Melbourne, Feb 11 : A US based Hindu group said they are critical of turning yoga into a competitive sport as "2013 Australian National Yoga Asana Championship" was held at Melbourne on February 10, and find the idea "particularly unsettling". Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that yoga, a reportedly pre-Indus Valley civilization practice, was a mental and physical discipline, a code of ascetic practices, and a feature of contemplation in Hinduism.

Believed to be founded by Yajnavalkya and codified later by Patanjali in Yoga-sutra, it was an integral part of Hinduism, he said.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, argued that idea of yoga as a competitive sport was contradictory to the basic core of yoga, and smelled of mercantile greed in a consumerist society.

"It gave the appearance of contortionists at a circus focused on winning trophies. Pushing this spiritual and inward-looking practice with long held traditions for competition and making it a public performance was distortion of its originally intended idea and plainly just 'missing the point', said Zed.

"Let us please leave the sacred in yoga intact and protect it from push culture," he stressed.

Zed pointed out that 'yoga', which had come to mean in the West as 'modern postural yoga', was actually a mental and physical discipline by means of which the human soul united with universal soul.

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US Hindus find Melbourne yoga competition unsettling

When local singer-songwriter Ida Jo started reciting Sanskrit passages during a recent interview it was easy to imagine the words were designed to raise the dead or to open some secret passage buried deep beneath the Egyptian pyramids.

The truth, it turns out, is far more pedestrian.

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu, she said, means may all beings be happy and free.

The passage is one of many chanted during yoga classes run by Vinyasa Mantra Music, a new musical endeavor featuring Jo, longtime musical cohort Scott Lamps (the two also perform together in laid-back folk trio Bello) and local yoga instructors Ken Kloes and David Lincecum.

Kloes and Lincecum initially conceived of the class last summer and approached then-students Jo and Lamps to assist with the musical aspect.

I think music and yoga go hand-in-hand, said Jo. Therell be teachers that play Lady Gaga or something, and then there will be teachers that play very meditative music thats really slow and peaceful. Then theres everything in between.

Vinyasa Mantra Music performances tend towards the more peaceful end of the spectrum, with Jo and Lamps providing acoustic instrumentation (Lamps plays guitar, Jo violin) for the classes, which generally run about two hours in length. The sessions include a full yoga workout, as well as additional time for reflection and meditation.

Theres a section in the class where David talks to people about what they want more of in their life, said Jo. And people actually have paper and a pencil and write that down, and then use that for meditation.

But the most important element of the class and the one most first timers are usually more hesitant to embrace is the chanting.

Its fun to see the progression of the class, because in the beginning people are like, Oh, I dont know how much I want to sing or how loudly I want to sing, said Jo. Then towards the end everybody is really singing and really into it. The energy from the beginning of the class to the end of the class changes quite dramatically.

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Local yoga enthusiasts unwind to live music

Avery Fallon, a second grader in Ms. Lamar's class at Winter Park Elementary does Yoga during recess on Feb. 2, 2013.

There are bellowing grunts coming from the playground of Winter Park Elementary School. But they're not loud enough.

"Make some noise!" yells yoga instructor Ryan Williams, bringing his arms over his head, pulling them down like he's chopping wood and letting out a howl. Constance Lamar's second-graders, mimicking his motions, respond with hollers of their own (and a few giggles). But they need to get even louder.

"I can't hear you!" yoga instructor Matteo Zacchino says in a teasing singsong. That produces another round of whoops from the grinning students as they continue "chopping wood."

The exercise is part of Winter Park Elementary's recess yoga program, which is stretching students' bodies and their vocal cords throughout the month of February. The program serves a dual purpose: It gives students a breather and helps them refocus in the middle of the day, while also letting local yoga instructors give back.

The program was born out of an idea that Matteo Zacchino, owner of local Be Unlimited Yoga studio, had while coaching a Cape Fear Soccer Club team. A little bit of yoga before practice left Zacchino amazed at how much more focused his players were, and he decided to adapt the idea for recess at Winter Park Elementary, where his son Dante is a student.

Students in second, third and fifth grade practice for a half-hour during recess three days a week. All through February, Zacchino and instructors from his studio are donating their time for the recess yoga. They're hoping to raise $2,000 to keep the program going longer and bring it to more schools.

Instructors Ryan Williams, Tara Blackburn and Brandi Craddock use different methods to keep the kids engaged, like getting the students to act out the names of poses: A balancing pose with legs spread wide and arms held out to the sides turns the students into warriors. They also offer constant encouragement, asking children how they feel and giving high-fives for good form.

Second-grader Dorothy Delgar is a fan of her daily stretches.

"It calms us down when we're really frustrated," she said.

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Yoga stretches bodies, minds at Winter Park Elementary

WILLIAM BENDER, Daily News Staff Writer benderw@phillynews.com, 215-854-5255 Posted: Monday, February 11, 2013, 3:01 AM

You're probably thinking that those words don't go together. Not like, say, drugs and crime.

But you're not Jennifer Bedrick.

The 34-year-old mother is bringing free yoga to Upper Darby in an effort to fight addiction - and all the neighborhood problems that come with it - one sun salutation at a time.

"I've done yoga in the city and in Narberth, but it's like a void here. I realized this would be a good community project," said Bedrick, whose past has included a few addictions, from nicotine to sugar to "more recreational things."

In December, Bedrick implemented her 90-classes-in-90-days concept by gathering a few yoga instructors to teach at the boxing and karate gym on West Chester Pike.

The classes are open to the community, but especially to residents looking for a mental and physical edge to combat drug or alcohol addiction - or any other type of addiction. Donations are welcome.

"Yoga and kickboxing have been my yin and my yang," Bedrick, who has worked in personal training said. "And meditation. Things started to make sense. I found myself being happier.

"You're trying to breathe through something that's difficult, knowing it's not going to last forever," she said. "You're getting stronger, and the next time you go into that pose it's a little easier, because you've been there before. Taking what you learn on the mat and applying it to life helps."

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Upper Darby trainer says yoga can reduce drug addiction