Maintaining a yoga practice can be a great way to reduce stress, stay in shape and calm the mind. But when it comes to stress relief, not all yoga poses are created equal: Some positions are particularly effective for promoting relaxation, tension relief and restfulness. "Yoga helps us slow down for a moment and tune into the breath. Simply the focus on one thing -- which is the very definition of meditation -- allows us to decompress," Dr. Terri Kennedy, registered yoga teacher and president of Power Living Enterprises, Inc. told The Huffington Post. "The actual asanas [poses] release tension in different ways, and help certain parts of the body." Seated postures like child's pose can induce feelings of calm and help put the mind in a meditative bryan kest power yoga state, while empowering positions like standing forward bend and eagle pose can calm the mind while also energizing the body. Click through the slideshow below for 10 mind-calming, stress-relieving yoga positions for beginners and advanced yogis alike. Tell us: Do you have a favorite yoga pose for stress relief? Share your thoughts in the comments or tweet @HealthyLiving. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/06/10-yoga-poses-for-stress-_n_3000801.html
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It seems like we can't go anywhere on the Internet these days without running into a story about the benefits of meditation. And it's 100% true--studies show that meditation can decrease stress, increase focus, and even provide relief for suffers of chronic pain and illness. But the fact remains that meditation isn't easy, especially for those of us who struggle to turn off the mental chatter and the buzz of thoughts of work, bills, family, and all the other stresses of modern day life.
That buzzing is exactly why we need meditation now more than ever. With our busy lives and the often welcome (yet unfulfilling) distractions technology provides, it's important to make time to simply sit with your thoughts. These 10 meditation blogs will inspire you to break out your cushion and make meditation part of your daily routine. You just might find that meditation is exactly what was missing from your yoga practice! If you're brand new to meditation, this is a great place to start. This blog addresses the struggles newbies face and provides tips and tricks to make it easier to keep practicing meditation, even when it's hard. This whole website is a great resource for meditators. You can even download a mini course on how to get started meditating, and the best part is, it's totally free! Link: http://aboutmeditation.com/blog/ Meditation.com's mission is to create connections between teachers, students, and writers in the meditation community. Whether you're new to the practice of meditation or looking for resources to deepen your practice, this site has something for you. Check out their recurring "What We're Reading" feature for excellent, spiritually focused book recommendations! Link: http://meditation.com/ As Wildmind's founder writes on this blog, meditation is as much about simply noticing how chaotic the mind can be as it is about cultivating mental stillness--which is where the name "WildMind" comes from. Their guided meditations and essays from meditation experts will help you get in touch your own wild mind. Link: http://www.wildmind.org/category/blogs As one of the biggest publishers of Buddhist literature, you would expect the Shambhala blog to have great content--and they do not disappoint. In addition to their poignant Daily Wisdom posts, they also frequently post essays from big name author who publish with Shambhala, including my personal favorite Buddhist writer, Pema Chodron. Link: http://blog.shambhala.com/ Mindful.org is the online branch of Mindful Magazine, and their website is brimming with fantastic articles about how to bring the benefits of mindfulness to everyday life. They host several blogs on their website, and their bloggers write about everything from mental health issues, to leadership, to education, all through the lens of mindfulness meditation. Link: http://www.mindful.org/mindful-voices Tiny Buddha is all about applying simple wisdom to our complicated modern lives. They publish posts from staff bloggers and guest writers alike, so the voices represented on this blog are uniquely diverse, and comments and conversations are always encouraged! Don't forget to look for the reading Buddha symbol at the end of each post, which is meant to remind readers to use technology mindfully. Link: http://tinybuddha.com/blog-posts/ Transcendental Meditation was made famous by none other than Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, one-time spiritual advisor to The Beatles. Today, TM.Org promotes the practical benefits of this form of meditation, including lowering stress and anxiety. Their blog is less serious and technical than you would think. They often feature fun (and exclusive) interviews with celebrities about their meditation practice. Link: http://www.tm.org/blog/ This visually stunning blog is all about inspiration; you might even think of it as the Pinterest of meditation. Art of Dharma encourages its viewers to get involved and spread their message of mindfulness, selflessness, and authentic happiness throughout the Internet. Their inspirational photos, videos, and photo-filled articles will motivate you to live your best life. Link: http://artofdharma.com/ Photo Credit: Leo Babauta In keeping with its Zen Power Yoga for strength affiliations, author Leo Babauta keeps it simple and gets right to the essential nature of his blog. The writing is straightforward and conversational, and the clean white background is a welcome break from the techno-clutter we're all used to. With so many overly flashy blogs out there, it's easy to see how this one is different--and why it's gained over a million readers. Link: http://zenhabits.net/ Wisdom Publications is another big publisher of Buddhist authors, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself. Their blog is broader in scope than the others we've mentioned, covering a wide range of topics about Buddhism in general, but their content is so well-written and thoughtful that it's always worth a read. Plus, their weekly Meditations Illustrated feature is a fun way to get a new perspective on common meditation principles. Link: http://www.wisdompubs.org/blog Do you have a favorite meditation blog or website? How about a favorite guided meditation? Let us know what inspires you to keep meditating below! http://www.doyouyoga.com/10-meditation-blogs-you-should-follow/ For centuries, yoga has been used as a tool to relax and get in shape. Now, a new study finds that it can help women with breast cancer.
Dr. Mallika Marshall from WBZ-TV reported on The Saturday Early Show how one woman is discovering a new optimism that she hasn't felt since beginning her struggle with breast cancer. Elizabeth Murray looks forward to Thursday mornings. "Going to a yoga class is very calming," she said. "I seem to be an all-around better person now." In addition, according to Murray, yoga helps her deal with anxiety and physical discomfort, plus it helps her heal from breast cancer. New York researchers are trying to measure healing and quality of life in one of the nation's first All time yoga workout video federally-funded investigations of yoga's effect on cancer patients. "The women in the yoga program have increased emotional well-being, better mood, less depression, less anxiety than the women in the control group," said Alyson Moadel of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The results of the National Cancer Institute study are only preliminary findings, but the cancer community is already listening. "In terms of physical well-being, we're finding that women who attend more yoga classes actually have better physical outcome in terms of side effects of treatment," said Moadel. In the future, the researchers plan to examine the effects of yoga in more specific areas such as fatigue, memory and concentration. Studies will also examine the effect of yoga on other cancers. Murray, meanwhile, can't imagine her future without yoga. "I can't see stopping it," she said. "I use it many, many times - not just for trying to recover from the cancer surgery, but for my overall well-being." The researchers also found breathing exercises, which are an integral part of yoga, were especially helpful for fighting the nausea many breast cancer patients experience. Marshall said many women with breast cancer have limited mobility because of operations they may have had, such as a mastectomy or lumpectomy. The doctor who designed the yoga program (who happens to be from India and has practiced yoga his whole life) kept http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga the immobility of the women in mind when designing the routine, so that the women wouldn't feel any discomfort. The study consisted of 12 weeks of classes three times a week and daily home practice sessions guided by audiotapes. The tapes allow women to practice yoga on their own. But, Marshall said, taking a specialized class is recommended because it's very important that it be done right. Yoga can be very precise and if it's not done properly, it can cause injury. Marshall said there are plans to expand the yoga study to other cancer patient groups, including people with gynecological cancer © 2003 CBS. All rights reserved. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/power-of-yoga/ |
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