What is Dahn Yoga?

Even with all the hype about aerobics and cardio workouts, your body needs Dahn Yoga more than anything. Yoga is mental and physical therapy. Mentally, it helps you relax and handle stressful situations through positive thoughts and acceptance. Yoga teaches how to quiet the mind and concentrate.

Yoga can also be physical, but I never knew that until I took the class a couple of years ago. I blame the advertisements for misleading me to think that it is just about meditation. When I decided to take Yoga classes, I was all pumped up about going in to sit with my legs crossed to meditate for an hour. I didn’t know that I was about to get blown away by Dahn Yoga entirely.

I saw a lot of men in the class, and that is just something I never heard of or know about. The whole hour was mostly about movements and stretching. With Dahn Yoga the combination of Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and a practice called "Brain Respiration" are used as well. While, there were pauses to bringing in the body, I didn’t get a whole hour to sit and meditate. I was taught to use my body in ways I didn’t think was possible. If you are unable to go to classes, or just not into crowds, there are videos, CDs and books that you can buy to try the Basics of Dahn Yoga at home.

Do you notice that a stretch can feel so good? Stretching helps increase circulation and promote cardio circulatory health. Imagine what you used to be able to do as a child, bending down and squatting just seemed so natural. But now, as an adult, unless you are in shape, those things are harder to do. The body goes into a resting mode and sometimes quit responding if the muscles are not exercised. Yoga helps improve respiratory, energy, bone density and muscle tone.

If you have lower back pain, it is likely that your stomach muscles are weak. Yoga helps manage pain in the body, there are exercises and ways to stretch your muscles to help release the pains and allow you to regain support of your lower back. Before you check out a chiropractor give Dahn Yoga a try. You can do Dahn Yoga at home at your own pace.