NAIROBI - Daily life in the slums of Nairobi is a constant struggle - with people trying to scrape together money for food, rent, and school fees. And the slums were most affected by the 2007 Kenyan post-election violence. Yoga wouldnt appear to be the most obvious solution to helping these residents, but the Africa Yoga Project is trying to do just that. Project

Paige Elenson has been teaching yoga for 15 years. The former Wall Street consultant came to Kenya in 2007 to live and volunteer in the Nairobi slum of Kibera. She co-founded the Africa Yoga Project.

It was actually a huge opportunity to start the project right around the post-election violence. It was a time where people were feeling very separate from each other, where different tribes were starting to fight just because of their tribe, and to introduce a practice thats around peace and unity, where you dont have to talk, but you just do and you physically are united," said Elenson. "People started to really come together in a way that exceeded their tribe.

For 26 year-old yoga instructor Joyce Murugi, who experienced the violence in the Nairobi slum of Mathare firsthand, yoga provides an outlet for dealing with the trauma. It was just now like, when I go and train yoga, its me and my mat. I only train, no stress," she explained. "When I get outside the mat, its like Ive been reborn from the way I entered the class is not the way that Ive left the class.

The Africa Yoga Project has trained over 50 instructors like Murugi, all from the Nairobi slums, who teach more than 200 free classes per week in the same areas. They make additional income by teaching private classes at gyms, spas, hotels, and even the United Nations.

Yoga, is something that typically, in the West, we see as for the upper class. Here in Kenya, weve reversed it. Weve put all the yoga, pretty much, in the slums. And its now the people from the slums that are teaching the upper class. This is a great way, to really reverse how we think of people, and what yoga is, Elenson stated.

Escape

Thanks to the free classes, 48 year-old Alice Njathi can temporarily escape from the stresses of life in the slums. Its just like a medicine. After you have done it, youll feel different. Youll feel different from your body and your mind. So you relax and concentrate," she noted. "You relax, so you feel that you are now different. And Im feeling it. And its helping me.

Although a new concept for many Kenyans living in the slums, Elenson says that yoga is universal.

What impresses me is that someone who takes classes in New York City could go to a place that looks completely different, you could be in Kibera, and in the middle of a slum and get on your yoga mat and all of a sudden, youre just on your yoga mat, Elenson said.

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Yoga Provides Empowerment, Hope for Nairobi Slums

People With Rheumatoid Arthritis Feel Better After 6 Weeks of Iyengar-Style Yoga

May 24, 2012 (Honolulu, Hawaii) -- Young patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may feel better after practicing yoga for just six weeks, a new study shows.

Researchers reported their findings here last week at the American Pain Society's annual meeting.

"It seems to be a very feasible, practical treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis," one of the researchers, Kirsten Lung, tells WebMD. Lung researches pain at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The results are not surprising to Kathleen Sluka, PhD, a physical therapist who researches pain at the University of Iowa. All kinds of physical activity can help with rheumatoid arthritis, she tells WebMD. Sluka was not involved in this study.

RA is a chronic type of arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease. It is most common among women. Early symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, and stiffness.

As it progresses, RA may feel like the flu, with muscle aches and loss of appetite. Early and effective treatment may help prevent joint and bone destruction.

The UCLA researchers say some drugs for RA can pose additional risks for younger patients. So the researchers are looking for alternatives. They decided to try Iyengar yoga.

In Iyengar yoga, practitioners may use blocks, straps, cushions, and other props to stretch and strengthen their muscles.

The UCLA researchers recruited 26 women with RA. The women's ages ranged from 21 to 35. On average they had suffered from RA for 10 and a half years.

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Yoga May Improve Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Joan Renee Zalk (Boulder County Sheriff's Office)

A Boulder yoga instructor and acupuncturist accused of running a Chihuahua outside her car as she drove it down the street pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty charges last week.

Joan Renee Zalk, 30, was sentenced to a one year deferred sentence and 100 hours of community service as part of the plea deal. The deferred sentence means the misdemeanor will be wiped from her record if she stays out of trouble for the duration of the sentence.

Zalk had been scheduled to go on trial in June on animal cruelty and menacing charges.

Witnesses told police in September 2011 that Zalk was driving a Toyota Camry at 10 to 15 mph along Moorhead Avenue as a small dog on a leash ran alongside.

According to the police report, Zalk also told a witness who confronted her, "Excuse me, I have a gun in my car. Do you want me to get it?"

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a menacing charge related to the gun allegation.

Zalk told police she was pet-sitting and was simply giving the dog exercise.

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Boulder yoga instructor Joan Zalk pleads guilty to running Chihuahua alongside car

by Eugene Scott - May. 21, 2012 08:07 AM The Republic | azcentral.com

Kathleen Hines said she is on a journey to help people. She doesn't know exactly where that will take her, but right now, it has landed her in a new yoga studio in northeast Phoenix.

"A dear friend of mine asked me, 'What would you like to do for the rest of your life?' I said, 'I don't know.' He said, 'I'm going to be your partner in whatever business you decide.' "

That business is called Yoga Because, and Hines is vice president of the studio, at 32nd Street and Thunderbird Road, in a shopping center anchored by a Safeway grocery store.

"The Safeway is such a strong anchor. We've got street visibility and a lot of walk-by traffic," Hines said.

A yoga enthusiast, Hines decided to turn her passion into a career. The north Phoenix resident is working on her training to achieve a master level.

"The initial heart of the business isn't so that I can have a job, but so I could give to the community," she said.

Yoga has become much more mainstream since Hines was first drawn to it about 12 years ago, she said.

"It is a growing business," she said. "It's important to keep moving and working through restoring emotions in your body and making space for beautiful things. I think a lot of people are really knowing the value of yoga."

Yoga Because has 13 instructors and offers 42 classes a week, each 75 minutes long. After the first free class, prices vary from $13 per class for seniors to $110 a month for unlimited classes. The studio is at 3131 E. Thunderbird Road, Suite 15-A, Phoenix.

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Yoga-studio owner on mission to help others

Several yoga tattoos exist, and many yoga instructors have tattoos as well. They all have meanings, and the instructors that chose to be inked with such beauty did so for a reason. I will point out the top four yoga tattoos, pointing out the meaning behind each one.

#1 Peacock tattoo

The peacock tattoo is beautiful, and there is a yoga pose (asana) called the peacock pose. This interesting bird is a symbol of an esteemed status in Chinese symbolism. In Buddhism the peacock symbolizes extensive awareness. Furthermore, in Christianity the peacock's circles or "eyes" within the feathers of the tail stand for the eyes of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit watching over faithful believers.

Carol Tessitore, a yoga instructor, displays her peacock tattoo and says that it is representative of personality -- at once "showy" and "skittish." Believe it or not, this work of art cost over 2,000 dollars and took more than 25 hours to complete.

#2 Lotus flower tattoo

First and foremost, the lotus is a plant within the water lily family, and in Greek mythology the lotus flower is said to cause a marvelous and bewitching forgetfulness upon eating it. The lotus flower also represents purity and divine birth. Different colors have different meanings. The white lotus is symbolic of a complete purity of ones mental state, as well as spiritual completeness. The red lotus stands for love and passion. The blue lotus is said to represent control over the senses and the ability to comprehend. The pink flower is the greatest of all lotuses, usually kept for the most godlike in Buddhism. Last but not least, the purple lotus is considered mystical.

Lula Trainor, another yoga practitioner, has the lotus tattooed on her chest and says, "It attracted me because it grows in muddy dark water and emerges into the light, and I thought that would be kind of cool."

#3 Yin Yang tattoo

In Chinese Yin Yang stand for flattering forces of nature, such as fire and water, representing how one is not supreme over the other. There are several varieties of Yin Yang tattoos that one can choose to get.

#4 Elephant tattoo

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Top Four Yoga Tattoos

Faced with the highest army suicide rates in at least 30 years, U.S. military officials are examining ways to help treat psychologically wounded soldiers. A study published in the March issue of the journal Injury Prevention found the number of U.S. military suicides rose by 80 percent from 2004 to 2008. The increased risk of suicide is linked to combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan and mental health problems like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may occur after exposure to a traumatic event such as military combat, violence or a natural calamity. Research reports that yoga practice can help relieve PTSD symptoms like psychological distress, anxiety and sadness. According to the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, approximately 18.5 percent of returning soldiers from Iraq or Afghanistan have PTSD.

Now the U.S. military is turning to yoga to help manage combat stress and decrease the risk of PTSD and suicide.

Yoga Reduces Combat Stress

A small 2012 study published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy found yoga reduced symptoms of combat stress and PTSD. The study was conducted among U.S. active duty military personnel deployed in Iraq.

U.S. researchers administered nine sessions of the "Yoga Warrior method" to 35 U.S. air force and army personnel for three weeks, and this group was compared to another group of 35 personnel who did not receive any therapy. Tests assessing emotional responses and daily journals were obtained from the participants.

The Yoga Warrior method, developed by yoga and occupational therapists, includes hatha yoga and sensory-based occupational therapy techniques.

The researchers found the yoga group had significantly greater improvement in mental health and quality of life than the control group. Furthermore, the yoga participants reported sleep improvement, increased feelings of calm, and reduced anger.

"The results support using sensory-enhanced hatha yoga for proactive combat stress management," the study authors conclude.

Yoga Nidra Helps Soldiers

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Elaine Gavalas: Yoga Stress Relief for Soldiers

Photo by Matt Stensland

Patty Zimmer leads a Yogatta Dance class during Yoga Day 2011 at Bud Werner Memorial Library. This years Yoga Day celebration takes place Sunday with donation-based sample classes all day and a raffle.

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Steamboat Springs Yoga Day in Steamboat began as a local version of a nationwide celebration. Now a springtime, daylong fundraiser, it has taken on a life of its own in the Steamboat community.

The fourth annual Yoga Day, set for Sunday, will celebrate yoga and community with a sampling of 45-minute classes from local instructors. But yoga also is about service, or Seva in Sanskrit.

This years Yoga Day will donate all proceeds from donations and raffle tickets to the Yampa Valley Sustainability Councils Sustainable Schools Program.

Its a great way for us to give back to the community, said Alli Brook, a local yoga instructor and co-owner of the Yoga Center of Steamboat. And to really come together with a lot of different businesses and individuals all to benefit a local nonprofit.

Brook said Yoga Day organizers were impressed with the programs far-reaching impact and successes of the Sustainable Schools Program.

The programs accomplishments introducing reusable school lunch trays, making school events zero waste and promoting reusable water bottles also align with yogic principles, Brook said.

Its the idea that our lives can be very multifaceted but yet sustainable, Brook said. What you put out into the world youre going to get back. Steamboat is such a great community, and were so fortunate to have so many people and organizations that have that collective collaborative spirit.

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Yoga Day in Steamboat to benefit Sustainable Schools Program

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Yoga class expands soul without stretching budget

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCHRzF09a5s

15-05-2012 11:17 Watch this video at the link and leave a comment! I get to pick the winners!

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Fit Sugar Yoga Giveaway! - Video

Prenatal yoga instructor Letty Shaw demonstrates techniques that women can do during their pregnancy at the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Hutchinson, Kan. (Colleen Lefholz, The Hutchinson News/Associated Press)

Katie Burge is more at ease during this pregnancy.

Her muscles are relaxed, and every time she has a cramp, she knows how to work it out. She expects to have her baby in about four weeks.

Burge, who already has two children, attributes the calmness to a prenatal yoga class at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Kansas.

"I've never done anything like it before," said Burge, of Lyons.

The 12-week program, which started in March, is the last project in instructor Letty Shaw's yoga training. Shaw's goal is to learn enough during this pilot program to teach other yoga instructors how to teach prenatal yoga.

"A lot of ladies can benefit from prenatal yoga," Shaw said. "There's no reason to hurt and suffer if there's something that can be fixed while not taking drugs or other things that are harmful to your body."

Shaw was in the midst of her initial yoga training about four years ago when she became pregnant with her third child. Before, she had problems with sciatica pain from a nerve that goes down the leg and lower back pain.

With yoga training, she never had a problem.

"I didn't hurt at all with my third child," she said. "I thought yoga was amazing. Everyone needs to know about it."

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Yoga delivers calm to mothers-to-be