CLEARWATER He needed to heal.

After a Major League Baseball career, Aaron Ledesma's body needed a break from hunching and swinging, from the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Colorado Rockies and the Baltimore Orioles, from hitting streaks and hitting slumps.

It couldn't take the tenseness. He played his last game in the bigs and underwent back surgery in 2001. He turned to yoga to relieve his muscles and learn to stand up straight again.

But was this the end of baseball? Part of him wanted it all back. And in 2003, even as his back still hurt, he got an invitation to spring training.

"I had a choice to make," Ledesma said. Should he keep destroying his body to pursue the only life he knew, or should he try to move on?

"Nobody trains you for life after baseball."

The former infielder already had his place in baseball history. Drafted in November 1997 as a member of the original Rays expansion team, he earned one of Tampa Bay's longest hitting streaks with a 16-game run from 1998 to 1999 before he was traded at the end of the season.

So, given the choice, Ledesma left baseball behind. He skipped spring training and trained instead as an instructor of Bikram yoga yes, that's the hot, sweaty kind in Los Angeles.

"The heat is always something I've been attracted to," Ledesma said. "My body feels like I need it."

Read more:
A former Ray and wife open hot yoga studio in Clearwater

Jane Fonda has led many public lives. There's Fonda the antiwar activist; Fonda the fitness enthusiast, grapevining her way across a studio in a tiny leotard and tights; and Fonda the actress, who has starred in more than 40 films.

Now, the 74-year-old Renaissance woman has added to her rsum by releasing the sixth in a series of home workout DVDs geared toward baby boomers. "Jane Fonda: Prime Time AM/PM Yoga for Beginners" features several short yoga workouts to be done in the morning and the evening.

Fonda talks about what inspired her to make the DVD and how she thinks yoga can help her generation be as fit as possible as they enter their golden years.

Tell me about the video.

This is a yoga DVD for beginners and older people, who have to move slower and can't turn themselves into pretzels like I used to be able to do. I wanted to make a video that I could do with a couple of 10-minute segments for the morning and a couple for the afternoon.

I started my new Prime Time label about three years ago, and I've done about six DVDs so far. There was a gap in what I had touched on; I hadn't done yoga, and this is kind of yoga marinated in Pilates rather than pure yoga.

Why is yoga good for boomers?

Yoga is good for everybody! But staying flexible and strong because yoga also makes you strong is part of the three-legged stool of fitness: strength, aerobic capacity and flexibility. Those are critical components, and they're particularly good for older people because they help with healthy joints and bones.

A lot of the DVDs that are out there are just too hard. In fact, the demographic that I'm addressing is left out of most exercise programs that are put out on DVDs these days. I would say the No. 1 most important thing for healthy aging is to stay physically active, and that's why I decided to make a video for boomers.

How has yoga become a part of your life?

Continued here:
5 Questions: Jane Fonda on yoga for boomers

By Janelle Walker For The Courier-News December 29, 2012 9:20PM

Danae Molitor (center) teaches area children a few basic individual and group yoga moves Friday at the Rakow Branch of Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. 12/28/12 | Janelle Walker~For Sun-Times Media

storyidforme: 42337345 tmspicid: 15656944 fileheaderid: 7056899

Updated: December 30, 2012 2:55AM

ELGIN Yoga, according to 9-year-old Graham Hunt, is exercise that calms you down.

More than 40 Elgin-area school children got some calming time Friday during the first-ever kids yoga session at Gail Borden Public Librarys Rakow Branch.

Every month, we brainstorm for programs we can bring to Rakow, said Anne Bedard, a branch assistant. Yoga for kids seemed like a good activity for the winter break, she said. Kids, too, need to de-stress for the holiday.

Children can get some of the same benefits from yoga as their parents, said Danae Molitor. She teaches yoga at The Centre of Elgin and has offered a kids yoga class there for the last several years in addition to the adult classes. Bedard reached out to Molitor and asked her to bring a class to the library.

Molitor ran the children through some basic yoga poses in the Rakow childrens area, helping them stretch their bodies and strengthen their cores. During the Friday class, she stuck to animal poses such as cat, cow, stork and the ever-famous downward dog. Some visualization relaxing on a raft on a sunny day helped round out the 45-minute class.

For small children, the yoga exercises can help them focus and become more aware of their bodies and breathing, Molitor said.

Original post:
Library offers a little yoga for little ones

When apps cost money we expect big things, and this one does not disappoint. Yoga Studio by Modern Lotus provides 30 complete yoga classes rendered in HD video that you can even display on your TV if you have an Apple TV or Airplay. You can choose from 15, 30 or 60 minute classes categorized by beginner, intermediate and advanced.

And if you dont like a class, you can alter it. You can add poses to an existing class or make up your own by choosing the poses you want to practice, linking them together and even deciding how long you want to hold each pose. The class files are downloaded to your iPhone, and the size is intentionally compressed so that your phone isnt overloaded. Now you can play a class, anytime, without an Internet connection.

And as if thats not enough, you can start your New Years resolution on schedule by putting classes on your calendar. You can schedule a single class or repeat favorites every week or day.

The apps yoga pose library has more than 280 poses. with vivid images and detailed information. During class you can enjoy both audio and video as you adapt to new poses. While youre learning you can study the benefits, modifications, variations and cautions of each pose

Lastly, you choose your class environment, by selecting background music and ambient sound options. You can also pick your level of instruction full teacher commentary (for ready-made classes), just pose names or a simple chime to indicate the next pose. $1.99 in iTunes store.

Debra D. Bass

Read more from the original source:
App We Love: Yoga Studio

Haridwar, Dec 30 (IANS) Researchers at the Dev Sanskriti University here say that a holistic way involving yoga and herbal medicines can combat psychological disorders.

The researchers subjected 60 patients of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to a combination of yoga, pranayam, recitation of Gayatri Mantra and herbal medicines. The highly revered Gayatri Mantra is based on a Vedic Sanskrit verse from a hymn of the Rig Veda.

The 60 participants were equally divided into males and females. They got 45 individual sessions of therapeutic interventions of holistic approach. Each session was of 60 minutes, with patients doing pranayam and Gayatri Mantra for 10 minutes each and yoga for 20 minutes.

The most widely utilized treatments now are pharmacological management and behavior modification, said an article in the first issue of the Dev Sanskriti University's Interdisciplinary International Journal.

A major disadvantage of drug treatment for anxiety disorders was that the relapse rate was very high, said researchers Deepak Singh, Pranav Pandya, O.P. Mishra and Pragya S. Lodhi.

Pandya is the chancellor of the universtiy. Mishra is the Emeritus Professor of psychology while Deepak Singh and Pragya Singh are

assistant professors in the department of psychology.

The "holistic approach produced significant reduction in the level of OCD", said the research paper.

"The combination of these specific techniques has collective effect on the patients and causes significant reduction in the symptoms of OCD," the university said.

"Thus, the holistic approach can provide a new strategy for management of OCD. The findings are an important exploration with

Original post:
Yoga can tackle psychological disorders

With a stressful job as a mental health therapist, Marty Lintvedt was looking for a peaceful environment where she could renew her mind, body and spirit.

And she says that's what she found by taking yoga classes at Zen Mind Body Studio, which opened about six months ago.

I work with a lot of difficult circumstances, Lintvedt said. (Yoga) gives you a chance to take a breath and stay healthy. This is a good place to step away from all that and not think.

With soft lighting, calming music and pleasant aromas wafting through the air, Zen Mind Body Studioin Troyis a welcoming place for people looking for the benefits of yoga, an ancient system of physical exercises designed to alleviate health problems and reduce stress.

While some like Lintvedt are looking to de-stress through breathing and relaxation exercises, others like Gary Hughey are looking for the physical advantages of yoga. Hughey, a retired Marine, said taking yoga two times a week at the studio helps him improve his flexibility, balance and agility.

I was looking for something low impact, said the 65-year-old grandfather. I used to run but that's not so good for me anymore. This helps me move around better. I can bend over now without putting a crick in my back.

Zen Mind Body Studio is located at 103 E. Market St. in Downtown Troy. It is owned by Michelle Malter, who also owns the business next door, Zen, which provides massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. Malter, a massage therapist, said opening the yoga studio next door seemed like a natural extension.

We takes care of the body, said Malter of her massage therapy business. And next door, the mind and body work hand-in-hand.

Zen Mind Body Studio offers 45 classes a month, said business manager Mel Bauer. Those classes include power yoga, hot yoga, vinyasa (flow) yoga, zen yoga, restorative yoga and even candlelit yoga. At a session last week, about a dozen students performed breathing and relaxation techniques before getting into sometimes-challenging positions.

Yoga instructors Matthew Allison and Kim Smith were on hand to provide individual help. They gently guided students as they extended their limbs or twisted their torsos to perform myriad yoga poses such as the downward dog or the baby cobra.

Read the original here:
New yoga studio is a place to find peace in Troy

VAIL, Colo., Dec. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vail Living Well(TM), the Vail, Colo.-based organization founded by John and Jamie Stone to continue the evolution of Vail as a destination for health and well-being, will be presenting its inaugural Vail Living Well Experience(TM) (VLWE) in conjunction with the Sonnenalp Hotel Feb. 6-9, 2013. The February VLWE, called "Stressing Gracefully: The Science and the Art," focuses on how to manage positive and negative stress to live a healthier life.

Renowned health psychologist and researcher Eli Puterman, Ph.D. will lead daily discussions and activities throughout the retreat, which will focus on identifying and managing stress in order to live a more healthy life. In addition, attendees will ski with Olympian Cindy Nelson, practice yoga with international instructor Katie Brauer and snowshoe with world champion adventure racer Mike Kloser. Programming will take place at the Sonnenalp Hotel, based in Vail Village.

"Everyone has stress in their life. Some stress is good for us, but how you manage stress is what determines its effect on your overall health and well-being," says Jamie Stone, president of Vail Living Well(TM). "We worked with Eli last September and knew his open and inviting presentation would be perfect for our first Living Well Experience. The intent is to give attendees an opportunity to understand their own stress and learn how to manage it in order to live better."

Puterman explains that it's crucial for people to understand the science of stress in order to learn the art of managing it. If stress is unmanaged, it can have a negative long-term effect on health and well-being, even increasing risk for disease. There are also distinct differences in the manner and type of stress each gender experiences. Puterman will address these and many more topics throughout the course of the retreat.

Each day of "Stressing Gracefully" will incorporate two interactive sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Puterman will introduce a premise and then allow attendees' questions to flow into a free form conversation about various stress-related topics. In the middle of the day, attendees will participate in activities with Nelson, Brauer or Kloser, armed with tips and suggestions to learn how to live in the moment rather than ruminating on the stresses of life.

For more information or to reserve a spot and book lodging for the Feb. 2013 Vail Living Well Experience(TM), contact Patricia McNamara at 970-479-5434 or email pmcnamara@sonnenalp.com .

For more information about Vail Living Well(TM) and the programs and events that it produces, visit http://www.vaillivingwell.org, Facebook or call Vail Living Well's(TM) concierge at 970-343-9918.

The Vail Living Well Summit(TM) and Vail Living Well Experience(TM) bring respected doctors, researchers and athletes together, along with health conscious individuals to connect, learn, share and have fun in the beauty of Vail, Colorado. Both the Vail Living Well Summit(TM) and the Vail Living Well Experience(TM) utilize evidence based interactive and experiential programming for maximum takeaway for both attendees and presenters. Topics include fitness, nutrition, cognitive and emotional well-being, heart health, preventive medicine, longevity and stress, sleep health, and cutting edge breakthroughs in health and well-being. All programs are produced by Vail Living Well(TM), a subsidiary of the non-profit, DiscoverWell(TM).

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=16427

Read the original here:
Inaugural Vail Living Well Experience to be Held February 6-9, 2013 at Sonnenalp Hotel