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NFL’s Giants use yoga in hopes of personal success story at Super Bowl

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Of all of professional football's personal success stories, one of the most thrilling has to be that of the Giants' performance in Super Bowl XLII. On February 3, 2008, in front of a packed crowd in Glendale, Arizona (and 97 million television viewers), the underdog team beat the undefeated New England Patriots with just seconds remaining.

For his performance – including two go-ahead touchdown passes, one with just 35 seconds left to play – quarterback Eli Manning was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Now, the champs of that game hope to win Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday against (who else?) the Patriots.

To do so, they're going all out in the effort to earn another championship ring. That includes taking yoga classes all season long.

According to FOX News, the mind-body system has helped the Giants with their sprinting, throwing, flexibility and agility. Yoga instructor Gwen Lawrence added that much of the regimen's benefits are mental.

"We're working on mental toughness, too," she said. "Sometimes you have players with pre-game anxiety, and the breathing techniques they learn in yoga can help them cope."

With luck, Sunday's game will join the ranks of the NFL's greatest inspirational stories for kids, teens and adults of all ages.

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Feb 3, 2012

Which yoga programs offer a personal success plan these days?

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Even though yoga is more fashionable than ever, at times it can seem a little hollow – at least, as it's offered by many of the less holistic programs out there. That's why Dahn Yoga offers personal success plans, community-centered healing and warm, caring, interpersonal connections.

After all, if we don't make yoga what it's supposed to be, who will?

That question is implied in a recent article written by yoga expert Justin Hakuta and published by the Huffington Post. In it, the author laments that yoga seems to be becoming more and more a game of consumerism and fashion, especially with the recent explosion of yoga clothing brands and trendy accessories.

Speaking rhetorically, Hakuta asks, "Has commercialization diluted the practice to the point of triviality, becoming just another easily bought, packaged and sterilized commodity? In other words, has yoga lost its soul?"

Fortunately, his answer to his own question is: no, it hasn't. However, yoga students have to be pretty discerning these days in order to pick a program that offers genuine healing, regardless of fashion.

This may mean doing a little homework – that is, visiting Dahn Yoga community centers, talking to current students and listening to personal success stories.

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Filed under Personal Success
Jan 9, 2012

Yoga plays integral role in collegians’ personal success systems

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Have you ever wonder why inspirational stories for teens and young adults often focus on the nexus of an individual's mental, physical and spiritual well-being? Well, ponder no more. Studies have shown that holistic activities like yoga can improve all of these facets of one's health at the same time.

For instance, a report published in the International Journal of Yoga found that there are several key differences between students of yoga and those found in college classrooms.

The authors, a pair of sociologists and economists at Virginia's Old Dominion University, determined that yoga students tended to lead more stable lives and to glean more mental satisfaction from their relationships with others.

Furthermore, researchers noted that yoga students were often more likely to hold wholesome moral values, to have a positive outlook and to be spiritual. The team concluded that the mind-body system appears to bolster personal success systems quite well.

What accounts for such a dramatic divide? A team of scientists at Wellesley College believe they have found a neurological answer.

In a recent study, scientists from the institution found that yoga practitioners tend to have higher levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter whose absence is associated with the risk of depression and anxiety.

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Filed under Personal Success
Oct 17, 2011

On Wall Street or off, yoga is a valuable personal success factor

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What is the best way to create and enact a personal success plan? Different people have different answers to this question. For some, personal success factors come from having a good financial portfolio. For others, succeeding means having a healthy body and a clear head on one's shoulders. Now, some news sources are excitedly featuring interviews with individuals who seem able to balance both of these pursuits, even during tough economic times.

A recent article published by Bloomberg focused on Corina Cotenescu, who trades futures on the S&P 500 Index. She told the source that the night before the S&P dropped dramatically, she had a gnawing sensation that such a plunge was about to take place.

How does Cotenescu deal with the stress working on the volatile trading floor? She is also a yoga instructor.

The 34-year-old told the news organization that even when the S&P drops 5 percent in a day, as it did in mid-August, she can feel her frustration dissolving in front of her students.

"If I lost money, I go straight to class, because I know I have emotional baggage that I need to get out… Yoga gives me the physical and emotional gratification and trading gives me the intellectual gratification," she added, quoted by the source.

Success stories like this one are becoming more common, even among time-strapped Wall Street traders. Jason Wachob told NBC News that he found typical gym-based exercises to be hard on his frame. After long days working with stocks, he felt like he needed a gentler, more holistic healing system.

Enter yoga.

Unlike Cotenescu, Wachob ultimately changed his profession entirely, becoming a full-time yoga teacher. He told the news organization that what attracted him to yoga was the individualized care that small classes brought to his body. Likewise, he noted that gyms often do not have the same levels of interpersonal rapport that yoga communities do.

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Aug 22, 2011

Top 10 reasons to try yoga include peace, serenity, personal success factors

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Sure, millions of Americans are flocking to yoga, but why are they doing so? Is it the system's simple stretches, its sense of community, its flexibility or its personal success factors?

Here is a list of 10 reasons to try yoga.

1. Invigorating yourself without breaking a sweat – Numerous yoga enthusiasts will tell you that, unlike running, swimming or lifting weights, meditation and posing take a very minor toll on the body's muscles.

2. Reducing pain – According to numerous studies, doing yoga may reduce the aches and pains associated with pre-menstrual syndrome, sciatica and neck or back conditions, as emphasized in a recent list published by Active.com.

3. Expanding your lungs – The Yoga Alliance notes that deep breathing exercises can open up your lungs and improve breathing.

4. Narrowing your focus – Yoga has been shown to improve concentration.

5. Deepening your self-understanding – Do you occasionally feel like you don't even know who you are anymore? This sort of existential crisis is quite common. Many devoted yoga practitioners report that they gradually found their true selves through guided meditation.

6. Anxiety relief – Approximately 29 percent of American adults are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Why not try yoga as a way to relax?

7. Helping others – Many personal success systems involve philanthropy and giving. The best yoga programs help you give back to your community.

8. Not sweating the little things – Are you finding that you get angry at life's minutiae? Doing a few yoga exercises may calm you down.

9. Yoga's adaptability – The holistic regimen can be performed nearly anywhere!

10. Owing it to oneself – Don't you deserve to relax, to stay fit, to explore yourself or to connect with others? Why wait any longer?

Give yoga a try!

As the Yoga Journal notes, 15.6 million Americans have already tried it themselves. You could be next!

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Filed under Personal Success
Aug 9, 2011

Treating IT workers with respect is essential

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There are many components to most companies, and from production to account management to sales, they are all important. However, in the increasingly technology-driven office world information technology (IT) professionals are becoming essential.

Most companies now have their own IT staff to help make sure that servers, computers and phones are working properly and it is essential for more traditional office workers to treat these people with respect.

While it can be tempting to view IT workers as serving one's self, the conscientious worker recognizes that most of these professionals have to deal with a long list of problems from people throughout the company. Because of the nature of their job, it is essential that IT workers are treated with courtesy and respect to ensure that they are able to help out as many people as possible.

Some companies bring in outside help to perform IT functions, and it is just as important that these people are treated with respect. Even though they may not work for one's company, they are still people who deserve to be treated as such.

Having respect for one's self and others is essential for life balance in the office. 

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Filed under Personal Success
May 9, 2011

Potential pitfall for online job searching

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The job hunt has evolved tremendously in the past decade. Nowadays instead of circling postings in the want ads and pounding the pavement, people are turning to the internet to help them find their new career.

The internet is an incredible tool for job searching but there are some drawbacks, an article from CNN cautions.

The article said that while it may be an obvious piece of advice to not search the internet for job openings while at one's current job, a surprising amount of people take part in this risky behavior.

"It isn't just about the ethics of your current situation — it's also about the impression you're creating," Dr. Katharine S. Brooks told CNN. "If your potential new employer sees that you use your company's e-mail to correspond with them, use the company phone to call them, and appear to be contacting them during work hours, they will assume you will do the same thing when you work for them."

Being true to one's employer and one's self is always important for those concerned with their own personal change and integrity, and that is why searching for a job should take place during one's personal time. 

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Filed under Personal Success
Apr 21, 2011

Knowing when to ask for a raise is important

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There are many stressful times for employees in all industries and one of the benefits of yoga is that it can help people relax and find their center when getting through a rough patch, like when determining when to ask for a raise.

A recent article in U.S. News and World Report highlights when an employee should ask for a raise. According to the article, one should ask for a raise after they have been on the job for a significant amount of time and after they have a proven track-record to which they can point.

By being able to point to hard, concrete evidence of successfully completing various tasks and projects, one's superior will likely have a more difficult time saying no to a raise.

On the other side of the coin, one should be wary of asking for a raise when he or she has been struggling to perform. In addition, it is likely not a good idea to ask for an increase in pay when the company is struggling financially.

While asking for more money from one's company can be a stressful experience, having a relaxation routine, such as Dahn Yoga meditation, can help one deal with the stress of the ordeal.

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Filed under Personal Success
Apr 4, 2011

Breathing exercises can lead to fewer mistakes in the job search

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While nobody is perfect, Dahn Yoga tai chi can bring one's body and mind together and help one be more relaxed and, as a potential result, avoid making silly mistakes, which is essential in the job hunt.

A recent article in the International Business Times reveals that there a number of common mistakes that people make when they send out a cover letter.

One of the most common mistakes is sending the letter as an attachment rather than in the email itself. Attaching the letter leads to a much higher chance of a hiring manager ignoring it and going straight to the resume.

Another typical mistake is writing too much. One should keep his or her cover letter short, making sure the high points of one's career are touched upon without bogging it down with unnecessary details.

Providing irrelevant information is also one of the major pitfalls of drafting cover letters. One should make sure that the letter is pertinent and concise.

Before one clicks "send" they may want to do some breathing exercises and look over the email to make sure they avoid these mistakes. 

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Filed under Personal Success
Mar 30, 2011

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Though it was founded in the 1980s, Dahn Yoga's basic precepts and techniques are directly descended from methods practiced five millennia ago in East Asia. These precepts include the importance of the mind's partnership with the body, as well as the need for a balanced bond between the two.

Today, thousands of Americans practice Dahn Yoga everyday, many of whom are delightedly trying it for the first time. Taking a little time out of one's day to stretch, breathe, pose and meditate with a gentle smile on one's face can radically change one's mood and outlook.

This blog offers responses to news items that prominently feature Dahn Yoga and its neighborhood centers.

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