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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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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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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Becoming a yoga teacher is typically a long process of training, stretching, meditating and learning to express the concepts of the mind-body regimen in a way that is simple and easy to understand. So, it might not surprise you to learn that some yoga books for teachers are better than others.

Recently, CNN noted that a now-infamous New York Times article – one that caught a lot of heat for arguing that "yoga can wreck your body" – is excerpted from a larger volume on the subject.

This book makes the same contention as the article – namely, that yoga classes have "no hierarchy of officials or organization to ensure purity and [the adherence] to agreed-upon sets of facts and poses, rules and procedures, outcomes and benefits."

Is this true? Well, yes and no. What matters isn't so much the standardization of yoga as the care and concern of its leaders.

Joe Palese, a yoga instructor with 14 years of experience, told CNN that "it's the integrity and the awareness that the teacher brings to class that is most important."

The best yoga books emphasize this fact while taking newbies through the gentle basics of the holistic system.

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Getting 11 straight wins is no easy task for any professional soccer team, but Celtic Football Club has done just that. In a win streak that began in November, the group has shut down 10 other clubs (one of them twice!), and goalie Fraser Forster gives most of the credit to his exercise regimen, which is based on yoga meditation poses.

"I think the lads who have done it have really felt the benefits from it," he said of yoga, quoted by the Mirror. "Yoga has really caught on in recent years, especially goalkeeping-wise."

He mentioned Brad Friedel as a case in point. At 40 years of age, Friedel – who played more than 80 games as the goaltender for the U.S. National Men's Soccer Team – is well known for his regular use of yoga meditation techniques.

And he's not alone. According to the Yoga Journal, the regimen is quite common among American soccer players. Leslie Osborne, a midfielder for the U.S. National Women's Team, told the source that she was addicted to yoga after a single session.

"I went once, and that was it," she said, quoted by the news source. "Every session, I learned to mentally overcome challenges that I didn't think I could."

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What is the best way to choose yoga stretching poses that will be a good fit for you? Recently, experts told the Vancouver Sun that it all hinges on your physical health, your job, your hobbies and your commitment to yoga.

"It depends on what you need in your life," yoga teacher Christina Niven told the newspaper. She explained that yoga regimens are so plentiful in part because people spend their time doing so many different things, which leaves them in need of various forms of holistic healing at the end of the day.

For example, office workers may prefer yoga meditation techniques that get their blood pumping a bit, since the sedentary nature of their job can leave them lacking the cardiovascular stimulation that their body craves.

On the other hand, folks who get plenty of exercise already, or who have physical limitations that prevent rigorous bending or stretching, might benefit from a more soothing program, especially one that focuses on mind-body healing the way that Dahn Yoga does.

Niven noted that it may help to visit your local yoga community center to see if its regimen is a good fit.

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Nine times out of 10, yoga enthusiasts will tell you that doing their holistic pain management techniques helps soothe their aching joints, muscles or limbs. However, occasionally you'll hear about how yoga made things worse. These mishaps almost always involve regimens that aren't as low-intensity and self-healing as Dahn Yoga.

For example, an article recently published in the New York Times Magazine examined reports of yoga teachers with chronic hip and back problems, as well as students who'd twisted themselves into such contorted positions that they'd seriously hurt themselves.

One yoga instructor even told the new source that most people should avoid yoga entirely!

The problem with an argument like this one is that it tends to be based on a few anecdotal horror stories, rather than broad surveys or in-depth research. Likewise, saying yoga should be avoided completely is like suggesting that running or swimming should be skipped at all costs – it's a blanket statement that ignores all the slower, more soothing versions of these exercises.

Plenty of scientific investigations have found that yoga stretching for back pain, shoulder aches or nerve problems really does work. All it takes is a low-impact yoga program that is proven to be soothing and effective.

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Chronic pain is a problem that is more widespread than nearly any other. What can we do about it? Rather than taking powerful painkillers or just gritting your teeth and bearing it, individuals with this problem may consider trying yoga's pain management techniques.

The American Pain Foundation (APF) states that pain affects more adults than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined! This prevalence can really take a toll on our pocketbooks. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Americans annually spend $100 billion on chronic pain.

Evidently, much of this money is going to waste, since the incidence of chronic aches is not dropping. If anything, it's rising. The NIH estimates that eight in 10 Americans suffer from chronic pain in a lifetime.

Rather than letting aches run your life, consider taking the horse by the reins. Most yoga studios offer at least a few instructional classes on chronic pain management. You can even find DVDs that walk you through the basics in the comfort of your own home.

Many public health organizations are getting in on the action. The APF recently released a poster promoting the use of basic "chair yoga" for soothing aches and pains. The illustrations walk beginners through deep breathing, meditation, stretching and palm rubbing.

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Recently, U.S. newspapers have been swarming with headlines related to obesity, few of them optimistic. With this medical condition on the rise, many public health organizations are on the hunt for the most effective diet and the best weight loss exercise. For the latter, yoga may be the answer.

Though news stories about obesity may seem a little frantic, they have reason to be. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of Americans are obese and another third are overweight.

How did nearly 70 percent of the country become so large so fast? Theories abound. In an article for the Los Angeles Times, nutrition expert Melinda Sothern explained that the spiking obesity rate may be rooted in the way pregnant mothers took care of themselves in the 1950s.

A professor at Louisiana State University, Sothern told the news source that 60 years ago, many expectant mothers practiced what she calls the "obesity trinity" – that is, they smoked, restricted their weight and did not breastfeed.

Now, decades later, the children born in that era are heavier than any previous generation, and they're paying for it. An eHealth, Inc. survey has announced that obese Americans pay 23 percent more in annual insurance premiums, compared to adults of a healthy size.

People who have difficulty controlling their weight may want to consider trying yoga for weight loss today, before their health gets worse.

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Whether you practice yoga meditation for beginners or more advanced mindfulness exercises, you may be interested to know that such endeavors can be good for the brain. Dozens of scientific investigations have found that yoga meditation techniques appear to soothe the brain waves and calm the emotions.

For instance, a groundbreaking study appearing in the journal NeuroImage found that participants who meditated long term – that is, who had between five and 46 years of experience as yoga meditators – had more neural connections in their brains.

The team theorized that meditation may be especially helpful for patients with neural conditions that affect the brain's central white matter, like multiple sclerosis.

Another study, this one in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that meditation appeared to help participant's modulate their pain levels, a benefit that may intrigue yoga enthusiasts who have chronic pain.

Finally, a report published in the journal Schizophrenia Research stated that a special form of mindfulness – dubbed "loving-kindness meditation" – seemed to reduce the negative symptoms associated with the serious mental condition.

For all yoga practitioners, even those whose biggest problem is day-to-day stress, meditation can be an effective way to relax and pursue serenity.

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