Health/Natural: Five Yoga Exercises to Lose Weight & Gain Health

Stressful living and poor diets taxes our digestion, which negatively affects our vital functions, even creating emotional issues. Under these circumstances, it's easy to put on weight, and a lack of exercise keeps it on. Dahn Yoga, a body-mind fitness program from Asia, increases blood circulation throughout the body, allowing it to burn fat effectively from the inside. The outcome is losing weight naturally and learning how to keep it off.

Data gathered by Centers for Disease Control show that 65% of Americans are overweight and 31% are obese -- and both rates have doubled in the past 25 years.

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According to Ilchi Lee, president of the University of Brain Education in South Korea, "Our stressful lives and poor diets have been bad for our digestive system and therefore for our health. People are experiencing a build up of waste in their intestines, which negatively affects all our vital functions -- including the brain -- and has an unfavorable mental-emotional impact. One common result is putting on weight. Once this happens, a lack of proper exercise often keeps the weight on."

Dahn Yoga was founded by Lee to provide people in the U.S. and around the world with the tools to regain and maintain their body-mind fitness. Based in the principles of several thousand years of Asian health practices and modern brain research, Dahn Yoga classes (stretching, breathing and meditation) and individual healing sessions are ideal for weight and health management.

When asked why Dahn Yoga works, Lee explains, "When practiced diligently, this approach increases the circulation of fresh, oxygenated blood to your internal organs and throughout your entire body, allowing it to burn fat more effectively from the inside. This eliminates your accumulated toxins, especially in the digestive tract, caused by stress and tension." It also restores the body's sense of what foods it needs and how much is right for each person. The outcome is losing weight naturally and learning what is required to keep it off.

What can people expect from doing the full range of Dahn Yoga exercises? Many testimonials report these results: Pounds melt away as strength and flexibility increase. People improve their digestion and normalize their elimination. Their abdomens and thighs became tighter and firmer. They feel lighter, breathe easier, and look healthier and more attractive, which in turn builds confidence and self-esteem.

Lee recommends five exercises that have the specific benefit of decreasing weight and improving general health:

1. Abdomen Tapping. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with the knees slightly bent. Lengthen and relax your spine, shoulders, neck and arms. With your palms, tap your abdomen in a rhythmic, striking motion, focusing on the feeling of inner vibration it creates. Do it at least 100 times a session, 2-3 sessions a day.
2. Intestinal Exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with the knees slightly bent. Lengthen and relax your spine, and relax your shoulders, neck and arms. Place your hands comfortably on your abdomen, with your two thumbs pointing toward the navel and your two index fingers touching each other to form a triangle. In a rhythmic pace, push your abdomen out as you inhale, and pull it toward your back as if you want it to touch your spine. Breathe comfortably. If your feel any pain in your intestines, stop and with your palms gently rub your abdomen in a clockwise circular motion. Start with 100 times a day, working up to 500 times..
3. Rocking the Spine. Sit on the floor, pulling your knees to your chest, feet together. Clasp your hands and lock your fingers around your shins. Keeping your chin tucked at all times, roll back on your spine and extend your legs toward the floor behind you. Start with 30 a day, working up to 100 times. Afterwards, pull your knees to your chest and rock from side to side to massage your spine..
4. Fish Exercise. Lie on the floor, with your arms and legs extended. Lace your fingers and stretch your arms up, while relaxing your neck and shoulders. Keeping your feet together, sweep your upper body and lower body in the same direction, toward the right and then the left, feeling your torso being stretched and stimulated. Do 30 repetitions, 3 times a day..
5. Shaking the Extremities. Lie on your back, and lift your arms and legs straight up from the body. Relax your entire body. Rapidly shake your extremities so that your entire body vibrates. Keep breathing slowly in and out of your abdomen. Do this exercise for 2 minutes, 3 times a day..

Lee points out, "Besides exercising regularly, it is important that you do two other things: First, modify your diet to ease the burden on your digestive system and absorb maximum nutrition and energy. And second, release the emotions that contributed to the weight gain, and access the inner resources needed to support the emergence of the new, thinner you."

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