"What kind of crazy company," a friend emailed me, "pays for yoga classes for their employees and then insists on their right to get the least possible benefit from them?!"

And it does seem ludicrous, both what we've been hearing about Facebook's employee-coddling culture, and the image of a student reaching down from ardha chandrasana (half moon pose), a fairly challenging balance position, to punch in a text. This says so much about our current culture that I look forward to seeing it depicted on a New Yorker cover sometime soon.

Both the yoga community and my colleagues and students at Pixar, where I've been the company yoga teacher and provided wellness support for the past 17 years, have been abuzz with the story of a Facebook yoga instructor fired for insisting that this student turn off her cell phone during class. The consensus seems to be strongly on the side of the teacher, and I've heard much ridicule of Facebook's purported policy, not just from yogis, but from high tech industry friends as well. That email came from a web designer who is one of the most wired people I know, constantly texting during live conversations and never out of touch with his own Facebook page.

This issue hasn't actually come up for me; when a phone rings in my studio, the student who forgot to turn if off always scrambles, red-faced, to take care of it. And in my corporate classes, students don't even bring their phones; yoga is their break from being plugged in, and they don't want it disrupted by technology any more than I do. For the most part, I agree with my friend's assessment. As a yogi, it's disheartening to hear that yoga students would even have to be asked to turn off their phones. But there are two sides to every story.

Bringing yoga into the business world is a tricky mix, one that requires blending two completely different sets of needs, goals, and expectations. While a "no phones" policy is indeed a completely reasonable guideline for yoga classes, the fired teacher was not teaching in a dedicated yoga studio, and unless that rule is explicitly supported by the company she's working for -- and there were two companies in play here, Facebook and Plus One Health Management, the outside contractor that oversees FB's fitness classes and gym -- it's not her policy to set. She can request compliance but not demand it.

I started my career teaching yoga at UC Berkeley, where my classes were held in a basketball court. This was very early in the explosion of yoga into the mainstream, and I was sometimes astonished at what seemed to me extremely rude behavior. But I quickly realized that my expectations were born out of the yoga culture, and not necessarily shared by people coming to classes because their health club happened to offer them. I learned that teaching yoga etiquette -- for example, discouraging latecomers from tromping noisily through a room full of meditators -- was sometimes part of the job, especially when bringing yoga outside of its home environment.

Yoga teachers are only human; like anyone else, we have impatient moments, and times when something pushes our buttons that we handle less than skillfully. So if an incident like the one at Facebook happened in my class, I hope I'd have the presence of mind not to roll my eyes, but I can't swear that wouldn't be my first reaction. Still, glaring at a student with disdain seems out of bounds, no matter how absurd her behavior might seem. Another option would have been to respectfully ask the person to step outside to take care of whatever urgent business needed her attention, and return when she could focus. Imparting those lessons is far more effective when it's done with kindness. And a gentle, supportive approach is more in keeping with the spirit of yoga as well.

Ms. Van Ness is on record as saying that there's nothing "going on at Facebook that couldn't wait a half an hour," but that's a presumptuous statement, and not something she's in a position to decide. Even though I haven't had students use phones in my classes, people do often come in late or let me know they have to leave early for a meeting, and although it's not ideal to take a partial class, I've always felt it was better for them to get some practice time in than to miss it altogether. In my view, as with eating your vegetables, some yoga is better than none. And the job of teaching in a corporate setting is to support the employees' well-being in the context of their own culture.

Does that mean it's okay to text during yoga class? No, of course not. Not only is it detrimental to the student's own experience, it's distracting and rude to the other students as well. However badly this was handled on all sides, the bottom line is that multi-tasking is the opposite of yoga. The whole point is to train the mind to focus and be present through the physical practice. And that's where my high tech friend is absolutely on target. You only have to know a little bit about the physiology of stress, and the holistic effects of yoga, mindful breathing, and meditation to understand that the benefits of these practices are hugely reduced if they're not given full attention. Sort of like serving those vegetables deep fried.

That's something both Facebook and Plus One could benefit from considering: What are the goals for offering these classes, and how does a policy that "employees should be allowed to do whatever they want" affect the quality of what they're providing?

See the article here:
Sandy Blaine: When Worlds Collide: High-Tech Yoga

The firing of yoga instructor Alice Van Ness because she glared at a Facebook employee texting while in a half-moon yoga pose has Sacramento yoga teachers dumbfounded.

"If someone argued for keeping their cellphone with them, I'd kick them out of class and tell them not to come back," said Bill Counter, who has been teaching yoga for more than 21 years at Absolutely Ashtanga Yoga. "That isn't appropriate behavior. Only if they were a doctor expecting a call, I'd understand."

Jennifer Sadugar, founder of the Yoga Solution, works with people dealing with pain, depression and various illnesses. "To do a pose and text is a safety issue. It's a strain on the body, and one could get hurt, or fall and hurt someone else," she said. "Only ER doctors or nurses can put their phones on vibrate, and if they have to text or take a call, they leave."

Laura Francis, instructor at Zuda Yoga, said Van Ness' dismissal was shocking.

"There are absolutely no cellphones in my classes. It's disruptive to other students. I'd ask them to leave if they tried to text," she said. "It's pretty standard policy that you leave your cellphone outside. There isn't a teacher here who would say it's OK to keep it with you."

Last month, Van Ness, 35, of San Carlos was teaching a yoga class at Facebook's Menlo Park campus when one employee was typing a text during the half moon pose, according to the Associated Press.

AP reported Van Ness, who has instructed yoga for six years, asked the class not to use cellphones during the yoga session. Plus One Health Management, which oversees the yoga and gym programs for Facebook, terminated her two weeks later, AP reported, because she had been warned she couldn't enforce a cellphone ban and after the Facebook employee complained that she glared at her. Neither Plus One Health Management nor Facebook would comment for the AP story.

Van Ness' glare cost her job and a third of her monthly income.

Instructors in Sacramento said they go by the assumption that their students understand not to mix cellphones and yoga. "I don't think someone would even try to use a cellphone in my class; I have an understanding with my students about the seriousness of the subject," said Gary Vercelli, Iyengar yoga instructor at the Yoga Solution. "One must respect that yoga has no distractions."

Yoga instructors aren't the only one sympathizing with Van Ness. Her personal website has started to collect an array of supportive comments.

Read more from the original source:
Sacramento yoga teachers back Facebook instructor who was fired

Yoga Bites appears every four weeks.

Yogis say that we are only as young as our spine is supple, and theres a lot of truth to that.

I need not tell you about the rigors of life and the toll they take on your body, especially the spine. Yogis practice poses that decompress and lubricate the spine to create and maintain elasticity and durability, which is the pathway to a more youthful and energetic body.

A common warm-up and cool-down move in yoga practice is Cats Breath. This simple flowing sequence, or vinyasa, consists of two complimentary poses alternating fluidly back and forth.

Dont be fooled by the simplicity of this power-packed vinyasa; it brings heaps of treats to the party. The two poses that make up this flow are Cow (Bitilasana) and Cat (Marjariasana).

Lets begin on hands and knees, stacking shoulders over wrists and knees under hips with a neutral spine. If this hurts your knees, place a folded blanket, mat or towel under them. Spread your fingers and palms. Broaden the soles of your feet. You might like to smile.

Let the breath be the invitation to move. Inhale as you curl your heart and tail to the sky, dropping the belly toward the earth, like a contented purring cat. On the exhale curl the tail down and allow the spine to respond naturally to this wave as it ripples all the way up the spine.

Press whats down, down more, and feel the corresponding lift that creates at center as you draw your navel in toward the spine and round your back high like a Halloween cat. Allow all of your worldly concerns to exit right out the top of your head, down into the earth to be transmuted. Continue this spinal dance letting the breath lead. Move slowly and gently as you follow your breaths natural rhythms.

When arching in Cow keep the energy in your shoulders looping back and down, encouraging the shoulder blades to integrate fully onto your back ribs, which then lifts your heart and opens your chest from behind.

Press down into your fingertips while drawing energy up through the center of your palms, up into your shoulders, keeping the head of the arm bones engaged in their sockets. Hug muscle to bone. Practice this for three to five minutes a day this week, and observe the effects of this healing tonic for your three treasures, your body, mind and spirit.

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Yoga Bites: Cow and Cat: 2 poses can help to keep spine supple

OCEAN SPRINGS -- A growing movement to offer free yoga classes to those who serve in the military has come to the Coast.

On Tuesday afternoons at River Rock Yoga, both men and women who have been in battle and those who have trained extensively for it come together for a yoga class.

The program is called Connected Warrior.

Like all yoga, it's designed to relax the mind as well as stretch the body.

Sometimes the class has 10, sometimes five. But Moira Anderson, who owns River Rock, said the class is geared for the needs of those who show up.

A friend of hers in Florida told her about the movement, and it is catching on in Ocean Springs as well as other places around the country.

Part of the yoga discipline is to reach out to the community without expecting a return, she said.

"We have a large military population in the area," she said. "We want to reach out."

River Rock has a lot to offer. It is a sanctuary for people, a sacred space where participants can take time to be still and be in the present moment.

All this becomes particularly important to people who have trained extensively to be hyper-vigilant in their work -- warriors.

Read more here:
Free yoga classes offered to military and veterans in Ocean Springs are part of Connected Warrior movement

Amy Carmichael, CTVNews.ca Published Sunday, Jul. 15, 2012 6:30AM EDT

A U.S. yoga instructor isnt alone in expressing concerns about cellphone use at the gym.

Both a personal trainer and an etiquette expert say its a problem and that Alice Van Ness, the yoga instructor at Facebook who says she was fired after trying to stop a student from texting in class, was doing the right thing.

People think their life is so much more important than others and that they can disturb a class or other people in a gym. Its completely out of control, in my opinion, says Melissa Wessel, who specializes in strength training and leads boot camps in Toronto.

Van Ness wrote about her experience at Facebook for elephantjournal.com. Van Ness said management at the Facebook gym encouraged her to let students do whatever they wanted, including come in late and take phone calls. In June, she glared at a texting student while she demonstrated a difficult pose. This, she says, prompted her firing.

Van Ness writes: I said nothing, but Im sure my face said it all. Really? Your email is more important than understanding your body? Its more important than taking time for you? Its more important than everyone else here?

A Toronto etiquette expert sides with Wessel and Van Ness on the issue of phones in gyms and fitness classes.

Rude, says Louise Fox, an etiquette expert certified at the prestigious Protocol School of Washington, host of mannerstv.com and owner of The Etiquette Ladies.

Wessel has her clients leave their phones in their locker. But she says that many gym clients and trainers are phone addicts who cant detach for a workout.

I personally think its ridiculous, Wessel says.

See the original post:
Etiquette expert backs yoga teacher fired by Facebook

(CBS/AP) Perhaps Facebook is an addiction after all. A California yoga instructor learned that hard way that you can't comes between one student and her social network.

Alice Van Ness, who was hired to teach hour-long yoga sessions at Facebook's Menlo Park campus, has been fired for her disapproving stink-eye glare at a Facebook employee using a cellphone in class.

Van Ness says she tells students before class to turn off their cellphones. But a female employee pulled out her cellphone in the middle of a Monday session and began texting.

The San Jose Mercury News says Van Ness didn't say anything, but she gave the student what she calls a look of disapproval.

"We're not talking about the U.S. government here," Van Ness told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We're not talking about Russia is about to bomb us. We're talking about Facebook. Something can't wait half an hour?"

The student later complained and Van Ness was fired by Plus One Health Management. The termination letter says Van Ness "made a spectacle" of the student.

Excerpt from:
Yoga teacher fired for glaring at Facebook worker

Ben Margot / AP

Yoga instructor Alice Van Ness, left, instructs student Melanie Gurunathan Wednesday, July 11, 2012, at Lifestretch Yoga in Milpitas, Calif. Van Ness has been fired for her disapproving stink-eye glare at a Facebook employee using a cellphone in class.

By The Associated Press

Looks may not kill, but they can get you fired.

That's what a Northern California yoga instructor found after leading sessions at Facebook Inc.'s Menlo Park campus.

The instructor, Alice Van Ness, said she got fired after she glared at a Facebook employee who texted during a class in June.

"The whole point for most people going to yoga is that it's disconnecting from the outside world," said Van Ness, a 35-year-old San Carlos resident who has taught yoga for six years. "If you are bringing your phone into class, why are you even there?"

Van Ness told the Facebook class to turn their phones off after seeing a female employee with a cellphone out. Later, while demonstrating a difficult pose, she caught the same worker typing on her phone. Van Ness said she stayed silent, but shot the woman a disapproving look. The employee stepped out before returning to the class, Van Ness said.

According to a termination letter from Plus One Health Management that was provided to The Associated Press by Van Ness, she was warned prior to the class that she could not enforce a cellphone ban.

David Milani, a representative of Plus One Health Management, declined to comment specifically on Van Ness' case. But he said company instructors who teach at some companies including Facebook are required to allow fitness members to pick up their phones during class.

Excerpt from:
Yoga, Facebook and cellphone a volatile mix

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune Published: July 11, 2012 Updated: July 11, 2012 - 8:43 AM

When yoga studio owner Francine Messano first organized "Yoga in the Park," a free one-hour class Sundays in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the event drew about 10 people.

That was about two years ago, and momentum has been building gradually through word of mouth. Now, roughly 150 people show up rain or shine well, unless there's a tropical storm.

Classes begin at 6 p.m. Sundays. Attendees stretch their hamstrings and quadriceps, rotating hips out, relaxing necks, rotating upper bodies.

Their view: Tampa's signature park, the Hillsborough River and the minarets atop Plant Hall. Everyone loves the location, Messano said.

"Looking up at the sky, there's something powerful with just moving with the energy of nature," she said.

Added Melissa Carroll, who typically teaches the class: "It takes yoga out of its typical realm in the studio and certainly makes it more accessible to people."

The class is open to people of all ages and skill levels. Sometimes children participate in poses. Sometimes people in their 80s will give yoga a shot.

"People don't feel intimidated," said Messano, who runs Yoga Downtown Tampa at 206 E. Cass St.

Ellen Dominic of Riverside Heights and her husband came for a recent class. Dominic said it was her sixth yoga class in the park.

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Yoga takes over Curtis Hixon Park

Hiking is a magnificent way to get a workout while viewing nature. Rather than just walking or jogging on an excursion, why not incorporate yoga into your journey? Standing poses can easily be incorporated into your hike. So, next time you are ready for an outdoor adventure, take yoga with you on your hike for the following four reasons.

#1 Your muscles get stretched

During a hike your legs may get tired from long periods of walking. By taking breaks to perform yoga, you give your legs a chance to stretch in between periods of hiking. Stretching is important to prevent injuries, so it is a superb idea to perform several asanas before your walk that provide a wonderful warmup. The following poses are ideal for warming up:

Big Toe Pose (Padangusthasana)

This pose provides a superior stretch to both the thighs and calves, two muscle groups that are important to flex before a hike.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

The chair pose provides a marvelous method of stretching the shoulders and chest. In addition, it decreases flat feet, making it a supreme stretch before a backpacking journey.

#2 You get two workouts

Getting two workouts in one allows you to work different muscle groups, and you receive the benefits of hiking and yoga during one exercise session. Both hiking and many yoga poses prevent osteoporosis, making them a great combination. Hiking allows you to get a great cardiovascular workout, and standing asanas allow for relaxation, rejuvenation and stretching. Yoga also gives the heart beat a chance to slow down, making this an interval workout, and this type of workout is known to burn more fat and calories than other ones.

#3 You get the company of others hikers

Original post:
Four Reasons to Incorporate Yoga into Your Hike

A Bay Area yoga instructor has been fired from her job after a student she was teaching at the Facebook headquarters complained about the instructor's reaction to her in-class cell phone use.

Alice Van Ness, 35, has been teaching yoga since 2006. As a courtesy, as class begins she says she politely asks students to turn off their phones. But while teaching at the Facebook Fitness Center last month, the northern California native said one student -- who she says had been texting at the beginning of class began using her phone while she was demonstrating the difficult half moon pose.

"When she picked up her phone, I was surprised," Van Ness told ABC News. "I didn't know what to say. I just looked at her with this look of utter disbelief. Like, 'Really? You're going to do that right now?'"

That look of disapproval cost Van Ness her job with Plus One Health Management, the company that operates the gym out of Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., offices. Two weeks after the incident, Van Ness was dismissed by the company.

Van Ness says that the Facebook employee -- who she would only identify as "not [Facebook COO] Sheryl Sandberg" -- was in the middle of the front row of the class of about 10. When the class stopped as she typed on her phone, she quickly left the room. The woman then went to complain -- possibly directly to the Van Ness' manager -- that she felt humiliated by the incident.

Van Ness says that she didn't say anything to the woman, who shortly after making her complaint known, rejoined the class.

"I did not know what to say. I didn't want to make a huge deal out of it. It's the first time that someone did it, at such a time right in the middle of class," she says.

According to Van Ness, who has over 500 hours of training in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Seattle, there was no discussion with her supervisors as to what happened the day in question. She says that when she came in two weeks later, they had her final paycheck and termination papers ready.

Calls placed by ABC News to Plus One Health Management regarding the incident were not immediately returned. Slater Tow, a Facebook spokesman, told the Mercury News that since Van Ness is not its employee the company has no comment.

Van Ness told the Mercury News that her termination letter noted that the employee said Van Ness had "made a spectacle of her" during class by stopping instruction and glaring at her.

Continue reading here:
Yoga Teacher at Facebook Fired Over Texting Student