Yoga might be most popular with adult women, but it is also good for children. It helps promote both physical and mental health in the little ones.

The Radiant Child Yoga: Teacher Training Levels 1-3 is a three-day yoga class conducted by an Australian expert from March 15 to 17.

If you're looking for a class where you can learn about the practice in order to teach your kid, the "Radiant Child Yoga: Teacher Training Levels 1-3" programme might be right for you.

The 30-hour programme is specially designed for interested mothers, yoga teachers and those working with children who wish to create a world of peace. It will be running at Baan Soi Luecha, 64/1-2, Phahon Yothin Soi 3 from March 15 to 17.

Participants will learn basic yoga, different movements, techniques, as well as tips on how to effectively communicate with children through the practice.

It will be conducted in English by Siri Mukta Kaur, an Australian yoga practitioner who has been teaching the discipline to children for more than 20 years.

The fee is 20,000 baht including a guide book and other materials. Those with no yoga experience are welcome. Registrations should be made before Thursday.

For registration, call Urapa on 089-895-5658, 081-889-9339 or email joywatana@hotmail.com. To learn more about Radiant Child Yoga, visit http://www.childrensyoga.com.

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Excerpt from:
Teach your child yoga

At first glance, there's nothing unusual about Nancy Yates' Thursday night yoga class, as she instructs her pupils to "feel the energy, feel the life force," while pacing the room barefoot. But this is no ordinary class. The 11 students sprawled out on colorful mats between the stacks of the San Francisco Public Library are all visually impaired.

The Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, on the second floor of the Main Library, has been offering the weekly class since April 2012. Yates, who began practicing yoga after a serious skiing injury more than 30 years ago, first introduced her special brand of yoga to the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 1996.

"Visually impaired people have a different spatial relationship," said Yates, whose students have ranged from teenagers to 102-year-olds. "I've developed the movements to be slow. ... We have to be very clear about description, very precise."

Though Yates says the class is perfect for senior citizens, last week's session consisted mostly of young men. A group of students, some with developmental disabilities, from the California School for the Blind in Fremont has been attending classes every other week since September.

"They thought it was crazy, I thought it was crazy," said Patrick Weseman, a residential counselor at the school who chaperoned the students. "But I've been overjoyed, they love coming out here."

Dominic Montelongo, a chatty 20-year-old student, had to be shushed a few times by Weseman, but said he's enjoyed the experience.

"Yoga is really fun," he said. "It's good exercise, it helps calm our brains down a little bit," he said.

It was Josh Plump's first time coming to yoga. He said he was unsure about it at first, but Yates won him over.

"It was amazing," the 18-year-old said. "You can't think about anything but letting yourself focus and breathe."

The Library for the Blind and Print Disabled is part of a national network served by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, which circulates audiobook players through postage-free mail.

The rest is here:
Visually impaired enjoy yoga in library

When you do yoga, what do you think of? A relaxing time at the pool? A beautiful sunset? Maybe waves hitting the shore.

Well for funnyman Russell Brand, actor Tom Cruise does the trick. We kid you not!

The British funnyman is a huge fan of the ancient Indian spiritual and physical discipline and the Mission Impossible actor - who he starred with in Rock Of Ages. Tom knew Russell liked yoga so he bought him a yoga mat, so now Russell's thoughts turn to Tom as he's exercising.

During an appearance on UK TV show This Morning, Russell said: "Tom Cruise bought me a yoga mat, although I don't know if it was actually from him. Certainly someone who works for Tom Cruise sent me a yoga mat and said here's a yoga mat and think of Tom Cruise when you do yoga. And I do.

"I like yoga a lot, I don't think there's a problem doing yoga and meditating every day ... there's a daily access to unseen realms of power - not just me, everyone has that within themselves! Yoga and meditation for me is a way of accessing very beautiful principles that perhaps make us happier at a time when people feel disillusioned with the economy, concerned about the ecology, worried with politicians, don't trust what they are being told on television..."

Russell - who was once married to singer Katy Perry - also revealed he is happy most of the time and feels at his most contented when he is treating other people well.

When asked if he was happy, Russell replied: "Yes. Intermittently. Happiness cannot forever be sustained like some glistening bauble, it's a transitory thing like a butterfly ... so I'm happy mostly when I'm being nice to other people."

Isn't he so in the zen state of mind?

(BANG Showbiz)

Read the rest here:
Russell Brand thinks of Tom Cruise when he does yoga

The National Sleep Foundation reports that more than 50 percent of American adults suffer from symptoms of insomnia a few nights a week or more. Sleep experts recommend that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night for good health, yet many get considerably less. Inadequate sleep is associated with chronic health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer.

The ancient practice of yoga nidra, also known as yogic sleep, is a meditative practice that results in conscious deep sleep. Current research suggests that yoga nidra can help relieve menstrual problems, diabetes symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In honor of National Sleep Awareness Week in March, here's three health benefits of yoga nidra.

Yoga Nidra Improves Menstrual Problems

A 2012 study published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology reports yoga nidra may improve blood pressure and heart rate variables in patients with menstrual problems.

Researchers at the Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Medical University in India administered either a yoga nidra program or no yoga (control group) to 150 women with menstrual disturbances.

The yoga group participated in yoga nidra practice for 30 to 40 minutes daily, five days per week for six months. Autonomic testing was obtained from the participants before and after the study.

The researchers found that blood pressure, postural hypotension, sustained hand grip and heart rate variables were significantly improved in the yoga group.

Yoga Nidra May Promote Diabetes Management

A recent study published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology found yoga nidra may reduce the symptoms of diabetes and help control blood glucose levels.

Read more:
Elaine Gavalas: 3 Yoga Nidra Health Benefits

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Is yoga secular or religious?

Thats the conundrum at the heart of a new legal battle in Encinitas, California over the teaching of yoga in public schools.

In a lawsuit filed last month, a couple with two children in the Encinitas schools charge that the district is unconstitutionally promoting religion by giving yoga classes twice a week to students during the school day.

School officials insist that the yoga classes are for physical fitness and have nothing to do with religion or religious indoctrination.

The outcome of case could impact hundreds of other public schools nationwide that incorporate yoga postures and breathing exercises into their wellness and fitness programs.

Because yoga is used to describe a bewildering variety of classes and programs that dot the American landscape, from retreat centers and ashrams to shopping malls and gyms, its easy to forget that yoga originated in ancient India as a school of Hindu philosophy.

Many yoga practitioners embrace the religious roots and spiritual meaning of yoga while many others view yoga largely as a healthy exercise and stress reduction regimen.

Public schools, of course, adopt the healthy exercise definition in order to comply with the First Amendments prohibition of school promotion or endorsement of religion. Thats why yoga programs adopted by schools all claim to be secular, although they negotiate the traditional religious framework in a variety of ways.

On one end of the spectrum, a program offered to schools called Grounded retains Sanskrit terms such as asanas (poses) and doesnt shy away from referencing the Chakra System, the seven major energy centers in the body as understood in many Eastern religious traditions.

Original post:
Battling over yoga in public schools

Quote of the day:

Yoga has a sly, clever way of short circuiting the mental patterns that cause anxiety.

Baxter Bell

A Prana Power Yoga student and reader asked me to write about Yoga and mental health/healing stress and anxiety. I began practicing due to lower back pain, but then went through a really unhealthy relationship in my life. Yoga allowed me to find ways to heal that stress and anxiety, and eventually move forward gracefully."

This is amazing and miraculous. Kudos to her.

I don't use "miraculous" as in "This ain't never gonna happen to or for you--it's a miracle!" But instead as in "I expect miracles on my mat every day. And I get 'em."

I cannot overemphasize the benefits of a regular yoga practice for mental health. I am trained as a clinical psychologist and while I believe in short term, intention focused therapy which utilizes Deliberate Creation and the Law of Attraction, I also believe that a regular yoga practice is key to one's mental health.

As I explain in my book, I believe in and love yoga asana, but I know some people don't and that's cool--but everyone has a "yoga" that calms, focuses, and grounds them, helping them to reconnect with their authentic self and remember who they are. This might be baking or taking a bath or reading or writing or walking or swimming or gardening. The list is endless.

But find your "yoga" and do it often to maintain a bill of sparkling clean mental health. If you wanna try Prana, email me and I'll give you a free class pass.

Here is the original post:
Yoga and Mental Health

A silent reform is sweeping through Women's Probation Home in Ranchi's Namkum.

The inmates of the home ' nearly 50 in number ' are trying to connect with their inner voices with sessions of yoga and meditation, which sources said, besides calming them down had done a lot to improve their self-esteem.

The sessions, which have also brought significant changes in the mental health of the inmates, were introduced in the last week of February after officials perceived that they needed help and were going through a torrid time staying with each other.

A handful ' around six that officials said suffered from extreme "mental imbalance" ' had also been sent to Kanke-based Central Institute of Psychiatry for a compulsory 15-day treatment and medication session after which they are undertaking yoga and meditation classes at the home.

According to Amita Ekka, who is in-charge of the home, the stress counselling and cognitive therapy sessions were necessary for the development of the distorted personalities of the inmates, who hail from various parts of the state like Latehar, Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Daltonganj.

While most of the inmates are destitutes, there are some who are awaiting court orders after being charged with eloping.

"When they are brought in, the women go through an emotional crisis. They often end up bickering and fighting with each other. It becomes very difficult to control them. The peaceful atmosphere of the home is also affected," Ekka said.

She added that they had also conducted a week-long special Art of Living camp in the last week of February. The inmates had to attend two-hour sessions (from 7am to 9am) during the seven days. The camp included a little bit of yoga and meditation but mainly focussed on spirituality. The results left the authorities beaming.

"I was surprised to find that the girls showed dramatic changes in their behaviour after the Art of Living course. They appeared to be more fit mentally and were able to control their anger," Ekka pointed out. About the six inmates who had been sent to Central Institute of Psychiatry in the first week of February, she said they had come back with a lot of positive attitude.

"These girls were under tremendous mental trauma. But they have come back healthy and calm from their counselling. Not only do they smile more often now, they are also concentrating on their lessons," Ekka said.

Here is the original post:
Yoga does wonders at probation home

Courtney Hergesheimer | DISPATCH

Volunteer Candy McDowall teaches yoga to youths in the Huckleberry House, a shelter for runaways. The goal is to give the teenagers, some of whom are prone to impulsive outbursts of anger, a technique to help them manage their emotions.

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday March 6, 2013 4:34 AM

This is not the typical yoga class.

The students are wearing baggy jeans, not form-fitting yoga pants. The music in the background is hip-hop and pop, not new-age instrumental. Theres constant laughter and chatter Stretches are hard, one teenager complains and friendly teasing about passing gas and taking naps.

Its a class for at-risk youths who live in a shelter for runaways, and the easy vibe so often present in pricey yoga studios has no place here.

This class is at Huckleberry House, a nonprofit shelter for teenagers at 1421 Hamlet St. Candy McDowall, a former Huckleberry House counselor, has been teaching the weekly classes there for six months.

McDowall came back to Huckleberry House after taking training through Yoga Gangsters, a nonprofit organization that tries to take yoga to at-risk people. She teaches the classes as a volunteer.

Each class has a different mix of kids, because each week, new kids arrive at and leave Huckleberry House. McDowall bantered right back with the five teens in one recent class, but shes also keenly aware of her role.

Many of the Huckleberry House residents are there because an adult has beaten them up or sexually assaulted them, and they might be nervous about another adult touching them. Some are there because they cant get along with their parents, and might have trouble listening to grown-ups telling them what to do.

Original post:
Yoga classes help at-risk youths manage stress

People News

Mar 5, 2013, 15:01 GMT

Russell Brand

Russell Brand thinks of Tom Cruise when he does yoga.

The British funnyman is a huge fan of the ancient Indian spiritual and physical discipline and the actor - who he starred with in 'Rock of Ages' - bought him a yoga mat which means his thoughts turn to Tom as he's exercising.

During an appearance on UK TV show 'This Morning', Russell said: 'Tom Cruise bought me a yoga mat, although I don't know if it was actually from him. Certainly someone who works for Tom Cruise sent me a yoga mat and said here's a yoga mat and think of Tom Cruise when you do yoga. And I do.

'I like yoga a lot, I don't think there's a problem doing yoga and meditating every day ... there's a daily access to unseen realms of power - not just me, everyone has that within themselves! Yoga and meditation for me is a way of accessing very beautiful principles that perhaps make us happier at a time when people feel disillusioned with the economy, concerned about the ecology, worried with politicians, don't trust what they are being told on television...'

Russell - who was once married to singer Katy Perry - also revealed he is happy most of them time and feels at his most contented when he is treating other people well.

When asked if he was happy, Russell replied: 'Yes. Intermittently. Happiness cannot forever be sustained like some glistening bauble, it's a transitory thing like a butterfly ... so I'm happy mostly when I'm being nice to other people.'

Excerpt from:
Russell Brand enjoys Cruise yoga

On Saturday afternoons beginning this week and continuing through March 30, certified yoga teacher Rachel Nelson of Revolution Power Yoga will teach a new series on how to safely and effectively make physical pose adjustments.

Even the slightest assist during a yoga pose can be enough to bring you to that a-ha moment. This month, Revolution Power Yoga is offering a training series to help you get even more physical with your yoga.

This hands-on training will spark a true understanding of poses, said Rachel Nelson, certified yoga teacher and co-owner of Revolution Power Yoga. The classes will offer tools to help you transform your teaching, your assisting and your practice.

Nelson, who will be leading the series, said each class will offer concrete skills for safe and effective hands-on assisting. She said the classes are open to teachers and students of all levels.

As a teacher, you will gain confidence and tools in delivering assists that are direct, clear and powerful, Nelson said. If you do not teach, you will gain a new perspective of your personal practice and a deeper understanding of yoga.

Series schedule

March 9: Foundation of assisting: Attention, touch and key adjustments for every pose.

March 16: Deepen the student's experience: How to read bodies, and assists in standing poses and twists.

March 23: Empower your students: Advanced assists, arm balancing and back bends.

March 30: Put it all together: How to assist a whole class.

See the article here:
Yoga assistant training to take place at Revolution Power Yoga in Eagle-Vail