Broga is yoga for men, a.k.a. bros, and it's now being offered in the Queen City at the recently opened Manchester Yoga Mill. Yes, Broga sounds hilarious, but Yoga Mill co-owner Johanna Tejada assured me it is a serious strength workout for men and women alike.

Oh, yeah. Girls can do broga, she said. Broga's really focused on the upper-body strength building.

Tejada, 27, opened Manchester Yoga Mill on the third floor of the Waumbec Mill less than three weeks ago. The studio offers more than 25 different classes for all levels. Broga, offered on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m., is more appealing to some men than more traditional yoga classes because it focuses on strength rather than flexibility.

Tejada, who has a degree in fashion design, said she came to New Hampshire from Philadelphia about three years ago to work as a designer for Eastern Mountain Sports. But after becoming entwined with the yoga community here, she decided it was time for a career change and opened the studio with her partner, Ryan Andrews, 32.

In addition to the regular classes, Manchester Yoga Mill has some interesting special monthly events. Last week they offered yoga accompanied by live music. In October, Tejada said she plans to offer a Halloween class where costumes are encouraged. Mommy and me yoga classes are also in the works.

You can see the studio's current offerings at http://www.ManchesterYogaNH.com. And be sure to keep an eye on http://www.UnionLeader.com for an upcoming Deal of the Day that offers four yoga classes for $20.

Religious response to hunger

Growing up in Manchester I was fortunate to have many Jewish friends who invited me to their synagogues and homes to celebrate various Jewish holidays and traditions. I secretly hoped my own family would convert to Judaism so that I could have eight days of presents during Hanukkah, an amazing Bat Mitzvah celebration when I turned 12, and two extra days off from school to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

My mother did agree to buy me matzah during Passover, but I never did get that Bat Mitzvah. Still I am happy for the opportunity to join with our city's Jewish community during their High Holy Days and to help fill the shelves at New Horizons Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen.

I'd like to thank Judith Jolton of Temple Adath Yeshurun for alerting me to this year's Religious Response to Hunger Food Drive. Jolton, chairman of the drive, said the synagogue has been holding this annual event during the High Holy Days for more than 30 years and today it is one of the biggest food drives to support New Horizons.

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Broga gets the guys involved in yoga class