Yoga Journal.

- First, place the hands about shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders firm and your elbows locked.

- Next, slowly walk your feet backward until they are one full body length from your hands. Your shoulders should be directly over your hands.

- If you've formed your body correctly, you will essentially be positioned as if you are preparing to do a push-up. Hold this pose for about a minute, breathing slowly and deeply. If you get tired, lower your knees to the ground. Don't push yourself!

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10
Jan 12

Yoga classes for kids promote strong imagination, healthy living

Childhood is a time to be active, creative and social, and believe it or not, Georgia yoga classes can help kids do all three! That's because yoga instruction designed especially for little ones may be able to encourage their creativity.

According to the Saratoga Times-Union, this is one of the main attractions of a yoga class offered by the city's Dance Museum. Program coordinator Susan Edwards told the newspaper that her classes emphasize the mind-body connection by asking kids to pretend to be many different things found in nature, from cobras and flamingos to mountains or trees.

Edwards added that such mental exercises really help youngsters get into yoga, while relaxing their bodies and directing their energy into something quiet and healthy.

"Kids are crazy, they run all over the place," she explained to the news source. "This will help them mellow and chill out."

Similar activities can be found in many Georgia yoga classes, like those offered at Dahn Yoga community centers in Atlanta and other towns across the state.

Many parents love that their kids leave yoga class well-behaved and beaming, full of stories about all the imagination exercises they got to do.

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23
Dec 11

Yoga and healthy living go hand in hand, even over the holidays

If you're making a healthy living list for the holidays, you may as well put yoga at the top of it. For centuries, this holistic mind-body system has been helping people stay fit and free of stress. Now, with Christmas and Chanukah upon us, it is important to do whatever it takes to maintain one's well-being.

Sure, the holidays are a time of peace, friendship and giving. But they can also lead to serious stress. Just think of all the activities that can wind you up tighter and tighter:

- Gathering tons of ingredients for a large meal can be a real headache. Then there's the actual preparation and, after all plates have been cleared, the year's most mammoth dish-washing session.

- Overeating on Christmas Eve can certainly leave you laid low, especially if you indulge in plenty of fatty, oily foods and alcoholic beverages.

- Seeing relatives can leave you with an extra-short fuse.

- Even the expectations of the holidays can be crushing. After all, if it's the most wonderful time of the year, any hint that you're not having a good time can get you peppered with questions from overly solicitous family members.

To shake off some of this anxiety, try doing a little yoga each day as a way to decompress. If you'd like to learn specific poses for de-stressing, check out the other posts on this healthy living blog.

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9
Dec 11

This holiday season, yoga is synonymous with healthy living

Most people are interested in healthy living, regardless of their age, background or experience with yoga. But around Christmastime, it can be difficult to stay on the right track, especially with heavy holiday meals tempting you everywhere you turn. Fortunately, yoga can help you stay hale and hearty before and after December 25.

It's not a bad thing to eat a big Christmas dinner. Most people indulge in this meal while surrounded by loving friends and family, and what could be better than that?

However, it's all the little things that can stack up. For instance, alcohol, egg nog, pies, cakes, cookies, candy canes, coffee and cocoa can really take their toll after a while.

For those interested in making personal changes around the holidays, yoga may be able to help. If you're already full and you get a craving for something sweet, try taking a few minutes to do some mindfulness meditation or deep breathing.

Also, you can do a little extra yoga in the mornings and at night to help you burn off some of those calories. But don't stay up too late on Christmas Eve, since Santa will be on his way!

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10
Oct 11

CDC points to healthy living as way to lower risk of breast cancer

Healthy living is important no matter what time of year it is, but since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a Features webpage featuring the disease and its particulars.

Breast cancer is not, as is sometimes assumed, the most common cause of death for American women, the agency states. That dubious honor goes to heart disease. However, breast carcinomas are the fifth most common cause of death among females, meaning that promoting well-being is essential for lowering one's risk of cancer.

The CDC recommends that women who are concerned about breast cancer try to avoid alcohol, eat right, exercise and investigate their family history of the illness.

Likewise, losing weight can reduce the risk of breast cancer, the organization states. For women who have enrolled in Atlanta yoga classes in the pursuit of a slimmer waistline, this may come as welcome news.

Furthermore, yoga is a complementary and alternative therapy that is often used by women looking to reduce the side effects of a chemotherapy or radiation regimen, the CDC adds.

In a lifetime, one in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer, the National Cancer Institute estimates.

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6
Oct 11

CDC says yoga is common complementary routine for healthy living

If your Atlanta yoga classes have been feeling a little crowded lately, it's for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more and more Americans are taking up yoga and other complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) for healthy living.

In a recent issue of its National Health Statistics Reports, the Atlanta-based agency stated that yoga is one of the most common CAMs in the U.S. It estimated that 6.1 percent of all CAM users take advantage of the mind-body routine.

This number represents an increase from the last time the CDC measured CAM use. In 2008, the organization set the figure at 5.1 percent.

Why the increase? Well, the agency notes that yoga is a light-intensity exercise method, meaning it is easy on the joints and, as a CAM, may be relatively safe for people of all ages and health levels.

"Generally, persons who choose CAM approaches are seeking ways to improve their health and well-being or to relieve symptoms associated with chronic…illnesses or the side effects of conventional treatments for them," the CDC explained.

No wonder the Yoga Journal estimated that nearly 16 million Americans practice yoga.

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16
Sep 11

In Atlanta, yoga may contribute to healthy living among teens

Atlanta urban youth are a seriously underserved population, one that can use all the help it can get. That said, studies have shown that yoga may assist such teens in making personal changes and improving physical health.

How hard is it to grow up in a blighted urban environment? Scoop Daily recently released a report posted by ABC News that rated Atlanta as the third worst city in the U.S. for urban youth.

The study pointed to poverty, crime and unemployment as the primary drivers of decline in the quality of life among Atlanta's urban teens. The news source quoted the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, which stated that African-American youth account for more than 90 percent of all prisoners serving time in juvenile detention centers in Fulton County.

Likewise, unemployment in the state of Georgia currently stands at 10.1 percent, according to the state's Department of Labor.

Such problems can take a terrible toll on both the mental and physical health of urban teens. In some case, fitness- and yoga-based programs may be able to contribute to healthy living.

For instance, a study published in the journal The Science of Health Promotion found that urban teens who had access to open spaces in Atlanta tended to walk more often, potentially improving their health.

Another investigation conducted at the University of Cincinnati determined that urban teens with asthma who used alternative or complementary therapies – like yoga, meditation, prayer or relaxation techniques – were more likely to experience positive respiratory outcomes.

What does all this mean? Well, besides being a good indication that urban populations need help, such research suggests that Atlanta's underprivileged teens might benefit from yoga programs that cater to their age group.

Whether engaging in stretching, deep breathing, mindfulness meditation or tai chi, individuals who try yoga-based exercises often report feeling healthier and more content.

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13
Sep 11

Hotels are getting more requests for yoga mats, healthy living supplies

Do you travel much outside of Atlanta? If you do, and you've tried to do healthy living exercises on the hard floor of your hotel room, you know that its stiff, uncushioned carpets can wreak havoc on your knees, back and elbows during yoga. It's little wonder that more and more hotel patrons are ordering yoga supplies than ever before.

Anyway, that is the thrust of a recent article published by Reuters. A director of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company told the news service that guests are increasingly calling room service for yoga mats, treadmills, exercise bikes and other fitness-related accoutrements.

"Probably fitness equipment is the biggest request we get from guests. It's the biggest preoccupation of business travelers besides getting their work done, so we try to make fitness available on any basis they ask for," said " said Vivian Deuschl, the company's corporate vice president.

She noted that, in addition to yoga mats and DVDs, many hotels are going the extra mile to offer patrons almost any fitness-based amenity that one can dream up.

The Ritz-Carlton's hotels offer personal trainers on demand, for example. Others, like the Kimpton Hotel chain, offer an all-day yoga channel and a basket of gratis yoga apparel, as the Kimpton's chief operating officer Niki Leondakis told the news organization.

In the end, it all comes down to providing what guests want – which, lately at least, means all things yoga.

Why are patrons shifting their desires from the mini-bar to the mat? Leondakis offered Reuters a theory based on the large number of baby boomers hitting retirement age.

"Twenty years ago it was wine, dine and work, not about maintaining a healthy lifestyle on the road. People today are looking at work/life balance in a more integrated way," she concluded, quoted by the news source.

Hence the popularity of Georgia yoga classes. Americans of all ages are flocking to yoga – nearly 16 million, according to a survey conducted by the Yoga Journal.

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