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Atlanta Yoga — No comments
17
Oct 11

Emory University offers Atlanta yoga classes to students

Called Health 100, the beginners' Atlanta yoga and health tutorial will be all about holistic wellness.

Called Health 100, the beginners' Atlanta yoga and health tutorial will be all about holistic wellness.

While there might seem to be an inherent divide between the students of Atlanta yoga classes and those in Atlanta undergraduate courses, a recent article in the city's newspaper, The Journal-Constitution, stated that a new program has merged these two groups.

The news source announced the creation of a new physical fitness course that will be mandatory for all entering freshmen at Emory University. Called Health 100, the beginners' Atlanta yoga and health tutorial will be all about holistic wellness.

School officials said that the unorthodox, small-group class system will help college newbies shake off some of their anxiety.

"We have students who are so used to being completely stressed out that it has become their comfort zone," said Robin Forman, the dean of Emory's College of Arts and Sciences. "We need to convince them that being stressed out is not good for them and show them the consequences of this down the line."

The newspaper included a photo of 75 freshmen doing yoga to increase their flexibility and mute their mental stress.

Studies have shown that yoga instructees tend to have stronger interpersonal relationships and more stable moral values than college students (assuming a person is not both, like the Emory freshmen are).

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Healthy Living — No comments
10
Oct 11

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

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

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

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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Healthy Living — No comments
06
Oct 11

CDC says yoga is common complementary routine for healthy living

According to the CDC, more and more Americans are taking up yoga and other complementary and alternative medicines for healthy living.

According to the CDC, more and more Americans are taking up yoga and other complementary and alternative medicines 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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Personal Change — No comments
05
Oct 11

Former NFL player has ALS, recounts managing personal change with yoga

Gleason will act as honorary team captain in the upcoming game between the Saints (logo pictured) and the Houston Texans.

Gleason will act as honorary team captain in the upcoming game between the Saints (logo pictured) and the Houston Texans.

Members of Atlanta yoga classes may once have disliked former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason. After all, in the first game held in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, the former NFL safety blocked a key punt made by the Atlanta Falcons. However, today Gleason serves as an inspiration for most football fans, ever since he announced that he suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, the condition is a progressive neuromuscular disorder that increasingly impairs the ability of nerve cells to send signals to the muscles.

Despite experiencing serious reductions in his mobility, Gleason will act as honorary team captain in the upcoming game between the Saints and the Houston Texans, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

The 34-year-old former NFL star has a history of being inspirational. Besides starting the literacy- and environmentalism-centric nonprofit One Sweet World Foundation, at one time he regularly donated to charity, studied Eastern philosophy and used yoga for managing personal change.

"Steve always marched to the beat of his own drum," former Saints player Scott Fujita told the news source. Even with his ALS, Gleason has no plans to slow down.

ALS affects roughly one in 20,000 Americans, according to the National Library of Medicine.

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Atlanta Yoga — No comments
23
Sep 11

Atlanta yoga classes bring members closer to nature

Even though it's a relatively underplayed facet of the holistic healing regimen, reconnecting to the natural world is exceedingly important, which may be why one local Atlanta yoga class is donating a percentage of its fees to nonprofits that benefit the area's tree life.

Even though it's a relatively underplayed facet of the holistic healing regimen, reconnecting to the natural world is exceedingly important, which may be why one local Atlanta yoga class is donating a percentage of its fees to nonprofits that benefit the area's tree life.

If you've ever gone to yoga class with the idea of making personal changes, you probably didn't leave disappointed. After all, 15.8 million yoga fans can't be wrong. That number comes from the 2007 Yoga in America Study, which found that 7 percent of Americans use yoga to connect to one another, to the community at large and even to nature itself.

That's right: even though it's a relatively underplayed facet of the holistic healing regimen, reconnecting to the natural world is exceedingly important, which may be why one local Atlanta yoga class is donating a percentage of its fees to nonprofits that benefit the area's tree life.

Homemade Yoga, a studio operated by founder Maria Cadena, gives $5 from each private session to Trees Atlanta, One Love Generation or Barking Hound Village Rescue Foundation, according to the East Atlanta Patch.

As she told the news source, Cadena has been inspired by trees ever since she was a child.

"One of my favorite stories as a little girl (and as a semi-grownup) is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Actually, every new person that joins us gets a thank you bag and inside is a little notebook – made of 100 percent recycled material – with the cover of the book," she said, quoted by the news source.

Cadena is not the only person to value yoga for its effect on nature and the environment. Several studies have shown that holistic health regimens often help practitioners reconnect with the green world outside their door.

In fact, getting outdoors may be healthy for people of all ages. A report published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being found that children with ADHD who play outdoors experience a dip in the severity of their symptoms.

No wonder Cadena (and Shel Silverstein) were so smitten with trees!

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Healthy Living — No comments
16
Sep 11

In Atlanta, yoga may contribute to healthy living among teens

Atlanta yoga classes

Studies have shown that yoga may assist such teens in making personal changes and improving physical health.

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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Healthy Living — No comments
13
Sep 11

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

healthy living supplies

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.

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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Healthy Living — No comments
08
Sep 11

Yoga facilitates healthy living on every level

Scientists and laypersons alike are coming around to the fact that yoga is ideal for making personal changes, physical adjustments or mental improvements.

Scientists and laypersons alike are coming around to the fact that yoga is ideal for making personal changes, physical adjustments or mental improvements.

Pursuing healthy living can be frustrating, not least because there are so many different facets of existence – the mental, the physical, the spiritual, the emotional – each of which requires targeted care all on its own. This can be problematic. After all, what kind of life system can address all these aspects of one's being at once?

Yoga, that's what. Scientists and laypersons alike are coming around to the fact that yoga is ideal for making personal changes, physical adjustments or mental improvements.

Consider all of the studies coming out about the benefits of doing yoga long term:

- It's good for your head. According to a literature review published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, yoga may help reduce the symptoms of depression. The authors, a team of UK mental health experts, found five previous investigations that indicated the benefits of using yoga during a bout of depression. The group cautioned that each study used different metrics, but that overall, the psychic benefits of holistic health regimens remain clear.

- It's good for your back, too. A report in the journal Alternative Therapies announced that doing regular yoga-based exercises may help relieve tension and aches in the lower back. In particular, scientists determined that participants who took yoga classes experienced varying improvements in their flexibility, balance and pain-related disability.

- Your wrists may benefit, believe it or not. A scientific investigation published in the Journal of the American Medical Association addressed the ways that special yoga-based hand exercises can soothe the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome. Researchers found that individuals who took yoga tended to see improvements in grip strength and tendon-centered pain.

- You might even sleep better. A report appearing in the journal Cancer found that even patients with lymphoma were able to sleep better and reduce their psychological distress after three months of daily yoga sessions.

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Healthy Living — No comments
02
Sep 11

CDC says yoga can contribute to healthy living

Healthy Living

There's one Atlanta-based organization that has been a proponent of yoga-based exercise for years - namely, a little agency called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For many people who live in Georgia's capital, Atlanta yoga classes are an integral part of their weekly workout routine. After all, stretching, posing, meditating and breathing deeply are good for you no matter what part of the Peach State you live in.

In fact, there's one Atlanta-based organization that has been a proponent of yoga-based exercise for years – namely, a little agency called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Why is yoga so healthy?

Scientists, public health authorities and healthy living experts often agree that doing yoga can do the body a world of good. One reason for this general consensus is that yoga strengthens so many different muscle groups, opens up multiple energy channels, refreshes multiple organs and contributes to good mental and physical health.

People have known this for centuries. In an article published by the CDC, the U.S. Surgeon General reports that yoga has been practiced as a health regimen since at least 600 BC.

"Yoga philosophies…asserted that physical suppleness, proper breathing and diet were essential to control the mind and emotions, and were prerequisites for religious experience," the source states, noting that an offshoot of the yoga developed in Asia has evolved into the sports medicine-related practice many Americans are familiar with today.

Adopting yoga into your routine

Low-impact exercises are beneficial for nearly everyone. This is one reason why the CDC recommends yoga for people of so many divergent health statuses.

For example, the agency states that yoga is a great way for people over the age of 65 to stay fit and strengthen their muscles and bones, all while running a low risk of injury.

Likewise, the CDC has suggested that people with certain debilitating conditions, like chronic fatigue syndrome, try yoga as a way to improve well-being and reduce anxiety.

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Personal Change — No comments
26
Aug 11

Making personal changes through meditation is a time-honored tradition

These questions are just one facet of the inner dialogue one might pursue during yoga meditation, a practice that has persisted in the U.S. for more than 150 years.

These questions are just one facet of the inner dialogue one might pursue during yoga meditation, a practice that has persisted in the U.S. for more than 150 years.

"Where does self-discovery begin? Does it occur within, or can a person begin making personal changes unknowingly, spurred from without?" These questions are just one facet of the inner dialogue one might pursue during yoga meditation, a practice that has persisted in the U.S. for more than 150 years.

You may think of meditation as a trendy topic, something that only recently became popular in American yoga community centers or among practitioners of Zen. However, the history of inner contemplation in the Western world dates back to the Civil War at least.

In the middle of the 1800s, American thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and a group of open-minded individualists collectively called the Transcendentalists were using meditation and yoga-based personal change models to go on inner voyages.

The Transcendentalists believed in the primacy of nature. They felt that contemplating it could open doorways inside one's mind, leading to growth, satisfaction and peace.

In his history volume Meditation and the Evolution of Cosmic Consciousness, author Don Ayre says this group was instrumental in popularizing meditation and dialectics in the U.S.

"[They] looked to meditation as a means of bridging the gap between their ongoing self-discovery and the social action needed to create a community of mutual openness and support," Ayre states.

Since the 1800s, meditation has appeared in all sorts of Western texts. It makes a cameo of sorts in W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor Edge, a seminal novel about the effects of Eastern thought on a disillusioned Western man.

"'How could you stand it for tow years?' cried Isabel.
"'They passed like a flash. I've spent days that seemed to be unconscionably longer.'
"'What did you do with yourself all the time?'
"'I read. I took long walks. I went out in a boat on the lagoon. I meditated. Meditation is very hard work; after two or three hours of it you're…exhausted.'"

This passage points to the discipline required for yoga meditation, but also to its ability to sharpen focus and lead to personal change.

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