LifeParticle.com, the online video partner for Dahn Yoga, the Korean style of yoga, is hosting the Yoga Gangnam Style Video Contest. Just opened this year, LifeParticle.com is a website featuring on-demand and videos on yoga, meditation and healthy living.

Sedona, Arizona (PRWEB) October 31, 2012

This contest offers viewers a chance to step outside of the box, like South Korean rapper, Psy, did with his smash YouTube hit, Gangnam Style. Participants need only make a fun video based on the theme and post and share it on Youtube. The video with the most likes wins. The contest began on October 11th. Just 12 more days remain!

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

PRIZES:

First Place: Apple iPad or Projector ($500 value, Choose one.)

Second Place: Video Camera ($300 value)

Third Place: Ultimate Yoga Package ($100 value, Yoga Mat, DVD, Book, and Tote, courtesy of HSP World)

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Watch the official contest video

Continue reading here:
Yoga Videos on LifeParticle.com highlighted with Gangnam Style Yoga Video Contest

Parents in a southern California community are considering legal action over the constitutionality of a form of yoga being taught to their children, which they claim is introducing religion into public schools.

Last month, half of the students attending classes in the Encinitas Union School District K-6 elementary schools in San Diego North County began taking Ashtanga (Sanskrit for "eight-limbed") yoga for 30 minutes twice per week. In January, the other half will begin the lessons.

Concerned parents have now retained constitutional first amendment attorney Dean Broyles, who says that Ashtanga yoga is a religious form of yoga, and that religious aspects have been introduced into the schools.

"The poses and positions are acknowledged by Ashtanga and Hindi yoga as forms of worship and prayers to Hindu deities," he told ABC News. "They have a spiritual and religious meaning behind them."

Broyles said that although he was at first skeptical that there were truly religious belief and practices being taught to kids, the more he investigated and spoke with parents, the more he realized it was a constitutional issue.

Broyles says that he brought up the matter at a Encinitas Union School District (EUSD) trustees meeting, along with 60 concerned parents, on October 9. Now the EUSD trustees will be reviewing whether the grant money violates the religious freedom of students and parents.

The yoga, which is being taught in all nine of the schools in the district, is being funded by a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes Ashtanga yoga across the world. All of the instructors teaching the students are certified and trained by the Jois Foundation in Ashtanga yoga.

Broyles points to hedge-fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones and his wife Sonia Jones, who is a known dedicated disciple of Sri Pattabhi Jois, the recently deceased master of Ashtanga yoga, as the money behind the EUSD yoga program. The district's program will be studied by the University of Virginia and University of San Diego to look at benefits of Ashtanga yoga, as outlined in a letter sent to parents by EUSD Superintendent Tim Baird.

"The study will look at the way that public school systems can impact student learning, health, positive relationships, and overall wellness through the implementation of a holistic approach to student wellness," Baird said in the letter.

Calls placed by ABC News to Superintendent Baird were not immediately returned.

Visit link:
Suit Eyed Over Yoga in Public Schools

Golden Agers are proving that yoga offers youth and vitality. There is no need to search for a fountain of youth when you can practice yoga and get the same results. Poses (asanas) heal the body of many ailments and strengthen the muscles. In addition, asanas can be performed to relax or revitalize the body. Let's take a look at many older adults who are living testimonies that yoga is the genuine fountain of youth.

Bette Calman

Bette Calman is an Australian yoga instructor who has taught for at least 50-years. Her body may be 85-years-old but one would never know. She is in great health and young at heart due to her participation in yoga. This amazing woman began putting yoga to the test to soothe her leg pain when she was working at a hotel. She found that headstands relieved her leg aches, and the headstand and shoulder stand are still her favorite poses. She attests that she has not had to go to a physician other than her eye doctor for more than 50-years due to yoga and excellent eating habits.

Tao Porchon-Lynch

Tao Porchon-Lynch is a golden ager in her 90s who has proved doctors wrong by performing the lotus pose, lifting herself off the ground after having hip replacement surgery. They told her she would never be able to do these things in her life again. She lives in the moment fully, not taking age into consideration. Tao helps people by teaching yoga and believes that you cannot assist others if you have a negative attitude or fearful spirit.

Barbara Lyon

Barbara Lyon is a yoga instructor who is in her 90s. She had hurt her back when she was younger and got arthritis after birthing her fourth child. Lyon stopped exercising and was told to take numerous medications. She did some research and found that exercise could help. The only physical activity that gave her relief was yoga. Now she gives that gift back by teaching seniors.

Age is a mindset, so we should never let it hold us back from anything we want to achieve. Yoga is for everyone; for children, adults of all ages, men and women.

We have seen some amazing older adults whose lifestyle and attitudes can teach us much if we are willing to let them do so. Follow them to the fountain of youth by participating in yoga.

More from Rebecca Bardelli:

Here is the original post:
Golden Agers Prove that Yoga is the Fountain of Youth

In response to Elementary yoga poses no threat to religion (Local, Oct. 22): I am saddened to read about parents upset at yoga instruction in the Encinitas school district. I practiced yoga with a wonderful lady yoga instructor many years ago when I was suffering from spinal stenosis. In time my pain was gone. It is a wonderful and ancient practice. It is intended to calm and to assist in bodily impairment. It does both.

It has nothing to do with magic or religious indoctrination. I am surprised that young California parents do not understand the physical importance and value of yoga. I am a native New Englander, and it is we whom people believe are backward. Joan Fitzgerald, Rancho Bernardo

The U-T encourages community dialogue on important public matters and welcomes letters to the editor. To enable us to publish as many letters as possible, please be aware that lengthy letters might reduce the chances for publication. All letters are subject to editing for accuracy, space, grammar, clarity or other reasons. It is our policy to publish letters supporting or opposing a particular issue in a ratio reflecting the number received on each side. Letters must include a full name, community of residence and a daytime telephone number, though the phone number will not be published.

I am an occupational therapist in the San Diego Unified School District who utilizes yoga stretches and poses as part of my therapy sessions for bilateral coordination, balance, relaxation and strengthening. I have personally seen the benefits of yoga with special-needs children. I dont make any connections to religion or a way of life. I starting calling my yoga sessions stretching after a parent had issues with her special-needs child doing yoga. I now regret backing away and giving in.

To deny calling what I do yoga when that is what it is I feel is wrong. Its denying the origins of the practice, not respecting the creators of yoga and is encouraging intolerance and close-mindedness. Julian Fantechi, occupational therapist, San Diego Unified School District

Yoga promotes religion are you kidding me?

Some of the parents in Encinitas are pursuing legal action against their school district for providing yoga instruction to their kids. Next thing you know, people will be pulling their children from neighborhood karate classes, fearing that their Western values are being compromised by Japanese teachings with roots in philosophy and self-discipline.

Lets come together and understand that we can all learn from one another regardless of our heritage. Yoga is an activity that teaches balance, strength and flexibility. It promotes fitness as well as mental health. In my book, thats a good thing!

Please call off the attorneys and lets focus on helping our kids stay healthy. Laurie Anderson Siegel, San Diego

In response to Matthew T. Halls headline Elementary yoga poses no threat to religion I would offer this counter-headline: Religion poses no threat to elementary.

See original here:
Letters: yoga flap in Encinitas

Bomboy is editor-in-chief of the National Constitution Center.

Should yoga sessions in public schools be subject to the same restrictions as religious ceremonies? A group of 60 Southern California parents thinks sothey want to pull yoga out of their school districts curriculum.

The yoga controversy is the latest twist on the contentious issue of anything having to do with religion in schools funded by taxpayer dollars.

In this case, a lawyer for the parents says yoga has ties to Hinduism and that there is no place for it in the Encinitas Union School District.

Theres a deep concern that the Encinitas Union School District is using taxpayer resources to promote Ashtanga yoga and Hinduism, a religion system of beliefs and practices, their attorney, Dean Broyles, told the North County Times, a regional newspaper.

The district has classes in nine schools and is reportedly set to receive a $500,000 grant from an Ashtanga yoga institute to expand the classes. Its superintendent has said he doesnt plan to stop the classes.

Broyles told ABC News that Ashtanga yoga is indeed a religious practice.

The poses and positions are acknowledged by Ashtanga and Hindi yoga as forms of worship and prayers to Hindu deities, he told ABC. They have a spiritual and religious meaning behind them.

Broyles said after doing his own research, hes convinced Ashtanga yoga in public schools is a constitutional issue.

We think that children are being used as guinea pigs, he told ABC. It would be like a charismatic Christian organization funding classes in worship and praise.

Visit link:
Does practicing yoga in schools violate the Constitution?

GRANDVILLE, MI -- PeaceLab Yoga, which opened in Grandville in May, is having a grand opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 26.

The open-house style celebration is from 4:30 - 9 p.m. at the studio, 5570 Wilson St., in the South Wilson Center behind Swansons in Grandville.

There will be a ribbon cutting, as well as refreshments and hors doeuvres and raffle prizes.

Melanie McQuown, who owns the studio with her husband, Jim, said PeaceLab Yoga is about finding the peace between life, body and soul.

You can uncover how you connect with your mind, body and soul and have peace in the process, she said.

Melanie McQuown has been practicing yoga for 15 years, and instructing for seven years. She has taught yoga at various studios in the greater Grand Rapids area, including the Visser YMCA, downtown Grand Rapids YMCA and other area gyms.

PeaceLab Yoga initially leased its 2,700-square-foot space from the nearby Party Creations store when it opened in May. The store recently closed its doors and PeaceLab Yoga took over the lease earlier this month and remodeled the space.

The yoga studio is open seven days a week, offering 19 classes that range from beginner classes to more advanced levels. Classes are either lab-based, which are more focused on teaching, or flow-focused, where there is more movement, McQuown said. If you just want to learn how to do yoga, we have classes that will teach you the basics, then if you want to do a little more, and sweat a little more, we have flow classes, she said. Everyone is welcome.

Along with advanced and beginning classes each week, PeaceLab offers Yoga 101 every month to new students. It is a two-hour workshop that introduces students who are new to yoga. After the workshop, students receive two weeks of unlimited yoga to help get their practice started. In addition to group classes, private and semi-private instruction, corporate classes and fundraisers are also offered.

The yoga studio also offers non-yoga classes, such as hula hooping and Zumba. For yogi enthusiasts the studio will also offer specialty workshops with internationally-recognized instructors, including Christina Sell who will visit the studio in February.

Read more from the original source:
PeaceLab Yoga celebrates Grandville grand opening today

Rather you are a yoga instructor or a student, you will be sure to appreciate asanas (poses) to mount on your wall. Artwork is inspiring and stimulates the senses, making it a winsome way to decorate your home or studio to set the mood for your yoga practice. I will showcase my top picks and give information on the the yoga poses portrayed.

#1 "I Will Be Brave, I Will Grow" and "Do Not pull on the roots. You may hurt the purple turtle." By: Marlene Koenig

These two whimsical paintings by Marlene Koenig are engaging to look at. Both paintings depict the Shoulder-Pressing Pose done atop a turtle. These two paintings are creative, colorful and complex. These eye popping paintings should inspire anyone to want to do the Shoulder-Pressing Pose. Perhaps not on a turtle's shell but rather on a yoga mat.

#2 Yoga Impressions series by Robert Sturman

All of Sturman's artwork is amazing, but I appreciate the Yoga Impressions series above the others. My favorite pieces from this series include the following:

Shadow Man

This painting stands out because the shadow makes the colors seem more vibrant. In addition, this pose is amazing because it is a handstand variation with the feet touching one another in the air, creating a Handstand Butterfly Pose in one. This asana seems to be a more accurate portrayal of a flying butterfly.

Nature Tree Pose

The colors in this painting charmingly contrast one another with hues of orange and blue which are opposite each other on the color wheel. By performing the tree pose next to an actual trunk it as though the girl is becoming one with nature.

#3 Rainbow 4 by Dr. John Super

See more here:
The Best Yoga Artwork for Your Home or Studio

Should yoga sessions in public schools be subject to the same restrictions as religious ceremonies? A group of 60 Southern California parents thinks sothey want to pull yoga out of their school districts curriculum.

Yoga_Class_at_a_Gym4The yoga controversy is the latest twist on the contentious issue of anything having to do with religion in schools funded by taxpayer dollars.

In this case, a lawyer for the parents says yoga has ties to Hinduism and that there is no place for it in the Encinitas Union School District.

Theres a deep concern that the Encinitas Union School District is using taxpayer resources to promote Ashtanga yoga and Hinduism, a religion system of beliefs and practices, their attorney, Dean Broyles, told the North County Times, a regional newspaper.

The district has classes in nine schools and is reportedly set to receive a $500,000 grant from an Ashtanga yoga institute to expand the classes. Its superintendent has said he doesnt plan to stop the classes.

Broyles told ABC News that Ashtanga yoga is indeed a religious practice.

The poses and positions are acknowledged by Ashtanga and Hindi yoga as forms of worship and prayers to Hindu deities, he told ABC. They have a spiritual and religious meaning behind them.

Broyles said after doing his own research, hes convinced Ashtanga yoga in public schools is a constitutional issue.

We think that children are being used as guinea pigs, he told ABC. It would be like a charismatic Christian organization funding classes in worship and praise.

The yoga controversy comes after two other high-profile cases about religious expression at publicly funded schools.

Read the rest here:
Yoga in public schools latest test of free speech

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CorePower Yoga (www.corepoweryoga.com), a yoga brand with a commitment to making yoga accessible to all, opens its first Austin Yoga studio in the Marketplace district of downtown Austin today. The opening will bring CorePower Yoga's unique brand of invigorating yoga and lifestyle classes to Austin residents -- helping them achieve positive change through yoga.

"The active and health-focused culture in Austin makes it the perfect place for CorePower Yoga," said Brendan Bell, manager of the new studio. "We look forward to becoming a part of the community."

CorePower Yoga classes offer an individualized experience for every student, regardless of their fitness level or familiarity with yoga. The Monarch yoga studio will offer a variety of yoga styles for all levels, including CorePower Yoga's dynamic Power Yoga in beginner to advanced formats, Yoga Sculpt and Hot Power Fusion.

Offered at convenient times, CorePower Yoga's dogma-free classes feature popular music and promote physical and mental benefits. Consistent class formats and certified instructors help students advance through different levels of classes as they progress in their yoga practice.

Lifestyle programs, such as boot camps and wellness programs are offered to complement yoga and provide students with cross-training opportunities. The Monarch studio will also offer CorePower Yoga's transformational Yoga Teacher Training Programs.

All new CorePower Yoga students will receive one week of unlimited free yoga classes. A variety of membership and class package options are available.

"CorePower Yoga provides an energizing and total body workout and enhances performance in other athletic endeavors," said Bell. "At CorePower Yoga, our instructors are trained to create an environment that make these benefits available to anyone--from experienced yogis to yoga novices."

Featuring beautiful, modern and comfortable studios, CorePower Yoga creates environments in which people with common interests can interact and flourish. Located in the heart of downtown Austin, the Monarch yoga studio is conveniently situated across the street from Whole Foods Market, at W. 5th Street & West Avenue.

The yoga studio houses two large yoga rooms and features a range of amenities including changing rooms with showers and private lockers. A full retail boutique will showcase men's and women's active wear and accessories for all of your yoga and lifestyle needs.

CorePower Yoga is committed to sustainable practices, and uses recyclable and reusable products, selects sustainable fixtures and materials for its studios and maintains recycling and waste management programs. CorePower Yoga's climate-controlled environments utilize the latest technology to efficiently heat and maintain its yoga rooms.

Go here to read the rest:
Highly Anticipated Austin Opening of CorePower Yoga Studio Friday, October 26th

Lenovo has confirmed an October release date for its IdeaPad YOGA 13-inch, 360-degree flip and fold Ultrabook that was shown at CES in January and IFA 2012 last month. It will be joined by another three Windows 8 devices to create a new convertible product family. A smaller 11-inch YOGA and an 11.6-inch tablet named the IdeaTab Lynx will be released later this year, while the business-oriented ThinkPad Twist Ultrabook will appear around the same time as the pack leader.

When Lenovo outed the YOGA 13 in Las Vegas back in January, only a few basic specs were revealed. While these haven't changed, the remainder have now been disclosed. The first of the company's new convertible range, the YOGA 13 can be placed in Tent mode (standing on its edges) or Stand mode (with its keyboard laid flat against the desk) as well as more familiar laptop and tablet orientations.

Upon release on October 26 for a starting price of US$1,099, the 13.1 x 8.9 x 0.67-inch (333.4 x 224.8 x 16.9 mm) Ultrabook will be available in third generation Intel Core i3-3217U, i5-3317U and i7-3517U processor configurations (with integrated HD 4000 graphics), sport a one-megapixel HD webcam and benefit from a Dolby Home Theatre capabilities. There's both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connectivity, a 2-in-1 media card slot, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Have a look at the following demonstration video of the YOGA 13 from Lenovo.

Lenovo has given the mighty YOGA 13 a little brother in the shape of the YOGA 11, which is being billed as the worlds slimmest multi-mode PC at 15.6-mm thin. It features an 11.6-inch multitouch display (which doesn't benefit from the wide-viewing-angle capabilities of its bigger sibling) and runs on Windows 8 RT instead of the full version.

The YOGA 11 is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core processor supported by up to 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and up to 64 GB of eMMC storage, comes with a built-in 720p HD webcam, USB 2.0 connectivity and Wireless-N Wi-Fi, with Bluetooth available as an optional extra. It's also claimed to offer up to 13 hours of battery life.

The YOGA 11 has been given a December shipping window for a suggested starting price of $799.

The IdeaTab Lynx features an 11.6-inch IPS multitouch display, and is said to be one of the first Windows 8 tablets to be powered by Intel's latest Atom dual core processor (running at 1.8 GHz). There's up to 2 GB of LPDDR2 system memory and up to 64 GB of solid state storage with microSD expansion on offer, along with micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports. The tablet benefits from a 2-megapixel webcam with digital microphone, dual surround sound speakers and Dolby Home Theatre audio.

The Lynx can also be docked to an optional keyboard to extend its battery life to a claimed 16 hours and offer physical device connectivity via two full-size USB 2.0 ports. The new IdeaTab has also penciled in for December availability at a cost of $599 for the tablet and an extra $149 for the keyboard.

The remaining Windows 8 convertible is the small-business-friendly ThinkPad Twist Ultrabook, which features a bright (350-nit) 12.5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass IPS multitouch display that can be rotated and twisted around a central hinge. It's available in up to third-gen Intel Core i7 processor options supported by up to 8 GB DDR3 RAM and storage options of up to a 500 GB HDD (with included Active Protection to help protect against accidental drop damage) or 128 GB SSD.

See the article here:
Lenovo confirms October release for YOGA 13, announces three new Win 8 convertibles