LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Manduka, purveyor of high performance yoga gear and the #1 choice of yoga teachers worldwide, announced today the debut of Journey On, its first complete line of innovative, naturally crafted, versatile bags designed to tote all of yoga's essentials. Taking its inspiration from the adventure yogis experience both on and off the mat, the Journey On collection includes six unique bags providing ample support whether heading to the studio or trekking across the globe.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120802/LA50989)

"For most practitioners, yoga is a personal journey and their gear a foundation for support," said Manduka CEO, Sky Meltzer. "Our goal with Journey On was to provide a family of high quality bags that were consciously and stylishly designed to carry mats, towels and props with ease. The collection is a great addition to our purpose driven, revolutionary, eco-friendly line of yoga gear."

The Journey On Collection includes: the Roadtrippera durable duffle with special mat compartment, the Seekera handbag/satchel/versatile mat carrier, the Wanderera finely crafted, roomy tote for all the essentials, the Daytrippertop loading, adjustable shoulder mat bag, the Commuterhands free, durable carrier with gravity cinch closure, and the Go-Gettergrab and go sling that secures any sized mat.

Original, practical, comfortable and made of natural cotton and linens, the line features antique brass hardware detailing. From the studio to the road, the Journey On collection showcases a love of yoga and a commitment to the planet, without sacrificing style or performance.

To help support the launch of the new collection, Manduka will celebrate the journeys of its fans by giving away pieces from the line on its Facebook page.

To view the entire collection: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/167ba369

For more information, please visit: http://www.manduka.com/Europe join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mandukayoga or follow us @MandukaYoga

About Manduka

Founded in 1997, Manduka was built on the simple idea that a better yoga mat can make a world of difference. Manduka strives to support and enrich the yoga community by providing premium quality mats and products while respecting employees, customers, materials, and the environment. Created for and by yoga enthusiasts, Manduka's technical and purpose-driven product designs meet and often exceed the distinct needs of all practitioners. Today Manduka's products, which include yoga mats, towels, yoga straps, water bottles, and bags, are sold in more than 35 countries around the world. Not only focusing on superior design, Manduka also promotes their ethos of quality, thoughtfulness and sustainability in all realms of their business.

Originally posted here:
Journey On: Manduka® Launches New Yoga Bag Line For The Studio, The Retreat And Any Road In Between

A WHOPPING 2,220 participants joined a yoga session at the Great Eastern Yoga for Life event, which set a record for the largest participation in a yoga session under the Malaysia Book of Records recently.

About 20 yoga instructors guided the participants to perform the 45-minute session near The Strand in Kota Damansara.

Members of the public, schools, universities, societies, organisations, yogis, and including Mix FMs deejays JD and Dilly and My FMs deejay Wan Wai Fun were amongst the crowd of participants for the event.

Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd director and chief executive officer Datuk Koh Yaw Hui said, Yoga for Life is one of the major events under our Great Programme, which aims to promote healthy lifestyles and meaningful relationships.

Yoga is about having a healthy lifestyle and bringing in your family, children, friends, and parents to build a meaningful relationship.

Our existence is not only important to us but also to the people surrounding us, as Koh elaborated from what he meant by meaningful relationship.

Turning intentions into actions was the inspiration behind the Yoga for Life event. We wanted to host a public activity that is unconventional, yet interesting and fun enough to entice people to use it as their first step towards healthier and better living, he added.

A total of RM44,400 was collected from the registration fees and donated to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA).

BCWA chief executive officer Ranjit Kaur said the event was a good opening for the public to know that yoga has versatility in its facility.

To most people who hear the word yoga, they think that it will be a very complicated activity.

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Yoga session enters records

Published: Aug. 1, 2012 at 11:07 PM

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health has issued a video demonstrating how yoga works and suggesting it may be beneficial for low-back pain.

"This video provides important information on the safety and usefulness of yoga and also insights into how scientists study this commonly used health practice," Dr. Josephine P. Briggs, director of National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, said in a statement.

There is a growing body of evidence yoga may be beneficial for low-back pain, the NCCAM said. It is generally considered to be safe in healthy people when practiced appropriately, under the guidance of a well-trained instructor, but those with high blood pressure, glaucoma and sciatica, or women who are pregnant should modify or avoid some yoga poses, Briggs said.

"Everyone's body is different, and yoga postures should be modified based on individual abilities. Inform your instructor about any medical issues you have, and ask about the physical demands of yoga," Briggs said. "If you're thinking about practicing yoga, be sure to talk to your healthcare providers. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health."

The video, available at http://nccam.nih.gov/video/yoga, highlights the work of two researchers -- George Salem of the University of Southern California, who uses innovative technology to examine how older adults use their muscles and joints in certain yoga postures; and Karen Sherman of Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, who focuses on how yoga may be a beneficial for people with chronic low-back pain.

Continued here:
NIH video reveals science behind yoga

The benefits of practising yoga are all but universally accepted it increases strength and flexibility, centres breathing, and reduces stress. But, like any form of exercise, it does come with certain risks.

Although injuries caused by yoga are not extremely common, they most often occur when a person is not listening to their body, said Simon Cooke, a physiotherapist at Kinsmen Sports Centre Physical Therapy Clinic.

The No. 1 injury well see is the too much too soon type of injury, where people are overly enthusiastic or overestimate what their body can tolerate and dive in with a bit too much vigour, he said.

Muscle strains or tears in the hamstrings are the biggest issue. If a muscle does become strained, Cooke said to lay off it for two to four weeks, and stick to light strengthening exercises and flexibility work.

Youre trying to gain the strength back in the injured tissue and make it as strong as it can be before you start to stretch it and pull it apart again, he said.

Injuries can also take place in the shoulders, knees and back, added Angela Zawada, owner of Moksha Yoga in Glenora.

In vinyasa yoga which connects a series of movements using breath there is a low pushup that causes problems for people who dip their shoulders too much, she said.

Students can also get hurt by over extending themselves performing back bends or failing to align their legs during standing poses.

Here are a few tips Zawada shared for being a safe yogi.

Take it slow: If youre newer to the practice, definitely take it slower. Try to put the Type A personality away and just drop the ego, said Zawada.

Link:
Stay safe while practising yoga

Editor's Choice Main Category: Stroke Also Included In: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine;Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy Article Date: 31 Jul 2012 - 14:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Yoga Can Help Re-Build Balance After A Stroke

Leading researcher Arlene Schmid, Ph.D., O.T.R., a rehabilitation research scientist at Roudebush Veterans Administration-Medical Center and Indiana University's Department of Occupational Therapy in Indianapolis, said: "For people with chronic stroke, something like yoga in a group environment is cost effective and appears to improve motor function and balance."

The study involved 47 participants, of which around three-quarters were male veterans. The oldest participant was in his 90s and all participants had to be able to stand unaided at the start of the study. Participants were split into three different groups. The first group attended a twice-weekly yoga group for eight weeks, whilst the second group consisted of a twice-a-week "yoga-plus" group that had a relaxation recording to use at least three times a week and the control group receiving no rehabilitation.

The yoga classes, taught by a registered yoga therapist, included modified yoga postures, relaxation, and meditation that were progressively challenging with time.

At the end of the study, the team noted that participants in the yoga or yoga-plus group had a substantial improvement in their ability to balance compared with those in the control group. The team also noted improved scores in the participant's independence and quality of life, and participants' reported to be less afraid of falling. After suffering a stroke, patients frequently suffer balance problems for long periods of time, which are linked to a higher risk of falling and greater disability.

Schmid, who is also an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis and as an investigator at the Regenstrief Institute commented: "For chronic stroke patients, even if they remain disabled, natural recovery and acute rehabilitation therapy typically ends after six months, or maybe a year."

She noted that improvements after the six-month window can take considerably longer, adding, "but we know for a fact that the brain still can change. The problem is the healthcare system is not necessarily willing to pay for that change. The study demonstrated that with some assistance, even chronic stroke patients with significant paralysis on one side can manage to do modified yoga poses."

The researchers believe that yoga's combination of postures, breathing and meditation could be produce different effects compared with traditional exercise due to its more therapeutic nature.

Schmid continued:

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Yoga Can Help Re-Build Balance After A Stroke

The benefits of yoga have been the subject of countless studies now, over a period of several decades. Most obviously, a regular yoga practice will increase strength and flexibility and improve your balance. For us middle- and older-agers, it can keep us in the game climbing stairs, lifting heavy pots and twisting over our shoulders while driving. If you are losing these capacities, yoga can help you regain them.

Yoga promotes pain relief in numerous conditions including cancer, MS, hypertension and arthritis and can help heal conditions such as back/neck pain, sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome. Now exercise in general produces some of these benefits, but yoga is designed to address the entire body not just muscles, but also organs, bones, joints and all the bodys systems (nervous, endocrine, etc.). And yoga cultivates slow, full breathing that oxygenates the blood, improves circulation and induces relaxation. Even a gentle yoga practice has been shown to promote weight management, reduce cortisol in the blood (decreasing stress), condition the heart, and improve endurance and immunity. For all these reasons, I describe yoga as physical therapy for the whole body at a fraction of the cost.

At the end of yoga class, practitioners report feelings of calm relaxation, openness and balance. Because it so reliably produces a sense of well-being, it is an important tool for people suffering with symptoms of imbalance and dysregulation such as anxiety, depression, and eating and substance abuse disorders, to name a few. Yoga is now a centerpiece in treatment programs for these disorders.

We in Southern Illinois are fortunate to have a thriving yoga community with more than 20 trained and certified teachers. Despite this robust, local presence, and the broad range of benefits that yoga offers, there are still misconceptions held by those who have never tried it. The one I hear most often: Im not _____ enough to do yoga. (Fill in the blank with flexible, thin, fit, just not good enough.)

Know this: You will practice beside another imperfect human who may not be able to see her or his toes much less touch them. We know its fine to move more slowly than others I do, or skip poses to rest. Your teacher may even suggest it. (Thats an exercise program you can get behind.)

If you ever feel like trying it, you will be welcomed into a non-competitive, non-judgmental space. Because students vary so greatly, teachers are trained to offer modifications, or ways of simplifying poses to make them accessible to everyone. If you cant sit onto the floor, for example, your teacher may show you how to practice from a chair.

So, if you are afraid of looking foolish, dont worry, nobody is even watching you, except maybe the teacher, who is there to help.

KATHRYN NEELY is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and a contributor to the Southern Illinoisan Behavioral Health Action Team. She also is the owner of Center@101 and one | o | one yoga in Carbondale.

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Yoga breathes movement and energy into every nook and cranny

RENO -- Yoga is being used as a tool for women inmates at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office to manage stress, anger and other emotions.

Around the world, yoga is used for everything from meditation to weight loss. Now, the Washoe County Sheriffs Office is using Asana yoga classes, taught by volunteers, to help women in the custody of the Detention Facility manage stress, anger and other emotions in the hopes that it will prevent actions that could lead them back to jail.

Twice a month, on Saturday afternoons, volunteers facilitate yoga classes for eligible women in custody at the Detention Facility. The classes focus on teaching skills such as breathing exercises and yoga positions known as asanas to help improve individual well-being through the interconnection of mind, body, emotions and spirit.

Recent studies show that women who participate in yoga classes showed significant improvement in emotional control and their ability to calm themselves, the Sheriffs Alternatives to Incarceration Unit Program Coordinator Brooke Howard said. Yoga can also provide a great amount of confidence building while helping women to rejuvenate their mind and body from the trauma of physical, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse.

Howard said the yoga classes are part of the Alternatives to Incarceration Units Womens Empowerment Program. The program focuses on empowering women with skills that they can use to meet the challenges of their daily lives after release from the Detention Facility.

The Womens Empowerment Program is all about giving women skills that can help them make more rational and levelheaded decisions when faced with stressful and emotional situations, decisions that could prevent them from going down a path that leads back to jail, Howard said.

Because the yoga classes are facilitated by volunteers, they are offered at no cost to the County or the taxpayer. Howard said she plans to monitor the participants recidivism rate over the next several years to help determine the programs success.

Womens yoga classes take place at the Washoe County Detention Facility from 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. The next scheduled class is this Saturday, July 28, 2012. Sheriffs Office Alternatives to Incarceration Unit Program Coordinator Brooke Howard will be available to speak with media about the program.

Womens Empowerment Workshops at the Washoe County Sheriffs Detention Facility are offered as part of the Sheriffs Alternatives to Incarceration Unit. These programs are aimed at diverting qualified offenders away from costly incarceration and provide a second chance to those who have committed less serious offenses.

The goal of the Sheriffs Office Alternatives to Incarceration Unit is to provide programs that help inmates take steps to make significant changes in their lives. That change is what will reduce recidivism, reduce the amount of money spent by tax payers to house an inmate, and reduce the cycle of criminal behavior for the next generation.

View original post here:
Yoga classes offered in jail to women prisoners

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire -07/30/12)- Close your eyes and imagine taking in the elegant sounds of a harp while surrounded with like-minded individuals practicing karma yoga in the beautiful green field of Riley Park. Open your eyes. You can feel the love, beauty and energetic intention of this group helping to put an end to extreme poverty.

You will be one of many practicing yoga outside with our karma yoga teacher, Jamie Cameron, at the annual UEnd fundraiser One Yoga in the Park. With your entrance donations, 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to the projects. Not only will you practice yoga, but you will meet like-minded people while doing your part to change the world, one yoga pose at a time. There will be live music, food and beverages and, of course, yoga. Namaste.

Who: UEnd: Poverty

What: Giant, karma-filled yoga in the park

Where: Southwest corner of Riley Park, N.W. Calgary

When: Sunday, August 12, 2012 - Registration at 9 a.m., Yoga starts at 10:08 a.m.

Why: To create an incredible atmosphere while raising funds to help eradicate poverty

Entrance fee: By donation - a suggested $20 minimum will get you a free juice, a $25 donation will get you a tax receipt and a $40 donation will get you a free yoga mat (while supplies last)

Before the event:

1. RSVP on Facebook

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UEnd: Poverty- Ending Poverty Through Karma Yoga

When Georgia Demooy heard about a different kind of yoga class, she didn't just sit there and wait for it to come to her.

Or maybe she did.

The 67-year-old retired youth counselor is taking a 45-minute class in "chair yoga" on Wednesday mornings at the Nelson Hagnauer Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave., Granite City.

It's called "chair yoga" because students do their exercises while seated in chairs.

"To me, it stretches muscles that you don't normally stretch," Demooy said.

Although participant spent the July 18 class in chairs, other aspects of the class were close to typical yoga instruction. As calming music wafted from a boom box, certified yoga instructors Debbie Antognoli and Cheryl Mefford led pupils in the fine points of breathing, relaxing, stretching and meditating.

"Relax your neck and shoulders, your face and your jaw, relax your muscular energy," Mefford, 58, told students at the July 18 class. "Keep your attention and awareness on where you are right now."

The idea behind the class, Mefford said, is to introduce yoga to those who have difficulty getting to the ground.

"They can absorb the benefits of the practice from the chair," she said.

Laura Harris, a staff member at the senior center, said Bridget Brasfield, a chiropractor and owner of the Physical Medicine Clinic of Granite City, approached her about sponsoring the class.

See the article here:
Chair yoga offers benefits of yoga

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger The setting sun illuminates Newark resident Deidra Marshall, left, while she is next to classmate classmate Theresa Trakington. Yoga has caught on in Newark and its free. Each week 30 or more people gather in Washington Park for an hour to do yoga. The organizer, Debbi Kaminsky, said people's lives get transformed. She's part of a group called Newark Yoga Movement and it has brought Yoga into Newark schools and other venues. They've taught 9,000 students in 2 yrs and 1,000 teachers. In addition to going to the park each week, they are also working with the Shabazz High School football team. Wednesday July 25, 2012. NEWARK, NJ, USA. Photo by (Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger) Newark Yoga Movement Class in Washington Park gallery (19 photos)

Jauvon Scales was riding his bike in downtown Newark the other evening when he saw something he had never seen before in this tough old town, and it filled him with a sense of peace.

There were 40 people kneeling on mats in Washington Park practicing yoga. They were an island of calm, oblivious to the traffic, the light rail train gliding along Broad Street, horn blaring.

The oddity of it all made Scales get off his bike and join in. He did what practitioners call the chair pose, then a little downward dog, lifting his head slightly to see if he was doing it right.

The 18-year-old Scales didnt stay long, but merely by stopping he embraced one of the many yoga concepts and principles. Its called Namaste, and it loosely means: I see the good in you and you see the good in me and we see the good in each other.

There was a time when you could live to be 100 in this town and never see a sight like what young Scales saw.

But those days are gone, apparently.

Listen up.

Yoga is sweeping through Newark. There are classes at the YMWCA and at Lotus Yoga Newark on Washington Street, Welcome "Om" Yoga and Wellness House on Bleeker Street and New Ark Yoga & Wellness on Lincoln Park. If you get there today, you can take a free hip-hop yoga class at 10 a.m. at the Lincoln Park Music Festival.

The people in the park are part of the Newark Yoga Movement, a nonprofit group that has been gaining ground here for the past two years. By their own count, they have taught 9,000 students and 1,000 teachers in Newark.

More:
Carter: Newark stretches its limits with yoga, for free