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Practicing yoga may help addicts make it through recovery

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Thousands of Americans engage in Dahn Yoga, often as a way to unwind, stay fit, reduce one's burden of stress, control the body's energy flow or reconnect the mental and physical selves. However, yoga also has a number of therapeutic uses, not least of which may be the ability to help drug addicts overcome their substance abuse problems.

A master's thesis published by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University states that yoga may contribute to a recovery plan, since it may help addicts calm and comport themselves.

This effect is not solely intended to make detoxification easier, writes thesis author Mark Griffiths. Instead, it is conceived as both a self healing technique and a behavioral aid, the latter of which might help social workers make the most of a person's recovery period.

Griffiths noted that even the teacher-student relationship between a yoga instructor and a new pupil can act as a type of interpersonal guidepost for recovering addicts, allowing them to accept their newfound freedom from drugs and to learn to interact with others in a healthier, more committed way.

Regardless of a person's age, background of physical state, Dahn Yoga accepts members from all walks of life.

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Apr 15, 2011

Yoga newcomers often need advice on choosing classes, instructors

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Personal growth and mind-body reconnection do not happen overnight, which is why many individuals who are interested in Dahn Yoga seek out yoga communities in their area. Once a center is found, though, what then? What is a new yoga member supposed to do to kick things off?

One of the first items on their list may be to find a suitable yoga instructor, and this search does not have to be as intensive as it may seem, according to the East Valley Tribune.

That said, the news source emphasized that choosing a teacher is rarely a matter of following one's gut instinct. Instead, there are practical steps a beginner can take when searching for a yoga tutor.

The first is to accept that the first teacher you choose may not be the right fit, the newspaper emphasized.

"The good thing about yoga is you can still date around," Sacramento yoga studio owner Anne Marie Kramer told the source. "It's great to be able to experience different teachers. You always take away something from each class."

Typically, the second step is to talk to a potential instructor and learn a little about their holistic philosophy. After that, it's time to give a class a try, the news source concluded.

Dozens of Dahn Yoga community centers exist across the U.S., each of which offers a multitude of classes for yoga enthusiasts of all skill levels.

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Apr 14, 2011

Scientists explore meditation from dozens of theoretical angles

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The self-disciplinary art of meditation is an activity whose history can be traced back several thousand years to the East Asian continent. Today, the practice is still going strong. Meditation can help Dahn Yoga members – and nearly anyone else, for that matter – reduce their perceived pain levels, and scientists are currently trying to figure out why.

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that slightly more than an hour of peaceful contemplation each day increased participants' pain thresholds by an average of 25 percent.

Similarly, a chapter of the recently published textbook Psychological Selection and Optimal Experiences Across Cultures has suggested that mindfulness meditation can improve energy flow throughout the body.

Another report, published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, determined that the adoption of a regular meditation schedule helped patients with schizophrenia improve their symptoms, accept themselves and boost their levels of positive emotions.

Other studies have linked the pursuit of meditation to potential improvements in joint pain, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.

Deep breathing exercises and peaceful contemplation are essential aspects of the philosophy and practice of Dahn Yoga.

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Apr 12, 2011

Yoga program offers classes for autistic students

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Dahn Yoga has facilitated the personal growth and development of countless Americans, including those with mental disabilities. Scientific investigation has begun to show that holistic healing programs can help children with certain heritable conditions to relax, behave and even communicate.

The Hartford Courant reports that the American School for the Deaf has initiated weekly yoga instruction for its autistic students.

http://articles.courant.com/2011-04-10/health/hc-weir-autism-yoga-0411-20110410_1_autistic-students-yoga-program-autism-spectrum

Peg Higgins, an administrative assistant for the school, said that the program helps those students who are both deaf and autistic improve their body control and reduce their anxiety levels.

"Yoga is about the mind-body spirit connection. It gets their minds focused away from the self," she told the newspaper. "This is helping to break the barriers of poor communication with the world."

Multiple studies have shown that meditation, deep breathing and flowing movement can help teens with autism maintain emotional calm and work on coordination. A report published in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy encouraged the use of yoga as a way to promote social, physical and mental healing among children with cognitive delays.

Individuals who are looking for a mind-body healing program for their autistic child may be interested in Dahn Yoga's specialized classes for children and adolescents.

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Apr 12, 2011

For the elderly, benefits of yoga include increased muscle mass

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As Americans age, they are at greater risk of losing muscle mass and bone density, a process that can lead to osteoporosis and decreased quality of life. Participating in Dahn Yoga can slow this process through tai chi, qigong and the moving meditation system known as brain wave vibration.

Recently, a study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that Americans over age 50 who engage in progressive resistance training, as well as the stretching or bending poses of yoga, can gain an estimated two and a half pounds of lean muscle mass in 18 to 20 weeks.

http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(10)00927-7/abstract

The study was initiated to see what sort of exercise might help mitigate the progressive muscle loss associated with aging. Researchers said that in the U.S., a sedentary adult over age 50 can expect to lose nearly half a pound of muscle each year.

The team concluded that progressive resistance training and practices like yoga can encourage good health and help minimize the muscular atrophy that comes with age.

Individuals of any age can utilize Dahn Yoga as part of a holistic mind-body health system.

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Apr 7, 2011

Yoga relaxation techniques reduce fluttering heartbeat

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Whether it is practiced at work or at home, in class or alone, yoga can have many varieties of positive physical effects. Dahn Yoga health exercises can keep the limbs loose and relaxed, the mind calm and the spirit refreshed. Now, researchers are saying that yoga may also help regularize a fluttering heartbeat.

Research presented at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology found that practicing yoga three times a week for 45 minutes a day reduced the severity of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), according to Elsevier Global Medical News.

In heart patients, atrial fibrillation is the irregular beating of the heart. PAF is a form of the condition that only occurs occasionally.

The research team found that practicing yoga reduced the incidence of this form of arrhythmia from 3.8 percent to 2.1 percent, the news source reports. Patients also reported an improved quality of life.

By taking Dahn Yoga classes and paying careful attention to one's inner well-being, individuals may find themselves overcoming some of the constant physical and mental ache that comprises the constant background noise of modern life.

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Apr 5, 2011

College students benefit from a little extracurricular yoga

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Going to college means taking classes that enhance one's perception of the world and initiate a long process of professional and personal development. It also means undergoing some serious stresses, including deadlines, piles of homework, part-time jobs and internships. Dahn Yoga classes – or for that matter, any regular relaxation regimen – may help college students flourish.

A new study has determined as much. Research published in the journal Advanced Materials Research found that female college students who practiced yoga for six months experienced a number of mental and physical benefits from the routine.

Scientists at Handan College, China, monitored the health of several dozen collegian women over half a year. After regularly performing yoga during that time, the participants tended to have a better body weight, heart rate, waist circumference and ability to do simple exercises, compared to those who did not practice yoga.

The group's personal development did not stop at the physical level. A questionnaire found that volunteers rated themselves as less anxious or depressed after the yoga training.

Taking Dahn Yoga classes can have a similarly positive effect, in that the discipline's members often experience a surge in energy and vitality after an afternoon of breathing, stretching and meditation. 

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Mar 30, 2011

Study: Yoga has perceived positive effects on air allergies

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The benefits of regular yoga practice are numerous, though of course they depend on the form of the discipline being used. Whether an individual uses Dahn Yoga breathing exercises or some other form of stretching or posing, yoga can help the body feel that it is self healing. A recent study determined that yoga can help people with respiratory allergies feel positive effects both within their bodies and their spirits.

The report, which appears in the journal Holistic Nursing Practice, analyzed the effects of regular yoga posing, deep breathing and relaxation techniques on the perceived bodily health of participants who suffered from air allergies.

By interviewing a number of practitioners, the study's authors found that participants often attributed the feeling of relief in the lungs and chest to their yoga exercises.

Furthermore, respondents said that they experienced a harmonious inner force – what Dahn Yoga members call Ki – as well as mindfulness, self-awareness, understanding and a sense of harmony.

"The practice of yoga as a self-healing modality provides yet another intervention that can be heralded as a holistic nursing intervention that is beneficial to patients who may have allergic respiratory symptoms," researchers concluded.

Dahn Yoga breathing exercises may entail similar levels of perceived positivity, as those who practice them feel their mind and body slowly but surely reuniting.

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Mar 29, 2011

Study: Yoga helps breast cancer survivors improve health, wellness

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Being obese can takes its toll on a person's quality of life, and overcoming breast cancer certainly can too. When these two situations coincide, the negative consequences for women can be severe. However, the benefits of yoga classes, including Dahn Yoga, for health and wellness extend to these people, just like everyone else.

A study published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer has determined that overweight and obese women who practice yoga for six months experience improvements in quality of life.

The particular benefits of yoga for these women included decreased fatigue and a moderate reduction in waist size. Those who practiced yoga lost an average of more than three centimeters in waist circumference, compared to those in the control group.

The research group suggested that more studies be held to confirm these positive results.

Taking time to practice Dahn Yoga for good health may have similar positive effects for all who choose to attend. Practitioners often report feeling less stressed, more flexible, more energetic and more connected with the world around them.

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Mar 24, 2011

Tai chi practitioners balance working life with rejuvenating exercise

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Though it was initially developed as a martial exercise, tai chi – like that practiced by Dahn Yoga members – has evolved into a broadly applicable spiritual discipline that can lead to a balanced life and improve strength and composure.

Tai chi began as a so-called soft martial art, meaning it focused on slow movements and passive or receptive energies. Those who try it often feel a sense of relaxation or decompression, according to Santee Patch, California.

In Dahn Yoga, tai chi exercises are referred to as DahnMuDo, which translates from Korean to "the way of limitless energy." In the world of Dahn Yoga, DahnMuDo is less a martial art and more a way to physically gather mental and spiritual energy.

At its core, the practice centers on flowing movement, which can improve the circulation of the body's life-energy, known as Ki. DahnMuDo also keeps the mind centered and the spirit focused. Instructors often ask that their students attempt to temporarily withdraw from selfhood, allowing the body and mind to reconnect in an atmosphere of stillness and calm.

By engaging in proper postures and movements, individuals may improve their coordination, strength, balance and life outlook.

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Mar 22, 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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  • Basics of Brain Wave Vibration updated Mon Nov 21 2011 4:32 pm EST
    Brain wave vibration is described as a healing and self development method that is so easy to learn that anyone can learn it in under two minutes. While in the beginning it seems like a strange exercise, people have noted its results right away. Some people feel more focused, clear and a general sense of well-being. Numerous people all over the world are usi […]