Doing Yoga at Home is a Snap

Today's article comes to us courtesy of the Dahn Yoga team.

Getting fit. Staying flexible. Toning your muscles. Relaxing. Shrugging off stress. If you're like many Americans, you find it almost impossible to make time for these activities between your responsibilities at work and in your house. However, it is quite possible to stay healthy and active at home, all while carving a little "you time" out of each day. The key is Dahn Yoga.

This ancient mind-body regimen has been used for centuries as a way to center oneself and redirect the flow of energy throughout the body. Does that sound like something you'd enjoy?

It should. Most Americans are so stressed out that they can hardly remember what it's like to feel anything else. Consider some numbers put out by the Washington Post, which were collected by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Institute of Stress:

• More than half of all U.S. adults - 54 percent - say that they are concerned about their levels of stress and anxiety.
• Perhaps unsurprisingly, 62 percent said that work has a major impact on how tense they are, and 73 percent pointed to money as a prime stressor.
• According to the APA, more teens and young adults are feeling the squeeze of stress than ever before.

For harried parents, wrung-out caretakers and workaholic professionals, the situation is hardly any different. But while some experts might recommend using expensive treatments like therapy sessions, gym memberships or even prescription medications to ease away stress, there may be a simpler way.
By trying Dahn Yoga in the comfort of your own home, you can see for yourself just how soothing and life-affirming the mind-body system really is.

Just how does yoga reduce stress? Well, it's about more than simply sitting, stretching and emptying your head. Rather, yoga is a multifaceted program that facilitates the reconnection of your body and mind.

As the Mayo Clinic describes it, "with its quiet, precise movements, yoga draws your focus away from your busy, chaotic day and toward calm as you move your body through poses that require balance and concentration."

Try this simple Dahn Yoga technique at home as a way to unburden yourself of a full day's worth of stress:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Take a few minutes to breathe slowly and deeply. Try to feel the energy pulsing into and out of your lungs.
3. Cup your hands and hold them at waist level.
4. Now, rhythmically tap your belly just beneath and to either side of the navel. Be gentle!

With luck, just a few minutes of this technique will have you feeling loose, limber and lighter than air. Dahn Yoga is one of the largest yoga and tai chi companies in the world with its own unique style and brand of yoga. Dahn Yoga is rooted in the rich history of an ancient Asian mind-body practice, Sun Do, and in the wisdom of the Chun Bu Kyung.