Tag Archives: Yoga

Did you know yoga can help you quit smoking?

08 Friday Apr 2022

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A study found women who did yoga for 2 months were more likely to quit for good than those who did simple stretching exercises. That’s because yoga includes deep breathing and being “in the moment,” which helps cut nicotine cravings by lowering anxiety and lifting a person’s mood. So if you’re trying to quit smoking, practice yoga twice a week for a couple months, and you’ll be far more likely to succeed.

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Do you have a favorite yoga instructor?

19 Thursday Aug 2021

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Take your next class from another instructor. To master any skill – from guitar to computer programming – you’ll get better, faster, by learning from different teachers. The University of British Columbia found sticking with the same instructor holds us back. Because, even if you’re being taught the same material or techniques, each instructor adds a different way of thinking about things – which speeds up learning and mastering a skill.

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When you come home after a long and stressful day…

08 Tuesday Dec 2020

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…feel free to plop down on the couch and watch TV. A joint study between UC Santa Barbara and the University of Georgia found people’s stress hormones were slashed after watching their favorite shows. Sure, meditation and yoga can also help stress levels – but unless you’re really into those things, feeling the pressure to do something “healthy” can prevent your stress levels from dropping. So, if you have certain TV shows you’re really into – don’t feel guilty – enjoy! Because getting absorbed in the plot and characters takes your mind off your own stresses and turns your focus outward. 

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If you have a bad back, roll out the yoga mat.

10 Friday Jul 2020

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It works even better than physical therapy! The American Academy of Pain Management had over 300 study subjects either do yoga or physical therapy once a week, for 3 months. Afterward, those doing yoga had 23% less pain! That’s because yoga strengthens the back and core muscles, plus the deep breathing and meditative quality of yoga makes the brain less sensitive to pain.

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You don’t need to practice yoga to center yourself and be mindful.

24 Wednesday Jun 2020

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Try this mindfulness technique, no matter what type of exercise you enjoy. It comes from trainer Nora St. John: Every 5 minutes during your run, bike ride, or rowing session – take out your earbuds or pause your workout playlist, and tune into your breathing and body movement. Make sure nothing feels off or awkward, and correct it if it does. St. John says that will help you become a more efficient exerciser and help prevent injuries.

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Warm-up with this breathing technique:

06 Monday Apr 2020

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Even though it’s springtime, it’s still chilly in some areas. So here’s the scenario: You’ve thrown on extra layers and turned up the thermostat, yet you STILL can’t stop shivering. What do you do?

Try Ujjayi breathing, an ancient yoga technique known as “victorious breath.” Basically, it involves taking slow, deep breaths through your nose, with your mouth CLOSED. Some practitioners also recommend focusing on the sound of air passing slowly through your nose, which can sound like ocean waves crashing on a beach!

So, how does Ujjayi breathing stop the shivering? Researchers say air passing through small nostrils creates more friction than through a wider throat and generates extra heat in your lungs, so you feel warmer. And the “ocean waves” sounds help anchor the mind in a way proven to promote calmness. For best results, take at least 15 slow, deep breaths through your nose.

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Does yoga count as moderate exercise?

24 Wednesday Jul 2019

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You know you should get a 30-minute dose of moderate exercise, 5 days a week. So does your yoga class count? Maybe not. Moderate exercise means getting your heart pumping about 130 beats per minute – or walking to the beat of the song “YMCA.” And most yoga classes fall short of that heart-rate goal. However, you don’t have to stick your yoga mat in the closet just yet. It has major benefits as far as improving balance and strength and reducing stress. And if you want it to count as moderate exercise, you need to move through poses faster and focus on ones that engage your core. If you want to see what that looks like, Google Cardio Yoga and you’ll see examples. Otherwise, keep doing yoga for the other health perks, but add in moderate heart-pumping exercise 5 days a week.

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Would you describe yourself as a competitive person?

19 Friday Oct 2018

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If so, you probably find yourself at the gym more often than your laid-back friends. A new study by the University of Pennsylvania found that people who were really nice and encouraging of others were less likely to work out than people who were more cutthroat and competitive. And that was true even when people were doing NON-competitive activities – like yoga and pilates. Exercisers who focused on being better than their fellow gym-goers, or who were trying to beat their personal best, went to 90% more classes. So the researchers concluded people with a competitive streak in their personality are more likely to exercise.

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Beat lower back pain now!

16 Monday Jul 2018

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What does the Journal Of The American Medical Association say is the best way to beat lower back pain? Get up and get moving! Their studies found that’s the single most effective way to relieve lower back pain – and keep it from coming back. So what kind of activity works best? The experts say pretty much anything works – from strength training, to yoga, to walking. It works because the activity promotes blood flow, reducing inflammation. And anything that strengthens your core will take the pressure off your spine and prevent back spasms.

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Are you trying to have a baby?

29 Friday Jun 2018

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Guys, if you’re trying to conceive with your wife – do this for 2 weeks first: Yoga. That’s according to the University of Calcutta in India. They found that stress can wreak havoc on a man’s swimmers. But men who did yoga 5 days a week for 2 weeks saw a significant reduction in stress levels… and that resulted in improvement to DNA-damaged sperm – increasing fertility. But you’ll have to keep up your yoga until your wife becomes pregnant to maintain the results.

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