Monthly Archives: February 2012

Loose-fitting pants are a vital part of yoga meditation supplies

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Sure, you need to wear a certain style of pants into a job interview, at work or in church, but is there any other situation in which a special style of slacks is helpful? There sure is. In holistic mind-body classes, loose-fitting workout pants are an indispensable addition to anyone's yoga meditation supplies.

Just how essential are they? According to the Essex-Middle River Patch, a mini-firestorm of Twitter posts recently followed the suggestion that students at Eastern Technical High School might not be able to wear yoga pants to school.

However, they evidently have not been banned. Instead, the school has merely decided to limit the snugness of such clothing.

"Don't believe everything you read on Twitter," principal Tom Evans told the news source. "We have concerns about tight and form-fitting pants, but yoga pants are allowed at Eastern Tech. It was all just a big misunderstanding."

Of course, there's another good reason that yoga pants should be loose and nonrestrictive: When doing yoga meditation poses, clingy, synthetic clothes can limit a person's comfort and range of motion.

And perhaps more importantly, loose, natural-fiber pants and a long-sleeved top are the best uniform for any yoga enthusiast who wants to maintain a steady body temperature.

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Tip: Yoga meditation supplies should not include your cellphone

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It's not always easy to figure out the etiquette that comes with a new pursuit. In yoga, for instance, you may come to your first class without much idea of how to behave or what to bring. Rather than reading though an entire yoga books for beginners, though, just follow these simple tips for new practitioners.

1. Talk to your instructor before class. If you have big questions or concerns, now is the time to voice them, instead of during quiet meditation.

2. Turn off your cellphone. Just do it. It will never be a part of your essential yoga meditation supplies. A ringing phone can break everyone's calm.

3. Take off your shoes as you enter the studio. It's good etiquette, and it will relax your feet to get them back in a more natural state.

4. Make friends! You're not just going to yoga class to decompress after a long day, but also to meet other people and make social connections. Don't be an isolationist. Say hi!

5. Be open to new things. Some meditation exercises may seem silly at first, but chances are good that you'll quickly learn to love them.

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Yoga stretching benefits med students (and patients, too!)

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The students at Boston University's School of Medicine are under some serious strain. Between test prep, lecture classes, labs, clinical practice, studying and…well, more studying, the med students at this storied university could certainly use some yoga stretching benefits.

And according to NPR's affiliate in Boston, WBUR, many of them are doing just that. In a story cheekily titled "Downward-Facing Docs," the news radio station described how the students are now taking a weekly half-hour yoga course.

Lest you think that only the holistically-minded are trying out yoga stretching poses at BU, it may help to know that these classes are mandatory. They are part of the school's effort to teach med students about de-stressing through deep breathing, meditation and the "relaxation response."

The classes couldn't have come at a better time:

- A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that, due to depression and stress, as many as 11 percent of med students contemplate suicide in a given year.

- In the same report, 50 percent of respondents described having experienced academic burnout.

- And another study, this one appearing in the journal Sleep Medicine, found that the average med student receives just under 2.5 hours of sleep education during their entire academic trajectory.

Somebody get these kids into a yoga class, stat!

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Yoga, meditation techniques make for a comprehensive workout

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Put together yoga, meditation techniques, tai chi and brain wave vibration, and what do you get? Only one of the best weight loss exercise regimens around, according to Southsider Magazine.

The news source came to this conclusion after interviewing Jodi Chmielewski, an enthusiast and instructor who emphasized that yoga is good for the mental and physical health of people of all ages, backgrounds and body types.

"Yoga is designed to give body awareness and mind awareness, so over time, you really start to feel in tune with your body," she told the magazine. "Every day, your cardiovascular system improves, then your balance, your mind, your spirit – all that comes together, little by little."

What makes yoga so diverse? Lots of things!

To start, the holistic regimen combines the most soothing and healing poses from several ancient mind-body practices, like tai chi and qigong. Over the centuries, its practitioners also refined the stretches and body-tapping exercises that make yoga so unique!

Thus, what you get at a Dahn Yoga community class is a well-rounded, dynamic and relaxing experience, courtesy of our patient and caring staff!

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