July 25, 2012

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Inhale. Exhale. Stretch. Repeat. These are just a few steps of yoga, a therapeutic workout that has gained in popularity over the years. Researchers recently found that a particular type of yoga that allows participants to practice brief meditation on a daily basis will help decrease stress for people who take care of patients with Alzheimers and dementia.

According to scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), participating in a specific type of chanting yogic meditation for a minimum of 12 minutes daily for eight weeks caused a decrease in the biological mechanism that manages an uptick in the bodys immune systems inflammation response. If inflammation is continuously present, it can lead to a number of chronic health problems.

In the project, investigators from UCLA worked with 45 family dementia caregivers in an experiment that highlighted the benefits of Kirtan Kriya Meditation (KKM). Following meditation, 68 of the genes reacted differently and led to a decrease in inflammation. The results are highlighted in the current online edition of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

We know that chronic stress places caregivers at a higher risk for developing depression, explained Dr. Helen Lavretsky, senior author and a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, in a prepared statement. On average, the incidence and prevalence of clinical depression in family dementia caregivers approaches 50 percent. Caregivers are also twice as likely to report high levels of emotional distress.

The researchers described caregivers as unsung heroes who took the burden of taking care of friends and family who suffered from Alzheimers and other types of dementia. In particular, the burden of taking care of someone with dementia can take a toll on people. As such, older adult caregivers generally show higher levels of stress and depression along with lower level of satisfaction and vigor. These same caregivers also tend to have a high level of biomarkers of inflammation and are at high risk for diseases related to stress. Furthermore, the number of caretakers for those with dementia will increase significantly as the population ages. Presently, there are around five million individuals in the U.S. who are caring for a patient with dementia.

While past studies have examined psychosocial interventions like meditation, there hasnt always been a strong understanding as to the pathways psychosocial interventions take in influencing biological processes. The researchers wanted to look at how these interventions could decrease the number of adverse effects on caregivers. The participants were placed into two random groups. The mediation group learned how to do 12-minute yogic practice, including Kirtan Kriya, and completed these exercises at the same time over a period of eight weeks. The other group was placed in a quiet place to listen to instrumental and relaxation music for 12 minutes on a daily basis over eight weeks. The scientists took blood samples at the beginning and end of the study.

The goal of the study was to determine if meditation might alter the activity of inflammatory and antiviral proteins that shape immune cell gene expression, emphasized Lavretsky, who also directs UCLAs Late-Life Depression, Stress and Wellness Research Program, in the statement. Our analysis showed a reduced activity of those proteins linked directly to increased inflammation.

The researchers believe that the results are very positive and Lavretsky, in particular, has launched an Alzheimers and Dementia Care Program that includes coordinated care for patients and caregivers; the caregiver portion of the program includes yoga practice.

The rest is here:
Yoga Reduces Stress For Caregivers Of Those With Dementia

MYFOXNY.COM -

It sure feels good to cool off in an air conditioned building. But would you believe that some folks like to beat the heat by stepping right into it for a hot yoga class?

So I say what the heck and I join the 30 brave people for a little mid afternoon yoga at temperatures that soar to (what does that class thermometer say?) 110 degrees. An hour-long hot yoga class at Pure Yoga East is booked solid everyday, whether it's 30 degrees and snowing outside or in the 90s. In fact, these yoga devotees thrive in the summer sweltering heat.

Heidi Fuld, a yoga practitioner, said your body is already used to the heat when you're outside.

So we go through the usual poses: downward dog, child's pose, sun salutations. Five minutes in and I could feel the sweat starting to roll down my face.

I had to stop and wipe my face. Wow, and I'm just beginning. We had about 50 minutes more of this. But then I could feel something happening as a teacher gently pressed on my back: I feel more relaxed, calmer, and my muscles started to go with it.

Then I wondered: Could this be healthy at 110 degrees?

"What's great is that you don't have to acclimate your body going back and forth," said Tanya Boulton of Pure Yoga. "You're already sweating when you come in and sweating when you leave."

And what about if you have injuries? There's actually a school of thought that believes hot yoga can help that, too.

"The heat expands and make muscle tissue more malleable," said Kaykay Colvio, a Pure Yoga instructor. "And that's the theory behind hot yoga."

Excerpt from:
Hot yoga on a sweltering day

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

YOGA has been part of one's fitness program for so many years now, and yet only a few have really embraced it and made it a part of their fitness program. Thus with the current resurgence of interest in yoga, people are now filling the classes.

After all, not only does yoga clears the mind but it also conditions the body at the same time. With this in mind, and after months of attending yoga in the gym, a group of clients from Holiday Gym decided to do yoga outside the confines of a gym and have a relaxing surrounding to add to the experience.

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With the cooperation of Waterfront Hotel, the yoga session was finally held outdoors last July 7. Abbie Salvador led the yoga class, and after the session, a sumptuous breakfast were shared by the group. Indeed bringing fitness outdoors brings about may benefits (aside from that of health-related ones)- enhances camaraderie, resets circadian rhythm and balance hormones, and sun exposure provides a dose of vitamin D that provides significant prevention of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Holiday would like to thank its clients and members for their support of the yoga classes and for organizing this outdoor session, and special thanks also to Joanne & Zosimo Co, as well as Roel Rodrigo, for the beautiful pictures.

For more information regarding the schedule of yoga classes, call Holiday at 222-3041 or 222-4207.

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on July 24, 2012.

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Originally posted here:
Outdoor Yoga

People do yoga to relax and relieve stress. You may find it surprising that kids find it helpful for the very same reasons.

Levi says yoga helps him focus. When asked, "Are there times in class when you think, ugh... I just need to do yoga?", he responded, "Yeah, like when I'm doing math or writing because I sometimes get stressed out."

Levi's yoga teacher Brynne Caleda decided to combine her two passions, yoga and education, using yoga as a tool in an academic environment. "The idea that if children have tools for self regulation that that goes in tandem with academic achievement and success," she said.

Preliminary results of her pilot program at Ala Wai Elementary school show an increase in attendance, class participation, focus and concentration, with reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Eight year old Riley says, "It makes me feel focused and like relieved."

"I feel like I get all of my pain out and then I get to have fun," said Quinn. Oliver says "It makes me feel balanced and calm." Oliver Nishikawa has been practicing yoga for three and a half years. I asked him what he would teach other kids his age, "I would teach them turtle, tree and rock because turtle you really get to stretch your body, tree you get to feel balance and rock you just get to be calm," he said.

Stretching, balance and calm, things we could all use in our daily lives. Why not make it a part of your routine? Levi says, "I like to do it with my mom and dad." His father Jaco said, "He has a video now so at night he says 'oh let's do some yoga' so we put the video on and we kind of do it as a family."

Yoga media is easy to find on the internet or if you'd like to check out Brynne's educational yoga DVD, check outomolulu.com.

Copyright 2012 America Now. All rights reserved.

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Kids can benefit from yoga, and have fun

Calcutta News.Net Saturday 21st July, 2012

The humble flute, which in Hindu mythology was played by Lord Krishna to charm the maidens, birds and animals of Vrindavan and Mathura, is leading a new healing therapy called Bansi Yoga to beat lifestyle stress.

Bansi Yoga, created by the S. Vyasa Yoga University using a combination of traditional yoga, breathing exercises and flute melody, will get the official stamp of approval in the capital at the third World Flute Festival, "Raasrang 2012", Aug 9-12. The festival will be presented by the Ministry of Culture and the Krishna Prerna Foundation with support from flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia.

A team of experts will demonstrate the yoga and discuss its healing powers in 12 workshops over four days at Hotel Ashok in the capital, Arun Buddhiraja, the founder of the Krishna Prerna Foundation, said.

"Bansi Yoga is a combination of yoga and flute used as a deep relexation technique in 40 minutes of cyclic meditations. The practitioner moves his limbs in a cyclic pattern and the flute, played as an accompaniment, allows him to relax. The relaxation induced is equivalent to eight hours of sleep," Buddhiraja told IANS.

The flute was a symbol of love, peace and water, he said.

Explaining the dynamics of the Bansi Yoga, Buddhiraja said in some postures, the practitioner stands straight with his hands alongside at right angles. The practitioner then moves his hand in a cyclic manner to the music of the flute. The cyclic motion fans from the hand to the fingers and to the shoulders.

The meditation is followed by chanting of the words Ukara, Akara, Makara (u, aa, maa) - the essence of the word Omkara - to create magnetic sound resonance in the body, Buddhiraja said.

"It is a physiological and psychological clean-up," he said. The Bansi Yoga courses are designed for two groups of people - corporate executives and the common people.

Commenting on the power of flute and "Raasrang", writer and researcher Devdutt Pattanik said breath is the connection between matter and soul. When breath was rhytmic, there was music, Pattanik said about the cosmic power of the flute. "It draws one to the centre of existence," he said.

Read more from the original source:
Try flute yoga to beat stress

Bernadette Kalyan-Salgado in top form.

Crossfit Bluprint now features The Yoga Room at the Doral Studio, 1662 NW 108 Ave.,the largest Crossfit facility in South Florida,

The new wood floor yoga room is open to the community, said Bernardette Kalyan- Salgado, Founder/Director of Movement Yoga who leads Adult Power and Restosrative Yoga classes Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The classes are open to all levels with a portion of all proceeds going to Movement Yogas outreach programs throughout South Florida, she said. While studying for her masters degree in Non-Profit administration at the University of Miami, Kalyan-Salgado developed her Movement Yoga program, an outgrowth of experience in ballet, aerial and modern dance, as well as childrens gymnastics and teaching a Reggio Emilia philosophy.

She said a deep understanding of healthy exercise was a natural progression with Movement Yoga the result of that fusion.

We are excited to be offering yoga to the community for only ten dollars, said Kalyan-Salgado. For details, visit

Short URL: http://www.communitynewspapers.com/?p=42364

See the original post:
Doral’s Crossfit Bluprint Opens ‘The Yoga Room’

Re "Yoga teachers inflexible over cellphone use" (Page B3, July 18): Our policy at Practice Yoga is to request that phones be turned off during class. Occasionally, a student will have a pressing need to retain their phone. In any case, the individual typically is sincerely apologetic. The transgression is minimal and soon forgotten. While we realize that phone usage during class can be disruptive or disrespectful to students and instructors, we prefer to rely on the our yogic training and take these minimal disruptions in stride. A gentle good-humored ribbing and the effects of peer pressure usually provide sufficient disincentive for a recurrence. In no case would we terminate an employee for politely enforcing a no-phone rule, nor would we find a ringing phone cause to expel a class member. Both instances seem to be ego-driven overreactions and out of place with the peaceful nature of yoga practice. Much ado about nothing. -- Jim Cahill, Practice Yoga, Sacramento

Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

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Practice Yoga takes a yogic view of cellphone use

When I moved to Boulder, CO from Washington, DC four months ago, I didn't expect to find a for-profit Hanuman Festival supporting non-profit organizations like the Wellness Initiative, Off the Mat, and Give Back Yoga Foundation, or yoga teacher Tabitha Farrar.

Boulder has a lot of yoga. There is a studio on every block, a teacher training happening every week and every style of yoga. There are master yoga teachers here. It's quite a mecca. Named one of the top10 "Fantastically Yoga-Friendly Towns" by Yoga Journal, Boulder boasts over 35 yoga studios (for a population of about 100,160).

Yoga classes complement the healthy, trend-setting activities around the city. Only in Boulder do yoga students bike to class, dismount at red lights to stretch their hamstrings and carry their yoga mat in their backpacks. But not many students and yoga teachers in these nice warm studios get to make contact with women in shelters, or with the homeless recruited for sexual exploitation or other types of human trafficking. Enter Tabitha.

Tabitha's journey into yoga did not start with falling in love with a yoga studio. It began with too much exercise, which is as dangerous as eating disorders. In fact, there's a name for it: Exercise Bulimia. Tabitha's eight-year exercise disorder almost killed her.

One day a client asked me to work with her daughter who had an eating disorder. The girl had been hospitalized three times already and had just come out of the clinic again but was deteriorating. Her mother tried everything, and for some reason she had this notion that I would be able to help her daughter. I couldn't exactly refuse. I had zero training and only instinct to go on. I just seemed to know what to say to her, she trusted me, and she recovered. After that I went into working with girls with eating and exercise disorders. As I got more into yoga and did a lot of yoga in my year that I was awaiting my green card in the U.S., I knew I wanted to teach people who could not get to yoga, as those were generally the people that needed it most.

Tabitha founded Angel Organic, a non-profit that offers therapeutic yoga, mindfulness and meditation instruction free of charge to foundations and organizations that work to better the lives of those in their community. She has yoga classes going at the Safehouse for victims of domestic violence, Bridge House, a day shelter for the homeless, and soon at Imagine, serving people with developmental, cognitive and physical challenges. Her goal is to expand the number of free yoga classes in these centers facilitated by Angel Organic. "Yoga should be seen as something accessible to all; as free as going to church," says Tabitha.

More class offerings in these centers would be good for Boulder, where it's difficult for current and aspiring yoga instructors to teach to anyone other than those fortunate enough to afford a studio membership. And with so many registered yoga teachers around town, some teachers get knocked off balance trying to find teaching opportunities.

Teaching a person who has never experienced yoga before is both challenging and exciting.

Tabitha represents what I believe to be yoga's next self-transformation, alongside the celebrity-driven culture of yoga, doggedly trying to introduce yoga to unserved places and communities. Stay tuned for more stories of these yoga activists.

Read more from the original source:
Rob Schware: Yoga: How to Serve Series and the Homeless

The benefits of yoga are well-known: increased strength and flexibility, decreased pain and stress to name a few.

Those who might want to give it a try are sometimes stymied by two things time and money. Drop-in sessions cost anywhere from $10-$16, and class schedules are not always convenient.

That why Scott Feinberg opened Kula Yoga Shala two years ago. The studio is based on a unique business model. Its a cooperative of more than 30 yoga teachers who offer about 40 classes every week, all by donation.

The goal, Feinberg says, is to open a diversity of yoga practice to people of all income brackets.

Instead of putting their credit cards on file or having to pay a weekly or monthly fee, attendees are encouraged to donate an amount based on their financial means and on what they thought the class was worth.

The website reads, In the spirit of Karma Yoga, detaching from the fruits of our actions, we lovingly place the survival of the studio in the hands of our students, and ask that you simply give what you think is a fair and appropriate donation based on the value you place on your practice.

Unlike a nonprofit that is eligible for state money, grants or private donations, Kula Yoga Shala works just like a traditional business. Only here, the customer sets the price for services rendered.

Our teachers came together and invested their money in the space in order to make this happen for the community, Feinberg said.

Heres how theyre compensated: The co-op offers about 20 different types of classes. If a class is at a prime time and well-attended, the teacher contributes more for that class back to the co-op. This model fosters community (kula), not competition, Feinberg said.

Its a good platform for teachers to put themselves in front of new students and to promote their own studios, Feinberg said.

Continued here:
Customers decide the value of Kula Yoga Shala

In a large Chinese banquet hall in Boston hung with open-mouthed dragons and bulbous red lanterns, the hot yogis have taken over. Seventy Bikram yoga teachers are sprawled between the tables. At the helm of it all, clad in a black silk suit, a rhinestone tie, and a diamond-encrusted Rolex, is one of the worlds most famous yoga instructors, Bikram Choudhury.

The small, svelte man from Calcutta runs his hands anxiously through thin, wiry hair that falls past his shoulders from a mostly bare crown. Despite his diminutive looks, his presence clearly commands the room. Heads flick in his direction from other tables, eager for proximity toand attention fromthe man they consider to be their personal guru.

Everyone here practices the Bikram method of yoga, a series of 26 postures and two breathing sequences performed for 90 minutes in a climate-controlled environment of 105 degrees. Its the only correct way to practice yoga, Bikram insists. Everything else is shit.

I have been granted the seat of honor beside him. While everyone else is discussing yoga, we are talking about one of the ugliest lawsuits to occur in this otherwise tranquil world.

I am going to go to trial to get him punishment, to make him an example, so no one will ever have the guts to do that same kind of shit, says Bikram, a man so synonymous with yoga that people are often surprised to learn he is still living and not just a mythical icon.

In September, he sued Greg Gumucio, his former student and right hand man, for copyright infringement. Gumucio once occupied the chair where I now sit. But for the past several years, he has distanced himself from his former mentor, starting his own chain of competing studios, Yoga to the People.

Since 2006, Gumucio has been growing a strong business on the coasts. He charges only $8 for a single class, while a standard Bikram class costs between $15 and $25. The result has been a billowing client roster. A total of nearly 1,000 students pass through Gumucios four New York City studios every day.

Bikram originally turned a blind eye to Gumucios hotter hot yoga until last September, when a Bikram studio in Manhattan was forced to close due to competition from two YTTP studios thriving nearby. Thats when Bikram decided to sue Gumucio for copyright and trademark infringement, unfair business practices, and breach of contract.

Although yoga is a centuries-old tradition, Bikram had copyrighted his particular version under the same protections afforded to choreographers. And he had used it to bat down competitors from practicing it without paying franchise fees.

But Gumucio proved the greatest threat to his multimillion-dollar empire.

Go here to read the rest:
The Hot Yoga War