As one who is a fan of yoga and practices it regularly, I was shocked to find out about a man in Portland offering "Star Wars" yoga. My first thought was, really? This sounded ridiculous. In fact, the classes originally did start as a joke. Once I began to ponder it more, my opinion began to change. I am not a "Star Wars" fan, so it took me a while to disconnect the two and have an open mind.

If it gets people practicing yoga, why not?

If "Star Wars" yoga gets people involved and into the practice I am all for it. Call it whatever you want, it is still yoga. I think I would prefer "Twilight" yoga in the dark, but I am a a fan of this movie. For those who cannot get enough "Star Wars" this could be a great way to get more people, especially men, learning the practice of yoga. Bryan Miller is offering 90-minute Yoda inspired yoga classes to men. Sorry women, if you want to participate in "Star Wars" yoga, you may need to head up your own classes.

Yoda's beliefs are similar to that of yoga

As Miller states, "Yoda fits so well into this mind-body connection," and he is absolutely correct. Yoda believes in meditation, and much of yoga focuses on just that. Yoda is known for saying, "Control, control, you must learn control!" This also rings true in the practice of yoga. Much power, flexibility and control is needed to perform poses.

Poses with new names are exciting

"Star Wars" inspired yoga poses are new and exciting. Who wouldn't want to try the Princess Leia pose or breath like Dark Vader? It is fun to be told to use your hands like the ton-ton's and perform Upward Facing Wookiee and Downward Speeder Bike rather than Upward and Downward-Facing Dog. Yoga with Yoda allows one to escape to another world while participating in yoga.

Would you give Yoda Yoga a try? I would give any form of yoga a try at least once. You never know what you like until you give it a try. I believe that keeping an open mind is important. Why not let the force help beat obesity, diabetes and suicide? This is exactly the intention of Bart Spike, Executive Director of Manifest, the group that is sponsoring Yoga with Yoda.

May the force of yoga and "Star Wars" be with you.

More from Rebecca Bardelli:

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Fan Reaction: Really, 'Star Wars' Yoga?

MAUI, Hawaii, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Spa Grande and lululemon athletica Maui invites the community and visitors to Maui's first annual free beach yoga day on Sunday, September 30 at 6:30 pm to celebrate National Yoga Month, an observance designated by the Department of Health & Human Services to educate the public about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Spa Grande's goal is for guests to unite wellness, beauty and nature and partnering with lululemon athletica to celebrate National Yoga Month was a way to further promotes health and wellness to both visitors and locals. "We wanted to create an event that promoted community and outdoor fitness while taking advantage of our beautiful, island home," said Sharon Ogawa, director of Spa Grande. "No matter what your fitness level is, yoga is the ideal exercise routine because it works the entire body through simple movements and proper breathing."

The beach yoga event starts with a class of Hatha yoga at sunset. Hatha a low-impact type of yoga focused on breathing, ideal for enthusiasts who are new to yoga, or are recuperating. The class will be followed by a 10 minute meditation led by lululemon athletica Maui Showroom Manager, Chelsea Dimin.

The Hatha yoga class will be led under the guidance of Nancy Lawrence. Lawrence is a lululemon ambassador and has been the lead fitness and yoga instructor at Spa Grande for 20 years. Fellow lululemon yoga ambassadors Amber Lee, Jennifer Lauer and Brenna Miles will also be present to guide participants. The meditation that leads attendees through a ten year future vision of their ideal life will be led by lululemon manager, Chelsea Dimin.

The event is free to the public and participants must sign-in at 6:30 pm at the Grand Wailea and must be at least six-years of age. Towels will be provided or participants may bring their own yoga mats if preferred. The class is open to all fitness levels.

Raffles will be available at the event for attendees to participate in, with prizes including a lululemon yoga mat, and a nutrition and personal training session at Spa Grande. A lululemon gym bag is also up for grabs to the person who brings the most people with them.

"Sometimes, the way to a healthier and fit lifestyle starts with the support of family and friends," said Chelsea Dimin, lululemon manager. "To promote the idea of community and empowerment, we will be giving a lululemon yoga bag to the person who brings the most people to participate at the event."

About Spa GrandeSpa Grande is the largest spa in the Hawaiian Islands with 40 treatment rooms and the unique Terme Wailea Hydrotherapy that includes a Roman Tub, saunas, cascading waterfalls, Swiss Jet Showers, a Japanese Furo, and five Hawaiian sea salt baths exclusive to Spa Grande. Spa Grande's Fitness Center offers top-of-the-line Precor training equipment, daily yoga, pilates and cycling classes to its guests. Spa Grande is voted "Top Hotel Spa in Hawaii" by Travel + Leisure's 2012 World's Best Award. For more information, visit http://www.spagrande.com or call 800.772.1933.

About lululemon athletica Mauilululemon athletica is an athletic apparel company that creates components for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives. They make technical athletic apparel for yoga, running, dancing, and most other sweaty pursuits. Leading community fitness events is one of the many ways lululemon athletica Maui increases the health and wellness on the island. lululemon selects ambassadors that embody the lululemon lifestyle and are passionate about the community. For more information visit http://www.lululemon.com.

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First Annual Maui Beach Yoga Day

As a yoga enthusiast, I find it intriguing that there are so many forms of this excellent exercise to participate in. Additionally, as a former gymnast, I appreciate the fact that antigravity yoga and slackline yoga (slackasana) are available. If you don't know what slackline yoga is or want to know more, read on to find out.

What is slackline yoga?

Slackline yoga, also called slacklining, is a great way to improve your balance and muscle tone because you are performing asanas on a thin line (tubula webbing) that is slightly in the air. Many poses are performed in slackline yoga, including the following:

Lotus Pose (Padmasana)

Since the lotus pose is done sitting down, it is a great way to get use to performing slackline yoga. In addition, lotus gives both the ankles and knees a wonderful stretch.

Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

The eagle pose is a great way to increase your balance and concentration, so just imagine how beneficial it is performing it on the tubula webbing. If you want to provide your entire legs and hips with a superior stretch, eagle pose will also accomplish that.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

The chair pose is considered a beginner pose when done on the ground, but when done on that thin tubula webbing you can be sure it won't be as easy in the beginning. Additionally, the chair pose is a great way to tone the gluteus maximus (buttock muscles).

Slackline yoga in action

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Improve Balance with Slackline Yoga

A British priest has banned yoga from the parish hall because it is "a Hindu spiritual exercise" and therefore "not compatible" with Catholicism, according to news reports from the kingdom.

Cori Withell told The Mirror that with just 10 days remaining in the two-month instruction, St. Edmund's Church in Southampton canceled her yoga and Pilates classes. She said a parish secretary explained that the hall must be used only for Catholic activities.

The decision to ban yoga or other non-Catholic activities rests with individual priests and is not official Catholic Church policy, the diocese said.

St. Edmund's priest, Father John Chandler, and the diocese said Withell had misled them by booking the hall for Pilates and later advertising separate yoga classes. They apologized for the inconvenience.

"Yoga is a Hindu spiritual exercise. Being a Catholic church we have to promote the gospel and that's what we use our premises for," Chandler said. "We did say that yoga could not take place. It's the fact that it's a different religious practice going on in a Catholic church. ... It's not compatible. We are not saying that yoga is bad or wrong."

It's been a learning experience for Withell, whose classes were aimed at helping overweight Britons slim down.

"I had never heard about any religious issue with yoga before but I have looked into it since and found that some other religions feel that when people meditate it could let the devil inside them," Withell told the paper. "But there was never any meditation in my class -- it was just exercises."

She added, "I do not object to anyone having a religious viewpoint, but it seemed terribly petty to cancel the classes."

Ravindra Parmar, president of the Vedic Society Hindu Temple of Southampton, told the BBC that yoga was "a form of exercise" and "not a religious type of activity." He said he felt "a little let down" because of efforts by the local faith council to "get all the faiths talking to each other."

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British priest bans yoga at church

The instructor was told that the ban is in place because yoga is a Hindu not Catholic religious activity

PA

A priest has yoga classes from a church hall because he says is "not compatible" with the Catholic faith.

Instructor Cori Withell said the classes she booked for yoga and pilates at St Edmund's Church building in Southampton were cancelled with 10 days to go.

She was told by the booking secretary of the church that it was because yoga is a Hindu religious activity.

Father John Chandler from the church said that the hall has to be used for Catholic activities and he banned it because it was advertised as "spiritual yoga".

The ban is not Catholic Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual priests. Some Catholic retreats use yoga for relaxation.

Ms Withell, 37, from nearby Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180.

She was called later and told that yoga was from another religion so she could not have the hall.

A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

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Yoga no-go: Priest bans classes from church hall... because they are "not compatible" with the Catholic faith

A ROW has erupted over a priest banning yoga from a church hall because the class was not compatible with the Catholic faith.

Instructor Cori Withell said the classes she booked for yoga and pilates at St Edmunds Church building in Southampton were cancelled with 10 days to go.

She was told by the church's booking secretary that it was because yoga is a Hindu religious activity.

Father John Chandler from the church said that the hall has to be used for Catholic activities and he banned it because it was advertised as spiritual yoga.

The ban is not Catholic Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual priests. Some Catholic retreats use yoga for relaxation.

Ms Withell, 37, from nearby Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180.

She was called later and told that yoga was from another religion so she could not have the hall. A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

Concerned ... Father John Chandler

She said: I had never heard about any religious issue with yoga before but I have looked into it since and found that some other religions feel that when people meditate it could let the devil inside them.

But there was never any meditation in my class - it was just exercises. Yoga is not religious: spiritual, but not religious.

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Catholic church sparks religious row by banning ‘Hindu’ Yoga classes

Speak of yoga and the first thing you hear to the effect of verbalism is Namaste (popularized by Western wannabe yogis); or the mental imaginings of Indian rishis (seers) knotted in terrifyingly painful postures or asanas, as yogis call it; and for simple you-and-me folk its all about longer than can moments of stretching and absolute mental nothingness. Bliss?! But lets seriously move beyond all that Hollywood gaga and go yoga as the real rishis would want us to! A true exercise that aims to engage the mind, body and soul, yoga since millennia has been highly extolled for its values of physical robustion, mental tranquility, and a means of reaching spiritual ascension if done right.

How to get started All you need is a yoga mat, a well-ventilated area (preferably near trees; open spaces work best), a tranquil state of mind (burn some invigorating incense for added effect or play soothing tunes from Buddha Bar) and you breathing in some fabulously cool and unrestrictive apparel. Is that asking for too much? Breathing is a very important aspect of yoga, but unfortunately people in present practice ignore it. They focus only on the dynamic part, which is not the highest recommendation of yoga itself, says Karthik Kasyup, who has a masters degree in Yogic Science and is a yoga instructor in India. Yoga must preferably be practiced in the mornings, when greater muscle stiffness is experienced. This should essentially be followed by relaxing meditation and tuning of the mind in silence for inner introspection. The stimulation of the nervous and endocrine system followed by relaxation produces wondrous effects. A sincere one-hour workout everyday is optimum to ensure a healthy and fit body.

What can it do for me? Everything from treating lifestyle and stress-related diseases like hypertension and diabetes, skin disorders like psoriasis, obesity, and redressing anger issues. I will even go as far as saying that cancer can be cured through yoga if diagnosed in the initial stages. Through balancing asanas and breathing exercises, cancer in the later stages can be controlled in intensity through yoga, asserts Kasyup. While oxygen therapy, a regimen that was advocated in the 1930s for the treatment of cancer, found many users in allopathic medicine, the exercise foundation of yoga lies in the intake of pure oxygen itself to achieve all its intended goals. Yoga not only increases physical fitness and endurance, but also improves concentration while allowing one to develop their intellect and other mental faculties. Cervical and lumbar spondylitis, and migraines caused by sedentary lifestyles and stress can be easily treated through yoga with shoulder and lumbar stretches of the vertebral column and spine that helps release stress, stiffness and provides mobility to musculature. Modern offshoots of the classical exercise like power yoga, rhythmic yoga, water yoga, and aerial yoga have also emerged today to suit the present pace of both lifestyle and individual exercise preference. While the benefits of these super yogas may help toward weight reduction in just five to six sessions, many people tend to ignore the benefits that classical yoga provides through overall stimulation of the senses, which is mostly absent in these new focused forms of yoga.

How is yoga different from other exercises? A one-hour session of yoga helps release toxins through the sweat glands, as opposed to other forms of sweat burn like using the treadmill, where breathing is not optimum or focused. Instead of releasing toxins, the body goes into stress mode, the breathing becomes shallower, and the entire purpose of treating diseases from the inside is lost, says Kasyup. In yoga the effort is on long and deep breathing in different postures. This increases the oxygen intake and lung capacity, which helps the cells to get revitalized.

Is yoga the exercise for me? Anyone from any age group and gender can practice the art of yoga safely. Around 500 different asanas exist in the 5,000-year-old ancient yogic scripture for the treatment of any particular ailment, constituting what they call today therapeutic yoga. But bear in mind that yoga must be practiced with care, and one should exercise yoga under the supervision of a certified yoga therapist, especially if there are health issues, as some yogic postures may create undesired effects if performed incorrectly.

Women and yoga Yoga is extremely beneficial for the treatment of symptoms accompanied with monthly cycles, specifically abdominal cramps, thighs and backaches. During cycles, lumbar stretches can be practiced to loosen the back, hips and thighs. Mental irritation and other PMS symptoms can be controlled with meditative yoga with the help of focus on breathing, says Kasyup. Common hormonal disorders like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) are also known to be managed through yogic postures like pigeon pose, and the half and full butterfly that loosen the pelvic joints and uterus and help stabilize hormonal imbalances. Yoga can even be safely practiced during pregnancy in the second and third trimesters, although complete refrain must be exercised during the first trimester. Regular practice has been known to ease natural childbirths and labor pains from its focus on breathing, pelvic exercises, back strengthening, and stretching poses.

The Y-word There is a big inner world inside our bodies, and we never bother to look into it. Once we do, we can understand a lot, adds Kasyup. And yoga can help you do it. So spread the mat and start humming

Email: life.style@arabnews.com

Originally posted here:
Let’s go yoga!

The ban is not Catholic Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual priests. Some Catholic retreats use yoga for relaxation.

Ms Withell, 37, from nearby Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180.

She was called later and told that yoga was from another religion so she could not have the hall. A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

''I had never heard about any religious issue with yoga before but I have looked into it since and found that some other religions feel that when people meditate it could let the devil inside them,'' she said.

''But there was never any meditation in my class - it was just exercises. Yoga is not religious: spiritual, but not religious.

''I do not object to anyone having a religious viewpoint, but it seemed terribly petty to cancel the classes.

''As a nation we have an obesity epidemic. I was trying to bring some exercise to the community and coming across blocks like this is frustrating.

''I offered to go down and show them the moves and, literally, the shutters came down.''

Fr Chandler said the church was ''misled'' by Ms Withell's booking because he claimed that, at first, the hall was booked for pilates and then he found out it was also for spiritual yoga.

''Yoga is a Hindu spiritual exercise. Being a Catholic church we have to promote the gospel and that's what we use our premises for.

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Priest bans yoga for 'being incompatible with Catholic faith'

26 September 2012 Last updated at 06:42 ET

A priest has banned yoga from a church hall because the class was "not compatible" with the Catholic faith.

Instructor Cori Withell from Hampshire said her yoga and pilates classes at St Edmund's Church building in Southampton were cancelled with 10 days to go.

Father John Chandler said that the hall had to be used for Catholic activities, and he banned it because it was advertised as "spiritual yoga".

Ms Withell, 37, said it "seemed terribly petty to cancel the classes".

The ban is not Catholic Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual priests.

Ms Withell, from Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180.

She was called later and told that yoga was "from another religion", so she could not have the hall.

Source: BBC Religion and Ethics

A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

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Priest bans yoga from church hall

Ive been getting a lot of, You look great. But Im not tired of hearing it yet, says 29-year-old yoga teacher Michael Joel Hall as he flashes an endearing grin. A little puffiness on his right cheek and a tiny scar obscured by the stubble of a beard are the only visible reminders of what happened to Hall in the early hours of July 22.

He and his partner, Michael Roike, were returning home to Eckington from a night out when the couple was jumped. The attackers were scared away by a neighbor, but not before their barrage of punches left Hall with a fractured jaw and other facial injuries. Hall and Roike had just moved to the neighborhood after their Logan Circle apartment and most of their possessions had been destroyed in a fire a month earlier.

Vicky Hallett

Writes for the MisFits column.

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To add insult to his injuries, Hall had let his health-care coverage lapse while studying in India this year. So he was faced with covering the ambulance, emergency room, reconstructive surgery and everything else out of pocket. Couple that with not being able to work, and Hall found himself in a rather uncomfortable position.

I asked the doctor if maybe we didnt need to do the surgery, says Hall, who was told that not doing it would leave him with a sunken eye. All I could think about was how much it was going to cost.

The yoga community was thinking about that, too. Instructors are focused on meeting their immediate needs, because no one is getting rich teaching yoga, says Peg Mulqueen, a friend and fellow yogi who helped organized a fundraising drive for Hall.

In his five years of teaching, Hall has developed a devoted student base with his not-so-serious approach to some seriously hard yoga (he specializes in Ashtanga). So it wasnt a surprise that the local community rallied around his cause, with studios and students pitching in. No one, however, expected such an overwhelming response, or that it would bring in money and messages from around the globe.

When Hall was in the hospital, he was inundated with letters, flowers, Facebook messages and a queue of visitors carrying balloons, blankets and ice cream. And on July 31, just a few days after he was released, he was able to respond with a post on his Web site, Midcityyoga.com: No more donations, please.

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Yoga teacher recovers, but attack highlights job’s health-care issues